Part 1The Conquest System’s Deadliest Target

A new intern joined James's company last month.

Armed with a so-called "System," she quickly wrapped everyone around me around her little finger.

My older brother turned into her loyal lapdog.

My in-laws basically adopted her as their own.

Even my husband, James, started taking her on secret business trips.

She stood in front of me, her lips curling into a sneer of pure disdain.

"Give it three months. James will divorce you for me. A useless woman like you deserves to be wiped out by the System."

She expected me to scream. She wanted jealousy, twisted rage, a desperate vow of revenge.

Instead, I slowly folded the terminal illness notification in my hand and tucked it away.

I looked at her, my eyes filled with nothing but genuine pity. "Run. This is your last chance."

* * *

James and I were childhood sweethearts. Our families had been close for three generations. We were each other's first loves.

Married for two years, we never had a single argument.

That was, until the new intern showed up at his corporate headquarters.

Lindsay.

The first time I saw her was at the cemetery on the outskirts of the city. She was young, dressed in a flowing white sundress, her hair tied in a simple ponytail. Her eyes were wide and innocent as she timidly hid behind my father.

My father led her to my mother's gravestone and offered a bouquet of white roses. His voice was heavy with grief.

"Sylvia, your mother has passed, and you've moved out to start your own family. The estate feels too empty. I've decided to bring Lindsay home to live with us."

I gave him a sharp, incredulous look. "You're a grown man, Dad. Have you not figured out how to sleep in an empty house yet? Mom hasn't even been gone a year, and you're already replacing her?"

My father faltered, his mouth opening and closing without a sound.

It was Lindsay who stepped forward.

"Sylvia, I am the illegitimate daughter of the Sinclair family. I know you look down on me. But we are all born equal. In the eyes of the law, we share the exact same inheritance rights."

I let out a dry laugh.

Before I could even formulate a reply, a strange, echoing voice filled my head.

[System, are you absolutely sure my identity as the illegitimate daughter is flawless?]

A robotic chime responded.

[Affirmative, Host. I have directly replicated the female lead's DNA. No matter what tests they run, you are a blood-relative of the Sinclair family.]

Lindsay's inner voice dripped with mockery. [Tsk. And here I thought her parents had this grand, epic romance. Turns out, all it takes is a single piece of paper from a DNA lab to make Arthur's affection for me skyrocket from zero to one hundred percent.]

The System replied. [Congratulations, Host! As long as you successfully conquer everyone close to the female lead, you will perfectly replace her.]

Female lead?

Me?

I kept my face completely blank, quietly lowering my gaze to the grass.

Lindsay's confident thoughts continued. [Aside from being born lucky, the female lead is utterly useless. Are you sure that once I replace her, everyone's memories of her will be completely erased?]

[Guaranteed. You have my word.]

Under the sleeve of my black coat, my thumb brushed against the plastic of my hospital wristband. My heart pounded a slow, heavy rhythm against my ribs.

Just then, Lindsay's gaze shifted to someone standing a few yards away. My older brother.

"He's my next target," she whispered under her breath.

[Host, scanning target Tristan. Current affection level is negative two hundred percent.]

A faint smile touched the corners of my mouth.

My brother was a man of rigid principles. An Ivy League law graduate with a moral compass made of iron. If there was one thing he despised, it was the exact kind of scandal Lindsay represented.

Later that evening, back at the Sinclair estate.

Lindsay immediately demanded my old bedroom. "Sylvia doesn't even live here anymore. It's a waste to leave it empty."

I flat-out refused.

We exchanged a few heated words at the top of the staircase. Suddenly, she threw herself backward, tumbling down the carpeted steps with a dramatic cry.

Tristan happened to be walking through the foyer. He paused, his cold, sharp eyes sweeping over her. A look of profound disgust crossed his face.

Lindsay scrambled to her feet, looking perfectly pathetic. A scrape on her forehead beaded with fresh, bright red blood.

She looked up at my father with tear-filled eyes. "I know Sylvia didn't push me on purpose. And I know I don't deserve such a beautiful room. It's just... before I found you, Dad, I spent nights sleeping in my car. I used to dream of having a real canopy bed of my own."

Tristan stared at her in dead silence for three agonizing seconds.

His lips barely moved. "Get lost."

The robotic voice chimed in my head again. [Host, Tristan's affection level has dropped by another one hundred points. Current level is negative three hundred percent.]

Lindsay bit her lip, her hands clenching into fists at her sides.