"If she doesn't want me to wear it, I won't... Even though the System said if I don't put on the 'Gown of True Love' tonight, it'll take ten years off my life..."
She clutched her chest, face draining of color, as if the pain were unbearable.
Orson's expression shifted to panic. He dropped the gown and rushed to pull her into his arms.
"Willow! Don't be scared. I'm here!"
He whipped around to glare at me, voice sharp with accusation.
"Renata Fox! Do you want to push her to death? Is that what you want?"
"It's just a piece of clothing! Her life is at stake. Is your vanity really that important?"
I sat on the sofa, watching this little performance unfold.
Funny, really.
As someone who actually possessed a System, I knew perfectly well—what Orson "heard" wasn't anyone's inner voice.
It was just Willow Pruitt's one-woman show: The Tragic Heroine Forced by the System to Seduce the Male Lead.
But he bought it.
Not only bought it—he'd cast himself as the savior.
He believed that if he fulfilled Willow's every wish, he could rescue this poor, helpless girl from the clutches of an evil System.
How noble. How heroic.
There was just one problem.
Don't play generous with what's mine.
"Orson." My voice was flat. "That's my wedding gown. It won't fit her."
Orson froze for a moment, then waved his hand impatiently.
"Just have it altered. Willow's so slim—taking in the waist is nothing."
He shrugged. "Besides, you bought that dress with my money. I have every right to decide what happens to it."
I didn't get angry. I laughed.
"Your money?"
Back then, Orson Gilbert had been a nobody who couldn't afford his next meal.
I was the one who'd crossed over with the System. To save him, I'd poured every ounce of my fortune into him.
I was the one who'd built this empire beside him—sleeping in basements, surviving on instant noodles, pushing him step by step until he sat at the top.
And now he called it his money.
"Fine." I kept my voice light. "Since you think Willow absolutely must be saved, give it to her."
Orson exhaled, relief flooding his eyes.
"That's my girl. I knew you'd understand, Renata. You've always been the generous one."
"Once Willow completes her mission and breaks free from her system, everything will come back to you anyway."
In his arms, Willow turned her face toward me. Her smile was pure triumph.
I glanced at the System interface in my mind. The stripping protocol had reached five percent.