Chapter 2

Chapter 2

My name is Valerie, and I am a mission tasker.

The very first moment I laid eyes on Declan, I was drawn to him.

He had an effortless charm, like a man walking under his own spotlight.

So when the system assigned him as my target, I was thrilled at the prospect of winning his heart.

However, the system warned me that he was no ordinary man.

He came from wealth, possessed striking looks, and held extraordinary talent.

After the initial excitement faded, doubt crept in about whether I could truly complete this assignment.

Still, if I succeeded, I could finally return to my original world and resume my own dreams.

I poured everything I had into making this mission work.

Thankfully, the system gave me the identity of an heiress from a family with longtime ties to his.

To get closer to him, I transferred to his university, signed up for his difficult elective classes, and sat through lectures I couldn't comprehend just to exchange a few words with him.

Yet, all the way until graduation approached, he remained polite but emotionally distant.

Just as I was on the verge of giving up, an accident changed everything.

Our department organized a field trip to a remote mountain valley. On our second day, a flash flood hit after a torrential downpour, submerging the roads and sweeping him into the raging river.

Having almost drowned in a lake as a young boy, Declan had a deep, paralyzing phobia of water.

Without a second thought, I dove straight into the churning current to grab him.

In the chaos, I managed to snag a sturdy submerged branch, stopping us from being swept downstream.

A sharp jagged rock sliced open my arm, sending throbbing pain through my body as I desperately held onto Declan.

He stared at me, a flicker of raw emotion surfacing in his eyes. "Are you out of your mind? You could have died!"

"So what?" I gave him a weak, breathless smile. "If I went down with you, it would still be worth it."

His gaze softened, visibly shaken by my words.

"Is throwing your life away for me really worth it...?" he whispered.

To the outside world, Declan was a privileged golden boy who had it all.

In reality, his strict upbringing had left him emotionally starved and insecure, believing love was only earned through conditional sacrifice.

I took that leap into the river partly to secure his affection for the mission.

Yet, it wasn't just about the task anymore. I had genuinely fallen for him and couldn't bear to watch him get hurt.

Inside the ambulance, he gripped my uninjured hand tightly, staring at me in stunned silence.

He had never imagined someone would love him so selflessly, without asking for anything in return.

After that day, Declan took meticulous care of me throughout my recovery.

Even so, he didn't dare cross the line into romance, keeping me strictly in the friend zone.

I accepted it gladly, grateful that we had at least taken a step closer.

Then, in the second year after our graduation, his family's empire collapsed overnight. His parents faced financial ruin and legal scandals that eventually landed them both in federal prison.

In the span of a single night, he tumbled from his ivory tower and lost everything.

Overwhelmed by despair, a man who feared water more than death itself stood on the edge of the river bridge, ready to jump.

And once again, I threw myself forward into the icy water after him.

"Have you lost your damn mind?!" I screamed, dragging him toward the muddy bank. "If you die, everything is truly over!"

I pulled him onto dry land, scolding him through my tears while frantically checking him for injuries.

He stared at me, tears mixing with river water streaming down his pale face.

For the first time in all the years I knew him, I watched him break down into gut-wrenching sobs.

He pulled me into a fierce embrace, his warm tears soaking into the fabric of my shirt.

I stroked his trembling back, letting my own tears fall freely.

"You absolute idiot," he choked out between laughter and tears.

We stayed by the riverbank for hours, weeping together in the dark.