I used to be a proud, broke idealist. All I wanted was Elias's love. But after he blacklisted me from the industry once, I learned my lesson. I obediently accepted every resource and role he threw my way. I just stopped loving him. Later, he got into a serious car accident and was hospitalized. I flew back from Fashion Week abroad and went straight to my film set. When he finally recovered and was discharged, he cornered me against a doorframe, his eyes bloodshot. "I was in a car crash..." I looked at him, my expression unreadable, and stayed silent. He gritted his teeth, his eyes filled with raw, undisguised hurt. "And you didn't come to see me... not even once." 01 I always knew Elias Thorne and I were from two completely different worlds. I always felt like I shouldn't accept the resources he offered me. I wanted us to be a normal couple. He was my boyfriend, and I was his girlfriend. I loved him, and he loved me. But eventually, he was the one who personally tore my fantasy to shreds. On the tenth day of being blacklisted by Elias, my manager, Brenda, knocked on my door, her face a picture of frustrated disappointment. When I opened the door, her anger visibly faltered at the sight of my haggard appearance. She closed her eyes, let out a heavy sigh, and walked in. "Chloe, do you still not get it? You and Elias Thorne are not from the same world. Who is he? He's the CEO of the Thorne Group. Who are you? You're a celebrity with zero backing." She sat heavily on the sofa, offering her earnest, albeit harsh, advice. I listened expressionlessly while pouring her a glass of water. "What love? Is there actually any love between you two? If he loved you, how could he blacklist you with a single word? Look at yourself. Look at what you've become." She pulled a mirror from her bag and forced me to look at my own pathetic reflection. "Could I look any worse than I did that day?" My voice was hoarse, every word feeling like it was being dragged out of my throat over broken glass. I looked at my reflection with zero emotion. She knew exactly what day I meant. It was the Best Actress awards ceremony. The video of me smiling brightly as the host read the winner's name had been trending on Twitter for days. I was so confident I was going to win. But the name called wasn't mine. The cameras perfectly captured my devastated expression and broadcasted it on the jumbotrons. Even though I quickly recovered and forced a stiff smile while clapping, the internet mercilessly mocked me for being a sore loser. Hearing this, Brenda sighed again and continued, "I told you a long time ago, you two aren't a match. I told you to hurry up and use your youth to get resources and connections from him, to build yourself up so you can stand on your own two feet. That's what actually matters." "But you're just hopelessly romantic. You never listen. You're going to drive me crazy..." Because I had been drinking heavily for days, my brain felt sluggish. Maybe that was why I didn't feel a single twinge of pain in my chest. Elias and I had been together since high school. In that elite, money-drenched prep school, surviving on good grades alone without a wealthy background was incredibly difficult. But Elias became my shield. I remember one late afternoon, he was sitting next to me, casually twirling a strand of my hair while I kept my head down, writing. He suddenly leaned in, his eyes burning with intensity, and flashed a brilliant smile. "Hey, straight-A student. Want to be my girlfriend?" The bright, clear eyes of that teenage boy merged with the cold, condescending eyes of the man who looked down at me in the garden years later. "Chloe, don't regret this." When he said "don't regret this," he was referring to the moment I accidentally overheard him behind a closed door, saying that he and I would never have a future together. I had cried and broken up with him. In the past, I used my ridiculous sense of pride to maintain the illusion of equality in our love. He would often laugh and say that if I wanted a role, I just had to ask. There was no need for me to fight so exhaustingly for it. I loved burying my face in his solid chest, poking him playfully, and saying, "No way. I want to earn it with my own hard work. That way, people won't think I'm with you for the wrong reasons." Whenever I did that, he would just sigh helplessly and pat my head. Now, I laughed, my tears hitting the floorboards. Fuck love. ... That night, I went back to the place he and I used to call "home." Wearing a black lace slip, I sat calmly on the edge of the bed. A lot of the decorations in the room were cute and colorful. Several plush toys lay quietly on the sofa, exactly how I had left them. Every inch of this place held memories of our love. There were security cameras in the living room, and my fingerprints hadn't been wiped from the smart lock. He knew with absolute certainty that I would come crawling back to him. Just like he told me: Chloe, you'll regret this. He was right. I regretted it. I regretted being so stupid, demanding something as pure as love. Before long, I heard the sound of a car pulling into the driveway below. By the time I snapped out of my daze, the bedroom door had already opened. Elias, dressed in a bespoke black suit, stood in the doorway, watching me in silence. My eyelashes fluttered, Brenda's words echoing in my ears. "People in their circle only ever marry for strategic alliances. Stop fantasizing about this so-called love. What is love? Can you eat it? Can you spend it? From the very beginning, he never planned on marrying you. Wake up, you foolish girl." I bit my lip, stepped onto the cold floor barefoot, and walked toward him. I stopped right in front of him. I reached out and unbuttoned his suit jacket. He didn't speak, nor did he stop me; he just looked down at me. In the past, when we fought, I would always wait for him to come home, wrap my arms around his waist, and sway him gently. "You're not mad anymore, right? Please don't be mad." He was a head taller than me, so I had to stand on my tiptoes, struggling to slide his jacket off. Then, I unbuttoned his shirt, one button at a time. Revealing the firm, muscular chest and abs of a grown man. I looked up at him, meeting eyes that were now dark with desire. I leaned in and softly pressed my lips against his bare chest, then reached down to unbuckle his belt. His breathing hitched, and suddenly, my feet left the floor. He picked me up, gently laid me on the bed, and hovered over me. He kissed my forehead, his voice raspy. "Do you know what you did wrong?" Hearing this, I lowered my eyes to hide my emotions, bit my lip, and let out a soft "Mhm." I don't know if my obedient act pleased him, but he grabbed my hand and placed it on the cold metal buckle of his belt. He lightly bit my earlobe, his Adam's apple bobbing. "Take it off." 02 When everything finally settled down, I lay there listening to his even breathing. I stared blankly at the pitch-black ceiling, then reached over and removed the arm he had wrapped around me. Finally, I squeezed my eyes shut. ... My comeback project was an S-tier, massive-budget historical fantasy drama. Sitting in my trailer, reading the script, I thought to myself: What the hell was I so proud of before? In the past, I always refused to please Elias—or rather, I refused to please him in exchange for resources. Even when I first debuted, starting with absolutely nothing and running between sets for extra roles, I never thought of asking him for help. I fantasized that one day, if a show of mine blew up and I became an A-list star on my own merit, maybe his family would finally accept me. But I forgot that to a wealthy, elite family, I would always just be an "actor." No matter my status, I was just an entertainer. I was truly poor, but my pride was entirely fake. The first snow in New York arrived unusually early this year. I sat under the awning, hugging a hand warmer and reading my script. Suddenly, Brenda gasped, "Chloe, look over there." I followed her gaze. Elias, wearing a long black overcoat, was walking through the snow, step by step, right toward me. Seeing him, I buried the coldness in my eyes, replaced it with a look of pure surprise, stood up, and ran toward him. He smiled, opening his arms to catch me in a full embrace. I looked up at him, my voice soft and sweet. "Didn't you say you weren't coming back until tomorrow?" He reached out, brushing the snowflakes from my hair, then leaned down to kiss the corner of my mouth. "Wanted to surprise you." I just smiled, saying nothing. After a moment, he said, "I'm taking you out tonight." I pulled back slightly. "But I usually shoot until midnight, and with this snow, every production is trying to..." Before I could finish, he pinched my cheek. "I already cleared it with your director." For a second, I opened my mouth, but no words came out. Finally, I smiled and nodded. "Whatever you say." That night, we went to a private room in an exclusive club. The faces inside were all familiar—people I had known since high school, Elias’s childhood friends who grew up in the same elite circles. In the past, I constantly craved their approval, bending over backward to please them. Now, I just sat quietly beside Elias. I couldn't care less about the subtle, knowing glances they exchanged. A little while later, the true guest of honor arrived. A woman wearing a stunning, custom-made red evening gown with a long train walked in. It was Mia. The woman they always referred to as the future matriarch of the Thorne family. She had gone abroad for university years ago. She gave me a brief, indifferent glance before sitting down right next to Elias. One of the guys teased her, "How did you manage to get even prettier after a trip abroad?" His comment opened the floodgates, and everyone started chiming in. Mia laughed, "Oh, please, stop making fun of me." Then she turned to Elias, her voice playful and affectionate. "Are they telling the truth, Elias?" I looked down and took a sip of my drink. I didn't look to see Elias's expression, but I heard him give a soft, affirmative "Mhm." When the food arrived, I kept my head down and focused on eating. They talked about their childhood memories—things that happened long before I ever met them. In the past, I would get so upset that I couldn't join the conversation, that I couldn't understand their inside jokes. Not anymore. I don't know who said it, but someone laughed, "I remember back then, Elias was always saying, 'Mia is going to marry me and only me when we grow up.'" A dead silence fell over the room. After years in the entertainment industry, I had mastered the art of zoning out, selectively deafening myself to things I didn't want to hear. It had become second nature. Sensing the sudden, awkward silence, I looked up in confusion. Only to crash straight into Elias’s pitch-black gaze. Having been with him for so long, I could easily read his emotions from the slightest micro-expressions. He was displeased. Though I had no idea why he was upset. Then I heard Mia's voice. "Oh, stop talking nonsense. Can't you see Elias's girlfriend is sitting right here?" I kept a polite, professional smile on my face. I glanced at Mia, who looked entirely unapologetic, and felt absolutely nothing. Mostly, I just didn't care. I hadn't been Elias's "girlfriend" for a long time. I was his canary. A transactional arrangement between a kept woman and her benefactor, requiring zero emotional investment. When we got back to the villa that night, Elias smelled faintly of alcohol. He was unusually rough that night, his upturned, peach-blossom eyes burning with anger. I didn't know what he was so mad about. At first, I tried to arch my back and accommodate him, but by the end, I was crying and begging him to stop. 03 Over the next few days, I sent Elias a few texts, but he ignored them all. So I stopped trying. I focused on filming. Because the set was far away, I stayed at a hotel. One day, I was crouching on the ground making a snowman when Brenda ran over, her long puffer coat flapping, looking completely frantic. She shoved her phone in my face. The number one trending topic was: [The Billionaire and the Heiress: A Match Made in Heaven]. She clicked on it, and the first thing that popped up was a photo of a woman linking arms with a man. The background was opulent and glittering—likely some high-society gala. Mia had a classic, radiant beauty. In the photo, she wore a gold gown that perfectly hugged her curves. Her hair was elegantly swept up, and her eyes looked as soft as water. Elias wore a black tuxedo, looking tall and imposing, a faint, almost imperceptible smile on his lips. I smiled. "They really do look perfect together." I looked away. If I hadn't been in the picture, it probably would have been a beautiful love story. But then again, whether I was in the picture or not, they were destined to end up together. Just like in a novel, the vicious supporting female character always gets written out, and the male and female leads live happily ever after. Netizens are always obsessed with high-society drama. I don't know who posted it, but there was also a very blurry photo floating around, claiming to be Elias and Mia. That night, after wrapping up a late shoot, I got into the van. Brenda had been holding her phone the entire ride, her brows furrowed, staring at the screen like she was trying to burn a hole through it. I leaned back and closed my eyes. Suddenly, she reached out, pointing at the blurry photo on her screen. "Is this you?" Hearing her, I slowly opened my eyes and gave it a casual glance. I froze. The heavily zoomed-in, pixelated image was taken under the monorail tracks in the city of Havenbrook. I had been filming there at the time. Elias had gone abroad because of a crisis with a foreign partnership, and ended up staying there for three months. Havenbrook was sweltering. That evening by the river, even the breeze blowing off the water felt hot. I was wearing a loose, oversized tank top, holding a mini fan, wanting to call him during my break. But afraid of interrupting his work, I just took a picture of the river view and sent it to him, telling him how beautiful and fun the city was. I was sitting on a small folding stool, looking down at my script, taking a sip of ice-cold milk tea. Suddenly, a shadow fell over my pages. I looked up in confusion. Elias was standing there in a black T-shirt, looking down at me with a smile, the evening wind ruffling his slightly curly hair. Right at that moment, the monorail roared past overhead. I jumped up excitedly and threw my arms around him. "You're back!" "Didn't you say it would take a few more days?" He wrapped one arm around my waist, rested his forehead against mine, and smiled, his eyes shining. "Didn't someone say they wished they had magic so they could instantly teleport me here?" "The magic worked." "Oh." My ears turned red at his teasing, but after not seeing him for so long, I really, really missed him. I bit my lip, unable to hide the joy in my eyes, and motioned for him to lower his head. He chuckled softly and obediently leaned down. I smiled and asked, "Did you miss me?" He smiled back, nodding. "Mhm." Hearing that, my eyes crinkled into crescents, and I turned my head to kiss the corner of his mouth. That was the exact moment captured in the photo. It must have been a random passerby taking a picture of the monorail, and Elias and I happened to be standing right underneath it. "Yeah," I replied softly, turning my head to look out the window. Outside, the city was a blur of traffic and neon lights, reflecting endlessly on the glass. From seventeen to twenty-six, I truly believed we would make it to the end. I thought we would get married and have a child together. But while I was dreaming about our future, Elias had already carefully weighed his options and reached a conclusion. Marrying me wasn't a good investment. 04 A few days later, Elias and Mia were trending again: [Thorne CEO Drops $3 Million Just to Make Heiress Smile]. By the time I saw it, I had already wrapped up filming for the day and was back at the villa. I took a shower and got into bed. When I woke up, the sky outside was pitch black. Elias had come home at some point and was sleeping with his arms wrapped around me. He was a light sleeper. When I slowly turned over, the arm around my waist tightened. He pulled me flush against his chest, his voice raspy. "You're awake?" "Mhm." I hummed softly, turning to face him. I smiled, opened my eyes, and rubbed my head affectionately against his neck. "Elias, Director Zhang is casting a new movie soon. I want the lead role." His dark eyes stared at me, unreadable. "Please? Hmm?" I hugged his lean waist, looking up at him with wide, expectant eyes. Suddenly, he flipped us over, pinning me beneath him, looking at me with a half-smile that didn't reach his eyes. I thought about it, reached up to loop my arms around his neck, stared at his lips, and was just about to kiss him. He abruptly pulled away, his face turning ice-cold. He grabbed his coat from the chair and headed straight for the door. I sat up, bewildered by his sudden mood swing. I ran barefoot across the room and hugged him from behind. I mumbled into his back, "What's wrong? Why are you suddenly so mad?" The massive bedroom fell dead silent. Resting my head against him, I was genuinely confused. Did he get into a fight with Mia and come back here to take it out on me? "Don't you have anything you want to ask me?" "Huh?" He turned around and asked me an even more inexplicable question, his eyes burning into mine. "Do you still love me?" "Of course I do. How could I not love you?" I lied without blinking, smiling to keep my benefactor happy. But he didn't seem happy at all. He just pulled me into a crushing hug. Listening to the heavy, rapid beating of his heart, I heard him whisper: "Do you?" I had a few days off, but Elias still hadn't given me a straight answer about the role I asked for. I sat on the sofa, frowning as I looked toward the staircase. Didn't he say he would give me whatever resources I wanted, as long as it wasn't love? If he wouldn't even give me the lead in one movie, how could I expect anything else? If he officially got engaged to Mia, I really would be left with nothing. My eyes darted around as I suddenly remembered the photo Brenda showed me. Whether the blurry silhouette was Mia or not, the internet didn't know, but surely the people who actually knew her could tell, right? "Brenda, can you do me a favor?" I pulled out my phone and smiled at my manager sitting across from me. "Don't worry," I said. "Nothing bad is going to happen." In this industry, I had seen so many couples who started out as the envy of everyone—who never shied away from showing their love on camera or behind closed doors—only to eventually lose each other in the pursuit of fame and fortune. I suppose it was finally time for me to graduate from the school of hard knocks. When Mrs. Thorne cornered me in my dressing room, I wasn't surprised at all. Unlike Brenda and my young assistant, whose eyes were wide with panic, I just smiled and waved them out of the room. The immaculately dressed, high-society matriarch looked me up and down with cold disdain before sitting on the sofa. She dismissed her bodyguards. "Chloe Foster?" She said my name with utter contempt. "You really are a piece of work. You even managed to fool me." I kept my smile in place. "Ma'am, I don't know what you mean." "Heh." She sneered and slapped a photo onto the table. "The woman in this picture is you, isn't it? And you're the one who went through all the trouble to make sure I saw it, right?" She tapped her index finger, adorned with a massive emerald ring, against the table. "Since you went out of your way to get my attention, name your price." Mrs. Thorne's sharp eyes locked onto me. "Your price for leaving my son." I knew when to fold. I parted my lips slightly and spoke softly. "I want the resources to propel me to A-list status. All of them." The dressing room fell completely silent. She smiled, but her eyes were ice-cold. "Do you believe me when I say I could make sure the name Chloe Foster ceases to exist in the entertainment industry by tomorrow morning?" "I believe you. But Elias wouldn't let that happen. He likes me." I curved my red-painted lips into a smile. "Ma'am, we've been together since we were seventeen. No matter what, he won't just abandon me." Hearing this, Mrs. Thorne's face noticeably darkened. After a long pause, she said coldly, "I can agree to your terms, but you have to do one thing for me in return." I answered quickly. "Okay." "You aren't even going to ask what it is?" I tilted my head. "Doesn't the Madam want Elias to be with Mia?" She was taken aback by my bluntness, then smiled. "It really is so much easier talking to a smart person." She elegantly picked up her designer bag. "I'll be waiting for your good news, Ms. Foster. After all, your flight for Fashion Week leaves the day after tomorrow. Flights don't wait." I smirked. "Take care, Ma'am." Compared to a woman who only wanted love, a woman who wanted money and power made this wealthy matriarch feel much more secure. 05 I don't know if the universe was on my side, but that day, Elias's best friend—who had been living abroad for years—returned to the country. Arthur, the guy who followed a girl overseas to study, and ended up getting his Master's and PhD there, had finally come back. By the time I arrived at the club, most of the people had already left. Elias was lying on the sofa with his eyes half-closed, his cheeks flushed from drinking too much. Arthur was standing by the floor-to-ceiling window, talking on his phone. "Yeah, it's almost over. I'll be heading back soon." Hearing his tone, I figured things had worked out well for him and the girl. After hanging up, he turned, saw me, adjusted his rimless glasses, and smiled. "Hey, Chloe. Long time no see." I walked over to Elias and smiled gently. "Long time no see. Are you planning to stay and work here now?" "Yeah. My parents' health hasn't been great lately, so it's easier to take care of them if I'm back." He added, "Don't be mad at Elias. He only drank because I just got back." In the past, I hated it when Elias drank. Whenever he did, I would get angry, and eventually, he just stopped touching alcohol. Judging by Arthur's tone, he clearly had no idea what had happened between us. But after tonight, he would. He helped me carry Elias toward the door. I smiled and said, "It's totally normal for you guys to have a few drinks after not seeing each other for so long." "Oh, doesn't he have a private suite here? Let's take him there. I'm worried his stomach will act up and he'll throw up in the car." This five-star hotel was owned by the Thorne Group, and Elias had a permanent penthouse suite here. "Sure." After finally getting Elias onto the bed, I smiled and thanked Arthur. Once he left, I walked back in, sat on the edge of the bed, and quietly watched Elias sleep. Through the massive floor-to-ceiling windows, the city lights twinkled in the darkness. The room was completely silent, save for the sound of Elias's soft breathing. His eyes were tightly shut, his hair falling messily across his forehead, giving him a rare look of innocent obedience. I looked down and laughed softly. "If seventeen-year-old Chloe and Elias could see us now, how do you think they'd react?" Only silence answered me. I continued talking to myself. "They'd probably be really, really sad. After all..." I slowly moved my gaze over his face. "We really did love each other once." "But Elias, remember this: you were the one who gave up on us first. Everything I'm doing now is just to make sure my nine years of youth don't look like a complete joke." With that, I was about to stand up and leave when the previously quiet Elias suddenly became restless, softly calling my name. "Chloe... Chloe..." I looked at him, expressionlessly took off the couple's ring we bought in college, tossed it into the trash can, and walked toward the door. When I reached the handle, my hand hesitated for a fraction of a second before I yanked it open. Standing outside was Mia, looking every bit the victor. Her perfectly made-up face broke into a triumphant smile. "Chloe, I told you. You two were never going to make it to the end." In high school, when Mia found out Elias and I were dating, her first reaction wasn't anger. It was an absolute, condescending certainty. She looked down her nose at me, her eyes full of mockery and disdain. "Chloe, you two aren't going to make it to the end." Teenage love is always reckless and passionate. Back then, I didn't care about a single word she said. But to the me of today, Mia had been right. When you're young, the massive chasm between social classes isn't as glaringly obvious. But as you grow up and enter the real world, staring up at the towering skyscrapers of wealth and power... after the initial confusion and vertigo fade, all that's left is an endless, ravenous hunger. A hunger for money. A hunger for power. The desire to climb to the top of the pyramid and look down on everything else. "Wishing you both a lifetime of happiness," I said, stepping aside. She walked straight past me into the room. As she passed, she flashed a sweet smile. "Thank you. I suppose we won't be inviting you to the wedding, then." I walked out of the hotel. The company van had been waiting for a long time. In the early hours of the morning, I boarded my flight overseas.
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