Under the bright shimmer of an enormous crystal chandelier, golden light spilled across the luxurious study. The elegant glow illuminated a massive king-sized desk and an intimidating mountain of books stacked so high that they looked capable of causing a heart attack just by existing.
It was five o’clock in the morning.
Seated behind the desk was a slender figure who could easily be mistaken for a beautiful young woman at first glance.
But he wasn’t.
His long red hair flowed down his back like a waterfall, though at the moment it resembled an abandoned bird’s nest due to the countless hours he had spent awake. Dark circles rested beneath his hazel eyes, yet they remained fixed stubbornly on the glowing screen of his MacBook, scanning line after line with frightening concentration.
He should have gone to bed hours ago.
A sane person would have.
Unfortunately, Noah Evernight wasn’t feeling particularly sane at the moment.
Not until he finished reading.
"You moron! How can someone be this stupid?!"
His outraged yell echoed through the room as he pointed accusingly at the screen.
Displayed boldly on the page was the title of the novel currently testing his patience.
The Villain Wants a Retirement With His Four Alphas.
The title alone was enough to make Noah cringe.
The only reason he had clicked on it in the first place was because of the cover art.
And because he absolutely loved villains.
Noah wasn’t one of those readers who cried over tragic protagonists or rooted for justice and righteousness.
No.
He loved villains.
The ruthless ones.
The manipulative ones.
The intelligent monsters who made everyone else suffer.
Those were his favorites.
Unfortunately, the villain of this novel wasn’t any of those things.
He was an idiot.
An absolute, complete, hopeless idiot.
The character spent almost every Chapter chasing after men who clearly wanted nothing to do with him.
No dignity.
No pride.
No self-respect.
Nothing.
It was painful to witness.
"This completely makes it impossible to root for you," Noah groaned. "You’re supposed to be a villain. Have some goddamn standards."
As if the novel wanted to mock him personally, the next Chapter loaded.
The villain suddenly rushed toward one of the male leads with stars in his eyes and attempted to force a kiss on him in the middle of the academy courtyard.
Noah’s expression froze.
"Oh no..."
The male lead stepped aside.
The villain missed.
And crashed headfirst into an enormous bowl of porridge.
Silence.
Then laughter.
Lots of laughter.
Noah buried his face in his hands.
The embarrassment was physically painful.
Yet somehow the villain wasn’t finished humiliating himself.
After climbing out of the porridge, he stood up and attempted to regain his dignity.
Unfortunately, the universe clearly hated him.
His clothes tore apart with a loud ripping sound.
Right in front of everyone.
The entire courtyard erupted into hysterical laughter looking right at his cock.
"Oh my god, is that a peanut?" a girl sneered.
"A rat wouldn’t be satisfied with that thing," another added.
The crowd laughed even harder.
Noah felt his blood pressure rising.
"WHAT KIND OF AUTHOR WRITES THIS?"
BAM!
He slammed the laptop shut so hard the sound echoed through the room.
Before he could continue his rant, a shadow suddenly appeared directly in front of him.
Noah jumped in fright.
His chair tipped backward.
CRASH!
He landed flat on his back.
Pain immediately shot through his spine.
"Oh my gosh, Evelyn!" Noah yelled. "Why would you do that?! Can’t you see I was reading?!"
Standing above him was a beautiful woman with crossed arms and a look that screamed disappointment.
His older sister.
And unfortunately one of the few people in existence capable of bossing him around.
"For crying out loud, Noah." Evelyn glared. "It’s seven in the morning. Seven! And the first thing you did today was read another ridiculous novel."
Noah rolled his eyes.
That wasn’t technically true.
He had been reading since yesterday.
"Are you listening to me?" she demanded.
"Unfortunately."
Evelyn narrowed her eyes.
"Go wash your face. You look like you just crawled out of a sewer."
Noah gasped dramatically.
"A sewer? This face?"
"Yes."
"This face that has been called heavenly?"
Noah clicked his tongue before standing.
What a troublesome woman.
He brushed imaginary dust from his clothes before making his way toward the grand silver staircase.
The polished steps reflected the sunlight pouring through the enormous windows.
The brightness hit him immediately.
Noah squinted.
"What the hell?"
He raised a hand to shield his eyes.
"Did I accidentally arrive in another world? Why is the sun trying to swallow me?"
Evelyn sighed behind him.
Ignoring her, Noah suddenly stopped.
A brilliant idea crossed his mind.
He turned dramatically.
"Sister."
"No you dont."
"You don’t even know what I’m going to say."
"You’re going shopping."
Noah pointed at her.
"See? You know me so well."
Evelyn looked horrified.
"You literally went shopping yesterday."
"That was yesterday." He replied back.
"You spent enough money to buy a small apartment."
Evelyn rubbed her forehead.
"Noah—"
"Besides," he interrupted, "those clothes became boring."
"Boring?"
"Very." He winked.
"You bought them as I said yesterday!"
Noah shrugged.
"Well, I also bought them to annoy someone."
His sister blinked.
"What?"
"There was this annoying woman at the mall. She kept looking at me strangely."
"So?"
"So I bought every outfit she wanted."
Evelyn stared shocked.
Then stared some more trying to process what she heard.
"Did you hit your head recently?"
Noah ignored her.
He walked toward a nearby shelf and picked up a sleek black card.
His beloved black card.
The key to endless happiness.
Or endless shopping.
Same thing.
After taking a quick shower, he changed into one of his favorite Prada outfits.
The expensive fabric fit him perfectly.
His long red hair was brushed neatly.
His hazel eyes sparkled.
Perfect.
As always.
Today he decided not to take his sports car.
Walking wasn’t bad.
It gave people more opportunities to admire him.
And Noah was a generous man.
He liked sharing beauty with the world.
The nearby shopping district was crowded as usual.
Several hours later, Noah emerged carrying enough bags to concern any reasonable person.
Unfortunately, Noah wasn’t reasonable.
As he walked down the street, he pulled out his phone and opened Webnovel.
Instantly his expression darkened.
There it was.
Again.
The same stupid novel.
The same annoying cover.
The same irritating title.
"The Villain Wants a Retirement With His Four Alphas."
Noah’s eye twitched.
"Why are you everywhere?" he complained.
"You’re a terrible novel. Stop appearing on my screen."
He continued glaring at his phone while walking.
Completely unaware of his surroundings.
A terrible decision.
Because at that exact moment, a massive water tanker lost control.
The driver screamed.
The vehicle swerved violently.
Pedestrians scattered.
Someone shouted.
Noah finally looked up.
His eyes widened.
The enormous tanker was heading directly toward him.
"Oh."
For a brief moment, his mind went completely blank.
Then panic exploded.
"WAIT!"
The tanker kept coming.
"No, no, no!"
People screamed.
The truck horn blared.
Noah’s shopping bags fell from his hands.
"My designer clothes!"
The truck drew closer.
"My books!"
Closer.
"My collection!"
Even closer.
"MY PRADA!"
The impact never came, at least it was what he thought.
A pair of strong arms suddenly wrapped around him.
The world spun.
Everything blurred.
The next thing Noah knew, he was flying through the air.
Then crashing into someone’s chest.
The stranger held him tightly while shielding him from the impact.
Pain exploded throughout Noah’s body.
Warm liquid dripped down his forehead.
Blood.
Yet despite everything, his attention wasn’t focused on that.
Because the man holding him was ridiculously handsome.
Noah blinked.
The stranger had flawless pale skin.
Sharp features.
Dark eyes.
And a face that looked as though it had been personally sculpted by the gods.
Even while bleeding to death, Noah found himself staring.
Wow.
What a waste.
If he survived this, Noah absolutely needed that man’s number.
Unfortunately, survival wasn’t looking very promising.
His vision blurred.
The sounds around him became distant.
"No..." Noah whispered.
His eyelids grew heavier.
The stranger seemed to be saying something.
Noah couldn’t hear it.
"Don’t close your eyes."
The words felt distant.
Like they were coming from underwater.
Noah desperately fought to stay awake.
He wasn’t ready to die.
He still had unread novels.
Unworn clothes.
Unused money.
And several people he still wanted to annoy.
"No..." he murmured weakly.
His eyes slowly drifted shut.
The handsome stranger’s face became the last thing he saw.
And honestly?
That wasn’t a bad way to go.
At least he wasn’t dying while looking at that horrible novel.
Darkness swallowed him whole.