Chapter 1
On our wedding anniversary, my husband Joseph Lane—Hollywood's reigning Best Actor—brought home his childhood sweetheart, Lily, fresh off her Best Actress victory.
Innocent and fragile, she played the damsel act to perfection.
Clinging to Joseph, she sobbed about being pressured and exploited by powerful industry figures.
Moments later, Joseph called. "Don't come home tonight. Lily's too distraught to be left alone."
In the background, Lily sniffled and whimpered in a trembling tone. "Joseph... it hurts so much."
They had no idea who truly stood by my side.
As soon as the call ended, Patrick Hayes—the most influential tycoon in showbiz—pulled me into his arms and nuzzled my ear gently.
His finger hovered over the top-trending hashtag on his phone as he purred seductively, "Baby, the blacklist is locked in. Want to watch them crumble tonight?"
*****
Joseph's voice cut through the phone, icy and impatient, as always.
"Lily just won her award. They made her drink too much at the party, and she's devastated. I have to look after her."
Today marked our third wedding anniversary.
I'd booked an upscale restaurant a week in advance and even sent him a reminder text.
All he'd replied with was a single, casual "Sure."
But here he was, with Lily—his lifelong childhood sweetheart—in our home, the life we'd built together.
Through the line, Lily's sobs were loud enough for me to catch every word, deliberate and calculated.
"Joseph, it's all my fault. I shouldn't have come back... These people are awful. They forced me to..."
Her voice was delicate and helpless, like a feather grazing a man's softest weakness.
Then came the line that made my skin crawl. "Joseph, it hurts so much."
I could practically picture the tender, broken expression Joseph reserved only for her.
After all, Lily was the girl he'd cherished for years.
And me? Sophia Sterling? I was just the convenient wife—an afterthought, a practical choice he'd settled for when nothing better came along.
"Sophia, did you hear me? Stay somewhere else tonight," Joseph snapped, jolting me back to the moment.
Before I could respond, Patrick Hayes stepped behind me, took my phone, and ended the call without a word.
His warm chest pressed against my back, his chin resting on my shoulder, his hot breath fanning my skin.
The clean, woody scent of him enveloped me, chasing away the coldness Joseph had left in his wake.
"Just going to let this slide?" he murmured, his voice low, smooth, and dangerously calm.
I glanced at my own screen. The hashtag #Lily Quinn Best Actress Targeted By Executives# was already blowing up nationwide.
Fans flooded the comments with sympathy, while casual viewers ate up her victim persona.
[Poor Lily, she just won the award, and they're already targeting her!]
[How tragic—she's far too pure for Hollywood.]
[Can those people just leave her alone for once?]
Yet the ruthless tycoon everyone bashed online was right here, holding me tight, his fingers tracing slow circles around my waist.
Patrick let out a low, amused chuckle and held his phone up to me.
On the screen was a short, sharp order he'd just typed to his assistant.
[Full industry blacklist, effective immediately.]
The send button glowed, a ticking time bomb poised to destroy everything.
Patrick brushed his lips against my ear, his warm breath sending shivers down my neck.
"Baby, tap it."
With no hesitation, I tapped send.
Within minutes, Twitter exploded.
The luxury brand Lily had just signed with issued an official announcement, immediately terminating their partnership.
The crew of her upcoming drama erased her name from the lead cast in a single night.
Even the investors behind her award-winning film released a public statement, expressing deep regret for casting a "tainted artist."
One shocking update after another flooded the internet, catching everyone off guard.
Public opinion flipped in an instant.
[Wait, tainted artist? What did she even do?]
[One minute she's crying about being pressured by industry big shots, the next they're crushing her.]
[Who on earth did she offend to get blacklisted by everyone at once?]
My phone buzzed nonstop. It was Joseph.
Patrick raised an eyebrow, swiped to answer, and put the call on speaker.
"Sophia! What the hell did you do?" Joseph roared, his usual calm completely gone. "Why has Lily lost all her projects? Are you behind all this?"
He didn't bother asking for details. He just blamed me right away.
Before I could reply, Lily's panicked voice cut in. "Joseph! The brand just called—they're demanding ten million in damages! I don't have that kind of money..."
"Don't panic. I'm here," Joseph soothed her.
Then he snapped at me, furious and sharp. "Sophia, are you insane? Just because I missed our anniversary, you had to go this far?
"Apologize to whoever you pulled strings with and fix this for Lily. Now!"
He spoke as if it were only natural, barking orders like I was some mindless underling.
I let out a quiet, cold laugh. "Joseph, what makes you so sure it was me?"
"Who else could it be? Your family has plenty of connections, don't they?"
He scoffed. "Cut the act. You have thirty minutes, or else..."
"Or else what?" Patrick interjected, his voice icy and dangerous.
The line went completely silent.
When Joseph spoke again, his tone was suddenly cautious and suspicious. "Who are you?"
Patrick ignored the question. He tucked a strand of my hair behind my ear, pressed it gently to his lips, and kissed it softly.
He looked straight into my eyes, speaking slowly and clearly enough for Joseph to hear every word.
"It doesn't matter who I am. Just know this—you won't be her husband much longer."
With that, he ended the call and set my phone aside.
The room fell quiet, only the sound of our breathing hanging in the air.
"Looks like he took you for a Sterling," I murmured against Patrick's chest, a faint laugh lacing my tone.
Everyone assumed the Sterlings had married me off to Joseph to climb the social ladder.
Little did they know, my own family had thrown me away like trash long ago.
"Even better," Patrick said, pulling me tighter against him.
"Let them keep guessing. It only makes this more fun."