Taming the Broken Heir

I've always been shameless. I like my comfort. Even after my family lost everything and went bankrupt, I rely entirely on Knox, the rugged guy who lives with me, to pay the bills.

I still boss Knox around like a dog. I even rest my freezing feet right on his bare abs to warm them up. [I'm so over this.

This toxic side character is lazy, greedy, and her temper is trash. She’s literally useless besides having a pretty face!] [Just wait.

Once our rugged male lead meets the real, sweet, softspoken female lead, he’s gonna dump this toxic chick so fast.

She’s gonna end up unhinged, wandering the streets and still acting like a spoiled heiress!] [Karma’s a bitch.

She’s treating him like dirt, but he’s actually the longlost heir to a massive billionaire fortune. He’s not some random bluecollar trash!] Calling me toxic? Fine.

But calling me a side character? I fired right back at the floating comment stream. "You guys talk a big game online.

But in the real world, who wouldn't kill to live exactly like I do?" The comment stream suddenly choked. "Whoever wants to vote me as the main character, come on in.

You can take my place for a couple of episodes." I pointed a finger at Knox—right at his broad shoulders and that tight, ridiculous Vline. "And him.

All the girls in the comments get him for one night each." The comments went dead silent.

A few seconds later, my vision exploded with frantic spam: [All hail the Main Character!] [Bowing to our Queen!] [Side character is a dirty word. We’re never saying it again.

From now on, you are my idol!] Chapter 1 My life philosophy has always been pretty simple: if there’s luxury to be had, I’ll take it. If there isn't, I’ll snatch it.

When my family went bankrupt, my parents fled out of state to try and rebuild their empire.

They dumped me with Knox. "We watched Knox grow up," my dad had said. "We know exactly who he is. He’s a good kid, and he can handle your… temper.

Even if the company stays dead, you won't suffer with him." My dad was a pretty good judge of character. Knox really didn't have a temper.

At sixfootthree, he was built like a brick house—broad shoulders tapering down to a narrow waist.

Every inch of his muscle was carved out from years of brutal manual labor, the lines sharp and clean. He looked like he could snap a bull's neck with his bare hands.

Yet, he let me treat him like trash every single day.

He hauled himself out of bed before dawn to work, and no matter how exhausted he was or how late it got, he always rushed back to cook my dinner.

If the food tasted off, I threw a fit. Just like today—he bought the wrong body wash. "I told you I like the rose scent.

Why the hell did you buy white peach?" I dropped the bottle onto the floor. "How is this supposed to smell good?" The tips of his ears flushed red.

He kept his voice low and gravelly. "You smell good no matter what." "Are you talking back to me?" I raised my hand high.

Knox dropped to his knees with practiced ease and turned his cheek. Yeah, you read that right. Knox was so tall that he actually had to kneel for me to slap him.

But this time, the slap never landed. A dense wall of floating text suddenly exploded across my vision. [I'm so over this.

This toxic side character is lazy, greedy, and her temper is trash. She’s literally useless besides having a pretty face!] [Just wait.

Once our rugged male lead meets the real, sweet, softspoken female lead, he’s gonna dump this toxic chick so fast.

She’s gonna end up unhinged, wandering the streets and still acting like a spoiled heiress!] [Karma’s a bitch.

She’s treating him like dirt, but he’s actually the longlost heir to a massive billionaire fortune.

He’s not some random bluecollar trash!] I pinched my perfectly arched brows together. What the hell was this garbage? I only zeroed in on three words: "toxic side character".

Toxic? Sure, I’ll claim that crown. But a side character? I was born for the spotlight. My entire life, I’ve known the world revolved around me.

And now, some floating text was trying to tell me I wasn't the center of the universe? As if. I dropped my hand, abandoning the slap.

I crossed my arms and stared straight into the floating void. "You guys talk a big game online.

But out here in the real world, who wouldn't kill to live exactly like I do?" That single sentence choked out the stream of hate. […Can the side character see us?] [Cough, cough… she actually looks gorgeous when she's yelling.] [Hey up there, don't forget whose side we're on!

Long live the real main character!] I let out a sharp scoff. "Hiding behind a screen to bully an innocent girl. So brave." I stepped forward, lifting my chin. "I'll admit it.

I'm lazy. I'm greedy. I'm shallow as hell." "I like a huge, built guy with a massive chest who babies me, and I want a happy life handed to me on a silver platter. So what?

Is that a crime?" I stared down the floating text. "You’re telling me that if you had the chance in real life, you wouldn't trade places with me in a heartbeat?" Knox was still kneeling on the floor in front of me.

At my words, his gaze flicked up. His thick fingers slowly drifted up to touch the heavy, carved muscles of his own chest.

He dragged in a quiet breath, the movement stretching his thin shirt tight over the dense bulk he’d built from his daily boxing sessions.

A faint, almost imperceptible heat flashed in his dark eyes as he stared up at me, quietly claiming the title. Chapter 2 I pressed my feet against his solid chest a couple of times.

The muscle beneath my soles was firm, tight, and incredibly comfortable.

Satisfied, I tilted my chin up at the floating comments with arrogance. "Whoever wants to vote me as the main character, come on in.

You can take my place for a couple of episodes." I pointed at Knox, taking in his broad shoulders and that ridiculous Vline, and waved my hand dismissively. "And him.

All the girls in the comments get him for one night each." The comment stream went dead silent.

A few seconds later, my vision exploded with frantic spam: [All hail the Main Character!] [Bowing to our Queen!] [Side character is a dirty word. We’re never saying it again.

From now on, you are my idol!] "What do you mean, one night each?" Knox looked up at me, his dark eyes clear. "Oh, just practicing my bossbitch speech," I bullshitted. "You can get up now." "You're not going to hit me?" The comments had just spilled the tea.

This guy wasn't just some rough bluecollar worker; he was the real, bloodline heir to a massive billionaire fortune. So, it wasn't that I was never going to hit him again.

I just needed to delay it. Pace it out. Plan it. Different dogs need different leashes, after all.

I pulled down the corners of my mouth, faking a perfectly pitiful, devastated look. "I don't dare hit you anymore." "Why?" Knox's eyes widened, a sharp breath hitching in his chest. "Did hitting me hurt your hand?" He scrambled forward, frantically cupping my hand in his large palms and bowing his head to inspect it closely. "I've got thick skin.

Next time, just use a bat. Or a leather belt, that works too." "No." I pouted. "Someone said you're going to strike it rich later on.

And when you do, you're going to take revenge on me for bullying you right now." The comments went into shock: [Wait… she just straight up said it?] [Holy shit, she does not hold back!

Not even a single second of hesitation?] [Use a leather belt… hehehe… a leather belt is good… (heavy breathing)…] [Also, why do I feel like the male lead is the one freaking out because she isn't hitting him?] [Hey up there, what do you mean side character?

This is our new Main Character, okay?

Queen, please drop the dogtraining tutorial for your loyal followers immediately!] Knox drew his dark brows together. "When have you ever bullied me?" I dropped onto the edge of the bed and let out my usual spoiled whine. "My feet are freezing." Without missing a beat, Knox grabbed the hem of his shirt and yanked it up.

He grabbed my cold feet, tucked them flat against his bare, burning skin, and used his large, calloused hands to rub some heat into my soles. I gestured at us with my chin. "See?

Right there.

I beat you, I curse at you, and I use your abs as a personal heating pad." "The second I stick my foot out, muscle memory takes over for you." I tilted my head. "I bully you like this.

You must absolutely hate my guts, right?" Knox kept his eyes lowered. The tips of his ears slowly crept from pink to dark red. "You look beautiful when you're yelling at me.

It doesn't hurt when you hit me." "And warming your feet…" The carved muscles of his stomach suddenly went rigid tight beneath my toes.

The dark red flush spread rapidly across his sharp cheekbones. "I always thought this was my reward." The comments lost their goddamn minds: [How did she train him this well?!] [Oh my god, the universe owes me a fiercely loyal, rugged bluecollar man!] [This bitch is eating good!

Let me in the screen right now, I want to step on those abs!] [Ugh, the male lead has just never been loved properly. This is just a twisted, toxic attachment to the side character.

Once the real female lead shows up, he'll naturally be healed by our little ray of sunshine.] [Exactly. She’s just getting off on a power trip right now.

But a side character is a side character. She’s definitely not getting a happy ending!] Chapter 3 "Side character," "Main character," "Destined roles"—what a load of bullshit.

If I'm the villainous side character, then I'm sentencing this entire comment section to exile. They said I was just getting off on a power trip? Fine.

Let me show you bitches what a real power trip looks like. Knox was crouched on the floor, rolling out his makeshift bed. I threw my command at his broad back. "Hey.

You're sleeping up here tonight." His movements froze.

He slowly lifted his head, staring at me blankly like the words hadn't computed. "Idiot." I rolled my eyes, hopped off the mattress barefoot, and closed the distance between us.

I reached out and hooked my arms right around his neck. His reflexes kicked in instantly to keep me from falling.

His massive arms swept around my waist, hauling me flush against him. We slotted together seamlessly, zero space left between us, the pure, heavy heat of him crashing over me.

I leaned in, dropping my voice to a whisper right against his ear. "Aren't you supposed to be mine?

Tonight… do you want to come up and sleep with me?" Every muscle in his massive frame locked up. His pupils blew wide, swallowing the dark irises in a flash of raw, unfiltered heat.

A satisfied smirk tugged at the corner of my mouth. Hook, line, and sinker. Training Knox was way too easy.

I tilted my chin up in pure triumph, letting my eyes flutter shut as I waited for the inevitable. Seconds ticked by. The kiss I was expecting never landed.

Instead, a rough, gravelly voice vibrated against my collarbone. "Why aren't you wearing shoes?" My eyes snapped open.

He bent his knees, scooped one massive arm under my thighs, and lifted me off the floor like a toddler. "The floor's freezing, Leighton.

You'll catch a cold." He carried me straight back to the bed. Idiot. Hopeless. I cursed him in my head, ripping my gaze away to hide my irritation.

The comments were screaming again: [Holy shit, look at that size difference!

If he can lift her that easily with one arm, he could definitely destroy her with one arm, hehehe…] [Duh! But the male lead is only gonna feel that way for the real female lead.

This side character is trying so hard and getting absolutely nowhere.] [LMAO, she literally closed her eyes waiting for a kiss, and our rugged king curved her!] Heat flared right up the back of my neck.

My entire life, I was the one doing the picking and choosing. I had never once thrown myself at a guy only to be swerved this hard.

Knox set me down gently on the mattress and immediately turned back to organize his pathetic little pile of blankets on the floor.

I swung my foot out and kicked his freshly smoothed blanket right into a crumpled mess. "You. Get up here! Sleep in the bed with me." Knox’s Adam's apple bobbed hard.

He kept his eyes lowered, looking at me like I was demanding the impossible. My temper snapped. I grabbed his shirt and yanked him up onto the mattress.

I have no idea where I found the leverage, but I practically tackled a man twice my size straight backward. A sharp, breathless grunt tore from his throat as he hit the mattress.

I straddled him, my weight pinning his hips. His massive hands hovered in the air before wrapping loosely, dangerously, around my waist.

I locked onto his dark eyes, pinning him under my stare. "Quickfire round!" We’d played this game since we were kids.

And Knox never, ever lied to me. "Okay." He stared up at me, the gravel in his voice pulling tight. "When you finally strike it rich, what's the very first thing you're going to do?" "I won't be rich.

Because my money is your money, and your money is still your money." I twitched my lips. Barely a passing grade, but I'd take it. "And if you meet a girl who is prettier than me?

Are you going to fall for her?" "No one is prettier than you." I forced down the smug grin threatening to break across my face.

Smart dog. "Last question." I planted both palms flat against his solid chest, burning my gaze straight into his widened pupils. "Right now.

Do you want to kiss me?" Beneath my palms, the heavy, erratic thud of his heartbeat hammered wildly against his ribs, racing out of control. Chapter 4 Knox broke eye contact.

He turned his head away, his gaze tracking over the peeling wallpaper of the rundown cabin. "No," he said, his voice flat.

The floating text exploded into chaos, splitting straight down the middle. [LMAOOO the side character just got curved so hard!] [Our male lead isn't just a slave to his lower half.

Did she really think a pretty face was enough to trap him? He's definitely saving himself for the real female lead.] [?

Is his equipment broken or something?] [Hey, give us some spice! You hear me?

We want the spice!] [I didn't pay for a premium subscription to watch you two sleep in separate beds!] [What a waste of all that muscle.

Is he packing a microcarrot down there or what?] I didn't have the bandwidth to deal with the floating text. My brain stalled out. Knox just rejected me? The sheer audacity.

This was the first time in my entire life someone had told me no. And it was the first time Knox had ever denied me. Our family's gardener found Knox.

When he was seven, he started tagging along to work on our estate. Even back then, he was already ruthlessly efficient at hacking away the overgrown hedges.

He rarely spoke a word, but he had a face carved from stone. So, I made a game out of messing with him.

I’d order him to crawl around on his hands and knees and act like my personal show pony. Knox never fought back.

If I took a single bite out of a cupcake or drank half a boba and shoved the rest at his chest, he took it. He always swallowed down whatever I gave him.

My dad claimed Knox's astrological chart was perfectly aligned to bring me good luck. Plus, he had the patience of a saint.

Dad started cutting checks for Knox's tuition and living expenses right then and there. By default, he became my personal, livein future husband. A kept boy for a spoiled heiress.

This wasn't the first time I'd tried to kiss him. On my eighteenth birthday, I drank champagne for the first time. I pinned him into a corner of the hallway, my vision swaying.

I shoved up onto my tiptoes and squished his hard jaw between my palms.

The moonlight cutting through the window cast sharp shadows over his face, making his cheekbones look like they could cut glass.

I grabbed the lapels of his suit and dragged him down to my level. "I'm going to kiss you." His dark eyelashes jerked.

He stared down at me, his chest rising and falling in rapid, jagged spikes. He didn't pull away.

He just lowered his chin. "Yes, Leighton." I let out a tiny hiccup. "The girls at school said even the most built guys have soft mouths.

I need to test yours." Back then, Knox was already pushing sixfoottwo.

He didn't have the brutal, carvedout bulk he carried now, but he was still massive compared to any other guy our age.

He wore a crisp white buttondown and tailored slacks for my party. Between the moonlight and the warm night breeze, the whole setup felt straight out of a fairy tale.

The princess and her personal bodyguard. The kiss started out as a clumsy press of mouths. Within seconds, it spiraled into a desperate clash of teeth and tongues.

We had zero experience. We just devoured each other until we were both gasping for air.

When I finally shoved him back, my cherryred lip gloss was smeared straight across the corner of his mouth. I dragged in a heavy breath. "Yours are soft.

How about mine?" Knox locked onto my eyes, his pupils blown. "Sweet." I shoved my fist lightly against his chest, laughing. "That's my lip gloss, idiot." We never brought the kiss up again.

I figured he was my future husband anyway. He belonged to me. Taking a test drive early didn't mean anything. I always assumed he felt the exact same way. I was dead wrong.

He only took it back then because of the power dynamic. Because I was the billionaire’s daughter, and he was the charity case with no way out.

Now that the bank accounts were drained, the obedience vanished right along with it. He didn't have to pretend anymore. Chapter 5 The heat drained out of my face.

My hand flew up on pure instinct, hovering right above his cheek. The floating text started pouring gas on the fire. [Do it!

If the toxic side piece doesn't slap him, how are we supposed to see how sweet the real female lead is by comparison?] [Don't even worry.

Every single thing this bitch does to him now is going to bounce back on her tenfold when she's living on the streets.] Staring at the glaring words, I locked my wrist and killed the momentum.

I shoved off Knox's chest and rolled onto my side of the mattress. "Whatever. I'm going to sleep." "Leighton, what I meant was—" Knox tried to start, his voice rough.

I shot a single, icecold glare over my shoulder. The rest of his sentence died right in his throat. I turned my back to him, burying my face in the pillow.

Knox didn't leave, but he didn't move either. He just lay there, stiff as a board, taking up half the mattress.

The thirsty faction of the comments was practically whining. [Ugh, I waited up all night for this?

We get nothing?] [NGL, the size difference between the spoiled brat and the bluecollar giant is doing things to me. Making a man that huge drop to his knees just to take a slap?

The sexual tension is lethal.] [I can't even imagine what kind of absolute wreckage they'd cause if they actually hooked up.

Would she slap him then, too?] The comments were making the back of my neck burn, but the longer I read them, the more irritated I got. I whipped around.

Before Knox could even blink, I grabbed the hem of his Tshirt and yanked it all the way up to his collarbone.

Deeply carved pecs, a brutal eightpack, and a Vline that cut dangerously low into his sweatpants were fully exposed to the air. "Look! Look all you want, premium subscribers!

Feast your eyes!" I snapped at the floating text. "I'm going to sleep." [Hehe, the Queen provides!

Love you!] [That's my idol!] I flipped back around, putting my back to Knox, and clamped my eyes shut.

Because of that, I missed the meltdown that hit the comment stream next. [Holy hell, look at the size of that print!] [Failed the 'don't look down' challenge immediately.

Whoever said he was packing a microcarrot needs to step up.

Since when are carrots the size of a Yeti thermos?!] [Side character, how the hell are you falling asleep next to THAT?!] I usually slept like the dead the second my head hit the pillow.

But tonight, I tossed and turned. Maybe it was because the bed was tiny and Knox was massive. Something completely solid kept poking right into my lower back.

Halfasleep, I rolled over and threw one of my legs straight across Knox's hips. [The male lead is actually fighting for his life right now.] [Pitched a massive tent, and now she just trapped him inside it.

LMAO, brutal.] [He can't even get up to take a cold shower. Mans is gonna be staring at the ceiling until sunrise.] The next morning, I woke up to an empty room.

Knox had already left for his shift at the boxing gym. Breakfast was plated on the small table.

A piece of lined paper sat right next to my plate. "I washed your pajamas this morning. I accidentally tore them. I'm sorry." Normally, I would have blown up his phone.

I would have spammed him with voice notes, screaming about his brute strength and his rough hands, calling him the most useless piece of trash to ever exist.

I would have made him kneel on a washboard the second he walked through the door while I laid into him. But now, I just let the paper drop from my fingers.

I pulled out my chair, picked up a fork, and started eating. Chapter 6 The comment stream immediately filled with question marks. [What’s the meaning of this?

Did the side character get a personality transplant?] [Hehehe am I the only one who woke up early enough to see exactly what the male lead was doing to those pajamas before he "accidentally" tore them?] [Is she playing hard to get to win him over?] [With her personality?

I bet fifty cents she breaks character before sunset.] I didn't even bother firing back at the comments this time.

After finishing my breakfast, I pulled out my phone and lazily typed out a text to my dad. "Next." Whoever said a girl was only allowed to have one backup husband?

The comment stream acted as a live surveillance feed for the rest of Knox's day.

According to the floating text, he spent his entire shift at the boxing gym staring at his phone, completely out of it. According to the comments, it didn't make sense to him.

A whole day had passed without me sending a single text cursing him out. Even the gym owner noticed him zoning out and asked who he was waiting to hear from.

Knox had apparently checked his prepaid phone balance, utterly confused why nothing was coming through, and muttered, "I'm waiting for her to yell at me." Then, he actually begged the owner to let him leave two hours early just so he could come home and kneel on a washboard.

The gym owner was reportedly speechless. The guy could take on three guys at once in the ring, but the second he went home, he was desperate to play the obedient dog.

Knox came back early. He walked through the door carrying a bag of groceries, a fresh bouquet of tulips, and a strawberry cake.

He stopped dead in his tracks the second he saw me. "Why are you folding your own clothes?" I offered him a flawless, polite smile. "I'm going to fold them myself from now on." "Are you… are you still mad about the pajamas?" Knox dropped the bags on the small table and immediately pivoted, his eyes scanning the room for the washboard. "Eat some cake and rest.

I'll kneel for an hour, then I'll make dinner." The corner where the washboard usually sat was empty. "You don't need to kneel.

I threw the washboard away." Knox whipped his head around. His dark eyes locked onto me, wide and unsettled.

He looked like a dog who knew he'd messed up, bracing for a kick that never came. The sheer lack of punishment was visibly tearing him apart.

I picked up another shirt, my fingers objectively smoothing out the seams. "I'll still need you to handle the cooking. I haven't learned how yet.

I appreciate the effort." I had never spoken to him with this much polite distance. In the past, my demands were absolute orders.

I bossed him around like it was my birthright. […What is this? What's with the sudden cold shoulder from the side piece?] [Isn't it obvious?

Our Queen is over your precious male lead. He didn't want to kiss her last night, so he's never getting a kiss in his life!] [Who cares?

The male lead's biological billionaire parents have already tracked his location. He's about to reunite with the real female lead as a filthy rich heir anyway.] Fine.

Whatever happilyeverafter the male and female leads had planned was none of my business. I don't keep dogs that don't know who owns them.

I raised him since he was a kid, and I still managed to misjudge him. A dull ache pinched the back of my throat, but I swallowed it down. It wasn't a big deal.

My phone screen lit up with a new message. [Montgomery: My little Queen, did you finally remember our arranged marriage?

I've been waiting here so long I'm practically turning to stone.] [Me: Cut the crap.

Get your ass over here and pick me up.] I dropped a location pin in the chat. [Montgomery: …Did you get sold into the mountains or something?] [Me: Don't come then.

I'll find the next guy on the list.] [Montgomery: I'm coming, I'm coming! Queen, I'll crawl there on my hands and knees if I have to.] Chapter 7 Dinner was exactly the same.

A spread of all my favorite dishes. I sat at the small table, calmly pushing the rice around my bowl. The silence in the room was suffocating.

In the past, I would complain the meat was too salty or the soup was too hot. I'd force him to blow on every single spoonful and feed it to me himself.

I used to drag dinner out for a solid hour just to torture him. Knox mechanically shoveled food into his mouth. His dark eyes kept darting up to my face.

On his eighth glance, I finally met his stare. "Is there something on my face?" His throat worked in a hard swallow.

He pointed at the plate of sweet and sour ribs, his voice dropping low. "I didn't pick all the green onions out of the ribs." "Oh.

That's fine." "Before… if I missed a single piece, you'd say you were going to hit me an extra time." "Did I?" I tilted my head, offering a polite, hollow smile. "You remember it so clearly.

I guess I really was awful to you." "No." He stared at me, raw panic finally bleeding through the forced composure in his eyes. "Why aren't you… keeping it up?" I rested my chin in my palm, my smile curving until it reached my eyes. "Because I've turned over a new leaf.

My cruelty toward you, Knox? It ends right here." The floating text wouldn't shut up about what happened over the next few days.

Through their obsessive livecommentary, I got a frontrow seat to exactly what Knox was doing behind my back. He picked up a second job.

Some eccentric older couple hired him just to sit and talk with them during his lunch breaks. They missed their son, and they paid him a massive premium for his time.

A week's payout cleared more than two months of brutal shifts at the boxing gym.

The comments practically screamed when they realized it was his billionaire biological parents finally tracking him down.

I watched the text scroll by as he took that money and bought a pale pink silk nightgown from my favorite designer.

The comments swooned over how red his face got just imagining me in it. He spent the last of his cash on a fresh bouquet of market roses, wrapped in damp newspaper.

The comments claimed he thought the silk was the only thing good enough for my skin, and that I'd like the flowers.

But when Knox finally walked up the dirt path to the house, clutching the designer bag and the roses, his steps faltered.

A white Ferrari, heavily splattered with mud, sat parked directly in front of the peeling red brick of our rundown cabin. The contrast was brutal.

A multimillion dollar machine against sheer, inescapable poverty. I stood on the porch. I watched Knox's dark eyes lock onto the car.

I watched his broad shoulders freeze as the reality finally hit him. I was a billionaire's daughter. I was never going to rot in this deadend town forever