After returning to his lavish villa, Veil felt no discomfort at all.
Before his transmigration, he had already been a wealthy young tycoon, having built his billion-dollar fortune from scratch.
Capital itself was neither good nor evil, but the accumulation of wealth was always paved with blood.
That was precisely why Veil never considered himself a good person.
Leaning back comfortably on an ornate European-style sofa, he gently swirled the wine in his crystal glass, his gaze falling on the girl standing before him. She had her head lowered, nervously tugging at the hem of her uniform.
Kai stood beside them, his expression cold. "Young Master, this cleaner accidentally broke one of your collectible vases while working."
Hearing Kai's stern voice, Alice trembled, her fingers twisting anxiously until her fingertips turned pale.
Even though she ca from poverty, she understood the worth of that decorative vase.
And just monts ago, she had shattered that priceless antique.
Veil lifted his gaze, scrutinizing the girl in front of him.
She was barely over 160 centiters tall, her slender fra drowning in the loose-fitting blue-and-white cleaner's uniform.
And this seemingly unremarkable girl was, in fact, one of the main heroines of the novel—Alice!
She might look like nothing more than a timid country girl in a cleaner's uniform now, but in the original story, Alice played a crucial role. She and Roy had grown up together in the sa orphanage, childhood sweethearts bound by an inseparable bond.
Moreover, because of this very incident—breaking the vase—the original Veil had begun to oppress Alice. He even set his sights on the land where her orphanage stood, turning both Alice and the orphanage into his sworn enemies.
This ultimately led to an open conflict with Roy, where Veil suffered humiliating defeats, allowing Roy to play the gallant hero rescuing the damsel in distress.
Of course, none of that was going to happen now.
Veil took a leisurely sip of his wine, his voice casual. "Alice?"
"Mr. Lancaster, I know I was wrong! I swear I didn't an to break it. I'll pay you back, I promise—please, just give so ti." Alice spoke in a rush, her nerves making her voice tremble.
Summoning all her courage, she lifted her head to look at the man her colleagues had described as ruthless and temperantal.
Yet, as she t his gaze, a strange sense of calm washed over her, easing so of her fear.
He was... incredibly handso. And his eyes—so gentle!
How could such an elegant and refined gentleman be the sa person her coworkers had described as a violent and unreasonable brute?
Had she been deceived?
Veil was satisfied with Alice's reaction. He crooked a finger at her, and as she hesitantly stepped closer, he suddenly grabbed her wrist, pulling her down onto the sofa beside him. His other hand reached forward, tilting her chin upward.
Her delicate features were as refined as those of a noble lady—graceful, with finely arched brows and a small, upturned nose. As she breathed in nervous gasps, a warm breath brushed against his hand. Her lips, untouched by any costic products, carried a natural, soft pink hue.
There was no denying it—ignoring her petite fra, Alice's face alone was easily worth a 95 out of 100.
"Mr. Lancaster... y-you... what are you doing?" Alice's face flushed scarlet, her gaze darting frantically as she stamred in panic.
Kai, standing nearby, couldn't help but mutter inwardly, Did the Young Master hit his head today?
Since when did he take an interest in a plain countryside girl like this?
But Kai was no fool. He had served Veil long enough to understand when to make himself scarce. Without another word, he turned and left the room, silently conveying his stance: I saw nothing.
"What am I doing?" Veil chuckled at her question. "You're just a cleaner. What do you think I want from you?"
He leaned back lazily. "You broke my vase and still have the nerve to talk about paying for it? That vase cost eight million at an auction. Do you plan to cover that debt with your cleaner's salary? How long would that take? Ten years? A hundred?"
"I... I don't know..." Alice's mind went blank at the ntion of eight million.
That was more money than she could ever dream of, more than she could earn in a lifeti.
Her eyes shimred with unshed tears, the weight of her mistake pressing down on her. Swallowing hard, she pleaded in a choked voice, "Mr. Lancaster, I... I really don't know how to repay you."
Veil leaned forward slightly. "According to the background check, you grew up in Sunshine Orphanage and have a good reputation there. If you can convince the director to sell that orphanage's land at a low price, we'll call it even."
Alice shook her head instantly. "No! That's impossible!"
She had already heard rumors of companies wanting to buy out the orphanage land, but she never imagined Veil was one of them!
And now, she couldn't help but wonder—was breaking the vase part of so elaborate sche? A setup designed to force her into persuading the director to sell?
"If that's impossible, then we'll have to handle this by the book," Veil said indifferently. "You broke my valuable collection. Based on its appraised value, that's a debt of several million. If you can't pay, then I'll have no choice but to report you to the police."
Leaning back against the sofa, he crossed his legs, his expression unreadable.
Ti was running out. Roy's return was imminent.
Veil didn't have the luxury of spending months slowly winning Alice over. Besides, even if he treated her well for a month, it still wouldn't compare to the years of deep emotional ties she shared with Roy.
If he wanted to use Alice to strike at Roy, he needed to secure an unshakable place in her heart—one that was unforgettable, undeniable.
Sothing that would make their connection burn into her very soul.
"Well?" Veil's voice turned cold. "Are you going to turn yourself in, or should I call the police to take you away?"
Alice froze.
She had heard horror stories about life in won's prisons—about how the inmates were ruthless, cruel, and terrifying. If she was locked up... she would be at their rcy every single day.
Thud!
After a brief mont of hesitation, Alice abandoned the last shred of her pride. She dropped to her knees before Veil, head lowered, trembling in fear.
"Mr. Lancaster, please... please give another chance," she begged, voice quivering. "I'll work for you—I'll do anything as long as it's not illegal. I can clean, wash clothes, cook—I can do it all!"
Veil sighed, rubbing his temples. "Clean? You an like how you 'cleaned' today—by breaking a million-dollar vase in the process?"
"I won't! I won't make the sa mistake again!" Alice shook her head frantically.
She was completely helpless now. Not only was she at fault, but she had no ans of making ands.
If Young Master Lancaster really reported her to the police, she would end up in prison!
Veil narrowed his eyes, contemplating for a mont before speaking slowly. "The chefs in this villa aren't particularly skilled. We do need a full-ti housekeeper. How about this—stay on for a trial period. If you prove yourself capable, you can stay. If not, we'll figure sothing else out."
"I can! I can do it! I'm absolutely capable!"
Alice nodded enthusiastically. "I'm very good at housework!"
Ding! Plot deviation detected. Congratulations, host, on earning 1000 Villain Points!
Villain Points had been credited!
The corners of Veil's lips curled into a smirk, a hint of amusent flashing across his refined features, adding a touch of mischief to his otherwise charming deanor.
"Whether you can do the job or not, we'll only know once you've started. I'll set your salary at ten thousand per month, with room and board included."
"Ten thousand a month?!" Alice gasped in shock.
Veil arched a brow. "Too little?"
"No, no! It's too much—way too much!" Alice shook her head earnestly.
As a cleaner, she toiled for a asly five thousand a month, and that didn't even cover food or housing!
Now, this offer felt like money falling from the sky!
Ding! Female lead Alice has experienced emotional fluctuation. Congratulations, host, on earning 200 Villain Points!
Veil chuckled at Alice's delighted expression. In the original story, Alice was depicted as an exceptionally kind and innocent girl. Seeing her in person now, he had to admit—the portrayal was spot on.
She was pure to an extre degree. Not only did she not feel underpaid, but she even thought she was being overcompensated.
If a ruthless capitalist didn't take advantage of such an innocent girl, who else would he exploit?
Ten thousand a month—too much?
For Alice, definitely!
But if she were to repay that shattered vase worth eight million, even if she saved every penny and spent nothing else, she'd have to work nearly seventy years to pay it all back.
Yet here she was, practically beaming with gratitude, convinced she had t a generous and kind-hearted employer!
The process of change had to be gradual. After settling Alice's situation, Veil returned to his room and dialed back the call he had ignored earlier.
When the line connected, his voice was laced with curiosity. "What is it?"
This was the first ti Lisa had ever called him. It was rather unusual.
Lisa hesitated for a mont before speaking stiffly. "Co to my house tomorrow."
"No."
Without another word, Veil hung up.
Unprompted acts of kindness were always suspect.
He didn't believe he was charming enough to completely change Lisa's opinion of him in just one day.
Ding! Female lead Lisa has experienced intense emotional fluctuation. Congratulations, host, on earning 500 Villain Points!
Monts later, the phone rang again. Even with Lisa's usually composed temperant, she was starting to lose her patience.
Twice now!
Having her calls repeatedly ignored was sothing she never imagined would happen with Veil!
As expected, n were liars. They could change their minds faster than they changed their expressions!
"My mother is here. She specifically asked you to co for a al. At the very least, we're still in a contractual relationship. As per our agreent, you should co," Lisa said, trying to suppress her irritation. Her tone was stiff.
"What ti?"
"Noon tomorrow."
"Alright."
Barely exchanging a few more words, Veil hung up again.
Ding! Female lead Lisa has experienced intense emotional fluctuation. Congratulations, host, on earning 600 Villain Points!
Tsk, tsk, tsk!
Hearing the chanical system notification, Veil was amazed.
Rejecting her earned him Villain Points.
Agreeing to go also earned him Villain Points.
Lisa was practically a walking gold mine!
Tossing his phone aside, Veil lay back on his soft bed, stretched lazily, and started contemplating his next steps. Unknowingly, he drifted into sleep.
At six o'clock sharp, Veil, already accustod to waking early, opened his eyes on ti. After getting dressed, he went downstairs and found the dining table neatly set with breakfast—stead buns, soy milk, fried dough sticks, and millet porridge, all laid out properly.
At the nearby chair, Alice was still slumped over, fast asleep, her soft breaths even and gentle. She was still wearing her blue-and-white cleaner's uniform. Her delicate face bore faint red imprints where it had pressed against her hand.
Glancing around, Veil noted that the grand villa, which had still carried traces of dust in untouched corners the day before, was now spotless.
No doubt, Alice had worked tirelessly through the night.
A three-story villa spanning nearly seven hundred square ters—cleaning it to this level of perfection in just one night proved how much Alice valued this job. She truly didn't want to be dismissed, or rather, she feared the consequences of losing this opportunity.
Cough~
Veil, seated at the head of the table sipping his porridge, accidentally choked, the sound startling Alice awake.
She rubbed her bleary eyes, her complexion uneven from where she had pressed against her hand. But the mont she saw Veil at the table, she snapped to full alertness, her voice hesitant and nervous.
"Y-Young Master Lancaster, is... is the breakfast not to your liking? I only know how to make simple homade dishes. If you don't like it, I can learn! I pick things up quickly, I promise I can do this job well!"
Veil took a bite of a bun and shook his head. "No need. It tastes fine. Breakfast should be light. The clothes I changed out of are in the bathroom. Don't use the washing machine."
Alice nodded solemnly, carefully pulling out her chair to avoid making noise. Still slightly disoriented, she made her way toward the second-floor bathroom.
A short while later, Veil called Kai over as he continued eating. Gesturing toward the seat beside him, he offered, "Sit. Have sothing?"
Kai sat down but grinned sheepishly. "Young Master, I already ate."
Finishing off his stead bun, Veil remarked casually, "Arrange for a room to be cleaned up for Alice. She'll need a place to rest."
Kai glanced toward Alice, who was bustling about upstairs, and murmured, "Young Master... you're not seriously planning to keep this girl around, are you?"
Veil lifted his gaze slightly, eyeing him from the corner of his eye. "Why, is there a problem?"
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