Chapter 1-Shattered Heart
1224 Words
A jagged crack of thunder split the night sky as Celeste Su staggered across the marble floor of the Lu estate's grand ballroom. Crystal chandeliers shook overhead, raining fractured prisms of light onto the guests' horrified faces. She clutched her side, blood blooming red beneath the ivory of her gown.
“Ms. Su!" A voice—smooth, controlled—cut through the chaos. Adrian Lu emerged from the shadows, his tailored tuxedo unsoiled, expression unreadable.
“Adrian…" Celeste's whisper trembled. She sank to one knee, the world tilting around her. “Why…?"
He knelt beside her, the leather heel of his dress shoe clicking against the tile. “I'm sorry," he said, voice distant. “The arrangement was for appearances only."
She drew in a ragged breath. “I… I thought—"
A blade flashed in his hand. “You never were more than a substitute." He pressed it to her ribs. The metal bit through fabric, then flesh. Celeste gasped, hand flying to the wound.
A single, heart-stopping second of eye contact—hers wide with shock, his cold with resolve—then the blade twisted. Pain blossomed, hot and blinding.
Celeste's vision blurred. She tried to speak, but only a rasp escaped. She tasted salt—sweat? tears? blood?—as the knife withdrew. Adrian stood, as graceful and unflinching as if extinguishing a candle.
“Goodbye, Ms. Su." He shoved her toward the balcony. The force sent her over the edge.
She fell through the torrential rain, arms splayed like wings that could not fly. Below, the ocean roiled—an inky cauldron reflecting flashes of lightning.
Her final thought was a single question, echoing even now: **Could a stand‑in ever be loved?**
---
A mechanical voice droned in her mind:
**“Mission failed. Emotional Deprivation System initializing."**
Celeste's eyelids snapped open. She lay on a slick surface, the scent of ozone stinging her nostrils. A grid of pale blue light hovered above her throat, projecting words she could feel burned into her brain.
> **OBJECTIVE:** Drive target affection to –100%.
> **LOOPS REMAINING:** ∞
> **PENALTY FOR DELAY:** Escalating physical pain.
Her voice caught in her throat. **Adrian's affection?** The numbers on the HUD clattered downward, already at –5%. A jolt coursed through her spine, and she convulsed.
“Ugh!" She convulsed again, clamping her hands over the collar fastened at her throat. Cold metal glinted where it bit into her skin. The HUD glowed:
> **WARNING:** Collar removal attempts will incur Level‑2 pain protocols.
She forced her lungs to fill. The pain was a flood, but beneath it, burning with fury, was something else: determination.
**I won't let this system break me.**
A hiss—like a hydraulic valve—and the scene dissolved.
---
The penthouse lobby of Lu Enterprises shimmered under a dozen spotlights. High society glittered around her in silks and diamonds, oblivious to anything but their reflections.
Celeste blinked. The collision of memory and reality struck her: this was five years ago. The morning of Adrian's gala.
The collar pressed against her neck. She lifted her hand, fingers trembling, and felt its cold circumference. A tiny display on its inner edge blinked:
> **LIFELOOP 1/∞**
Her heart thundered. She mouthed the words that echoed from the voice in her mind: **Reset to Year Five.**
A stiff-voiced assistant stepped forward. “Ms. Su, your gown is ready."
Celeste's rescue came in satin. She let him guide her through the mirrored hallway, every footstep echoing. Her reflection stared back: pale skin, dark hair swept into an artful updo, and eyes wide with something more than fear. Defiance.
At the threshold of the ballroom, she paused. The mechanical voice ticked through her objectives:
> 1. Impersonate missing fiancée.
> 2. Endure every humiliation.
> 3. Drive target's affection meter to –100%.
She took a deep breath. **I'll play their game.** But she vowed: **I will not die again—unless it's on my own terms.**
The grand doors swung open. A hush rippled through the assembled guests. Candles flickered across polished platters of caviar and gold‑rimmed glasses. And there he stood.
Adrian Lu, in midnight velvet, cold and aloof, surveyed the room like a king among subjects. His gaze skirted past her as if she were not there.
She swallowed. **Objective 1: Impersonate fiancée.**
He swept a hand toward her. “My stand‑in arrives," he announced to the crowd, voice smooth as silk. “Ms. Su will fill in for our dear… guest of honor."
A murmur. A few polite smiles. Then, “Charming," someone whispered.
Her cheeks flamed. **Meter –10%.** The collar hummed, a faint reminder of the pain it could inflict.
She lowered her gaze and curtsied so slight it almost went unnoticed. “Good evening, Mr. Lu." Her voice wavered but held.
He flicked his gaze north—toward the rows of onlookers—and then back. The corner of his lip twitched. **Anomaly detected.** The HUD blinked:
> **TARGET ANOMALY:** Possible recognition.
> **INCREASE HUMILIATION PROTOCOL.**
He turned his back. “Enjoy the evening." No escort, no invitation. Just dismissal.
She exhaled silently. Her first test: stand alone. And if past was prologue, the next humiliation was never far behind.
---
In the crowd, champagne flutes clinked. Celeste navigated whispers and sideways glances like a ghost. She felt the collar tighten—Level‑1 pain trickled through her shoulders. A waiter spilled a tray of oysters against her gown; the icy shells cracked against the delicate lace.
“Oh!" She gasped, then knelt to scoop them up. Guests recoiled; some laughed at the spectacle.
Adrian watched from a chaise, expression impassive. **Meter –20%.** Pain bloomed in her joints—sharp, unrelenting.
She forced herself upright. “I'm so sorry," she said, voice echoing. “Please, let me—"
He raised a hand. “Leave it."
Her cheeks burned. She backed away, knocking over a silver ice bucket. It tumbled, water sloshing over her heels.
A jagged grin split his face for a heartbeat. A flicker of something—amusement? recognition?—then gone. He turned, striding off with a confidant at his elbow.
**Meter –30%.** The HUD glowed angrily, and pain stabbed her calf. She swayed but kept on her feet.
Celeste pressed a hand to her collar. “Easy," she muttered. She scanned the room, heart pounding. **I'll learn his rhythms. His weaknesses.**
Her jaw set. **This corruption of love ends here.**
With trembling fingers, she slid her hand into a hidden pocket and withdrew a small metal shard—the only weapon she'd managed to salvage from that final plunge in her last life.
Adrian paused at the far end of the ballroom. He glanced back. Their eyes met—hers fierce with resolve, his blank with command.
He nodded once. “Impressive endurance."
Pain lanced through Celeste's chest. **Meter –40%.** The collar complained.
She swallowed back the agony. “I'm just getting started."
Thunder rumbled outside. Lightning flashed through the stained‑glass dome.
And in that instant, neither the Deprivation System nor Adrian's disdain could extinguish the spark burning in her veins.
Celeste Su would survive. Even if it meant shattering every expectation—and every heart—along the way.
- Writer
