Chapter 2: Country Club Chaos & Rescue Plans

Last night, bored before bed, I watched a TikTok by an influencer ranting about an old-school CEO romance. Since it was the weekend and I had nothing better to do, I started reading the original, just to see how ridiculous it actually was.

I nearly lost sleep from rage.

The nearly thirty-year-old CEO male lead fell for the just-turned-legal, innocent female lead, and tried to buy her submission with a tidal wave of money. But she was completely unmoved.

That only made the male lead more excited. A woman dared to reject him? Clearly, she must be playing hard to get.

So he set her up to break his Rolex—worth more than some people’s houses—and threatened her: pay up or go to jail. Unless, of course, she agreed to be with him.

Terrified, and not even questioning the absurdity, the female lead tearfully agreed to his terms.

She moved into his Hamptons estate, and that very night, he slept with her—coaxed and tricked her into bed, really.

She was a traditional girl. After sleeping with him, she saw him as her future husband—cooking, doing his laundry, caring for him every day. (I never got why, when there were so many staff in the mansion, she did all this?)

But the male lead, that rotten cucumber, kept a string of casual lovers and even had a “first love”—his true love from the past.

The plot just kept repeating: the female lead gets pregnant—the first love frames her—she miscarries; she gets pregnant again—a casual lover frames her—she miscarries again.

By the third miscarriage, she finally couldn’t take it anymore and wanted to leave.

After she left, the male lead finally realized the one he truly loved was the female lead. He found her, shed a few symbolic tears, and promised from now on, he’d only have her.

The female lead was quickly moved: he cried for me, he must really love me.

So she went back to him.

But after so many miscarriages, she couldn’t get pregnant again.

Then the first love showed up, pregnant with the male lead’s child.

The female lead was unhappy, but seeing how happy the male lead was, she had no choice but to accept the child and raise him as her own.

But the son only recognized the first love as his mother and called the female lead a homewrecker.

She cried and begged the male lead to explain, but he just said the kid’s just a brat, you should cut him some slack.

He even brought the first love home often, and the three of them would go out together.

The female lead felt like they were the real family of three, and she was just the extra. No wonder the son said what he did.

She wanted to leave, but couldn’t bear to part with the male lead and the son she’d poured her heart into raising.

In the end, she spent her whole life tangled up with the male lead and the first love.

After reading the whole thing, I nearly spat out my coffee.

Curiosity really does kill the cat, huh.

I’d pay good money for a pair of eyes that never read that novel!

If I’m guilty, let the law punish me—not this brain-melting novel.

The first thing that left me speechless was the protagonist’s name. What decent author names their female lead Raine?

I mean, Graham Langley? That’s at least a real name.

But the female lead? They just slapped on a random cutesy name—Raine. Is she just a prop to highlight the male lead’s charm?

Never thought I’d transmigrate into this novel—and become the female lead, Autumn Raine, no less.

There’s no way I’m following the original plot.

I clenched my fists in anger. If the male lead dares mess with me, I’ll show him what Grandpa Joe taught me.

I could practically hear Grandpa Joe now: “Don’t take crap from anyone, kiddo.” That advice was about to come in handy.

Once I figured out my situation, I climbed back into bed to keep sleeping. After all, it wasn’t even 5 a.m. If I’m going to leave, I’ll wait for daylight.

“Miss Ghost, could you leave my body?”

A timid female voice suddenly echoed in my mind.

“Who’s talking!”

I was so startled I nearly jumped out of bed.

“I’m Autumn Raine. Miss Ghost, could you please give me back my body?”

“Human, not a ghost!” I said, still confused. “I just woke up in your body. I don’t know how to leave either.”

“Okay then, but since I can’t get out, could you help me make breakfast?”

“You’re Graham Langley’s girlfriend, not his maid. Even if you were, there’s no reason to get up at 4:30 a.m. to make breakfast.”

“But Mrs. Carter said Graham likes the food I make. If I cook for him every day, he’ll like me even more.”

Hearing her voice turn shy, I couldn’t help but retort, “By that logic, Graham’s eaten Mrs. Carter’s food for years—he must be head over heels for her.”

“It’s not like that! Oh! Anyway, hurry up and make breakfast, or Graham will be angry when he wakes up.”

I scoffed, “Let him be angry. My fists are itching.”

Seeing she couldn’t win, the female lead just sulked in silence.

I closed my eyes and went back to sleep.

“Miss Raine, why are you still sleeping?”

So noisy.

That annoying buzzing was back in my ear.

“Sir didn’t see you making breakfast this morning. He’s very angry and wants you downstairs to explain yourself.”

Her flat voice even carried a hint of glee.

“So annoying!!!”

I screamed, ran downstairs, and let loose on the male lead, who was leisurely eating breakfast in the dining room.

“Aren’t you eating breakfast right now? Why do you insist I make it? Will you starve if you miss one meal cooked by me? Aren’t you worried about your cholesterol, eating steak and eggs every morning? Not to be rude, but you’re not young anymore—it’s time to take care of yourself. Just eat some toast and coffee, okay?”

Honestly? I felt better already.

As the saying goes: rather than draining yourself, better to drain others.