Bathed under a white light, a slender figure could be seen reclining on the sofa. Her head arched on the backrest, leaving her black and lustrous hair cascading down the floor. In front of her were her long stretched out legs.

Irene just came back this morning after filming a movie in Country M. Minutes after her flight landed at the crack of dawn, her manager hurled her away to shoot another advertisement. It was no surprise that she slumped onto the sofa, dead tired. She missed her comfy mattress.

Though beat-up, her exquisite beauty wasn’t concealed. Porcelain skin, pink and tantalizing lips, and that straight nose bridge—clearly God has a favorite.

While immersed in her own world, an unwanted interruption popped up.

*RING RING RING RING*

The shrill cry of a phone pierced the air. It was a stark contrast to the serenity in the room.

Her curled, dark eyelashes trembled.

A slight irritation emerged in her amber pupils.

“Hello.” Pinching the bridge of her nose, a melodious voice resounded.

“Who’s this?” exhaustion coated Irene's words.

“Hi, is this a relative of Elizabeth Blake?” a woman answered.

The background of the other end were scampering footfalls and cries of multiple people.

Irene’s eyebrows scrunched up, wondering what could have happened to her sister. She looked down at her watch and noted that it was already 6 o’clock in the evening. Elizabeth should have headed home by now. But, the commotion on the caller’s side made her think otherwise. She was starting to worry.

In the blink of an eye, gone was her fatigue as Irene straightened her back.

At present, Y City was already preparing for its nightlife. People from all walks of life were already in their cars or were hopping on buses and trains. They were eager to spend their Friday night on full blast.

Unfortunately, Irene couldn’t share their enthusiasm.

Her eyes were hooded, and she felt her heart start to quicken.

With a solemn tone, she answered, “I’m her sister. Did anything happen to Liz?”

“Ma’am, your sister was involved in a car accident. The doctors are now trying their best to keep her alive.” The calm tone of the nurse didn’t help. The moment her words reached Irene's ear, dread surged in her heart.

Her head lowered, and her hands started to sweat.

A sudden and static beep penetrated her ears, dulling the clamor and words coming off of the phone.

Her mind was blanketed with a grayish haze, trying to isolate her. She was starting to lose herself. 

But before it could fully enclose her, she managed to pull herself together.

Get a grip, she admonished.

She slightly shook her head while clenching the phone. She said with gritted teeth, “Which hospital is this?”

“S Hospital. Ma’am, plea—”

Irene anxiously cut the call and clutched her purse beside her.

She lost her parents when she was only 18 years old. Her sister was merely an 11 years old child at that time. As the older one, she had to find ways to generate income to raise her little sister. Luckily, she was scouted, and had managed to enter the lucrative entertainment industry. For six years, from being a rookie to gaining millions of fans, Elizabeth has always been by her side.

She dashed toward the door. All she could think of right now was her sister’s pale and bloodstained body—it kept flashing in her head. It was torturous.

She strode out of the filming set, going straight to the hospital. She left the crew she met on the way perplexed and worried.

No matter her acting skills, in life and death situations, Irene wasn’t able to mask her anxiety. Her face was stripped of the usual aloofness.

For the crew, this sight was also a first for them.

They have never seen the cold and calm Irene bore such a panic expression. The scene that unfolded right before their eyes shined a new light on their goddess. Still, they couldn’t shake away the fear that imitated from her body.

They silently prayed in their heart for their goddess’s safety.

Preoccupied, a deep and commanding voice traveled to everyone’s ear.

“Where did Irene go?” A dashing man in a black suit emerged from the lounge. Seeing him, the crew went back to cleaning the set. They were eager to finally hit the hay once home.

“She just took off. It looked like something happened,” a lady replied.

“Mmm.” The man’s brow furrowed. It was not Irene’s character to leave without informing him. He didn't know what was happening, but he was certain it wasn't good. His heart felt distressed.

Picking up his phone, he familiarly dialed a number.

***

Irene arrived at the hospital and dashed straight to the nurse station.

“Where’s Liz?” Her voice couldn’t disguise the fear that was eating her.

Witnessing such a gorgeous woman appearing out of nowhere, the nurses paused for a second. Fortunately, they immediately came back to their senses, and one of them asked, “What’s the name of the patient?”

“Elizabeth… Elizabeth Blake.”

She was out of breath as she carefully enunciated her sister’s name.

“I’m sorry, Ma’am, but the patient is still in the operating room.”

Irene’s heart constricted as she heard such words. She kneaded her temple, feeling lightheaded. “Is there a place to sit?”

Considering her distressed state, a nurse attended her to sit on one of the chairs lined in a row outside the operating room.

Meanwhile, the nurses left at the station looked at each other. They were filled with embarrassment. It was unprofessional of them to be wide-eyed like that in front of a visitor. They had to be alert in all cases.

That sloppiness earlier was worthy of a reprimand.

They were freshly out of college and had just passed the licensure exam; a record on those squeaky clean resumes would reduce them to tears.

They tacitly crossed their fingers—hard—hoping that no higher-up saw that.

Beside the huddled group, a colleague of theirs was racking her brain in frustration. "Doesn't she look familiar to you?"

Inside the same infrastructure, the white halls of the hospital witnessed as the nurse gently touched Irene’s cold hands, offering comforting words. “She’s gonna be fine.”

During her time working in this profession, she had seen countless people encounter the same situation. She observed them as they cry and crumble, powerless to do anything.

You would think that she already got used to this.

Oh how wrong.

Vulnerability was never a pretty scene.

To stay indifferent when a human begged on their knees, scraping for the life of their loved ones to some entity… She didn’t understand the word “accustomed” at all.

All she could do right now was console this suffering child in front of her.

She consoled her. She then patted Irene’s shoulder as she left, leaving her a quiet space to sort her emotions.

Going back to the nurse station, the nurse was surprised to find the bright faces of her colleagues.

“What happened?” she said.

One of them replied. “That was Irene Blake!” A flame of excitement bloomed on her face just by saying her goddess’s name.

Distracted by the reddened eyes that she previously saw, the nurse didn’t realize that she was actually patting her idol!

Despite her mature age, she was still in with the times. And one particular actress that she was currently obsessing admiring was Irene Blake.

Still, she was aware that this wasn't the time to fangirl over her.

“Don’t disturb her. Her sister got into an accident and is still inside the operating room.”

What followed her words was silence.

They understood.

The nurse sat in her chair. She looked at the backs of her co-workers and released a deep sigh.

I hope everything will go well for my goddess.

Alone under the shadows of the night, Irene finally let go of her made up stronghold. She was scared. Her body trembled.

A bubble began to surround her. This was the same feeling she experienced in the past when their parents left them.

But now, there was no Elizabeth that popped the bubble for her. Irene noticed the bubble under her feet starting to harden and was accompanied by the haze from earlier—caging, suffocating her.

***

Golden lights slowly peeked behind the curtains like a child carefully entering his parents’ quarters. It was curious. It wanted to catch sight of the lady sleeping soundly on the bed.

Irene squinted her eyes open as she felt a warm temperature land on her cheeks.

“Good morning.”

Greeting her sight was the silhouette of a tall handsome man in a white long-sleeve, warmly holding a cup of coffee.

“Nathan,” she groggily called out.

Nathaniel Conner, her manager. Throughout her acting career, Nathan has always been a constant figure in her life beside her sister. Other than his looks, his managing skills were also impeccable.

This was proven by Irene’s rapid rise in popularity even when just appearing in the audience's eyes a handful of times a year. He also ensured that the script that would always land on her hand would be a hit, screening each document word by word.

Of course, despite all this, Irene’s talent shouldn’t go unsung.

Unlike the aching body that Irene was expecting, a warm and cozy bed enveloped her instead.

It took her a moment to realize that she wasn’t in the hospital anymore. Irene hurriedly got out of bed.

“Where’s Liz? How am I here? I—” Hearing the rapid change in her tone, Nathan instantly cut her off whilst she panicked more.

“Relax, relax. The operation is done, and Liz is already in the ICU. I directly went to the hospital after hearing what happened to your sister. Just as I arrived, a doctor came out of the operating room. We’re in X Hotel. I checked us in last night, and I didn’t bother to wake you up. I know that you’re tired.”

Irene released a sigh of relief as she listened to Nathan’s caring words.

“Go wash up. I bought you a change of clothes and placed it in the closet. We’ll leave after having breakfast.”

Nathan left her room after.

Irene walked toward the floor to ceiling window. She panned her gaze into the grayish sky approaching the city from afar, and stared. You’ll be alright. You have to be alright. I’ll make sure of it.

Her hours of sleep couldn’t shake off the eerie feeling that Irene felt since last night. Even after hearing what Nathan said, it didn’t leave. Instead, her heart felt heavy.

She clutched her chest and constantly muttered reassuring words to herself. 

Liz.

After taking a shower, Irene went downstairs, fully clothed and with a Ray-Ban covering her eyes. Entering the restaurant, a sense of warmth welcomed her. The smell of food and the chattering of people distracted her chaotic mind.

She scanned the place, looking for Nathan.

Seeing her, Nathan waved, beckoning Irene to come.

“I already ordered for you,” said Nathan while Irene pulled the chair opposite to him.

Irene said, “How’s my sister?”

Nathan: “…”

Noticing that he wasn’t answering, Irene looked at him straight in the eyes.

Nathan shifted his eyes to the side, faking obliviousness to the pressure she was giving off.

Irene: “You..”

Before she could finish her words, a waiter came and delivered their food. Out of the corner of her eye, she saw Nathan’s relieved expression.

“Let’s eat,” he said, smiling reluctantly.

Looking at his dismissive gesture, she conceded and didn’t pursue the matter. After all, they would go to the hospital after this. She would soon know the exact situation.

A weird atmosphere loomed throughout the entirety of the meal.

After Nathan finished eating his breakfast, he spoke, intending to break the ice. “About the interview today... push back?”

Irene nodded, seemingly unaware of his intent. “Push it back until Liz gets better.”

Finishing the last bite of the omelet finally satiated Irene’s hunger.

With no intention of dilly dallying, she declared, “Let’s go.”

She stood up and walked toward the underground parking lot. Nathan tailed behind her back.

The grayish sky was now gradually approaching and turning dark. The sun’s light was nowhere to be seen. Then, a thunder’s boom resonated; a downpour descended from above.

Using the back entrance of the hospital, Nathan led Irene to the room where Elizabeth was.

On the way there, Irene couldn’t help the anxiety that was clawing her heart. She took deep breaths multiple times, but she still couldn’t calm herself. Something was wrong.

Out of the blue, she clasped Nathan’s wrist.

“I, I, It’s nothing.”

He threw her an understanding look and shifted his hand to hold hers.

He knew better than anyone that what Irene needed the most now was a shoulder to lean on, and he was willing to be that person for her.

He squeezed her small hand in reassurance.

The heat coming from Nathan’s hand spread out, slowly inching its way and soothing her heart—even for just a little bit.

Soon, they arrived in front of a door.

“We’re here,” whispered Nathan.

In a somewhat stable mood, Irene found courage to open it.

She then saw Elizabeth connected to myriads of tubes surrounded by machines.

Her courage came tumbling down.

Irene gasped upon seeing it; multiple thoughts occupied her mind.

Water pooled around her eyes, but she didn’t let it flow. Her fist tightened.

Irene let out a shaky breath.

For Nathan, watching her suppress her emotions was painful to see.

It was heartbreaking. His cold and calm star was reaching her breaking point. My muse.

“What did the doctor say?” Irene breached the silence. Her voice was so steady that it was making him perturb.

“Liz is now in a coma. The accident caused great damage to her brain. It’s unknown when she’ll wake up.”

With leaden steps, Irene went near Elizabeth.

She reached out her hand to hold her sister’s.

“Sis is here.” At this moment, the chain came undone. With nothing holding her back, Irene broke out in tears.

In this vast world, the one thing that she feared the most was losing her family. The thought of the god of death pulling away her sister made her crazy. She couldn’t let that happen!

However, after a few seconds, another static beep sounded, but this time, it echoed in the room.

Thundering footfalls were heard outside—it was getting louder and louder. 

Doctors and nurses entered one after another.

“Ma’am, Sir, we need you to leave the room right now.”

Aware of the state Irene was in, Nathan hurriedly carried her outside.

However, all of this mess didn’t register into Irene’s mind.

The moment the beep sounded, a full on explosion reverberated inside her head. The bubble surrounding her hardened. Everything around her turned dark.

The noise was gone.

She was plunged into a world of nothingness.

Startled, confused, and scared, Irene frantically turned in every direction hoping to find a trace of light.

But it looked like the world wanted to see her despair.

Inside this void, nothing but darkness accompanied her.

Gone were the Doctors. Gone was Nathan. Gone was her sister. Liz!

Chills creeped up on her body.

In the next second, a mechanical voice was heard.

[Hello, host. I’m Villainess System 002.]

She was alarmed. Thousands of thoughts were running in her head. She tried to mask her fear and answered. “What are you?”

The system’s frigid tone continued. [I can bring your sister back to life.] It didn’t pay her question to mind.

Its second sentence stunned Irene. She stood there like a statue.

Am I turning crazy?

She was shell-shocked—speechless.

Just in a few hours, her life underwent a rollercoaster ride.

The turbulent ups and downs have thrown her in shambles.

All she could do was listen.

[You’ll complete a set of tasks in a novel, and once your progress rate is at 100%, you’ll be able to save your sister.]

Then the voice stopped. It appeared to be waiting for her reply, which she didn’t give.

Silence.

A couple of minutes flew by.

Everything, from her sister’s vitals turning into a flat line to the voice’s last words, “to save your sister”.

She now understood what was happening.

A Villainess System was recruiting her in exchange for her sister’s life.

A self-deprecating smile appeared on her lips. It seemed that every time she was forced in a dead-end, someone would always be there throwing her a rope to hold on to. She didn’t know if this was a blessing or a curse. 

What am I complaining about? This is what I wanted.

For Irene, this offer couldn’t be anymore than a miracle. This was her hope. A chance so that her sister could live. But, she still has something to ask.

It has been quite some time since the voice kept silent. Whether it was still there or was already fed up with her unresponsiveness, she nevertheless said, “What tasks?”

The System was really waiting as it quickly answered her.

002 said, [You’ll embody the character of the villainess and complete her story arc.]

“Is this true?” she was still somewhat doubtful. What’s happening right now was straight out of a fantasy novel—far-fetched.

But, what more could she risk? She was now drained to nothing.

[Of course. You fit the character well. And….] It paused, drawing Irene’s nerves taut. [For Elizabeth.]

Again, her spine chilled. But thinking of the situation Elizabeth was in, she couldn’t help but nibble on her lips till an iron taste filled her mouth.

If this could bring her sister back, then she was ready to bite the bullet, no matter how much it would cost her.

“I accept,” declared Irene.

DionneR

Hi, thank you for giving my story a shot. It's my first time writing a novel. This is bound to be littered with countless clichés, so if you're okay with that, then please do follow my story if it is to your liking. Also, it would be great if you'll let me know what you think in the comments. Cheers!