Part 1My Husband Paid Me Millions to Keep His Affair a Secret

After I finally conquered the game’s brooding male lead, the System granted me a special perk.

【You can now view the male lead’s location at any time, including his exact distance from anyone else.】

【This way, you’ll never have to be afraid of losing him again! 】

A few months later, the physical distance between the man who was supposed to love me and the woman he supposedly despised was shrinking rapidly.

I stared blankly at the numbers on my internal display: [-7 inches], [0], [-7 inches], [0]…

"Can I just cash out the affection points and go home?" I asked, my voice flat.

【That’s a negative, Host! You are permanently bonded to the male lead. And besides, he’s crazy about you! He just can’t control his… physiological needs!】

Fine. I pulled out my burner phone and sent a text to my beloved male lead: [Give me $10 million, or I'll tell your wife you're cheating.]

Seconds later, his distance from the other woman went from [-7 inches] to [10 feet].

The System’s voice crackled with panic. 【What are you doing?】

"Oh," I said, a slow smile spreading across my face. "I'm going to play with him. Until this bond breaks."

Ethan was quick to reply to my burner.

[Who is this? What are you to Olivia?]

[What cheating? Do you have proof?]

Tch. He had me there. I didn’t have anything more concrete to hold over his head.

After a few minutes of silence, I figured he was trying to figure out a way to trace me. But then, his distance from Isabelle began to shrink again, and the numbers returned to their sickening rhythm: [-7 inches], [0], [-7 inches], [0]…

Seriously? Is he a Pomeranian in heat?

As I stewed in frustration, the System regained its smug tone.

【See? You should just give up. Ethan genuinely loves you. His body just enjoys the thrill Isabelle gives him. He can’t help it.】

【How about this? I’ll give you a succubus buff. You can work on making his body so addicted to you that he—】

I ignored it. A spark of an idea hit me, and I walked straight to the garage.

The moment I pulled the car out of the main gate, my phone erupted with a frantic call from Ethan.

"Liv? Where are you going?"

"Answer me. Don't you forget, you have no one in this world but me. Don't even think about taking a single step out of my sight."

As the story’s obsessive, controlling male lead, Ethan had implanted multiple trackers under my skin. The second I stepped off the property, alarms blared on his phone.

See how inhumane this setup is? The male lead gets to have his body and soul exist in separate zip codes, while the female lead is supposed to sit in a gilded cage and count her fingers.

That’s why the moment his affection score hit 100, I made a demand to the System.

"I want to be Ethan's equal."

My intention was to get half of his assets.

But this romance-obsessed System, with its corporate-level reading comprehension, assumed I was just jealous. It took the initiative and gave me this “perk” to track Ethan’s distance from other people.

And now, I finally understood how to use this supposedly useless ability.

I suppressed a laugh, seeing his distance from Isabelle still locked at [-7 inches].

"But, baby," I cooed into the phone, "you're with Isabelle right now, aren't you?"

* * *

Silence for a few seconds. Then, a disbelieving, sharp laugh.

"Liv, how can you even think that? You know how much I despise that woman."

"Hmph!"

A faint, feminine pout echoed through the receiver. It was almost imperceptible.

Then came the dull thud of a body hitting the floor. The distance tracker updated: [3 feet].

He must have kicked her off the bed.

I forced a sob into my voice. "She really is with you?"

Ethan’s tone finally tipped into panic. His words came out in a rush. "No, Liv, don't overthink this. I'm coming home right now to explain. Just don't leave the house!"

The moment he hung up, a transfer notification for $10 million hit my burner phone’s account.

[I don't know who you are, but take the money and stay away from her.]

I rolled my eyes.

Whenever I’d tentatively asked him for money in the past, his eyes would turn bloodshot, as if I’d triggered some primal defense mechanism.

"Your food, your clothes, your entire life is provided by me. What do you need so much money for? Are you planning to leave me?" he’d hiss. "Don't even think about it, Olivia."

So flexible, that morality of his. Unwilling to spare a dime for me, but happy to drop millions to cover up an affair.

Ethan’s 100% affection score was no joke. He drove like a maniac. I hadn’t even made it ten miles before his car cut me off. He wrenched me out of my driver’s seat and crushed me in a fierce hug.

"Liv, you're not going anywhere…"

After he’d half-dragged, half-carried me back into the villa, I focused my senses again. The distance between him and Isabelle was [15 feet].

He actually brought her back with him. Did he stuff her in the trunk?

As I was pondering this, a cup of tea was placed in front of me.

"Here, Liv. Drink this. It’ll calm your nerves."

A suspicious white powder floated on the surface, a blatant insult to my intelligence.

… Was he planning to drug me unconscious and then screw Isabelle right next to me?

What a sick game.

Ethan’s expression was dark as he gripped my chin, his voice dangerously low. "Be a good girl, Liv. I don't want to force you. We can talk about everything after you wake up."

I silently estimated Isabelle's hiding spot, then shoved Ethan away with all my might, snatching the teacup and flinging its contents behind the sofa.

"Ah!"

A disheveled Isabelle leaped out, clutching her head.

This perk wasn't useless at all. It was a god-tier affair-buster and blackmail-assister.

My face twisted into a terrifying mask, my eyes locked on the two of them. I mimicked Ethan’s own chilling tone.

"Baby," I whispered, "isn't having me enough for you?"