Chapter 2

The door slowly closed right in front of me.

I stared at the letter lying on the floor, the throbbing in my knee and the ache in my heart blurring together.

My phone finally stopped vibrating.

I took out my phone, and the most recent message on the screen was from my assistant, Chris. [Ms. Rivers, the company website has been hacked.]

I didn't go home. Instead, I told the driver to take me straight to the office.

The office building was deserted at midnight, with only my office still glowing.

My assistant, Chris, was pacing nervously at the door. When he saw the scrape on my knee and how messed up I looked, his eyes started to well up. "Ms. Rivers, are you okay?"

"I'm fine," I said, pushing open the office door. "What did the PR team say?"

"It's no use," Chris said, his voice trembling. "This was all planned. The army of trolls is massive. Our statement got drowned out instantly.

"Now the whole internet is roasting you, and someone even dug up our office address. They're saying they'll be waiting for you at the door tomorrow."

I walked over to the floor-to-ceiling window, staring down at the city traffic that never sleeps. "What about Lucas?"

"The celebration party is still going on. He and Sophie are trending at number one together. The headline says, 'Perfect couple, made for each other.'"

What a joke.

I was the one who put him on a pedestal, and now he's got another woman on his arm, stepping right over my ruin, basking in everyone's blessings.

Chris was cleaning up the scrape on my knee, and the sting of the disinfectant snapped me back to reality. "Ms. Rivers, should we call the cops? This is slander."

"It won't help," I shook my head. "He's smart. He never mentioned my name, called me 'that woman.' The more I try to defend myself, the more it'll look like I'm throwing a tantrum in front of everyone."

"So, what are we supposed to do now?" Chris asked.

I didn't answer. My gaze drifted to a photo frame on my desk.

It was a picture from ten years ago.

In the photo, there was a scrawny boy in an oversized school uniform, his lips pressed tight in stubborn defiance, eyes sharp and wild, like a wolf cub ready to bite if you got too close.

That was the first time I met Lucas. No, back then, he was still called Sammy Lewis.

Back in that small town, he was tied up to a tree at the entrance and beaten for stealing bread from a neighbor.

Everyone called him a wild orphan, a thief.

But I was the only one who walked over and loosened the ropes holding him.

I asked him, "Why did you steal?"

He stared at me without a word, hugging that dirty bread to his chest like it was the only thing he had in the world.

Later, I found out it was his sister's birthday, and she hadn't eaten in three days.

I took him out of that village and gave him a new name, Lucas Grant.

He became a pure-hearted, upright gentleman.

I sent him to the best schools, paid for everything they needed, including school, living costs, even hospital bills.

I wrote him letters, telling him to keep his head up, hit the books, and dream bigger than that tiny mountain village.

The day he got into film school, he reached out to me for the very first time.

His voice trembled with excitement. "Evelyn, I made it. One day, I'll earn tons of money and repay you for everything you've done for me."

His words stayed with me for years.

Later, when he made it in the entertainment industry, I worried my identity might drag him down, so I founded this company and used every connection I had to help him shine.

I stepped out of the spotlight and became the mysterious 'Ms. Rivers' people talked about behind closed doors.

I thought I was the person he trusted most, the one he was closest to.

From beginning to end, it was me, acting out a solo drama.

My phone dinged. It was a private message from an unknown number.

I tapped it open. It was a DM from Sophie's account: [Hey, are you still awake? Sorry for making things awkward tonight.

[Lucas's got that kind of temper. He's not a bad guy, too upright. He really hates being lied to.

[He said people like you, thinking a few favors give you the right to control his life. That's pathetic.

[Oh, and Lucas also said he couldn't even stand to look at those letters you wrote him. He burned them all backstage, right then and there.

[You really ought to know your place. If something isn't yours, stop hanging on to it. Isn't that right?]

Every word was like a poisoned needle, piercing straight through my heart.

I put my phone away and turned to Chris. "Call the legal and PR teams. Full exec meeting at nine tomorrow morning."

Chris paused, a little stunned. "Ms. Rivers, are you planning to..."

I stared out at the pitch-black night sky, every word deliberate. "I'm reclaiming everything he took from me."

The next morning, I showed up at the office right on time at 8:50.

The lobby was packed with reporters who'd heard the news, their cameras flashing like crazy as they swarmed me.

"Ms. Rivers, what's your response to Lucas's accusations last night?"

"Do you admit to harassing him for ten years?"

"There are rumors you're the secret boss behind Evelyn Entertainment. Is that true?"

Expressionless behind my shades, I let security escort me through the mob and into the private elevator.

As the elevator doors closed, I heard someone shout from outside, "Don't let her get away! Expose that psycho."

At nine sharp, I pushed open the conference room door.

All the company execs were there, including the heads of legal and PR.

My seat, the head of the table, was empty.

Lucas, his manager David King, and Sophie were sprawled out right next to it, acting like they owned the place.