My daughter-in-law is dead. She was a System Host, just like me. I had good luck. I successfully completed my mission, settled down in this world, married, and had a child. But she was obliterated by the System. 1. I called my son to tell him the news of his wife’s death. Arthur just scoffed on the other end of the line. "Mom, how did she buy you off? I can't believe you're helping her trick me into coming home with such a pathetic excuse." I was so furious at this idiot I could hardly breathe. If the official death certificate didn't take a few days to process, I would have slammed it right into his stupid face. Arthur lowered his voice, trying to placate me: "Mom, Claire’s depression is getting worse. The doctor says she’s having suicidal thoughts." "I'll come back once she's doing a bit better." This bastard might be my biological son, but he was also the designated Capture Target the System assigned to my daughter-in-law. Whenever Arthur bullied my daughter-in-law for the sake of his "first love," I stepped in to help her. But the System issued a severe warning. If I interfered as an anomaly again, it would automatically declare her mission a failure. No one knows the consequences of a failed mission better than I do. I had to stand by and watch. The feeling was a mix of agonizing heartbreak and utter helplessness. I kept Evelyn’s funeral low-profile, handling it alongside her adoptive parents. Looking at Mr. and Mrs. Hayes, whose hair seemed to have turned completely white overnight, I couldn't find a single word of comfort. After all, this was entirely the fault of my bastard son. 2. The day Arthur and Claire returned to the country, he stormed into the house in a blind rage, screaming his wife’s name. "Evelyn! Evelyn! Get your ass out here right now!" I didn't move. I just watched my son lose his mind with cold, dead eyes. He searched the entire mansion. Finding no trace of her, he ran up to me: "Mom, where is Evelyn? Where the hell is she hiding?" "She's dead in the ocean. I scattered her ashes in the Pacific." Arthur looked at me like I was a lunatic. "Mom, stop messing around. Do you know what she did? She secretly leaked the fact that we're married to TMZ." "Now the whole internet is attacking Claire, calling her a homewrecker." "How could she be so vicious?! Claire couldn't handle the cyberbullying and collapsed. She's in the hospital!" A cold smirk crept up the corners of my mouth. "Couldn't handle it? If she can't handle a little heat, why is she an actress?" Arthur didn't expect me to take Evelyn’s side so blatantly. He was furious. "Mom, did Evelyn brainwash you?! I'm your actual son!" Heh. If I had known you would turn out to be such world-class trash, I would have drowned you the day you were born. Too lazy to argue, I stood up and headed upstairs. As I walked, I dialed my company's PR director. "Did you see the trending topics on X?" "Yes, Mrs. Sterling. The one accusing the rising pop star of stepping into your son's marriage." "Take it down? Why would we take it down? Double the budget! Don't let that hashtag drop!" Behind me, my son’s deafening roar echoed through the foyer: "MOM!" 3. The hashtag was eventually taken down by my bastard son. Not only that, but he hired fixers to release a fake relationship timeline between him and Claire. He painted Evelyn as a malicious, gold-digging schemer who forced her way into his bed and drove a heartbroken Claire out of the country. Claire then hosted an Instagram Live. Tearfully, she choked out a story about how she and my son had been deeply in love since college. She claimed the real homewrecker was Evelyn. Honestly, all she had to do was open her mouth, and the internet ate up her lies. Thanks to Arthur’s massive capital backing, Claire's image was quickly washed clean, and public opinion completely flipped. My assistant asked me: "Mrs. Sterling, should we issue a statement to clear your daughter-in-law's name?" My face was like ice. "Tell the PR department to prep all the dirt we have. Stay on standby." Having navigated the corporate shark tank for decades, I knew one universal truth. When you strike, you strike to kill. You make sure your enemies can never rise again. There will be plenty of time for them to regret it later. 4. When Arthur came home that night, the first thing he did was call for his wife. "Evelyn, my stomach ulcer is acting up. Bring me my meds." I sat at the dining table, slowly eating my dinner, treating him like empty air. Arthur walked up to me, looking confused. "Mom, why are you eating alone? Where is Evelyn?" "What? When you need something, it's Evelyn. When you're fine, it's Claire?" Arthur's face paled. He looked away unnaturally. "Mom, Claire and I aren't what you think." Oh, isn't that the classic scumbag manifesto? "Mom, my stomach hurts. Call Evelyn and tell her to come home." "What is her problem anyway? I've been back for days and haven't even seen her. Does she even want to be married anymore?" I gave him a sideways glance, finding the audacity hilarious. "You run off to accompany another woman all day, but you demand Evelyn stay on standby at home? We don't have a royal throne for you to inherit, boy." Arthur stiffened his neck and argued back: "Mom, fine, you don't care that my stomach hurts. But why are you always snapping at me? Is this how a real mother acts?!" Ugh. Looking at my son's punchable face and listening to his garbage behavior, I instantly lost my appetite. I pushed my plate away, preparing to go upstairs, change, and leave. Arthur's face was livid. "Mom, Evelyn ran straight to Claire and used our history to trigger her! She caused Claire's depression to spiral into a suicide attempt. That's the only reason I took her abroad to recover!" "And when I confronted Evelyn, she played the victim and expected me to believe her. She's shameless!" "Tell her that if she doesn't want to come back, she can stay gone forever!" I replied effortlessly, "Okay. Sounds good." There were security cameras in the house. After Evelyn died, I watched the footage of the fight Arthur picked with her over Claire. Arthur's words had been absolutely merciless. At the end of the footage, he slammed the door and left. Evelyn squatted on the floor, burying her face in her knees. Her shoulders shook violently as she sobbed, asking the System what she should do. She always acted like she was only here for the mission. But I knew. The mission was just an excuse. She had genuinely fallen in love with him. As a veteran Host who had survived countless worlds, I had constantly warned her: Never give your heart to the Target. Love is the most useless thing for a System Host. It only slows down your extraction speed. But it was too late. Evelyn told me that during college, because she was quiet and introverted, she was heavily bullied by a guy who was obsessed with her. In her most desperate, helpless moment, Arthur stepped in front of her and saved her. He became her light, protecting her throughout her four years of college. And Evelyn had secretly loved him for those entire four years. She was already in too deep to pull out. 5. Arthur clearly didn't expect me to agree. He let out a shocked sound. "Mom?" "Don't worry. Evelyn won't ever come back. Not ever." I turned my back to him, tilting my head up to force the tears back into my eyes. Arthur furrowed his brows. "Mom, if this is some twisted tactic you and Evelyn cooked up to force me to cut ties with Claire, I am absolutely not compromising." I remembered a time when Evelyn had severe cramps, in so much agonizing pain she was pale and sweating. She just wanted Arthur to stay home with her. But because of one single phone call from Claire, Arthur ignored Evelyn's pleas and insisted on leaving. I physically blocked the door, locked him inside, and confiscated his phone. The System immediately issued multiple red-alert warnings. Evelyn’s vital signs even began to drop drastically. Terrified, I had no choice but to unlock the door and let the bastard go. After he left, Evelyn held onto me, crying until she almost threw up. This kind, beautiful girl had been an orphan before she came to this world, tasting nothing but the bitterness of life. After being selected as a Host, she finally gained parents who loved her, and she was so fiercely independent it broke my heart. Even when she was bullied in college, she didn't dare tell her parents, not wanting to be a burden. After Arthur brought Claire back, he did countless horrible things to Evelyn. Whenever I tried to intervene, Evelyn would always beg me not to ruin my relationship with my son. And the damn System constantly threatened me with Evelyn's obliteration, forcing me to endure the agony of being a bystander. Thinking of Evelyn, now erased from existence, my mood plummeted. I waved a dismissive hand at my son. "Get out. I don't want to look at you." Arthur stormed out in a huff. 6. A few days later, the Sterling Group hosted its annual corporate gala. I never expected Arthur to actually bring Claire to the event. When Claire saw me, the timid, cautious demeanor she had years ago was entirely gone. With Arthur momentarily away, she walked up to me, a smug smile on her face. "Mrs. Sterling, you tried so hard to stop Arthur and me from being together back then. But look, after all these years, the one he truly loves is still me." I gracefully smoothed a stray hair on my forehead, completely unfazed by her provocation. "Are you so sure my son still loves you?" Claire's eyes instantly reddened, putting on a flawless act of being bullied. Arthur rushed over, shielding Claire behind him. He looked at me with exasperation. "Mom, can you please stop picking on Claire?" I laughed out loud. "Which one of your eyes saw me picking on her?" Claire, playing the delicate white flower, sniffled and wiped away invisible tears. "Arthur, don't blame your mother. It's perfectly normal that she doesn't like me." "After all, you come from such a wealthy family, and you're so outstanding. I don't deserve you." Arthur, who had been raised to be respectful, didn't dare yell at me in public. So he turned to comfort Claire instead. "Don't take what my mom says to heart. She’s been spoiled by my dad her whole life, so her temper isn't great. But she’s all bark and no bite." Too much of a bitch. I couldn't watch this anymore. As I walked away, I heard Claire whisper to him: "Arthur, is the only reason you won't divorce Evelyn because your mom won't allow it?" 7. The paparazzi are excellent at catching the scent of blood. The Sterling Group's corporate gala didn't make waves for its business deals. Instead, Arthur and Claire skyrocketed to the top of the trending lists. #SterlingGroupCEOAndPopStarClaireVanceEngagementRumors #ArthurSterlingHoldsHandsWithClaireVanceAtGala #SterlingCEOMakesRelationshipPublic Every media outlet seemed to conveniently forget that the CEO of the Sterling Group, Arthur Sterling, had a legally wedded wife. Occasionally, a few comments would question why Arthur hadn't announced a divorce, calling Claire a mistress, but they were quickly deleted by PR bots. Arthur and Claire... what a perfect pair of scumbags. 8. That night, my darling son didn't come home. The paparazzi caught him and Claire entering a five-star hotel owned by the Sterling Group, sparking another wave of trending gossip. The next morning, I hired a moving company to clear out every single thing that belonged to my daughter-in-law. Including their massive wedding portraits. The butler stood nervously to the side, watching me. "Madam, if you clear out all of the young miss's belongings... won't you leave even a single keepsake for the young master?" "He isn't worthy of Evelyn. He would only taint the pure love she gave him." The butler sighed and said nothing. Looking at the empty, hollow house, I couldn't stop the tears from streaming down my aged face. My son was Evelyn's first Capture Target. And her last. I couldn't help but curse the System: "Out of everyone in this world you could have chosen as the Target, why did it have to be my son?!" The System's mechanical voice echoed in my head: "This was the Host's own choice." I had nothing to say. 9. When Arthur finally came home, he instinctively called out for his wife. "Evelyn! I'm starving, make me a bowl of noodles!" The housekeeper ran out from the kitchen. "Sir, what kind of noodles would you like? I can make them." Arthur waved his hand impatiently. "No, I want the way Evelyn makes them." The housekeeper looked at me, hesitating. I gave her a look, and she wisely retreated to her quarters. "Mom, where is Evelyn—" Arthur suddenly froze, his eyes widening in anger. "Where are the wedding photos?" As if realizing something, he sprinted upstairs. A few minutes later, the slam of his bedroom door shook the walls. He stormed back down to me, suppressing his rage. "Mom? What the hell is Evelyn playing at? Is she serious? She emptied the closet! Her clothes, bags, shoes—all gone!" "She even took her skincare bottles off the vanity?! Real mature!" I gave him a half-smile. "Isn't this exactly what you wanted? Making room for your precious first love." Arthur pulled out his phone and rapidly dialed Evelyn's number over and over. Every time, it went straight to an automated out-of-service message. He aggressively ran his hands through his hair, pacing. "Mom, is she seriously trying to divorce me? I don't believe it!" "She loves me to death! To help cure my stomach ulcers, she spent months researching healthy recipes and cooking for me." "When we took our wedding photos, I looked miserable the whole time, but she still smiled, called me handsome, and treated that portrait like a treasure, dusting it every single day." "The year Dad died, the company was in crisis. I was out every night begging for investments, getting bullied by execs, drinking until I threw up blood." "After that, Evelyn came with me to every business dinner. She took the drinks for me until she was hospitalized for alcohol poisoning." "She did all of that for me. I refuse to believe she actually wants a divorce." "This is definitely just a trick. She's throwing a tantrum so I'll prove I love her. Well, I'm not playing her game." "Let's see how long she can keep up this silent treatment if I just ignore her!" With that, Arthur kicked a priceless porcelain vase in a fit of rage. It shattered across the floor, and he stormed out of the house. A chilling cold spread through my heart. So he knew. He knew everything Evelyn did for him. He just weaponized her love, abusing it without consequence because he knew she wouldn't leave. She bet her body and soul on this mission, and in the end, she died for it. 10. Suffocating in the house, I met up with a friend to go shopping in Beverly Hills. I didn't expect to run into my bastard son, accompanying Claire on a shopping spree, at the Chanel boutique. My friend patted my arm, gesturing for me to look over. Claire was clinging to Arthur's arm, smiling coyly. We walked closer, staying out of sight, and overheard Claire whining: "I really, really love this bag. Buy it for me, Arthur?" "That bag is reserved for Evelyn. I already ordered it for her. I'll get you a different one for your birthday." My friend and I exchanged a look of pure shock. Did the sun rise in the west today? Arthur actually refused Claire's request for Evelyn's sake. Claire pressed her body entirely against his chest, her voice sickeningly sweet: "Arthur, Evelyn already has so many bags. She doesn't need this one, right?" "Doesn't she have your black card anyway? Didn't you say she loves using your card to buy bags?" "Can't you just let me have this one? Please?" Those few sentences were a masterclass in manipulative guilt-tripping. My friend and I had seen enough and walked away arm in arm. It didn't matter anyway. Evelyn was gone. Even if Arthur bought the bag for Claire, Evelyn wouldn't be here to get her heart broken.
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