Chapter 1

I was the industry’s Best Supporting Actress, and also its favorite laughingstock—the ultimate desperate simp.

Everyone mocked me for failing to win over Julian Zhou, while secretly laughing that I dared to set my sights on an untouchable billionaire heir like Julian Shea.

Just when everyone was waiting for my absolute downfall, the untouchable heir broke the internet.

"She is the only leading lady of my life."

The second I walked through the doors of Star Entertainment, sympathetic stares from the staff followed me everywhere.

I already knew why: Julian Zhou wasn’t alone in his office.

Lydia Lan was draped in a custom haute-couture dress, her face painted in flawless "no-makeup" makeup. She carried herself like an ethereal goddess beyond mortal reach.

Julian’s childhood sweetheart. His ultimate muse.

All over Ins, the comments said the same cruel thing: "Chloe Jiang spent seven years begging on her knees, but it couldn't beat a single day of Lydia Lan coming home."

Seeing me come in, Lydia tapped her slender cigarette. The burning ash drifted down, instantly melting a hole into the leather couch.

Lydia stood up in mild fluster. "I'm so sorry, Julian! It was an accident."

Julian barely knit his brows. "It’s fine. Cheap junk is easy to replace."

That sofa had cost every single dime of my very first paycheck. An indie Swedish designer piece.

It never matched his sleek, modern office. It really wasn't worth anything.

Just like me.

Julian threw a sour glare my way, his voice laced with annoyance. "You didn't even show up to the wrap party for "Sweet Blue". Who do you think you are, throwing a diva fit?"

"Sweet Blue" was the blockbuster film Julian had poured a fortune into creating—just for Lydia.

I was just a side character. Did it ever matter if I showed up?

The night of the wrap, Julian Shea had come to pick me up, claiming he had a little surprise.

It wasn't until we pulled up to the Shea family estate that I realized the Shea family had thrown a private celebration for my Best Supporting Actress win.

Julian Shea's mother looked at me with endless tenderness: "Chloe, you are going to take home Best Actress one day."

"Slap."

A thick stack of scripts hit my chest, the sting radiating down my arm and snapping me out of my daze.

"Chloe Jiang, you win one petty supporting award and suddenly forget your place?"

Forget my place?

The night I won that trophy, Julian Zhou was away on a business trip.

Bursting with joy and dying to share the moment with him first, I took a red-eye flight to his city.

What welcomed me were invisible daggers that carved right through my chest.

In that dimly lit VIP lounge, his arm was wrapped around Lydia. She was laughing, radiant in his embrace.

Someone in the room teased, "Mr. Zhou, why aren't you by your little starlet's side while she accepts her award? She won Best Supporting Actress, after all."

Before Julian could answer, Lydia scoffed softly from his lap. "What good is Best Supporting Actress? She’s an orphan. She could live a thousand lives and still never be good enough to cross the Zhou family's threshold."

"An orphan? Like, an actual street rat, Mr. Zhou?"

Julian’s hand paused on his whiskey glass. "Pretty much."

In that exact second, the sharp edge of the trophy sliced deep into my palm. But I couldn't feel it over the agonizing tear in my heart.

The very man who had once shielded my vulnerable pride from the world was now tearing my scabs open for everyone to gawk at.

In just a few careless words, he had turned my deepest trauma into cheap dinner-table gossip.

I pulled my mind back to the present and stared right into Julian Zhou's face. "I know my place. Perfectly."

Julian shifted under my unblinking gaze, clearly uncomfortable. He opened his mouth to scold me, but I cut him off.

"Julian Zhou, I want to terminate my contract."

"Fine!" he snapped automatically, and then froze.

A few seconds ticked by. His eyes turned arctic. "What did you just say?"

"I said, I want out. I'm terminating my contract."

In two swift strides, Julian crossed the floor and clamped his hand around my wrist, his gaze a turbulent mess of confusion and anger.

His grip was brutal, sending a sharp throb up my arm.

Even when he saw me wince, he didn't ease up. Instead, a venomous smirk spread across his lips.

"Threatening me with a contract buyout? Chloe, there's a limit to how pathetic your little jealous tantrums can be!"

"You snagged one tiny award and suddenly you think you're an A-list queen?"

"Who was the one begging on their knees to join my agency in the first place?!"

He actually thought I was just throwing a fit over Lydia.

Ignoring his sneer, I gathered every ounce of strength I had and ripped my arm out of his grasp. I met his eyes with absolute calmness.

"Julian, whether I begged you back then, or you desperately needed me—deep down, you know the truth better than anyone."