Aurora glanced at her one last time, her expression indifferent. "There’s nothing more to talk about."

She turned around. "I’ll leave first."

With that, she walked away, her footsteps steady and unhurried.

Alana stared at her retreating back, her nails digging harshly into her palms as a surge of fury rose within her chest.

"Aurora..." she muttered under her breath, her voice trembling with suppressed rage. "Just you wait... I’ll make you regret this."

Her eyes burned with a venomous glare, dark and twisted.

If Aurora had seen it, she would have only scoffed. ’You can’t do anything to me.’

And in truth... Alana really couldn’t. Aurora was far beyond her reach, protected in ways Alana couldn’t even comprehend.

Meanwhile, after returning, Aurora immediately began investigating Alana.

There was something deeply wrong about her.

Normally, by this point, a person would have broken down completely... confessed, lashed out, or at the very least shown genuine hatred.

But Alana... was too calm. Too controlled.

’It’s as if she isn’t even human...’ Aurora thought, her fingers tapping lightly against the table.

That thought alone was enough for her to form a plan.

The next day, when Alana nervously approached her again, Aurora merely glanced at her before deliberately acting distant, as if she had already lost interest.

She kept her distance, giving Alana no opportunity to act.

Days passed. Alana didn’t try anything again. Not once.

Until three days later

She suddenly appeared near Aurora’s residential area, her body covered in visible injuries, her movements weak, and she was bleeding.

It just so happened that Aurora had come downstairs at that moment after Lily told her, "I’ve prepared a gift for you. Come down."

The moment Aurora stepped outside, her eyes fell on Alana’s trembling figure.

’Right on time,’ she thought calmly.

The next second, she walked over. "What happened to you?"

Alana lifted her head weakly, her voice trembling. "I... I’m being chased... please... help me..."

Aurora nodded.

Then, without the slightest hesitation, she raised her hand and struck.

A dull thud echoed as Alana’s body went limp instantly.

Aurora caught her effortlessly, her expression completely cold.

"Finally," she murmured under her breath.

She dragged Alana’s unconscious body back toward the residential area, her movements smooth and practiced.

Alana, who had expected Aurora to panic and rush her to the hospital, never imagined this outcome.

Because from the very beginning... Aurora had never planned to let her go.

Too many people had already interfered with her life, with her family.

And she was done tolerating it.

When Alana opened her eyes again, her vision blurred for a moment before slowly clearing.

She found herself in an unfamiliar apartment.

A wave of panic surged through her as she tried to move... only to realize her hands were tightly bound behind the chair, rough ropes digging painfully into her wrists.

Her mouth was stuffed with cloth, suffocating her cries.

She struggled violently, the chair scraping against the floor with a harsh screech.

"Mmmph! Mmph!"

No one came. Fear began to creep into her chest, cold and suffocating.

’System... help me...!’ she screamed inwardly.

Silence. No response. Nothing. Her heart dropped.

Meanwhile, not far away, Aurora sat calmly, her posture relaxed as she observed everything.

Earlier, during a meeting with Lily at a café, Spencer had gathered some information about this so-called "system."

He had gone a step further and had created a special jammer capable of blocking it.

And now... that small device sat quietly beside Aurora, humming faintly.

Alana tried again. ’System! Respond!’

Still nothing. For the first time, true fear gripped her.

Aurora, on the other hand, was preparing for the next step.

She had already hired a specialist doctor experienced in handling delicate procedures involving the brain.

While Alana had been unconscious, Aurora had arranged for a portable MRI scan.

The results had confirmed her suspicion. There was a chip.

Embedded deep within a sensitive part of Alana’s brain.

’So I was right...’ Aurora thought, her eyes darkening slightly. ’She’s from the Institute.’

That explained everything: her unnatural calmness, her controlled reactions, and her calculated behavior.

Now, all that remained... was to uncover the truth.

The door creaked open. Aurora stepped inside, followed by the doctor.

The moment Alana saw her, she began struggling violently, her eyes filled with fury and fear.

"Mmph! Mmph!"

Aurora walked closer, her gaze indifferent.

"If you dare touch me..." Alana’s muffled voice came through the cloth, trembling with rage, "...the Institute will retaliate!"

"The Institute has remained silent only because they didn’t want to harm you," Alana’s voice trembled, yet it carried a sharp edge of desperation, her eyes burning as she struggled against the ropes. "But if you keep this up..."

Aurora suddenly chuckled.

She lifted her hand lazily, silencing Alana mid-rant without even touching her.

"I don’t care," she said coldly, her gaze indifferent, almost bored. "Whether the Institute comes after me or not... they’ve never made my life easy anyway." 𝑓𝓇𝘦ℯ𝘸𝘦𝑏𝓃𝑜𝘷ℯ𝑙.𝑐𝑜𝓂

The words fell like ice.

Alana’s eyes widened in disbelief, her pupils trembling slightly. But that disbelief quickly twisted into horror when her gaze shifted past Aurora

A man in a white coat stood quietly behind her.

A doctor.

"What... what is this?" Alana’s voice cracked, panic finally breaking through her composure. "What’s going on? Why is there a doctor here?"

Aurora tilted her head slightly, her lips curling into a faint smile that didn’t reach her eyes.

"Just a small check-up," she replied lightly. "I was worried about you."

She stepped closer, her shadow falling over Alana.

"You have something... in your brain," Aurora continued, her tone soft yet terrifyingly calm. "A bug. I’m planning to remove it."

For a moment, Alana froze completely.

Then... her entire body began to shake violently.

"No... no, you can’t!"

Before she could even finish, a sharp strike landed.

Darkness swallowed her once again.

The operating room was cold.

Aurora stood quietly to the side, her expression calm, almost detached, as she watched everything unfold.

’The Institute...’ she thought silently. ’People who believe they are chosen... superior... untouchable.’

Her eyes darkened slightly.

She didn’t know what Alana had done in the past. She didn’t care.

But one thing was certain... Alana’s intentions toward her had never been innocent.

And that alone... was enough.

Five long hours passed. Finally, the door opened.

The doctor stepped out, holding a small metallic box.

Aurora’s gaze immediately locked onto it. A faint smile appeared on her lips.

She stepped forward. "How is she?"

The doctor nodded. "She’s stable."

He paused for a moment before adding, "We also noticed something unusual. The chip... it was starting to burn."

Aurora’s expression shifted slightly.

"If it had remained in her brain for another year," the doctor continued gravely, "it might have ruptured completely."

Aurora was taken aback. ’Burning...?’

That was new information. Dangerous information.

She took the box slowly. Later that night, Aurora returned home.

Meanwhile, Alana... still unconscious... was strapped securely to a hospital bed. Without ceremony, she was transported away... directly to a mental asylum.

That had been Aurora’s order.

Sitting alone in her dimly lit room, Aurora placed the small chip on her desk.

She stared at it for a long moment. Curious... but cautious.

’Something this advanced... won’t be easy to crack,’ she thought.

She decided to contact Spencer and explained everything to him. After she finished speaking Spencer’s calm voice commanded her,

"Place the chip in the CD disk section."

She picked up the chip and inserted it into the laptop.

The moment it connected The screen went completely black.

Aurora’s fingers stiffened.

For a split second, unease flickered through her chest. ’Did someone hack my system?’

Then

A mechanical voice echoed from the speakers.

[Congratulations for being selected as a participant in the novel ’Love Me, CEO.’]

Her face fell instantly.

’So even after being removed... it still functions like this?’

Taking a slow breath, she leaned back slightly, her eyes narrowing at the screen.

"What do I need to do?" she asked flatly. "And what exactly is this ’Love Me, CEO’ plot?"

The system responded immediately.

[The male lead is a CEO named Lucas Waters.]

Aurora’s fingers tightened slightly. ’Lucas ...’

Her eyes turned cold.

’So even after everything... they’re still dragging my family into this.’

[The CEO already has a fiancée named Jules,] the system continued, its tone emotionless. [However, their relationship is strained. Conflicts have recently arisen regarding childbirth.]

Aurora listened silently, her expression growing darker with each word.

[The CEO desires an heir, but his fiancée refuses. Frustrated, he immerses himself in work... until he encounters an ordinary, unattractive girl who gradually captures his attention.]

Aurora’s lips twitched faintly in disdain.

[At first, he observes her from afar. Eventually, he becomes drawn to her charm ...]

Aurora’s gaze turned icy.

’From villain... to side character... to protagonist,’ she thought bitterly. ’What a progression.’

But she didn’t want this. Not for her brother.

Taking a slow breath, she forced a faint smile. "Interesting. So what’s my role?"