Zoe Rhodes was waiting for a red light on the side of the road when she was sent flying by a car.
The good news was, she didn't die.
The bad news was… she seemed to have time-traveled ten years into the future?!
On the night after her last college entrance exam, Zoe Rhodes went out for a celebratory dinner with her teachers.
While she was waiting for the red light, her phone buzzed.
[Zoe, your brother will handle everything. I won't let those people bother you again.]
[I won't abandon you. So please, don't abandon me either, okay?]
Zoe stared at the text in the chat box for a long time before finally pressing the voice message button. "Brother, actually…"
The accident happened in that exact moment. Blinding headlights tore through the darkness as a black sedan lost control and barreled straight toward her.
With a CLATTER, the phone slipped from her hand, falling to the ground only to be crushed under the car's tire.
...
"SCREECH—"
Zoe sat on the ground, staring blankly at the car that had stopped less than two feet in front of her, her mind unable to catch up.
Ten minutes ago, she had opened her eyes and a new set of memories had suddenly flooded her brain.
It turned out that the world she had lived in for eighteen years was actually a tragic romance novel. Unfortunately, she wasn't the innocent female lead, nor was she the arrogant, villainous second female lead. She wasn't even a sycophantic lackey trailing after the villainess.
She was just the male lead's cannon fodder sister… who kicked the bucket after less than three sentences of description.
That's right. Although she was an insignificant character, her brother, Ethan Rhodes, was the male lead of this novel!
But Ethan didn't have much of a protagonist's halo. After his so-called sister died in a car accident, he faced constant setbacks in both his love life and his career. All the other male leads and villains worked against him at every turn.
In the end, the villains had one of his legs crippled. Living a life worse than death, he ended his own life in the final chapter.
When she learned of this ending, Zoe's vision went dark, and she almost fainted again.
Fortunately, a man's voice nearby broke her train of thought.
"Are you hurt?"
Zoe shook her head forcefully and looked up into a pair of unfamiliar eyes.
She blinked slowly, brazenly sizing him up.
The man was kneeling on one knee, dressed in a high-end, custom-tailored suit. He leaned slightly toward her, his tall frame shielding her from the glaring sunlight.
As their eyes met, the man's dark eyes behind his glasses narrowed slightly, his expression one of detached concern.
But the distance between them was too close.
An overpowering wave of masculine pheromones, mixed with a crisp, familiar scent, washed over her. The tips of Zoe's ears grew hot, and she couldn't help but lean her head back.
She dazedly said she was fine and subconsciously looked down for her phone, only to realize it was gone.
She glanced around. Her surroundings felt both familiar and strange.
'Something feels off.'
"Could I borrow your phone? I need to call my brother."
When the phone's screen lit up, the first thing that caught her eye was the prominent date in the center of the screen.
'Wait, how is it ten years later?!'
Uncertain, she looked at the man before her, trying to get confirmation. "Can I ask what year it is?"
The girl's long eyelashes fluttered as she looked at him with a bewildered expression. At this distance, Nathan Bennett could clearly see the fine, downy hair on her rosy cheeks.
As she spoke, her glistening lips parted slightly. A slight smile touched Nathan's lips, and his voice was gentle as he patiently replied, "Today is June 11, 202X."
After a brief pause, he glanced down at his watch and thoughtfully added, "7:10 PM."
"…"
With a trembling hand, Zoe dialed her brother's number.
Hearing the repeated "number is not in service" message, Zoe was certain. She had really time-traveled ten years into the future!
Without a moment to think, she quickly asked the kind man for help. "Could you lend me some money? I need to get home right away!"
Unable to contact Ethan, a sense of dread washed over her.
'I don't know how my brother is doing right now!'
"Where are you going? I can give you a ride."
—
Half an hour later, Zoe Rhodes stood in front of her family's villa. Peeking through a gap in the main gate, she gasped at the sight of weeds in the yard that were half as tall as a person.
The security guard said the owner of this house hadn't been back in many years, and they had no way of contacting them.
'It's over.'
'Don't tell me something has already happened to my brother!'
Thinking of Ethan's fate, Zoe's knees went weak.
An unfamiliar presence drew near, and a hand steadied her from behind.
Zoe looked down and saw his hand, veins standing out, was loosely clenched, hovering over her waist. Through the thin fabric of her clothes, she could clearly feel the heat from his palm.
'It's so hot, like a branding iron. As if it could leave his mark on my waist in the next second.'
Fortunately, the man was a perfect gentleman. As soon as she was steady, he promptly let go, not overstepping any boundaries.
"Thank you."
Zoe had rarely been this close to a man, aside from her brother.
She shifted her gaze away, feeling a bit uncomfortable.
Her attention quickly returned to the problem at hand.
She didn't have a key to get in, she couldn't contact her brother, and she was technically a "dead person." It seemed she had nowhere to go…
'Wait!'
Suddenly, a flash of inspiration hit Zoe. "Can I use your phone again?"
'Who said I have nowhere to go!'
—
Zoe searched for a long time before finally finding the person she was looking for on a company's official website.
The CEO of the Hawthorne Group—Zane Hawthorne.
In the photo, the young man had shed his youthful immaturity and was dressed sharply in a suit. His beautiful, almond-shaped eyes stared into the camera without a trace of emotion, as cold as a robot's.
Zoe clicked her tongue a few times.
'I have to say, for a guy with a personality as volatile as white phosphorus, Zane Hawthorne might have a terrible temper, but he looks deceptively presentable. Especially now, ten years later, he's much more mature.'
Soon, Zoe spotted a news headline below—[Hawthorne Group Heir to Hold Engagement Banquet at a Capella Hotel Today]
"Zane Hawthorne?"
A voice next to her cut in forcefully. Zoe's hand jerked, and she slowly turned her head. "You know him?"
Nathan Bennett smiled apologetically. "I couldn't help but see. I know him, I suppose."
The man's features were deep-set, making him look like a nobleman from a medieval oil painting. When he apologized, his eyes were downcast and his tone was gentle. No one could possibly stay angry with him.
Zoe said it was fine. "I need to see Zane Hawthorne. Could I trouble you to take me to…"
She had forgotten which hotel it was and looked down, trying to find the information again.
Nathan Bennett stated the address before she could. Meeting her surprised gaze, he handed her a bottle of water. "I'm also a guest at the engagement banquet."
"That's great!" On the way there, Zoe chattered nonstop.
She said it was such a coincidence, that they were fated to meet!
Hearing this, a faint glint flashed in the man's dark eyes behind his glasses.
'Fated?'
'Perhaps.'
After all, he himself couldn't explain why, every time he came to Capella, he would make a special detour to pass by the road where she had her accident.
"I never asked, are you Zane Hawthorne's… sister?"
Zoe shook her head, though she knew that at her current age, it was normal to be mistaken for Mr. Hawthorne's sister.
She was now a full ten years younger than Zane.
And although Zane was the only legitimate heir to the Hawthorne Family, Mr. Hawthorne actually had enough illegitimate children running around to form a soccer team.
She didn't know how to describe her relationship with Zane. After thinking for a moment, she just said, "Our relationship is complicated. To put it simply, Zane usually calls me 'Godfather.'"
"…"
—
As they neared their destination, Zoe remembered she hadn't introduced herself. "My name is Zoe Rhodes. I haven't asked for your name yet. Once I contact my family, I'll be sure to visit and thank you properly!"
"Nathan Bennett."
"Nathan Bennett…" Murmuring the name, Zoe felt it sounded a bit familiar.
CLATTER. The water bottle slipped from her hand and fell to the floor.
Zoe's eyes widened in shock.
'Wait! Why does he have the same name as the legendary vicious, ruthless main villain?!'