Playing the Villainess, He Fell for Me

He liked this side of Joanna Kennedy—the side that held nothing back.

Thoughtfully, he unbuckled the girl’s seatbelt. Simon Lockwood straightened up, his gaze traveling up her fair neck, finally settling on her rosy lips.

Just as he was about to make a move, he sensed something. Simon Lockwood’s brow twitched violently, and he barely managed to suppress the urge to kiss her.

In the instant he paused, the girl had already gotten out of the car. She stood outside the window, waving at him.

Simon Lockwood: ”...”

Simon Lockwood took a deep breath, his expression unchanging. He watched the girl enter the company building before driving away.

The black Maybach turned out of the intersection and onto the main road, driving smoothly.

Simon Lockwood stared straight ahead, the softness on his face long gone, replaced by an icy chill. ”Come out.”

The car was unnervingly quiet. As Simon Lockwood’s words faded, a human silhouette began to materialize in the empty back seat.

It was a downright bizarre scene. Any normal person would be scared speechless by the sight. If Joanna Kennedy had been there, she would have fainted on the spot.

The silhouette gradually solidified into a physical form. A tall, long-legged man in black casual wear sat in the center of the back seat, his posture elegant. Though his features were ordinary, there was something about him that inexplicably drew the eye. The entire process took only a few seconds—a veritable magic trick of pulling a man from thin air.

”You found me pretty quickly.” Unlike Simon Lockwood’s coldness, Liam Valentine’s voice was laced with a smile. ”Your senses are as sharp as ever.”

Simon Lockwood ignored the remark. He was more concerned about something else. ”When did you get here?”

”Is that important?” Liam Valentine asked, puzzled.

Simon Lockwood: ”Very.”

Liam Valentine: ”...”

Meeting the man’s wary gaze, Liam Valentine sighed. ”About ten minutes ago.”

”Relax, I didn’t see you put a tracking device in Miss Kennedy’s phone,” Liam said.

Simon Lockwood: ”...”

The car screeched to a halt. Inertia nearly sent Liam Valentine slamming into the seat in front of him, but luckily, his quick reflexes allowed him to brace himself in time.

Silence descended in the car as a low pressure began to spread. Just looking at the man’s back, you could tell how cold and grim he was. He was probably thinking about how to silence him for good.

’He really does lose control whenever it comes to Joanna Kennedy,’ Liam thought. ’He’s truly no longer fit to be the World Consciousness.’

”Don’t worry, I won’t tell. And even if I did, Miss Kennedy wouldn’t believe me. After all,” Liam Valentine paused before continuing, ”she doesn’t even know who I am right now. To her, I’m just a stranger.”

No one would doubt their lover because of a stranger’s words. Besides, he wasn’t that bored.

At this thought, the smile on Liam Valentine’s face deepened. ”Back then, the rules forced me to stop you from being together. But this is Jornheim. I have no jurisdiction here. You’ve already made your choice, and I respect it.”

Such grandiose words were Liam Valentine’s usual style. Simon Lockwood had no interest in beating around the bush with him and cut straight to the chase. ”If that’s the case, what’s the deal with Joanna Kennedy’s Blue Rose?”

”The Blue Rose?” Liam Valentine thought for a moment, then met the man’s intensely scrutinizing gaze and said with sudden understanding, ”Oh, that...”

”Didn’t you give it to Joanna Kennedy?” Liam said. ”I just thought it was a shame for something so wonderful to be left behind in Aethelburg, so I took the liberty of bringing it back for you. Maybe it can help Miss Kennedy recover her memories.”

Hearing the words ”recover her memories,” Simon Lockwood’s breath caught for an instant. He quickly calmed down, but he couldn’t shake the feeling that something was wrong.

Liam Valentine was the type who had spent years drifting among all sorts of humans. He’d seen too much, and his heart was colder than anything. How could he possibly do something like this?

But there was really no reason for Liam Valentine to lie to him. After all, just as Liam had said, the rules were broken. This was Jornheim, not the Aethelburg of a parallel world.

”Thanks,” Simon Lockwood said coolly, his dark eyes devoid of emotion. His next words were, ”You can go now.”

Liam Valentine: ”...”

’He’s so quick to cast people aside once they’re no longer useful. That’s Simon Lockwood for you.’ But he couldn’t grant Simon’s wish just yet. Remembering the purpose of his visit, Liam Valentine’s expression turned serious. ”Simon Lockwood, I’m going to confirm this one last time. Are you really willing to voluntarily descend to a human state for Joanna Kennedy?”

In the end, he and Simon Lockwood had worked together since the dawn of the world. Deep down, he saw Simon as a younger brother, even if Simon didn’t see him as an older one.

”001 is only a system; it can’t completely control the terminal. If you’re truly certain, I will find a suitable life form to take your place,” Liam said.

The birth of a new World Consciousness would also mean there was no turning back for Simon Lockwood. Liam was giving him one last chance to reconsider.

Simon Lockwood was silent. After a long moment, he lifted his gaze to the road ahead. The sunlight was gentle, and withered sycamore leaves drifted down. In a daze, he saw the girl standing under a tree, waving at him. The image overlapped with the bright, dazzling smile from outside his car window.

”Yes,” Simon Lockwood heard himself say, his voice stripped of its mechanical coldness, becoming somewhat gentle. ”I’m sure.”

The life of a World Consciousness was endless, while a human’s was just a few short decades. Love, hate, obsession, folly, birth, aging, sickness, and death—from now on, all of it would be a part of Simon Lockwood’s existence.

The answer was both expected and unexpected. Liam Valentine wasn’t surprised, but he still couldn’t understand it, just as he couldn’t understand how Simon Lockwood could have genuinely fallen in love with a human.

’Love is such a fleeting, ephemeral thing—not even as enduring as hatred. How could it possibly sustain someone for decades?’ Liam thought. He was certain Simon Lockwood would come to regret this.

But by the time he regretted it, it would be too late.

Once the new World Consciousness took office, Simon Lockwood would become a thing of the past.

”Alright. Since this is your decision, I’ll respect it.” Liam Valentine let out a deep sigh, a complex look in his eyes. ”I wish you... the fulfillment of your heart’s desire.”

”Thank you.”

Liam Valentine said no more. He had appeared suddenly, but he left like any ordinary human, opening the car door and stepping out.

He planned to search for a suitable new World Consciousness in Jornheim. The database already had a few candidates; he just needed to vet them in person.

*

In a dedicated makeup room at Thorne Entertainment, Joanna Kennedy sneezed, immediately alarming Mindy Morgan.

”Are you okay? You’re not catching a cold, are you?”

Catching a cold at such a critical moment would definitely affect her condition for the evening’s banquet. Mindy Morgan was so anxious that she was about to go find some cold medicine, planning to have Joanna knock back a couple of packets to suppress it quickly.

Joanna Kennedy quickly stopped her, looking a little helpless. ”Mindy, I’m not sick.”

She had just felt a bit of a tickle for a moment. Perhaps the sunlight outside the window was too bright—a photic sneeze reflex—and it had made her sneeze.

”Are you sure you’re okay?” Mindy Morgan was still worried.

Joanna Kennedy sighed. ”I’m really fine.”

Someone ”forced” her to wear a jacket every time she went out; how could she possibly catch a cold?

As the makeup artist started on her eye makeup, Joanna Kennedy closed her eyes. Someone sat down beside her, bringing with them the faint smell of smoke.