The Villain Who Stole Hearts-Chapter 102: Lisa’s Little Schemes

Harvey, who was walking in front, nearly stumbled upon hearing that comment, almost twisting her ankle.

Blood Mandala couldn’t hold back any longer. "Can’t you say something nice for once? Do you always have to tear down my sister like that?"

"Yes, she has her own selfish motives in some matters—but who doesn’t? That’s just human nature. And besides, both of us carry deep blood grudges. Despite that, she still enforces the law fairly. When facing injustice, she doesn’t back down to the powerful. She argues with reason and dares to stand her ground."

"Doesn’t someone like her at least deserve a little respect from you? Even just a little courtesy?"

Veil shrugged and gave her a curious glance, his eyes lingering on her face with amused interest.

"You think I was attacking her just now? I was simply stating the facts to you."

"If she doesn’t come after me, why would I go out of my way to provoke her?"

Times had changed, and perhaps even Blood Mandala herself hadn’t noticed the subtle shift in her own heart.

Back then, at the slightest tension, she was quick to draw blood—always fighting, always killing, usually forced into it.

But now... now she was different.

She didn’t flare up the moment they met. In fact, she was even voicing her inner thoughts, and—surprisingly—she seemed to care how Veil treated her sister?

Veil could’ve rejected her advice. He could’ve insulted her or crushed her pride beneath his heel like he’d done before.

But there was no need for that.

"You’re still injured. Don’t hang around out here. Come with me—we’ll clean the wounds, disinfect them, make sure you don’t get an infection."

He took her hand without a second thought and began walking toward home, completely ignoring Harvey’s affairs.

With her head lowered and trailing half a step behind, Blood Mandala didn’t resist. Her flawless, icy face was now exposed, no longer hidden beneath the mask, but she kept her gaze fixed on Veil’s large hand gripping hers.

A strange feeling stirred in her chest. fгee𝑤ebɳoveɭ.cøm

She couldn’t remember the last time she had felt this way.

As a child, after being abducted, she was thrown onto an isolated island filled with kids around her age. Day after day, they endured brutal training—learning to kill, to fight, to survive.

Over time, she internalized the idea that no one could be trusted. That only through her own hands could she grasp anything real.

And as she grew, her heart only closed further. With each life she took, she became colder, more detached.

Yes, the world was vast, filled with color and life... but none of it ever seemed to belong to her.

Yet today, with Veil’s warm hand clasping hers, something soft bloomed within her.

If not for Veil, she might already be a lifeless corpse after that failed attempt on Caden Voss.

And if not for the pills Veil gave her, even if she had somehow survived, she’d be hiding somewhere in a dark alley, battered and pitiful, licking her wounds like a stray cat.

Heh...

A self-deprecating smile tugged at the corners of her stunningly beautiful, icy face.

Maybe... maybe this feeling of having someone to rely on—it wasn’t so bad?

Without realizing it, her steps quickened to keep up with him.

Her body slowly edged closer. From time to time, her shoulder brushed against Veil’s arm, as though seeking closeness.

Veil caught it all through the corner of his eye. Subtle, yes—but her gentle, almost girlish demeanor did not escape him.

Everything was going exactly as planned.

All it took was holding her hand once—and she was starting to rely on him?

Anyone who thought that was all it took to control a woman like Blood Mandala and actually tried it in real life... well, their days were surely numbered.

With her kind of body and face? Even if she didn’t have thousands of admirers, the number wouldn’t be small.

But where were those admirers now? Probably long gone—buried in graves so deep even neon lights couldn’t reach them.

If it weren’t for Veil’s earlier manipulations—if he hadn’t crushed her bottom line piece by piece, shattered her pride, and forced her to taste utter despair and helplessness—would she be showing this soft, girl-like side now?

What? Did people think Veil just had some weird kink?

Please.

This was a setup. A calculated trap.

Make her feel hopeless. Make her world turn dark.

Then open the window just a crack—and let in the faintest ray of sunrise.

The results? Better than he expected.

As a proper villain, Veil had no problem sharing his strategies.

...

Back at the villa, Veil lay in bed and silently opened his system panel.

"Ping! New plotline successfully integrated. Consumes 200,000 Villain Points. Would the host like to preview it in advance?"

The mechanical voice rang out. Veil frowned. Why hadn’t this happened before?

How was he supposed to find the fated protagonists if he didn’t know what plot they were following?

If he let them grow too powerful, wouldn’t that make things messy?

"Yes."

With 200,000 Villain Points deducted, a flood of information surged into his mind.

"Kinda weak," Veil muttered, unimpressed by this supposed ’Child of Fate.’

No seven legendary sisters. No overpowered wife. Not even some ancient powerhouse reborn into modern times.

Just a reborn entertainment celebrity—one who hadn’t even been reborn yet.

How was that supposed to match him?

This guy was weaker than a nobody.

Or... maybe this really was just a transitional protagonist, like Veil had once suspected?

Kind of like dungeons—some gold-tier, some silver, some diamond, and some king-tier.

Roy and Caden Voss were like gold-tier bosses. To advance further, the system would need to generate even higher-level characters. And perhaps Veil himself wasn’t qualified yet to face them?

"Hmm..."

If that’s true, then this villain system might just be... scarily well-designed.

Veil was stunned.

And honestly? It didn’t seem so far-fetched.

"Lucky Draw!"

Veil waved his hand with satisfaction, spending villain points like water.

"Ding! Congratulations, Host has acquired: Basic Singing Skill."

"Ding! Congratulations, Host has acquired: Basic Singing Skill."

Reward Fusion Activated: Congratulations, Host has acquired: Intermediate Singing Skill!"

"Ding! Congratulations, Host has acquired: Basic Guitar Skill."

"Reward Critical Triggered: Congratulations, Host has acquired: Intermediate Guitar Skill!"

"Ding! Congratulations, Host has acquired: Memory Fruit."

"Ding! Congratulations, Host has acquired: Advanced Information Concealment."

"... ..."

After spending a staggering 300,000 villain points without receiving anything particularly new or exciting, Veil finally halted the extravagant spree.

Then, he spent another 200,000 points to upgrade both Singing and Guitar skills to Advanced level.

He also used 38,400 villain points to max out his Affinity skill, directly boosting it to Level 10.

There was no other way. Most of the upcoming Daughters of Destiny he’d be dealing with were entrenched in the entertainment industry. They’d likely have extremely high standards—and were most likely shallow, face-obsessed idol chasers. Not leveraging an Affinity skill in this context would be a complete waste.

Moreover, to guard against the unpredictable danger posed by that old fox Casper Voss, Veil reluctantly spent a whopping 500,000 villain points to upgrade "True Dragon Technique" to its Third Revolution.

...

System Panel:

[Cultivation Techniques]:

• True Dragon Technique (Third Revolution | Amplification: 3.375x | Next Revolution costs 1 million Villain Points)

• Solar Overdrive Body

• Inner Breath Technique

[Skills]:

Affinity Lv10 (+100 to group Affinity)

Advanced Piano Mastery

Disguise Technique

Advanced Firearms Proficiency

Advanced Danger Sense

God-tier Medical Skills

Advanced Singing Skill

Advanced Guitar Skill

Advanced Information Concealment

[System Inventory]:

Body Cleansing Pill x7,Beauty Enhancement Pill x19,Memory Fruit x10.

...

"Not bad!"

Veil was quite satisfied with his haul—three advanced skills in one go. Singing and guitar? Essential in the entertainment world.

As for Information Concealment, that was a particularly important one.

After all, his current identity was sensitive. If some fool tried to dig into his background, it could cause unnecessary trouble. But with this advanced concealment, all his private data was now safely locked away.

Even if he appeared on national television, the public would only see the Veil in that particular show. Any follow-up investigations would hit a dead end.

Then there was the Memory Fruit—easily the most valuable prize in this draw.

As the name implied, it allowed the user to recall deeply buried memories with crystal clarity, as if reading a book. Used wisely, he could replicate and adapt the explosive entertainment phenomena from his previous world, transplanting them right into this one.

"Hmm..."

Of course, these Memory Fruits would eventually fall into the hands of the so-called Chosen Ones. After all, they were crucial tools for their narrative survival.

Veil pressed his lips together in thought.

Entertainment-type protagonists didn’t pose any direct threat to him.

But... what should he do with them?

Heh heh...

As the thought formed, a strange, capitalist smirk crept across Veil’s lips.

Perfect.

Those poor entertainment-sector Chosen Ones hadn’t even been reborn yet—and their fates had already been completely rewritten by Veil’s hand.

...

The Next Morning

Sunlight streamed through bulletproof glass, falling gently across the sun-drenched bed.

"Bzzz—bzzz—"

A buzzing sound from his phone broke the silence.

Veil picked it up, and Lisa’s familiar voice came through:

"Are you awake? Sorry to call so early, but I’ve got an emergency today. I need to go to another district to inspect the new production base."

"Anna will be arriving in Veyport City around noon. I was hoping—if you’re free—you could personally meet and welcome her?"

"I’d really prefer not to leave this in anyone else’s hands. Anna rarely accepts product endorsements. I want this one to be a sure thing!"

Lisa’s crisp voice came warmly through the speaker.

Veil rubbed his eyes and yawned, pretending to reach into his drawer but in reality pulling a tissue from his system inventory to wipe his smudged phone screen. Only then did he speak slowly:

"Just me? Isn’t your company sending anyone else?"

His tone was intentionally reluctant.

On the other end, Lisa sounded even more resolute.

"That acquaintance I mentioned last time is on a business trip. No one else can handle it the way you can."

Having Veil go in person was essentially flashing the towering background behind Windsor International. It was a subtle show of force. As for the details, Lisa planned to discuss them with Anna once she returned.

The more Veil feigned reluctance, the more convinced Lisa became that he was the only choice.

And with that, once he met her, wouldn’t the endorsement practically be in the bag?