My mission was to make my seven billionaire brothers hate me. Instead, they heard my thoughts and adopted me as their disaster prophet. It started with a window—a second-story window, to be specific. I was dangling from a bedsheet rope, wearing a funeral-black designer dress, three croissants stuffed in my mouth, when all seven of them found me.
To be fair, it was not my worst exit plan. My worst involved a laundry cart, two fake mustaches, and bribing a maid with imported cheese. The bedsheet knot had dignity. A little.
Below me stood seven men in black suits, staring up like I had personally insulted their ancestors. Dorian, the eldest and CEO of Vale Group, looked like a walking court order. Cashan, the lawyer, held a tablet like he was about to sue gravity. Rowan, the movie star, seemed offended I hadn’t consulted him on the escape lighting.
Jasper, the trauma surgeon, looked like he hadn’t slept since medical school. Felix, the tech genius, already had his phone out. Theo, the artist, just looked disappointed in my knot work. And Nico, the race car driver with golden retriever energy and the survival instincts of soup, gasped.
I said, “Do not stop me. I have dignity. ”
Nico pointed. “Doomed.
”
The croissant fell out of my mouth. I froze. Why did the decorative CEO statue just answer my brain? Dorian’s left eyebrow twitched.
Felix dropped his phone. Cashan whispered, “Decorative? ”
Rowan touched his chest. “Handsome, though.
”
Jasper closed his eyes like he was praying for anesthesia. Theo looked at my rope again. “That knot is going to fail. ”
It failed.
I fell into a rose bush. The system in my head beeped. Villainous dignity decreased by 12 points. I spat out a leaf.
“System, respectfully, eat a brick. ”
System response: Host is advised to maintain villainous composure. I lay in the rose bush staring at the sky. This was workplace harassment.
Dorian stepped forward and offered a hand. I ignored it—fake villainesses don’t accept help from doomed handsome idiots unless they’re trying to poison them, seduce them, or borrow their credit card. Unfortunately, my heel was caught in the rope and my dress had become emotionally attached to a thorn. Jasper crouched.
“Where does it hurt? ”
“Nowhere. If this man brings out a stethoscope for my dignity, I will climb back out the window and commit furniture crimes. ”
Jasper’s hand froze.
Felix’s eyes narrowed. Nico whispered, “Did she say furniture crimes? ”
I sat up. “You all heard that.
”
Nobody moved. Dorian looked at the others. “No. ” Six men nodded too fast.
“No. Absolutely not. I heard nothing. I was admiring the hedge.
”
I stared at them. Liars. Rich liars. Extremely pretty fraud committee.
Rowan turned to Cashan. “Pretty committee is strong branding. ”
Cashan muttered, “Stop reacting. ”
I pointed at them.
“You heard me. ”
Dorian’s face remained calm. “Mira, you hit your head. ”
“I hit a rose bush.
”
“Trauma can be subtle. ”
Jasper nodded gravely. “It can. ”
“Of course the doctor agrees.
Emergency room depression with cheekbones has entered the chat. ”
The system beeped again. Mission reminder: Make all seven brothers hate you within 30 days. Reward: Return to original world with $100 million, beach villa, bakery capital, and optional decorative unemployed pretty men.
I grabbed Dorian’s sleeve. “Eldest brother. ”
His eyes softened for half a second. “Good.
Disgusting. Stop that. I have decided to become unbearable. ”
Nico blinked.
“Were you not already trying? ”
“I inhaled. ” Golden retriever with car keys chooses violence. “Nico whispered, I heard that too.
”
Dorian pinched the bridge of his nose. “Everyone inside. Now. ”
“Am I being punished?
”
“Yes. ”
“With breakfast? ”
“Yes. ”
This family was terrible at hatred.
I had transmigrated three hours earlier into a ridiculous billionaire romance novel called The Saint Who Saved Seven Crowns. In the original plot, I played Mirabelle, the annoying fake adopted daughter of the Veil family. My job was simple: act spoiled, frame the saintly heroine, make seven brothers hate me, get kicked out, return home rich. The problem?
I had zero villainous training. My greatest crime in my old world was stealing office snacks and once pretending my internet was down to avoid a team meeting. Now I was expected to bully a heroine, survive high society, and manipulate seven billionaires who could apparently hear my thoughts. This was not employment.
This was fraud. At breakfast, where I ate five croissants out of stress and Dorian silently pushed over a sixth, the brothers disappeared into his study. They thought I didn’t notice. I noticed everything.
Secret meeting. Excellent. Maybe they were discussing how to hate me efficiently. Please include PowerPoint.
Inside the study, seven phones buzzed at once. Felix created the group chat in fourteen seconds. Seven Crowns Emergency Chat:
Dorian: Nobody react when she thinks something insane. Nico: Too late.
I already reacted to soup. Cashan: “Survival instincts of soup” is defamation. Rowan: She called us handsome first. Emotionally, I am winning.
Jasper: She also said doomed idiots. Theo: Both can be true. Felix: Bigger issue. She said novel.
Fake sister. Saint Heroin. Death routes. Reward system.
Return home. Nico: Are we rich Dominos? Dorian: Focus. Cashan: Legally speaking, if our fake sister is a prophet, we shouldn’t let her leave via bedsheet rope.
Rowan: Disaster prophet. Better title. Jasper: Operation Keep the Disaster Prophet Alive. Dorian: Approved.
Nico: Can I make shirts? Theo: No. Felix: Already making the logo. Meanwhile, I sat in the dining room trying to look evil by stabbing a strawberry with unnecessary intensity.
The system beeped. Opening event: Charity brunch. Saint Heroin Serena Bloom will appear. Please act jealous and create conflict.
Finally. A simple task. I could be hated. I could be unpleasant.
I once told a coworker their banana smelled criminal. The dining room doors opened. Dorian entered first, followed by the others. He placed a black card in front of me.
“What is this? ”
“Expense card. ”
“Why? ”
“You may need it.
”
“I am trying to be hated, not adopted by a bank. ”
Dorian’s jaw tightened. Cashan coughed. Nico whispered, “Bank adoption sounds nice.
”
I pushed the card away. “I refuse. ”
Dorian pushed it back. “I insist.
”
“I will misuse it. ”
“That is what expense cards are for. ”
The CEO statue was enabling villainy. Suspicious.
The charity brunch started at noon. The Veil mansion transformed into a garden party full of crystal glasses, expensive smiles, and women wearing hats large enough to shelter refugees. I stood beside a fountain holding sparkling water and practicing my villainous expression. It looked less dangerous heiress, more woman trying not to sneeze.
Then Serena Bloom arrived. She wore a simple white dress and carried a tray of coffee as if she were delivering peace to mankind. Her eyes were soft. Her smile was humble.
Her posture said, “I don’t want money. I only want dignity. ”
That sentence usually cost someone else $40,000 by chapter six. Seven brothers froze across the garden.
Serena walked toward Layla Heart, a cool heiress in emerald silk whose posture could cut glass. In the original novel, Serena would spill coffee on Layla, cry that rich girls hated poor assistants. Dorian would defend Serena. Layla would become an enemy.
Serena’s saint reputation would rise. I sighed. Fine. Professional villainess with no professional training reporting for duty.
Serena’s wrist tilted. The coffee flew. I lunged. I caught the stream with a silver tray, spun to keep my balance, slipped on a decorative pebble, and dumped the entire tray into Evan Black’s shoe.
Evan, Serena’s arrogant male ally, screamed. It was a very rich scream. Everyone stared. I lifted the tray.
“I believe the coffee chose justice. ”
Rowan turned away so fast his shoulders shook. Nico made a choking noise. Cashan covered his mouth with a napkin.
Serena blinked, tears already gathering. “I’m so sorry. I’m just clumsy. People like me don’t belong in places like this.
”
Correct. People who weaponize cappuccino should be kept away from silk. Dorian’s mouth twitched. Layla Heart looked at me for three long seconds.
Then she smiled. “I like you. ”
Panic shot through me. No.
No friends. Villainesses do not collect elegant women with sword posture. This is how side quests happen. Layla leaned closer.
“Did you say something? ”
“No. You look like you were mentally filing taxes. ”
“Worse.
Social bonding. ”
She laughed. That was the first crack in my mission. The second came when Evan Black stomped forward, coffee squelching in his shoe.
“How dare you humiliate Serena? ”
Ah, yes. The wild CEO appears. Observe his natural habitat: overconfidence and hair gel.
Felix made a strangled sound. Evan glared. “What was that? ”
Cashan stepped between us.
“My sister apologized to the coffee, not to you. ”
“I demand compensation. ”
Cashan smiled. Terrifying.
“Excellent. I also demand compensation for emotional damages to the carpet, aggressive volume pollution, attempted beverage negligence, and the distress caused to the left shoe, which appears beyond rehabilitation. ”
Evan stared. “That’s ridiculous.
”
“Most lawsuits are. ”
Dorian looked at Cashan. “Invoice him. ”
“With pleasure.
”
Serena’s tears slipped. “I don’t want anyone to fight over me. ”
“Then stop starting wars with beverages. ”
Nico bent over, pretending to tie his shoe.
He was wearing loafers. Layla took my arm. “Come with me before you destroy the drinks table, too. ”
“I saved couture.
You drowned a man’s shoe. ”
“Sacrifices were made. ”
By evening, my villainous hate score had decreased. The system sounded offended.
Warning: Veil family affection increasing. I screamed into a velvet pillow. The pillow cost more than my rent in my old world. That made it worse.
The next disaster arrived with feathers. Nico’s beloved emotional support peacock, Sir Pancake, disappeared. Yes. Peacock.
Elderly. Dramatic. Violent. Named Sir Pancake because Nico found him eating pancakes off a golf cart.
In the original novel, Serena would find the missing pet and become Nico’s emotional savior. Nico would protect her during a staged race accident later and ruin his career. I was brushing my hair when the system announced the scene. Pet rescue event beginning.
I dropped the brush. If the peacock disappears, Nico will spiral, buy a motorcycle shaped like grief, and crash it in chapter 41. Three floors below, Nico screamed, “I would not buy a grief motorcycle. ”
Silence.
Then quieter: “… unless it looked cool. ”
I grabbed a coat and ran. The brothers were already mobilizing like the president had been kidnapped.
Dorian canceled three meetings. Felix opened a tracking map titled Peacock Crimes. Jasper brought a medical kit. Rowan brought sunglasses.
“Why sunglasses? ”
“If I am photographed during poultry rescue, I need mystique. ”
Theo said nothing, but he carried a bag of grapes. Respect.
We found Sir Pancake outside a wedding hall, trapped in a net held by Serena’s aunt, who was trying to sell him as luxury decoration. Serena stood nearby, looking distressed in a way that involved perfect lighting. “I only wanted to help Nico find him. ”
“By outsourcing the peacock to capitalism.
”
Dorian’s eyes narrowed. Serena’s aunt clutched the net. “This bird attacked me. ”
Sir Pancake screamed like a cursed trumpet.
Nico gasped. “He hates nets. ”
I stepped forward. “As legal guardian of emotionally fragile poultry, I demand his release.
”
Evan Black appeared from nowhere. Why was he always nearby? Did he live in a bush? “Mirabelle, stop bullying ordinary people.
”
Sir Pancake chose that moment to escape the net and attack Evan’s pants. The chaos was immediate. Evan yelled. Serena cried.
Rowan posed accidentally. Felix recorded for evidence. Layla arrived wearing sunglasses and holding iced coffee. “How did you know?
”
“He texted me a peacock emoji and the word crimes. ”
Fair. I threw grapes like holy offerings. Sir Pancake abandoned Evan’s pants and strutted toward me.
Nico fell to his knees. “Sir Pancake! ”
The peacock screamed directly in his face. Nico cried, “This family needs therapy and a bird lawyer.
”
Cashan sighed. “I know a bird lawyer. ”
I stared at him. “You do not.
”
“I know many lawyers. One must be flexible. ”
By the next morning, Sir Pancake had a security detail. I had a scratch on my wrist from a dramatic feather incident.
Jasper examined it like I had survived war. “It is one molecule of skin damage. ”
“It could get infected. ”
“It could get complimented and move on.
”
Dorian canceled another meeting. Felix added peacock-related crime alerts to his system. Nico sent me a cake shaped like Sir Pancake. The cake screamed when cut because Felix installed a sound chip.
I stared at all of them. At this rate, if I sneeze, they’ll declare a national emergency. Dorian looked at Cashan. “Can we?
”
Cashan looked thoughtful. “No. ”
I pointed at them. “You heard that.
”
Nico panicked. “He gasped. ”
Theo calmly cut peacock cake. Badly.
The system beeped. Villainous hate score decreasing rapidly. I slammed my forehead onto the table. “I am being sabotaged by affection.
”
Dorian patted my shoulder. “Eat cake. ”
The third plot trap was silk. Serena announced her charity fashion collection, “Hope in Silk,” at a luxury gala.
In the original plot, she would steal Theo’s private designs, become a genius designer overnight, and later accuse Theo of copying her. Theo would lose his reputation and disappear to paint sad walls in Iceland. I found Theo in his studio, quietly staring at a missing sketchbook shelf. “You know.
”
His eyes lifted. “I know some of it. ”
Of course he did. Silent museum statue with credit card had emotional radar.
“If Serena goes viral with his work, he gets ruined, stops painting, and wears beige forever. Unacceptable. Beige is not a recovery plan. ”
Theo’s lips twitched.
“You dislike beige? ”
“I dislike fraud. And beige. And beige.
”
I decided subtlety was overrated. At the gala, Serena prepared to unveil “Hope in Silk. ” I unveiled my own collection first: “Doomed Billionaire Survival Wear. ”
The first model wore a CEO suit with an emergency parachute.
“This is for eldest brothers who sign suspicious contracts because a crying woman compliments their tie. ”
Dorian stared at me. The crowd laughed uncertainly. The second outfit was a lawyer coat with a built-in contract shredder.
Cashan murmured, “I want that. ”
The third was an actor cape labeled “scandal-proof fabric. ” Rowan whispered, “Finally, fashion understands me. ”
The fourth was surgeon scrubs with emotional support coffee pockets.
Jasper leaned forward. “How many pockets? ”
“Six. ”
“I need eight.
”
The fifth was a hacker hoodie with anti-fraud antennas. Felix’s eyes shone. The sixth was an artist coat with plagiarism alarm bells. Theo went still.
The seventh was a race car jacket with bubble wrap shoulder pads and a helmet that said, “Please value your bones. ”
Nico applauded alone. “I am saving lives through fashion crimes. ”
Serena’s smile was trembling by the time her models walked.
Her collection looked familiar. Too familiar. Felix did not hack anything illegal. He simply projected Theo’s timestamped files backed up from his own studio cloud.
Layla displayed invoices from Serena’s hired seamstress. Theo stood. “These are my sketches. ”
Serena pressed a hand to her chest.
“I was inspired. ”
I tilted my head. “Did inspiration also send you the invoice? ”
The audience laughed.
Evan stood again because apparently humiliation was his hobby. “Serena is a pure artist. You rich people don’t understand struggle. ”
Cashan lifted one document.
“Then she may struggle with the cease and desist. ”
Serena’s genius designer image collapsed before dessert. My ridiculous survival collection went viral by midnight. Comments flooded in: “I need the emotional support coffee pocket.
” “The anti-fraud antenna hoodie speaks to me. ” “Who is this rich girl and why is she dressed like a tax audit? ”
Villainous hate score: critical failure. I screamed into another pillow.
The system beeped. Hostess failing villainous route. “I am aware, you low-budget customer service nightmare. ”
The brothers were in the hallway.
I heard Nico whisper, “Customer service nightmare is fair. ”
I opened the door. Seven men scattered like guilty cats. The next week, Serena entered Veil Group as a temporary intern.
In the novel, she would slip on stairs, fall into Dorian’s arms, and begin her workplace saint arc. I entered Veil Group first. HR stared at my application. Position requested: temporary office chaos inspector.
Skills: plot awareness, snack theft, suspicious crying detection. Dorian approved it. Of course he did. I spent the morning labeling hazards.
“Plot trap zone” on the main staircase. “Do not fall romantically” on the glass door. “Beware of crying interns” near the executive lounge. At noon, I hosted a safety seminar titled “How Not to Be Manipulated by Tears in Professional Environments.
” Attendance was mandatory because Dorian said so. Serena arrived late holding a folder and looking wounded by capitalism. She spilled water on the stairs. The brothers were ready.
Jasper had a first aid kit. Felix had placed non-slip mats. Cashan held liability forms. Rowan adjusted the hallway lighting.
Nico carried popcorn. Dorian stood ten feet away with both hands in his pockets, refusing to become romantic furniture. Serena stepped onto the wet stair, slipped, and landed on a giant foam cushion labeled “for staged accidents only. ”
The entire office applauded.
Serena lay there stunned. I wiped a tear. “Beautiful. The trap has become office furniture.
”
Dorian’s shoulders shook once. Serena sat up, eyes wet. “Why are you all doing this to me? Is it because I’m poor?
”
Cashan crouched beside her. “Good news. Veil Group has several open positions far away from my brothers. Excellent salary, full benefits, no stair performance required.
”
She blinked. “How much? ”
I named a generous number. She hesitated.
“Dignity has requested a salary adjustment. ”
Cashan coughed into his fist. Serena’s eyes flashed. “I don’t want charity.
”
“You want Dorian’s arm? ”
The office went silent. Serena’s mouth opened. “No.
”
“Then take HR’s arm and sign the contract. ”
She refused. Badly. By evening, everyone knew Serena Bloom did not want employment.
She wanted access. The system became aggressive. Emergency correction required. Brothers must hate host.
I stood in front of a mirror pointing at myself. “You can do this. Be awful. Maybe I should insult them harder.
Dorian sleeps in a coffin. Cashan argues like a luxury printer. Rowan is a walking perfume advertisement. Jasper is emergency room depression with cheekbones.
Felix is a hacker raccoon in designer clothing. Theo is a sad statue with a credit card. Nico has the survival instincts of decorative soup. ”
Behind me, the door creaked.
All seven brothers stood there. I turned slowly. “How long have you been there? ”
Dorian did not blink.
“Long enough. ”
I narrowed my eyes. “If Dorian can hear me, he should blink twice. ”
Dorian stared without blinking.
“Good. ”
Nico blinked twice. I screamed. Nico screamed because I screamed.
Cashan sighed. “Nico. ”
“I have to—”
“If Cashan can hear me, he should say pineapple. ”
Cashan adjusted his cuff.
“I object to pineapples as evidence. ”
I grabbed a pillow and threw it at him. He caught it. “They know,” I whispered.
Then immediately corrected myself. “No. Rich people are naturally strange. This is fine.
”
Theo looked at Felix. “Denial phase. ”
Felix nodded. “Strong one.
”
The fake kidnapping happened two days later. Serena and Evan planned to hire actors to kidnap Layla, frame me, and have Serena save her. I learned this from the system, which announced it as “plot recovery event” like it was scheduling a dentist appointment. Fake kidnapping?
In this economy? Serena, please, crimes have overhead. Dorian froze mid-sip at breakfast. Within an hour, Operation Keep the Disaster Prophet Alive deployed.
Private security. Drones. Paramedics. Cashan with legal forms.
Felix with tracking software. Rowan with sunglasses again. Nico with caution tape. Sir Pancake with a tiny tactical bow tie.
Layla arrived in full black holding coffee. “I was told I might be kidnapped today. ”
“Sorry. Is this friendship?
”
“I think so. ”
The fake kidnappers grabbed the wrong person. Evan. No one noticed for six minutes because he shouted so much normally that it blended into the environment.
Serena panicked. “Mirabelle, rescue plan, unfortunately, activated. ”
I burst into the warehouse playing dramatic entrance music from my phone. “I am a cold-blooded rescue potato.
”
Layla lowered her sunglasses. “A what? ”
I panicked. Sir Pancake charged.
One fake kidnapper fell into a stack of cardboard boxes. Nico got tangled in his own caution tape. Rowan live-streamed accidentally, but the camera faced only his shocked cheekbone. Dorian arrived with too many lawyers.
Cashan looked around. “This is the most contractually stupid crime I have ever seen. ”
Felix projected payment trails. Layla played Serena’s recorded planning call.
One kidnapper pointed at Serena immediately. “She hired us. ”
Serena gasped. “I’m also a victim.
”
This is the part where Serena cries, says poor girls have no choice, and Evan offers to buy everyone’s silence with money he borrowed from his mother. Evan, still tied to a chair, shouted, “I can pay everyone off. My mother has liquid assets. ”
Everyone turned to me.
I froze. “Lucky guess? ”
The brothers exchanged looks. I took one step back, then another.
“All of you can hear me. ”
Nobody spoke. “All of you. ”
Nico whispered, “Define all.
”
I screamed into Layla’s shoulder. She patted my back. “I don’t know what’s happening, but I support women’s wrongs. ”
At home, the brothers gathered in the living room.
I sat on the sofa with a pillow over my head. “Tell me the truth. ”
Dorian sat across from me. “We have heard your thoughts since the window incident.
”
I lowered the pillow. “All of them? ”
Rowan looked at the ceiling. Cashan suddenly studied a lamp.
Jasper inspected his tea. Felix typed nothing. Theo looked sorry. Nico whispered, “I learn new insults.
”
I buried my face again. “You heard me call Dorian a decorative CEO statue. ”
“Yes. ”
“And Cashan a luxury printer.
”
Cashan nodded. “Efficient but hurtful. ”
“And Nico soup. ”
Nico looked offended.
“Decorative soup. ”
I groaned. “You were not supposed to hear any of that. I was supposed to make you hate me.
”
Dorian’s voice softened. “We know. ”
I looked up. “You know about the mission?
”
Felix tapped his tablet. “We know about the system, the novel, the thirty days, Serena, our original endings, the hundred million dollars, the beach villa, the bakery, the cats, and the decorative unemployed pretty men. ”
Rowan lifted a hand. “That last part was vivid.
”
I wanted the earth to swallow me. Preferably with snacks. Cashan leaned forward. “Legally, returning you to another world sounds complicated.
”
Nico nodded. “Also, who will insult us if you leave? ”
Jasper’s voice was quiet. “You tried to save us.
”
“I tried to save my reward. ”
Theo shook his head. “You saved us anyway. ”
My chest hurt.
“No. Absolutely not. Do not be nice. I will leak water from my face.
”
Dorian placed a tissue box on the table. “Too late. ”
“I’m not crying. ”
Nico sniffled loudly.
“You are. ”
“I’m allergic to family bonding. ”
Graham Veil, the family patriarch, chose that moment to enter. He was eighty, dramatic, and richer than several island nations.
He looked at us, then at the tissue box. “Excellent. I have lived eighty years for this level of family theater. ”
I stared.
“You, too? ”
He smiled. “Only since yesterday. Your thoughts are louder than my hearing aids.
”
I collapsed sideways. The system beeped so violently it sounded angry. Final mission unlocked. To return home with reward, host must publicly betray Veil family at Grand Veil anniversary gala.
Failure will result in permanent world integration. I stared at the blue screen only I could see. One hundred million dollars. Beach villa.
Bakery. Seventeen cats. Decorative unemployed pretty men. Sleeping until noon.
No banquets. No peacocks. No billionaire brothers reading my brain like a cursed newsletter. Then I looked at the seven doomed handsome idiots.
Dorian pretended not to be tense. Cashan pretended not to care. Rowan pretended the lighting was bad. Jasper pretended to check Nico’s pulse.
Felix pretended not to already be tracking my emotional metrics. Theo quietly offered me tea. Nico held Sir Pancake like a support weapon. Fine.
I will give up one hundred million dollars for these doomed emotional refrigerators. This is financial self-harm. Dorian’s eyes softened. Cashan muttered, “Emotional refrigerator is not an accurate—”
Nico hugged the peacock.
“She staying? ”
Sir Pancake screamed. I pointed at everyone. “I have decided nothing.
”
Dorian smiled. “We heard. ”
The Grand Veil anniversary gala was the kind of event where people wore diamonds large enough to affect local gravity. Serena arrived in white.
Again. Evan arrived beside her, pretending he had not recently been kidnapped by his own fake kidnappers. The system buzzed in my skull. Betray the Veil family publicly.
I walked onto the stage. The brothers stood below, watching me. For the first time, I could not hear their thoughts, but I could read their faces. They were scared of losing me.
Ridiculous people. I tapped the microphone. “Yes. I have deceived this family.
”
The ballroom went silent. Dorian’s jaw tightened. Serena smiled. Evan looked delighted.
The system chimed. Villainous route restoring. I smiled sweetly. “I pretended to be a villainess.
I tried to be hated. Unfortunately, I was born with too much charm and too little operational competence. ”
Confusion rippled through the ballroom. Rowan slowly covered his mouth.
Nico whispered, “That’s our disaster prophet. ”
I continued. “Tonight, I would like to confess every crime committed in this family’s name. ”
Serena stepped forward.
“At last. The truth. ”
“Yes, Serena. Let’s start with your coffee attack.
”
The screen behind me lit up. Coffee footage. Layla’s dress. Evan’s shoe.
The audience laughed. Then Sir Pancake’s rescue. Then the stolen fashion collection. Then the staged office fall.
Then the fake kidnapping. Then the smear campaign Serena and Evan had prepared for tonight, including edited videos showing me looking violent, spoiled, and cruel. Felix had not hacked anything illegal. He simply collected what the villains had been too stupid to hide.
Cashan stepped on stage. “My legal statement will be short. ” He unfolded one page. “Stop.
” Then he folded it. The ballroom burst into laughter. Dorian announced Veil Group had frozen all deals connected to Evan Black pending review. Rowan released behind-the-scenes footage of Serena rehearsing tears in a mirror.
Jasper showed safety reports proving the staged accidents. Theo displayed his original design timestamps. Nico marched in with Sir Pancake wearing a bow tie labeled “emotional support witness. ”
Sir Pancake screamed at Serena.
Serena tried to cry. Nobody moved. She tried harder. Still nothing.
Evan looked around. “Why is no one defending her? ”
Layla sipped champagne. “Because the peacock has more credibility.
”
Serena’s face twisted. “You are all bullying me because I’m poor. ”
I stepped closer. “Serena, poor is not the problem.
Fraud is the problem. Your bank account is not the villain. Your personality filed the paperwork. ”
The ballroom exploded.
Cameras flashed. Serena turned to Evan. “Do something. ”
Evan turned red.
“You told me the Veil brothers would protect you. You told me you were rich enough to fix anything. My mother is going to kill me. ”
“That is not my problem.
”
“It became your problem when you used my card for fake kidnappers. ”
The microphone caught all of it. Serena’s saintly image died in real time. The system screamed.
Plot collapse. False heroine route destroyed. Villainous mission failed. Preparing permanent integration.
I closed my eyes. Goodbye, beach villa. Goodbye, one hundred million dollars. Goodbye, decorative unemployed pretty men.
A new screen appeared. Error. Host saved seven original targets. World route rewritten.
Choose reward. Return to original world with monetary compensation. Or remain in rewritten world with family bond, personal assets, and future autonomy. I opened my eyes.
The brothers were watching me. Graham Veil lifted his glass. Layla smiled. Sir Pancake screamed.
One hundred million dollars is a lot. But seven billionaire brothers with guilt issues might be more profitable long term. Dorian’s voice came from below. “We heard that.
”
I froze. “I said nothing. ”
Cashan smiled. “Your greed has legal clarity.
”
Felix checked his tablet. “System signal weakening. Mind reading remains active. ”
“What?
”
He looked up. “I cannot turn it off. ”
I screamed. The ballroom applauded because they thought it was part of the performance.
After the gala, Serena Bloom lost her fake innocence, her fake career, Evan’s funding, and access to every Veil event. Cashan also made sure every invoice, staged accident, fake kidnapping payment, and stolen design file turned into a neat little pile of lawsuits. Serena called it bullying. Cashan called it Tuesday.
Her apology video was fourteen minutes long and included seven different lighting angles. Nobody forgave her because she accidentally left a ring light reflection showing cue cards that said “cry now. ”
Evan lost deals, credibility, and three credit cards his mother personally cut in half at brunch. Layla became my best friend and business partner.
Graham updated his will to include something called “Mira’s Emergency Croissant Fund. ” Sir Pancake became the official Veil family mascot and bit a magazine journalist who called him decorative. My bakery opened six months later. I named it Doomed Handsome Idiots.
The first product line sold out in four hours. Croissants shaped like tiny court orders. Cupcakes called “Emotional Refrigerator. ” Coffee buns with support pockets.
Peacock macarons that screamed when opened, thanks to Felix. Dorian tried to buy the entire day’s stock. I banned him from bulk purchasing. Cashan drafted a contract saying family members were entitled to emergency pastries.
Rowan filmed a promotional video with too much wind. Jasper checked the oven burns like battlefield trauma. Theo designed the packaging. Nico stood outside wearing a mascot suit shaped like Sir Pancake until the real Sir Pancake attacked him for identity theft.
The system still lived in my head, but weaker now. It occasionally beeped. Host has failed villainous route. I smiled every time.
Good. I never became the perfect villainess. I became something much worse for my enemies. Loved.
Funded. Protected. And impossible to shut up. I came here to make seven billionaire brothers hate me.
Unfortunately, I was too charming, too hungry, and too bad at villainy. Now I have a family, a bakery, seventeen pending cat applications, and seven doomed handsome idiots who refuse to let me escape.