I Dream-Manipulated My Cold Crush To Win Him, But He Saw Through Me All Along Chapter 10

I Dream-Manipulated My Cold Crush To Win Him, But He Saw Through Me All Along Chapter 10

My fingers tightened around the milk cup.

The plastic warped in my grip, and the liquid nearly spilled over.

Grayson had mastered the art of flipping the script. He was the one who’d wanted me gone, but now he was blaming me for moving on?

I opened my mouth to fire back, but Miles stepped in front of me before I could get a word out.

He positioned himself like a wall between me and Grayson.

“Grayson. Watch your mouth.”

Miles’s voice was flat, but it cut like ice.

“I asked Naomi to have breakfast with me. If you don’t need your eyes, donate them to someone

who does.”

Grayson went purple.

He stared at Miles like he’d just heard something impossible.

“Miles, do you have any idea what this girl is really like? She’s a leech…”

“Shut it.” Miles cut him off without even glancing his way. Instead, he turned to the girl with the

camera.

“This is your photography club’s new member?”

Lila had been practically glowing at Miles, her eyes locked on him. When he acknowledged her, she flushed instantly.

“Hi, Miles! I’m Lila Reyes, I just joined the photography club. I heard you don’t add strangers, but I really admire you, so can I get your contact?”

She held out her phone.

The comments were ecstatic:

[The female lead is making her move on Miles! He’s going to fall for her for sure!]

[She’s the light the male lead pined for in the original!]

Miles barely glanced at her screen. His face gave nothing away.

“No.”

One word. Flat and final.

Then he grabbed my wrist. “We’re going to be late for class. Let’s go.”

We left Grayson and Lila frozen in place, their faces a masterpiece of mixed emotions.

The comments crashed and burned:

[Wait, WHAT??? Miles just rejected the Lila???]

[This plot just went completely off the rails.]

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Chapter 11

Over the next two weeks, I fell asleep every night with that bracelet clutched in my hand.

Miles’s dreams grew brighter day by day.

The basement vanished completely, replaced by spacious villas, endless flower fields, and every kind of amusement park imaginable.

I designed all sorts of fun activities for him in those dreams, trying every way I could to fill the void

his childhood had carved out.

But slowly, something started to feel off.

My control over the dream was slipping.

At first, I could change weather and scenery at will.

Then, the scenes began shifting on their own, always turning into places I loved.

Until one night.

I’d planned to summon a giant ice cream cone for him.

But when I waved my hand, nothing happened. No ice cream.

Instead, the amusement park warped around me, twisting into a dimly lit bedroom.

I stood frozen, still processing.

A large, long–fingered hand slid around from behind me, locking onto my waist.

The world spun.

I was pressed down onto a soft mattress.

Miles, the adult version, loomed over me, both hands planted beside my ears, caging me in

completely.

His eyes were dark, hungry, like a wolf who’d been tracking its prey for too long.

“Naomi.”

He dipped his head, his warm breath ghosting over my ear, sending a shiver down my spine.

“Did you really think you’ve been controlling these dreams for the past two weeks?”

My brain short–circuited.

“You–you’re not dreaming?”

Miles let out a low, rough chuckle.

“I am dreaming. I’m just the one pulling you into it.”

His thumb grazed my cheek, slow and deliberate.

“I’ve been acting pitiful for so long just to get you to come see me every night.”

Terrified, I severed the connection instantly.

I shot up in bed, gasping for air.

My heart was pounding so hard I thought it might leap out of my throat.

Miles knew about my dream control this whole time?

Not only that, he could control the dream!

Which meant the whole sob story and the fragile act were all staged?

The next day, I was late to class for the first time ever just to avoid him.

After class, I grabbed my books and bolted to the library, desperate for a quiet corner to sort out my

thoughts.

I’d barely slipped into the last row of book stacks when a tall figure blocked the only exit.

Miles stood there, one hand in his pocket, his gaze pinned on me.

“Why did you run away from me?”

I stepped back until my spine hit the cold metal shelf.

“What… what do you want from me? Here, take the bracelet back. Just leave me alone.”

I fished the bracelet out of my pocket and shoved it toward him.

He didn’t take it.

Instead, he closed the distance in one long stride, cornering me against the shelf.

“I gave you that bracelet on purpose.”

His tone was calm, but the pressure behind it was undeniable.

“I don’t have insomnia. I don’t have nightmares.”

“If I didn’t play pathetic, would you have ever willingly used your ability on me?”

I stared at him like he was a monster.

“Are you insane? You knew about all of this?”

Miles leaned in, his nose almost brushing mine.

“I don’t just know about your dream control. I know you used to visit Grayson’s dreams every single night.”

His jaw tightened, and his voice thickened with raw jealousy.

“Naomi, do you have any idea how much it ate me up, watching you throw yourself at him every day?”

Chapter 12

Just then, a commotion erupted from outside the library.

While Miles was distracted, I shoved him aside and slipped out through the other end of the book

stacks.

I’d barely made it to the main hall when I came face–to–face with Grayson, storming in like a bull. He wasn’t with Lila this time. He looked like a caged animal about to snap.

The second he spotted me, he charged over and grabbed my arm.

“Naomi. Explain yourself. Now.”

His grip was crushing. My bones screamed.

“Did you pull that same sleazy stunt on Miles?”

I wrenched my arm free and rubbed my wrist. “What the hell are you talking about?”

Grayson laughed, cold and sharp. “Still playing dumb? Lila asked around. Miles has been glued to

you lately, and even his whole demeanor’s changed.”

“He’s bringing you breakfast, and you took his personal stuff.”

He stepped closer, his eyes blazing with disgust and fury.

“You recycled all the tricks you used on me on him. Didn’t you?”

“Naomi, you’re something else. You handed my privilege over to someone else?”

I laughed. The kind of laugh that comes when you’re so mad you’ve circled back to calm.

“Grayson, are you out of your mind?”

“You’re the one who said it was disgusting. You told me to get lost. You told me to keep my hands

off your things.”

“So now that I’ve actually stopped coming after you, you’re crying about losing your ‘privilege‘?”

I stared at his selfish, twisted face and spelled it out, one word at a time.

“Isn’t this exactly what you wanted? Freedom? You should be throwing a party!”

The comments went berserk:

[Classic. Dude doesn’t want her, but loses his mind the second she talks to another guy.]

[He’s panicking! He’s panicking! He realized she stopped simping and he’s completely losing it!)

[How did this immature man even get cast as the male lead? Please destroy him!}

Grayson had nothing to say in retort. His face was a mess of embarrassment and rage.

But the guy couldn’t lose face if his life depended on it.

Humiliated and furious, he reached for me again, trying to drag me out.

“Come back with me! Stay away from Miles. He’s not someone you can handle!”

His hand never made it to my clothes.

Another hand, long–fingered and pale, shot out of nowhere and clamped down on Grayson’s wrist

Miles was standing right behind me. I hadn’t even heard him approach.

His eyes were deadly dark.

He squeezed.

Grayson let out a sound like a stuck pig and crumpled forward, forced to double over.

Then Miles lifted his leg and drove his foot into Grayson’s shin without a hint of mercy.

Grayson dropped to his knees with a heavy thud.

The entire library lobby went dead silent.

Miles looked down at him like he was inspecting garbage.

“You despised her. You stomped her heart into the ground. Now that she’s done with you, you come barking back?”

His voice was quiet. But every word landed like a blade.

“Wilder, you actually think she was throwing herself at you?”

“You really believe you got into this school on your own merit?”

“If she hadn’t spent every night walking you through your coursework, if she hadn’t held your hand through every panic attack, you’d still be rotting at some low community college.”

Grayson’s face went white. He looked up, utterly stunned.

Like he couldn’t believe Miles knew all of that.

Miles let out a cold laugh and took my hand.

“From now on, her privilege belongs to me. Come near her again, and I’ll drop you every time.”

Miles led me out of the library.

He didn’t stop until we reached the artificial lake behind the hill on campus.

I stared at his broad back, my head a complete disaster zone.

“How… how do you know all of that?”

Miles turned around. The menace in his eyes had melted away, replaced by something soft.

He let out a breath and pulled a worn, yellowed eraser from his pocket.

There was a crooked little smiley face drawn on it.

I froze.

That eraser was one I’d picked up when I was in third grade.

Back then, I’d only just discovered my ability. I was curious about how it worked, so I experimented with whatever personal items I happened to find.

Apparently, that eraser had belonged to Miles.

was ten years old. My father locked me in the basement for three days straight.”

Miles stared at the eraser in his palm, his voice barely above a whisper.

“I thought I was going to die there. But that night, I had a dream.”

“In that dream, there were sunflowers everywhere, bathing in sunlight. And a little girl with a ponytail gave me an eraser and told me not to be afraid.”

He lifted his head and held my gaze, deep and unflinching.

“When I got my eraser back, I recognized it from the dream.”

“Naomi, you passed through my world once. And that one moment became the only reason I kept

going.”

I couldn’t move. Couldn’t speak.

I had saved him without even knowing it.

No wonder he knew so much about my ability.

No wonder he’d deliberately given me that bracelet, baiting me into his trap.

“I looked for you for years. I didn’t confirm it was you until college.”

He stepped forward and wrapped his arms around me, gentle but sure.

“wanted to take it slow. But watching Grayson treat you like dirt, I couldn’t hold back anymore.”

His voice carried a note of pleading, something almost wounded.

“Naomi, forget him. Take control of my dreams. Do whatever you want with them.”

The comments flipped completely:

[AAAAAAAAAH! THIS IS THE MOST BEAUTIFUL REDEMPTION ARC EVER!]

[The so–called male lead was never the one. Miles is the number one guy! He’s scheming, but I love

it!]

[Naomi and Miles were meant to be. End of discussion.]

Chapter 14

After that day in the library, when Grayson got publicly gutted in front of half the campus, he became a total joke.

Everyone knew the truth now. He was nothing but a backstabber who’d coasted into college on a girl’s dream–building.

Lila saw his reputation tanking and dropped him like a bad habit.

She moved on to some rich heir, only to get a latte thrown in her face by his true girlfriend.

The original plot was completely shattered.

Even the comments stopped showing up.

One night, a thunderstorm was pounding the campus.

My roommate burst through the door and pointed at the window. “Naomi! Grayson’s outside in the

rain!”

I walked to the window and looked down.

Grayson stood beneath the dorm building, soaked to the bone, staring up at my window like a lost dog.

My phone lit up. There was a message from him.

[Naomi. I was wrong.]

[I’ve been having nightmares every night. Without you in them, I’m losing my mind.]

[Can we go back to how it was? I’ll never complain again. You can do whatever you want with my

dreams.]

I read those lines and felt nothing but disgust.

He didn’t love me. He just couldn’t stand losing his personal supply of unconditional support.

I typed back one line: [Get lost. You’re ruining the view.]

Then I blocked him on every platform.

And called Miles.

“It’s pouring outside. Come pick me up for class tomorrow.”

His low, gorgeous laugh came through the speaker.

“Deal. I’ll bring you lobster rolls from the place downtown.”

Six months later, Miles took me to the beach.

Not in a dream. We were in real life.

The sea breeze whipped through my hair, the sun blazing warm on my skin.

Miles had officially taken over his family’s business, finally free from the shadow of his controlling/

father.

He wasn’t pretending to be pitiful anymore. He was the one in control now, standing at the top of

his own world.

He wrapped his arms around me from behind, his chin resting on my shoulder.

“That survival game on a deserted island you set up in my dream last night is too easy.” He grinned

against my ear.

His voice curled with unmistakable challenge.

“Let me take over tonight. What do you say?”

My face went hot. I stomped on his shoe without any real force.

“Not a chance! I put that bracelet away. No dream control tonight!”

Miles laughed low in his chest, spun me around, and kissed me.

“Doesn’t matter. I can make your heart race just fine in real life.”

The sound of the waves swallowed his last words.

Above

us,

for the final time, a line of gold comments drifted across the sky:

[This was never a side character’s redemption story. This was a full–blown VILLAIN ORIGIN

STORY.]

I closed my eyes and kissed him back.

Let the script say whatever it wants.

My world belongs to me now.