[She’ll get over it. Remember that time the male lead ditched her in the middle of nowhere to go pick up the female lead? The SFL cried for two hours, then wiped her tears and went to bring him dinner.]
Reading that, I froze. A flood of humiliating memories washed over me. Because of our childhood engagement, I had shamelessly chased after George my whole life. In elementary school, I was his loyal servant. In middle school, his most reliable wingman. By high school and college, I had become a laughingstock, the girl who would do anything for him.
And now, with the Parker family in crisis, I had stepped up, offering a huge portion of my own shares to bail them out. Our wedding had been fast–tracked, but George and Maya’s affair had only become more blatant.
Every time I confronted him, he would look at me with disgust, as if I had committed some terrible crime.
“She’s my sister–in–law. Don’t be so filthy–minded,”
I could only tell myself, over and over, that she was his sister–in–law, that it was his duty to take care of her. My entire life felt like a cycle of heartbreak and self–delusion.
Chapter 1
1503
But this time…
I looked at the floating text, then at my injured wrist.
Suddenly, everything became clear.
I loved George, but I loved my own life more.
“Cancel all of our company’s partnerships with the Parker Group. Phase them out, starting now.”
Mr. Davies slammed on the brakes, pulling over to the side of the road. He turned around, his eyes wide with shock.
“Miss, if you do that, young Mr. Parker will be furious. What if you regret it later?”
“I won’t regret it. Cancel them now. Any contracts that aren’t signed, scrap them. Any that are, we will not renew them upon compl- etion.”
When Mr. Davies turned back around, he actually wiped a tear from his eye.
According to the text, Liam Parker and I were two of a kind.
I used my money and influence to summon the top cardiac specialists from all over the country. The reason the Parker Group was on the verge of collapse was that everyone knew Liam, the brilliant elder son, was dying, and George, the younger son, was a wort- hless playboy.
If Liam didn’t die, George would never have his chance.
Soon, doctors from all over were arriving by private jet.
In the hospital room, Liam Parker was a shadow of his former self, gaunt and frail, kept alive only by the rhythmic hiss of a ventila-
tor.
[Aah, the big brother is so handsome. Can’t he not die?]
[No can do. He’s toc brilliant. If he doesn’t die, the male lead can’t have his character development.]
[Sob, it’s just one tiny blocked blood vessel. It’s just really hard to find. But what is the SFL doing here? And with all these doctors?]
[See? I told you she’d get over it! She must regret how she acted earlier and is trying to win points with the male lead by saving his brother.]
[Nooo, don’t do it! Doesn’t the SFL see that the male lead is terrified of his brother? Big brother dying is a good thing for him! Don’t be stupid, SFL!]
[It’s fine. They won’t be able to find the real cause of his illness anyway.]
A faint smile touched my lips. I called over Liam’s attending physician.
“These are some of the most renowned cardiac specialists in the country. They’re here to examine Mr. Parker.”
The attending physician hesitated. “But… Mr. Parker’s wife said… she wants him to pass with dignity, without any more medical intervention.”
I shot him a sharp look. If it weren’t for the floating text, I would have suspected that Liam was the victim of a plot by that despica- ble pair.
!
“Dr, Chen, I believe my family, the Kim family, recently acquired this hospital, did we not? That makes me the majority shareholder.”
That was all it took. The hospital administration immediately scrambled to assist the specialists with another round of examinati- ions. They were thorough, but the diagnosis remained the same: he needed a heart transplant.
Chapter 1
[SFL, don’t waste your energy. This is how the book is written.]
[Even if the Grim Reaper himself showed up, he wouldn’t be able to find the real cause of Liam Parker’s illness.]
“Ms. Kim, it would be best to start preparing for the inevitable,” one of the specialists said, rising to leave.
I stopped him.
1503
“Is it possible that he doesn’t need a transplant? That it’s just a single blocked blood vessel in his heart, one that’s been overlook-
ed?”
The specialists stared at me, stunned. Finally, an elderly professor with a shock of white hair put on his glasses and ordered a new
series of advanced CT scans and ultrasounds.
When he emerged from the imaging room, his face was flushed with excitement.
“Ms. Kim, you were right! Mr. Parker can be saved! Prep the OR, now!”
let out a long breath, my entire body relaxing.
At the same time, the floating text went wild.
[Wait, why has the plot deviated? This isn’t how it’s written in the book!]
[If big brother doesn’t die, then even if the SFL dies from overwork and a stress–induced heart attack, the female lead can’t come back to the family! What is going on? How did the SFL save him?]
I gritted my teeth, a vein throbbing in my temple.
So they really were just going to use me as cannon fodder.
Die from overwork and a stress–induced heart attack? In their dreams!
