The gentle mind of Dematero was in complete turmoil; he had not yet fully understood that he had "reborn."

  At the moment of his "near-death," he had heard from Dionysius the name "Susan," which struck a chord with him, feeling familiar.

  Susan was indeed an exceptional figure among the third generation of the Papadopoulos familia. Her mother was Maria La Papadopoulos, and her father was Gabriel El Mugabe, a congressman who had married into the Papadopoulos familia. Originally a prosecutor, he had swiftly risen through the ranks.

  Susan was the youngest daughter of Maria La Papadopoulos, only a year older than Xanthia La Papadopoulos, with an older brother, Sumandro El Papadopoulos, three years her senior.

  From a young age, Susan dispyed extraordinary intelligence and unparalleled beauty, along with a strong and somewhat stubborn personality, which made her deeply favored by Maria. Her mother’s attention toward Susan far exceeded the interest she had in her less remarkable son, Sumandro.

  In other words, Susan was Xanthia’s cousin, and indeed, there was a noticeable resembnce between the two.

  It was clear that Susan regarded Xanthia as a younger sister.

  Later, as Dematero became close friends with Dionysius, he learned a great deal about the Papadopoulos familia’s internal turmoil.

  What left a deep impression on him were the rumors surrounding Dionysius as he gained more favor from Nikos El Papadopoulos. It was said that Dionysius was not Demetrios’s biological son, but rather the illegitimate child of his mother, Eleanor La Liam, conceived through retions with other men.

  There were many varying rumors about the identity of the man. Some cimed he was a member of an idol boy group who tragically died, and his death had occurred at a vil owned by Demetrios. That night, there had been a party, and Demetrios was said to be the murderer. However, the idol’s death was ultimately attributed to a sudden episode of depression. That was how business tycoons operated.

  Other rumors cimed that his father was an elite doctor from a prestigious private hospital under the Papadopoulos group. To ensure his son Dionysius would inherit the familia legacy, this doctor had allegedly forged a paternity test.

  What made the rumors even more chilling was that this elite doctor had conveniently died in a car accident.

  Demetrios, who always staunchly supported his son, angrily denounced these rumors, calling them malicious. Some even sndered Dionysius as Demetrios’s "patricide." It was maddening how far some people would go in their quest for inheritance!

  Eleanor La Liam seemed guilty, possibly due to her promiscuous behavior, yet since the paternity test was valid, confirming that Demetrios was indeed the father, there was no issue, was there? Some matters should remain superficial.

  Nikos El Papadopoulos, however, clearly did not believe in these baseless rumors. Moreover, he valued the abilities of the younger generation more than blood ties. His wife, Nias, was conservative and completely opposed to such deception. No matter how capable Dionysius was, she would never approve of him.

  In fact, Nias had a strong aversion to Eleanor’s status as her daughter-in-w. The idea of such a person’s son taking over the Papadopoulos familia deeply repulsed her.

  Of course, Dematero did not dare to speak of such dangerous familia secrets. His retionship with Dionysius was purely one of "gentlemanly friends," with no significant business connections. At most, Dionysius had provided considerable support behind the scenes when Dematero published his biography, especially since Dematero had already fallen out with his original publisher.

  Nonetheless, some people always saw him as Dionysius’s "strategic adviser," "chief of staff," or "official writer," almost as if he were a figure like William Shakespeare. In reality, he was simply a writer of little renown.

  Susan had even tried to recruit him privately, but naturally, he rejected her.

  Despite Susan’s beauty and her resembnce to Xanthia, Dematero still considered Xanthia La Papadopoulos the most beautiful. As Xanthia matured, she became increasingly stunning, surpassing Susan, whose looks were still excellent but could not compete with Xanthia's, even in the world of fashion icons.

  This was not just Dematero’s personal view; it was objectively true. No one could have predicted that Xanthia, who had been merely fair-looking in high school, would evolve into such a dazzling and perfect figure in the future.

  Memories swirled chaotically in his mind, and Dematero finally opened his eyes.

  For a moment, he was unsure of his location. He saw the setting sun and the distant evening glow, which filled him with a sense of beauty and intoxication. Lowering his gaze, he noticed a lively pyground bustling with youthful energy.

  'This... isn't it?'

  Thessaloniki First High School, the very pce he had dreamed of returning to countless times during his agonizing future?

  Indeed, at this particur moment, it was his most regretful time—

  Why had he fallen into such darkness after the failure of his first love, disappointing his parents, teachers, and friends? Not only had he harmed himself, but he had also indirectly affected that perfect girl he never had the chance to apologize to.

  The location where he now found himself was unmistakably the grandstand west of the main pyground... Could it be that he was dreaming once more?

  Or was it that, at the brink of death, his life’s memories were fshing before his eyes, reliving everything in a fleeting moment?

  If that were the case, it wouldn’t be so bad. He could see her face again, hear her voice once more.

  Xanthia had just finished singing "Accidentally in Love," but Dematero remained dazed, his gaze unfocused. She wondered if the one-time-use system item had hit him too hard, almost rendering him senseless.

  However, she had genuinely accumuted a considerable amount of "pain points," enough to exchange for the "Malicious Notebook" in one go.

  In addition to that, the challenge task "Battle of the Queen of Hearts" had been successfully completed during her performance. Not only had she earned the attribute "Queen of Hearts," but she also received a special reward—a humanoid summon, Dematero.

  [ Queen of Hearts ]

  This attribute was quite precious and rare for a girl to possess.

  The longer it remained activated, the more it subtly enhanced one’s charisma. Over time, it could even induce the effect of "love at first sight," easily captivating hearts!

  Just like when Elena had casually gnced at him a few times while fetching water from the dispenser and walking back to her seat, it was unreasonable for him to have been so deeply captivated.

  But that was the power of "Queen of Hearts"!

  "Hey, Dematero! Are you asleep? So my rendition of 'Accidentally in Love' is that hypnotizing, huh... Looks like I really have no talent for singing after all," Xanthia couldn’t help but speak out upon seeing Dematero still lost in thought. She was genuinely concerned that the aftereffects of the system item might have overwhelmed him mentally.