Chapter 2

Chapter 2

I originally came from an apocalyptic wasteland.

In that ruined world, romance and desire were useless luxuries.

The only thing that mattered each day was staying alive.

From my childhood to adulthood, I had never experienced the fluttering sensation of love.

My parents used to tell me that before the world collapsed, human society was peaceful and beautiful. People worked hard, lived in comfort, and searched for lifelong happiness.

Since I had never seen it, I could only nod in confusion.

Later, I lost my life in a massive rockslide.

My parents wept hysterically over my body. Having lived in the old world, they possessed genuine, tender love for their daughter.

Meanwhile, my soul floated in the cold air, feeling a strange sense of relief as a glowing system appeared before me.

It asked, [I can grant you a wish, but you must complete a romantic capture mission. Are you willing?]

I didn't truly understand what love was, but the sound of my parents sobbing in the freezing wind was deafening. They had lamented that I never got to see the beautiful world.

So, I wanted to see that peaceful world for myself.

I accepted the system's deal, and it asked what my wish was.

I answered firmly, "I want to see the wonderful human world my parents always talked about."

The system understood. It brought my soul into this reality, placing me into the body of Joy Carter.

Unlike my past life of constant fleeing and starvation, I grew up in a clean orphanage here. Even without parents, basic survival was never an issue.

Then I met Barrett. I loved him unconditionally and poured everything I had into supporting his dreams.

He knew I was terrified of the dark and terrified of predatory men.

In the wasteland, darkness signaled brutal chaos, where physical strength allowed men to take whatever they wanted from vulnerable women. It was my deepest trauma.

Yet he still chose to throw me into the den of wolves at Noir.

My memories continued to slip away like falling sand. I began to forget what Barrett looked like, how we met, and how deeply I had once relied on him.

A wave of dizziness washed over me, accompanied by an unbearable headache.

The onlookers assumed I was simply devastated by the rejection, and the whispers grew louder.

"What kind of pathetic scene are you trying to make?"

Barrett pulled Cynthia back with an irritated frown. The gentle face he usually wore was replaced by icy contempt.

"I only reassigned you to a different position. I'm not sending you to your death. Who are you putting on this tragic act for?"

"Are you trying to make people think Cynthia is bullying you? Let me make one thing clear, Joy. Everything I built was for Cynthia from the very beginning. You knew that all along, so stop acting like the entire world owes you something."

"Get security to take her away."

As the pieces of my past dissolved one by one, security guards grabbed my arms and dragged me toward the city's premier private club.

Barrett had no intention of letting me return to our penthouse. He had someone drop my luggage at the club entrance.

"Miss Carter, Mr. Lockhart told me to bring your belongings. He also said he never wants to see your face at his place again."

The delivery driver sneered and slammed the suitcase onto the floor.

I flinched and shut my eyes tight, feeling as if I had been thrown back into the apocalyptic ruins.

After a few seconds, the footsteps faded. I opened my eyes and looked at the clothes spilling out of the broken suitcase.

None of these belonged to me. I never wore revealing outfits―a habit deeply ingrained from my past life.

Yet the suitcase was stuffed with tight, flashy, provocative dresses. Back in the wasteland, wearing something like this would get a woman killed in three days.

"Miss Carter, hurry up and get dressed. Noir opens shortly."

The club manager took one look at the clothes, his expression turning even more mocking.

In his eyes, any woman dumped at Noir was damaged goods. A woman who used to hang around a billionaire was probably just a greedy social climber who got kicked out for overstepping.