Chapter 5: The Villain’s Rise and Fall

Back at city hall after three years, my state of mind was completely different. Three years ago, I was the big villain who had the main cast under my thumb. Now, I was nothing but a fish on the chopping block, waiting for the knife to fall.

As for how I managed to play the villain before—It was all thanks to the system and the all-knowing perspective I gained from reading the script in advance.

In the original story, the male lead, Caleb, was the illegitimate son of the late mayor’s high school sweetheart. Though he was given the Foster name, everyone knew his background. The late mayor didn’t care for him, so he was bullied growing up.

As for me, Natalie Foster—I was the mayor’s only daughter, his most beloved child. Though I had several brothers, I was his favorite. He even gave me the same political rights as the sons. My father thought, "She’s just a girl—how much trouble can she cause?" Until one day, he suddenly realized I’d already taken control of half the city council. My father began to fear me.

Of course, I wasn’t about to give up the power I’d fought for. I plotted against several of my brothers and began supporting young Caleb.

After the mayor died, I helped Caleb become mayor, using him as a puppet while I ran things behind the scenes.

As for Rachel, she met the dying Caleb—whom I’d bullied—at a fundraiser and saved him. From then on, a ray of light shone into Caleb’s dark world. That light was Rachel.

Derek, meanwhile, was the only son of the former city manager and valedictorian of his class. I took a liking to him and wanted him as my husband. But he refused—he’d rather defy my dad than marry me. In a fit of rage, I had him dragged into my house. And shamelessly declared, "If you won’t be my husband, then you’ll be my boyfriend."

Derek hated me to the core and switched sides to join Caleb and Rachel. The tabloids had a field day back then—scandals splashed across the front page, social media buzzing with hashtags like #FosterFamilyFeud. No one dared say it to my face, but I knew I was the villain in everyone’s bedtime story. I wore it like armor. Turns out, armor gets heavy after a while.