Selene's smirk deepened as she turned fully to face me.

"If you knowthismuch about people like him," she mused, golden eyes gleaming with amusement, "then you should also knowwhatthey are."

She took a slow step forward, her presence suffocating yetmesmerizing.

"Howdrainingthey can be," she continued, her voice smooth but laced with something sharp. "How theyfeedon others, taking and taking, alwaysdemandingmore—yet never givinganythingin return."

Her gaze locked onto mine, unblinking. "What would you call them?"

I knew the answer instantly.

And judging by the way her lips curled, so did she.

"Ah, right..." she said, dragging out the words, as if savoring them. "Youhumanscall them acovert narcissist."

Tch.

She wasn't wrong.

The weak, self-pitying,parasitictype—those were the worst ones. The ones who manipulated, who played the victim, who sucked the life out of everyone around them.

"And after being withhimfor so long," Selene continued, stepping closer, "my eyes were finallyopenedto how things should be."

A chuckle left her lips, but it held no warmth.

"So I left."

She tilted her head, watching me carefully. "But while leaving, I wanted to leave thatwimpwith a littlegift."

I raised a brow. "Agift?"

Selene's smirk widened slightly.

"He hadalwaysbeen insecure about himself," she mused. "Always needing validation, always begging for reassurance.Pathetic."

A glint of something cruel flashed in her eyes.

"So, I thought..." She placed a finger against her lips in mock thought. "Why not push him even further?"

Her voice dropped into something almostmockingly sweet.

"Forallthe time of torment he putmethrough..."

She let the sentence hang in the air before chuckling.

"And that's why I left him.Notfor a man. Not because I was looking for somethingbetter." She took another step closer, her presence practically suffocating. "But because I wanted tobreakhim."

I chuckled, shaking my head. "Tch. That's cold."

Selene smirked. "Oh? Are you saying that evenmeleaving him makes me awhore?"

She leaned in slightly, eyes gleaming, waiting for my response.

I stared at her for a moment, letting her words settle.

Then—

I laughed.

Not just a chuckle, not just a smirk—full-on hysterical laughter.

"Ahahahahahahaha!"

How could Inot?

This whole situation was justtoo fucking funny.

I had been in ahospital bed,half-dead, just wasting time because of that bastardEric.He had been the one who made me playShackles of Fate.Some depressing eroge about a pathetic excuse of a man who had everything stripped from him.

I played it.

I found itpathetic.

And so, I left areview.

Just some words on a screen. Just somethoughtsI threw out there before moving on.

But it turned out—

Thedeveloperof that miserable, self-pitying game?

He wasa fucking god.

And then Ifoughtwith that god over a damn review.

I mocked him. Tore his worldview apart piece by piece. And somehow—some-fucking-how—I gottransmigratedinto his game.

Why?

Because the words I spoke to him, the truths I threw in his face, were hisgreatest fears.

Hecouldn'tlet them slide.

And now?

Now, after all ofthat—

After the system, after seeing firsthand howdelusionalthis guy was—

I just found out thatevery ounceof his insecurity, every bit of his self-righteous bullshit, everywordof his "people like us are misunderstood" garbage—

All of it?

It came from animaginary fucking scenarioin his head.

Because ofSelene.

Because she hadmadehim believe it.

That was it.

That was theentirereason behind his pitiful existence.

I wheezed, clutching my stomach, my whole body shaking from sheeramusement.

"Ahhh, fuck," I gasped between laughs, wiping a tear from my eye. "This... this is justtoo fucking good."

I glanced up at Selene, still chuckling, shaking my head.

"Youdid this to him," I mused, my grin sharp. "Youwere the one who made him into the joke he is today."

I met her golden eyes, still grinning, the laughter still bubbling in my chest.

"Just because of hisex," I scoffed, shaking my head. "He now believes in all that shit..."

The weight of it was almost suffocatingly hilarious. An entire worldview, a wholephilosophybuilt on nothing more than the emotional wounds of a bitter, self-pitying man.

Selene tilted her head slightly, watching me with intrigue.

"Do youblameme for that?" she asked, her voice smooth, unreadable.

I stopped laughing, but the grin remained.

I shook my head. "Not even a little."

Selene raised a brow, waiting.

"You leaving him?" I scoffed. "That wascompletelyjustified."

I leaned back slightly, letting my arms drape lazily over the chair. "Wimpy bastards like him, who can't think of anything beyond themselves while also being toolazyto do anything about it? They're theworstkind of people."

I clicked my tongue. "They don't provideanyvalue to their partners. They don'tgive, don'tsupport, don'tgrow. All they do istake, feeding off pity, expecting loyalty just because they exist."

My smirk sharpened. "If I were in your shoes, I'd have done theexactsame thing."

I exhaled, shaking my head. "Actually? I would've gone even further."

I locked eyes with her, my grin widening.

"I'd have spat on hisfucking faceon the way out."

For a brief moment, there was silence.

Then—

Selene's smile widened.

Slowly, gracefully, she reached out—

And caressed my cheek.

Her touch was impossibly soft, but there was something about it—somethingdangerous.

"You reallyarea weird guy, you know that?" she murmured, her voice smooth like velvet.

Her fingers traced along my skin, slow and deliberate.

"You don't showanysigns of fear," she continued. "You're nottryingto deceive me, either."

Her golden eyes gleamed, studying me like I was some rare, fascinating specimen.

"And that..." Her smile deepened. "Interestsme."

Selene's fingers trailed along my cheek, slow, deliberate—like she was savoring the sensation.

Then, lightly, her fingertips brushed against my lips.

I held her gaze, unwavering, even as the air between us grewthicker.

"You indeed predicted correctly," she murmured, her voice smooth, velvety. "And not just that..."

Her thumb traced the corner of my mouth.

"You evensurpassedmy expectations."

I smirked slightly against her touch. "Of course I did."

Selene chuckled, low and amused.

Then—

She lowered her face, her golden eyes gleaming with somethingdangerous—somethingthrilling.

And before I could say another word—

Her lips met mine.

Soft. Cool.Slow.

A kiss that wasn't rushed, wasn't needy—but completely in control.

Her scent—dark, intoxicating, like aged wine and something dangerously addictive—wrapped around me,pullingme into her presence.

Then, against my lips, she whispered—

"Let me give you your reward."

Source: Webnovel.com, updated by lotustale.com