Chapter 3 · Dethroned The Ungrateful Best Actor

I was ready to do whatever it took to scrape together some cash.

But having a criminal record was like a scarlet letter. Everywhere I went, people shut the door in my face.

In the end, the only job I could get was washing dishes in the cramped, smoky back kitchen of a tiny restaurant.

I worked from ten in the morning until midnight every day. My hands were soaking in icy, greasy water until my fingers were so swollen, they looked like fat carrots.

At the end of the month, I got paid just a thousand dollars.

That 150 thousand dollars was still a million miles away.

That night, I was dragging my exhausted body out of the kitchen when the boss lady called me over.

"Nia, you don't need to come in tomorrow," she said.

My heart sank. "Did I do something wrong?" I asked.

She sighed, avoiding my eyes. "No. You... you pissed someone off."

I knew exactly what she meant.

Sure enough, the next day, I spotted Wendy's "charity" press release in the entertainment news.

[Popular actress Wendy Pittman makes a late-night visit to a dishwasher from the bottom rung, urging society to care for the less fortunate. She is beauty and kindness in one package!]

The photo showed Wendy in a Chanel suit, wearing a mask and sunglasses, standing in the greasy back kitchen.

And right next to her, there was a messy, pixelated figure. It was me.

The press release claimed Wendy "just happened" to run into an old acquaintance who was struggling, felt heartbroken, left some charity money right then and there, and urged everyone to give troubled youth a second chance.

The comments section was packed with her fans controlling the narrative, making sure only positive things showed up.

[Wendy is so kind! She's like an angel come down to earth!]

[Who's that dishwasher? For Wendy to care so much, they must have some kind of special connection.]

[You don't know? I heard she's the one who almost destroyed Tobias Patel's career back in the day. Isn't her name Nia Ballard?]

[Oh my god, it's really her? How does she even have the guts to show her face? Wendy and Tobias are so forgiving, and she keeps shamelessly hanging onto them!]

[People like her should stay at the very bottom of society! Don't come out here and harass our precious couple!]

I'd become the poster girl for being ungrateful and obsessive.

Meanwhile, Wendy was trampling all over my dignity, milking my misery for fame and clout.

My phone buzzed. It was her number.

Wendy said, "Nia, did you see the news? Bet you didn't see that coming, huh?"

She was barely able to hide her amusement. "Feeling touched? I did you a favor and made you a household name. Now the whole country knows just how pathetic you are."

"Wendy, what the hell do you want?" My voice was hoarse.

"Nothing, really," she said, sounding all innocent. "I just wanted to tell you that my life's amazing now, and yours is just pathetic.

She continued, "By the way, I forgot to mention. I'm pregnant. Tobias and I are tying the knot next month. You have to come to the wedding. After all, none of this would've happened without you, our 'big hero.'

"Oh, you probably won't even be able to make it. I've already warned every restaurant owner around here. No one dares to hire you now. Nia, enjoy your miserable life. You earned every bit of it."

She hung up with a mocking laugh.

I stood on the sidewalk, watching the city rush past me, feeling like I was completely alone. It was like the whole world had left me behind.

Backed into a corner, with nowhere left to turn, only one name flashed through my mind.

It was Tobias's arch-nemesis, the only actor in the industry bold enough to go head-to-head with him in public, Edward Greyson.

I'd heard Tobias mention once that the person killed in that car accident seven years ago was Edward's little sister.

Back then, Edward had doubts about the verdict, but he never had any proof.

It took me the whole day, but I finally caught up with him outside a private club.

"Edward Greyson!" I ran up and stopped him in his tracks.

His bodyguards immediately stepped in, pulling me away.

Edward stopped, took off his sunglasses, revealing an icy, scrutinizing gaze.

"Who are you?" he asked.

"My name is Nia Ballard," I said, staring straight into his eyes. "I'm the one who took the fall for Tobias's drunk driving accident seven years ago."

Edward's gaze sharpened instantly.

Chapter 3

I was ready to do whatever it took to scrape together some cash.

But having a criminal record was like a scarlet letter. Everywhere I went, people shut the door in my face.

In the end, the only job I could get was washing dishes in the cramped, smoky back kitchen of a tiny restaurant.

I worked from ten in the morning until midnight every day. My hands were soaking in icy, greasy water until my fingers were so swollen, they looked like fat carrots.

At the end of the month, I got paid just a thousand dollars.

That 150 thousand dollars was still a million miles away.

That night, I was dragging my exhausted body out of the kitchen when the boss lady called me over.

"Nia, you don't need to come in tomorrow," she said.

My heart sank. "Did I do something wrong?" I asked.

She sighed, avoiding my eyes. "No. You... you pissed someone off."

I knew exactly what she meant.

Sure enough, the next day, I spotted Wendy's "charity" press release in the entertainment news.

[Popular actress Wendy Pittman makes a late-night visit to a dishwasher from the bottom rung, urging society to care for the less fortunate. She is beauty and kindness in one package!]

The photo showed Wendy in a Chanel suit, wearing a mask and sunglasses, standing in the greasy back kitchen.

And right next to her, there was a messy, pixelated figure. It was me.

The comments section was packed with her fans controlling the narrative, making sure only positive things showed up.

[Wendy is so kind! She's like an angel come down to earth!]

[Who's that dishwasher? For Wendy to care so much, they must have some kind of special connection.]

[You don't know? I heard she's the one who almost destroyed Tobias Patel's career back in the day. Isn't her name Nia Ballard?]

[Oh my god, it's really her? How does she even have the guts to show her face? Wendy and Tobias are so forgiving, and she keeps shamelessly hanging onto them!]

[People like her should stay at the very bottom of society! Don't come out here and harass our precious couple!]

I'd become the poster girl for being ungrateful and obsessive.

Meanwhile, Wendy was trampling all over my dignity, milking my misery for fame and clout.

My phone buzzed. It was her number.

Wendy said, "Nia, did you see the news? Bet you didn't see that coming, huh?"

She was barely able to hide her amusement. "Feeling touched? I did you a favor and made you a household name. Now the whole country knows just how pathetic you are."

"Wendy, what the hell do you want?" My voice was hoarse.

"Nothing, really," she said, sounding all innocent. "I just wanted to tell you that my life's amazing now, and yours is just pathetic.

"Oh, you probably won't even be able to make it. I've already warned every restaurant owner around here. No one dares to hire you now. Nia, enjoy your miserable life. You earned every bit of it."

She hung up with a mocking laugh.

I stood on the sidewalk, watching the city rush past me, feeling like I was completely alone. It was like the whole world had left me behind.

Backed into a corner, with nowhere left to turn, only one name flashed through my mind.

It was Tobias's arch-nemesis, the only actor in the industry bold enough to go head-to-head with him in public, Edward Greyson.

I'd heard Tobias mention once that the person killed in that car accident seven years ago was Edward's little sister.

Back then, Edward had doubts about the verdict, but he never had any proof.

It took me the whole day, but I finally caught up with him outside a private club.

"Edward Greyson!" I ran up and stopped him in his tracks.

His bodyguards immediately stepped in, pulling me away.

Edward stopped, took off his sunglasses, revealing an icy, scrutinizing gaze.

"Who are you?" he asked.

"My name is Nia Ballard," I said, staring straight into his eyes. "I'm the one who took the fall for Tobias's drunk driving accident seven years ago."

Edward's gaze sharpened instantly.