Endurance System

"Evelyn, isn't today your happy day? Why do you still look so cold? Smile a little," Amara, Evelyn's sister-in-law, approached the girl wearing an elegant white dress with a broad smile.

Her appearance, which was not much different from Evelyn's, highlighted her status as a member of an upper-class family.

"If other people see you, they might think you're unhappy." She then leaned in and whispered, her voice accompanied by a slight chuckle. "At least you have to show that jerk that you're too amazing for him to have."

Evelyn immediately turned her head. Her thin eyebrows furrowed slightly. "Is Elric here?"

"Of course," replied Amara, straightening her back and folding her arms across her chest. "Shouldn't he be here to witness your happy day?"

"He should also give you his best wishes," she continued with a satisfied chuckle.

"Amara!" Evelyn scolded.

She stepped closer, about to reprimand her further, but Griffin, Evelyn's younger brother and Amara's husband, came in excitedly. "He's here! He's here!"

Evelyn immediately turned her head towards the stairs. Her beautiful face looked tense. Meanwhile, Amara and Griffin moved closer to each other, their eyes sparkling with impatience.

Slowly, a man wearing a formal suit that was clearly of much lower quality than the clothes of the other guests approached.

In his hand, he held a small box tightly.

Elric looked nervous, but tried to remain calm.

"Stop!" However, before he could get close to Evelyn, an angry shout from an old woman rang out. "Stop right there!"

"Who are you? How dare you come to my family's party?!" Old Mrs. Voss, holding a cane, stopped in front of Elric. "Guard, take this beggar away!"

Mrs. Voss, Isolde Merrow, approached and gently touched her mother-in-law's arm. "Mom, he's not a beggar. But..."

She looked at Elric hesitantly and continued in a soft voice, as if embarrassed. "But he is Evelyn's fiancé. The one I told you about that time."

"What?"

Old Mrs. Voss was shocked.

Then she stared at Elric, who stood frozen with wide eyes. "So he's the poor man who has become a parasite in my granddaughter's life?"

"Damn it! What was that old man thinking, pairing his beloved granddaughter with a fool like this?"

As she spoke, she looked Elric up and down. And she grew increasingly frustrated. "Oh my god! No. I disagree. The engagement is not official. It cannot continue!"

"Quickly. Quickly exchange the rings right now! Quickly call Maverick! Ask him to come immediately!"

Elric looked confused at the busy Voss family, especially Old Mrs. Voss, who kept asking to call Maverick.

He couldn't help but ask, "Exchange rings for what?"

However, no one would answer, so he approached Evelyn. "What did your grandmother mean?"

Evelyn looked deeply at Elric, then looked away without saying anything.

"Evelyn..." Seeing her attitude, Elric immediately realized something. "Don't tell me you're the one who wants to get engaged?"

His gaze wandered, looking at the decorations and the invited guests. "Isn't this your birthday party? Why get engaged all of a sudden? And... Maverick?"

"Evelyn."

"Hahahaha, Elric. Poor thing. Did you realize it now?" Amara laughed mockingly. "You should have realized from the beginning that you would never be able to get Evelyn."

"But—"

"Oh, the matchmaking my grandfather mentioned?" Griffin chimed in. "It's not official. It's just a consolation prize for helping us."

"Besides, by helping get rid of the traitor in the company, you think we'll accept you openly. Oh no, hahaha," continued Griffin.

Elric listened to this with reddened eyes, unable to believe it.

"Amara, Griffin, that's enough," Evelyn reprimanded them.

But the two of them didn't care and continued to laugh mockingly.

Elric swallowed hard. He looked at Evelyn, seeking an explanation.

But at that moment, a strong pull landed on his shoulder, pushing him back two steps.

Maverick arrived and immediately embraced Evelyn affectionately. “Stay away from my lover.”

These words immediately caught Elric's attention because of their powerful pull. He looked at them alternately. "Lovers?"

"How about it? We're a good match, right?" asked Maverick with a satisfied smile as he hugged Evelyn tightly, their bodies pressed together as if they were embracing.

"This is what you call soulmates. They must be equal and compatible. Elric, if you still have any self-respect, you should leave before you feel even more embarrassed," he continued.

Evelyn looked at Elric, who was frozen in place. Her eyelashes trembled slightly, but then she returned Maverick's embrace.

This made Maverick's satisfied smile grow even wider. Meanwhile, Elric felt an excruciating pain in his chest.

"Didn't you agree to be with me? I've been working hard for a year." Eleic paused for a moment to show her the contents of the box he was carrying. "Look. I bought this for you with all my savings."

"Evelyn, I just want you to say one word. Say no to everything that's happening now," he continued hopefully.

Unfortunately, Evelyn turned away. Her cold attitude, as if she didn't want to deal with Elric, explained everything.

All of this was more painful than the cruel words spoken by everyone else.

Elric took a deep breath.

Maverick laughed loudly. "Idiot!"

"You're just a messenger at a company owned by Evelyn, but you dream of becoming her partner? Wake up, man! Your dreams are too high!" 

Maverick's harsh words drew mocking laughter from everyone there.

"Do you know why Evelyn's grandfather asked you to take care of her? It's because he was momentarily confused. Someone who has worked hard for decades certainly doesn't want his hard work to be tarnished. It just so happens that a fool like you came along to help. If I can make you happy without spending a penny, isn't that very profitable?" Maverick continued to provoke him while his hand on Evelyn's waist moved down, groping her buttocks.

"You're just a broken tool that's ready to be thrown away at any time," explained Maverick, who then looked at Evelyn and gave her a light kiss on the lips.

Elric's chest burned with rage upon hearing all the insults and disrespectful treatment towards Evelyn.

When he saw his hand moving further, Elric roughly threw the necklace box he was carrying, then approached Maverick and punched him hard.

Everyone was shocked. And Old Lady Voss immediately shouted, "Guards! Get rid of this insolent piece of trash!"

Immediately, the guards came running to restrain Elric and drag him away.

For a moment, he looked at Evelyn, but she didn't look at him at all. Instead, looks of disgust and contempt came from the others.

Elric was thrown into a black car, his head immediately covered with a black cloth before the vehicle sped off toward the edge of the forest.

Elric was thrown out like trash.

The tall figure lay motionless for a moment. Then he slowly removed the black cloth from his head and shifted his position to lie on his back, gazing at the quiet night sky.

His hands were clenched tightly. His battered face looked hardened, his eyes sharp and full of emotion.

However, instead of getting up and returning to the Voss family home to exact revenge, he let out a rough breath, his body slumping and his eyes closing in exhaustion.

[Emotion is a test, and endurance is a requirement]

Ting!

[Life endurance system activated]