Part 1Three Alphas to Capture, Three White Moons to Conquer

The year I was at my absolute rock bottom, I took on three capture missions at once.

Target number one was a rising tech mogul.

Target number two was a genius surgeon.

Target number three was a titan of the legal world.

Given how insanely busy they all were, I figured as long as I managed my time well, it would be a piece of cake.

But I forgot one crucial detail: three alpha tycoons means three "ones that got away."

And so, my life became a living hell.

In the morning, I’d be accused of stealing a bracelet by number one’s childhood sweetheart and forced to kneel for hours as punishment.

In the afternoon, I’d be commanded by number two to donate a kidney to his old flame, warning me it was the only way I’d ever be accepted into his family.

At night, number three’s “best girl friend” would take intimate photos of me and use them to slut-shame me, while number three told me to lighten up, saying she was “just joking.”

Three missions meant I was being tortured 24/7.

Utterly exhausted, I cried to the System, asking if there was an option to quit.

The System replied: [Quitting is easy. You just have to die in this world.]

So I took its advice. I faked my death to escape.

But after I was gone, why did all three tycoons completely shatter?

...

I was dirt poor.

So when the System told me I could earn a hundred million for completing a single capture mission, I was desperate enough to take on three without a second thought. After all, back in my own world, I was the ultimate grinder, used to juggling three jobs a day.

I thought the missions would be about saving these damaged men, about falling in love.

I never expected each of them to have an old flame, a "white moonlight," lurking in the wings.

For five long years, I was physically and emotionally abused by these three women. The Heartbeat Value monitors above the tycoons’ heads remained stubbornly frozen. My body and spirit, however, were on the verge of collapse.

The moment the System told me death was my only escape, I was on my knees, being punished by my first target, Ethan. His childhood sweetheart, Claire, had just returned to the country and immediately lost a precious bracelet, which she, of course, insisted I had stolen.

I denied it.

Ethan, furious, slapped me across the face. "You were the only one who touched Claire's purse. If you didn't steal it, who did?"

Claire stood beside him, her tears flowing like a spring shower. "Ethan, that bracelet was the only thing my grandmother left me. It's all I have to remember her by. If I can't find it, I… I'll fall apart."

Her tears only fueled Ethan's rage. He kicked me sharply in the knee. A jolt of agony shot through me, and my legs buckled, forcing me to the ground. "Sophie," he snarled, "I'm asking you one last time. Did you take the bracelet? Where did you hide it? If you don't talk, you can kneel here until nightfall."

It was the dead of winter. Even in the daytime, the temperature was well below freezing. Kneeling outside until evening would, at best, leave me crippled. At worst, I’d freeze to death. And knowing Ethan, it didn't matter what I said. I was going to be kneeling all day regardless.

I had endured this for five years. I couldn't take it anymore.

With a surge of adrenaline, I shot to my feet and screamed at him.

"Fine, I stole it! I stole the damn thing!"

"I deserve to die for stealing her bracelet! So I'll just go and die! Are you happy now?!"

Without waiting for their reaction, I turned and sprinted toward the villa's man-made lake. Though artificial, it was notoriously deep. And Ethan was terrified of water. If I jumped, I would surely die.

Reaching the edge, I didn't hesitate for a second.

But as I plunged into the icy water, I saw a second figure leap in right after me.

"Sophie, are you insane?!"