For our one-year contract marriage anniversary, my actor husband surprisingly gifted me an exclusive, haute couture necklace. A month later, his "first love" and ex-girlfriend wore the exact same one. He had told me tenderly, "You deserve the best." Like a fool, I actually posted a picture of it online to show off. Ten minutes later, his younger sister blew up my comments section. "A knockoff daring to show off? Do you really think you're the main chick now?" "My brother only has Mia in his heart! You're just a shield. If you know what's good for you, give that necklace back to the rightful owner." "And be a good girl and hand over your endorsement deals, or my brother will have you walking out of this marriage with absolutely nothing!" Clicking on her profile, it was flooded with shippers swooning over "My brother and Mia are true love" and "Get lost, fake substitute." I let out a scoff. "A single necklace? I own the entire brand. You're telling me I'm wearing a knockoff?" "He looks for a substitute, you play the accomplice. Since you two love acting so much, how about I pull my investments and let you both go unemployed, so you can go play the tragic, star-crossed lovers for real!" 01 Holding the necklace, an indescribable emotion swelled in my chest. This piece, Tear of the Stars, was something I personally designed a month ago. As soon as it was released, my husband, Liam Cross, bought it. Now it was my anniversary gift. I picked up my phone and snapped a photo of it. The caption was simple: "Received a gift from hubby. Feeling good." Ten minutes later, my phone pinged. I clicked it open; my comments section had already exploded. Chloe Cross's avatar was at the very top, followed by a long string of text. "A knockoff daring to show off? Do you really think you're the main chick now? My brother only has Mia in his heart!" "You're just a shield. If you know what's good for you, give that necklace back to the rightful owner. And be a good girl and hand over your endorsement deals, or my brother will have you walking out of this marriage with absolutely nothing!" I froze for a second. A knockoff? I'm wearing a necklace I designed myself, and someone is calling it a fake? Now this was getting interesting. I clicked on Chloe's profile, wanting to see what other brilliant insights she had. As soon as it opened, the screen was filled with photos of her, Liam, and Mia. Around Mia's neck was the exact same necklace I had in front of me. "My brother and Mia are true love." "Get lost, fake substitute." "Once Mia makes her comeback, a certain someone should just roll away." I scrolled through a few more, finding it increasingly absurd. Who did this little brat think she was? Cupid? Or did she think she was Liam's manager? I went back to my own post and replied directly to Chloe. "He looks for a substitute, you play the accomplice. Since you two love acting so much, how about I pull my investments and let you both go unemployed, so you can go play the tragic, star-crossed lovers for real!" As soon as I posted that, my phone rang immediately. It was a call from Liam. I answered it. Before I could even speak, I heard Mia's voice on the other end. "Liam, don't blame Nora. She probably didn't know..." Liam hurriedly hung up the phone, followed immediately by a text message. "Chloe is young and immature. Don't stoop to her level. Delete the post first, it's a bad look." I looked at that message and suddenly wanted to laugh. Young and immature? Chloe is in her twenties; how is that young? Furthermore, she was pointing her finger at my nose in my own comments section, calling my necklace a fake and demanding I give it back to Mia. What was his reaction? Telling me to delete the post. Telling me not to stoop to her level. Telling me to smooth things over. And what about Mia? That sentence she said over the phone sounded like she was trying to explain something for me. But thinking about it carefully, she said, "She probably didn't know." Didn't know what? Didn't know that this necklace was "generously" yielded to me by Mia? Or didn't know that I, Nora Vance, didn't even have the right to wear a necklace I designed myself in this house? I called Liam right back. This time, it was a FaceTime call. When Liam answered, he was visibly panicked. He quickly angled the camera away, so I could only see the ceiling. "Nora, listen to my explanation..." "No need to explain." I cut him off. "Have Chloe delete her comment and apologize to me. Otherwise, she can forget about ever touching any L&W jewelry for the rest of her life." The other end of the line was quiet for a few seconds. Then Liam's voice came through, carrying a hint of probing. "Nora, don't joke around..." "When have I ever joked with you?" I stared at the ceiling on the screen, my tone terrifyingly calm. "Liam, I'm giving you one hour. Make your sister publicly apologize and admit she was wrong." "Otherwise, do you think losing endorsement deals is the only thing I can make you lose?" With that, I hung up the phone directly. My phone was quiet for a few minutes, then started vibrating wildly. Liam's calls came in one after another. I declined all of them. 02 I set my phone aside and continued with my work. An hour passed. No news. Two hours passed. Still nothing. As the third hour was about to end, the door lock clicked. Liam was back, carrying takeout from my favorite dim sum place. As he took off his shoes in the entryway, his movements were careful, as if afraid of waking me. "Nora, are you asleep?" I looked up from the sofa. "No, I'm working." He walked over and placed the takeout on the coffee table. "I brought you a late-night snack. Your favorite shrimp dumplings and sticky rice." I didn't move. Liam looked slightly annoyed, as if recalling something. "Are you jealous? That necklace... I only asked Mia to try it on for sizing. It didn't mean anything else. How was I supposed to know Chloe would take a picture of it, and that you would see it?" I impatiently cut him off. "Where is Chloe's apology?" Liam sat down across from me, looking exhausted. "Nora, Chloe was indeed wrong, and I've already scolded her." "You scolded her?" I looked at him. "I wanted a public apology." "She's still young. Making her apologize publicly would have a huge impact on her reputation." Liam reached out to touch my hand, but I dodged him. "Besides, blowing this out of proportion isn't good for anyone. The people online don't know the truth. If someone with bad intentions uses this, your reputation will suffer too." I finally understood. He never intended to make Chloe apologize. He came back just to persuade me to let it go. "Liam, do you know why I gave you an ultimatum?" He froze for a moment. "Because I wanted to see who was more important in your heart, me or your sister." "Now I know." I stood up, ready to head to the bedroom. Liam hurriedly followed me. "Nora, Mia is facing some difficulties lately. Her agency wants her to take on some endorsements to tide her over." I stopped in my tracks. "And?" "I was thinking, since you are already Mrs. Cross, with status and position, the L&W endorsement might not be that important to you." Liam's voice was very soft, probing. "But for Mia, it could be a turning point in her career." L&W is a company I founded privately. Following the principle of saving money, I didn't want to hire other celebrities for endorsements. No one knew I was a shareholder in this company; they only knew me as a little-known, small-time model who somehow snagged a major jewelry brand endorsement. I turned around and looked at Liam. "So what you're saying is, you want me to give the L&W endorsement to Mia?" "It's not 'give,' it's..." he searched for the right words, "it's doing me a favor, and considering it a kind of compensation to her." "Compensation?" I laughed. "What do I need to compensate her for?" "Nora, you know about my past with Mia. When we broke up, I really owed her a lot." Liam reached out to hold my hand. "Now that I have the ability, if I can help her out, I can finally put this matter to rest." I pulled my hand back. "Put this matter to rest? Liam, when we got married, was that in our vows?" A look of awkwardness flashed across his face. "Nora, don't be like this. We are husband and wife; we should understand each other." "Understand each other?" "Understand what? Understand that you want to give your wife's things to your ex-girlfriend, is that it?" 03 I turned around, walked into the bedroom, and locked the door. Through the door, I heard Liam sighing outside. Over the next two days, all sorts of PR articles started appearing online. "Mia Set to Become Global Ambassador for L&W, Career Sees a Second Spring" "Where is the Love Triangle Heading? Insiders Reveal Liam and Mia Never Truly Broke Up" "Liam and Mia's Unresolved Love Story: Netizens Say 'We're Shipping It'" I scrolled through these articles. Every single one was written as if it were absolute fact. As if the L&W endorsement was already set in stone for Mia. There were even gossip accounts analyzing how Mia's value would multiply after taking the L&W endorsement. On the evening of the third day, Liam called me again. "Nora, I've made reservations at a restaurant for tomorrow night." I was in the middle of a video conference and signaled my assistant to pause. "Which restaurant?" "The one we usually go to. I invited Mia and Chloe. I hope you can come too." Liam's voice sounded very tired. "Let's sit down and have a good talk to resolve this peacefully." "Resolve this peacefully?" I leaned back in my chair. "Liam, given the current situation, what do you think I need to discuss with them?" "Nora, do me this one favor, please?" His voice held a pleading tone. "Chloe is indeed young and arrogant, speaking without thinking. But she also cares about me and doesn't want to see me caught in the middle." "As for Mia, she has never actively sought to cause you any trouble. This whole incident has been harder on her than anyone else." Listening to his words, I suddenly found it highly amusing. "So, the dinner tomorrow is meant for me to hand the endorsement contract to Mia in person?" "It's not like that..." "Or is it for me to apologize to Chloe in person? Because I hurt her brother and sister-in-law?" The other end of the line was quiet for a few seconds. "Nora, you know I don't mean that." "Then what do you mean?" "I just hope we can go back to how things were. You know, during this first year of marriage, we've gotten along very well." Gotten along very well. I thought back over the past year. Every time he went on a business trip, he brought me a gift. I remembered how he would remember my favorite restaurants and order me late-night snacks when I worked overtime. I remembered how he would occasionally sit in the living room with me to watch a movie, even though he spent most of the time looking at his phone. This was what he called getting along very well. Holding onto my last shred of hope for him. I said okay. "What time tomorrow?" I heard Liam let out a sigh of relief on the other end of the phone. "Seven o'clock, the usual place. Nora, thank you." 04 The next afternoon, just as I walked out of my company building, my phone pinged. It was a push notification. I tapped it casually, and a live stream notification popped up on the screen: "Chloe Cross Tearfully Reveals the Heartbreak of High Society; Innocent Goddess Mia Brutally Suppressed by Capital." I stopped walking. A live stream? I clicked into it. There were already over a hundred thousand people in the stream. Chloe sat in front of the camera, her eyes red and swollen, tear stains still on her face. She was wearing a plain dress, looking delicate and pitiful. "Does everyone know? Some people rely on their wealth and power to bully others whenever they want." Chloe choked back sobs facing the camera. "My brother is a good man. He is gentle to everyone, including that woman. But what about that woman? She actually stole the necklace meant for Mia, and she's trying to steal Mia's endorsement too!" The live chat started scrolling rapidly. "What's going on?" "Liam's sister?" "Who bullied you?" I gripped my phone, feeling the blood rush to my head. Chloe continued her tearful complaint: "That necklace was specially designed by my brother for Mia. But that woman not only snatched it and wore it, she also claimed the brand was hers! Is there anyone more shameless in this world?" "She even threatened my brother, saying she'd make him leave with nothing! Our Liam is such a good person, why should he suffer like this?" The chat exploded. "Holy shit, what kind of evil stepmother vibe is this?" "Liam's wife?" "Stealing a necklace and acting so arrogant?" My hands began to tremble. Not from anger, but from being utterly infuriated. A necklace specially designed for Mia? That was the design sketch I personally drew a month ago! Right then, a co-host notification appeared in the live stream. "Mia is joining the stream!" Chloe immediately wiped her tears. "Please don't attack Mia, she hasn't done anything wrong!" The screen split, and Mia appeared on the other half. Her makeup was very light, her eyes red, her hair slightly messy, looking utterly haggard. "Chloe, don't say anymore..." Mia's voice carried a sob. "Nora didn't mean it. It's all my fault." "I shouldn't have reappeared in Liam's life. I shouldn't have caused you two to fight because of me." The chat was instantly flooded with "Heartbroken for Mia." Mia faced the camera, tears streaming down her cheeks: "Please everyone, don't attack Nora. She just loves Liam too much. Love makes people lose their minds, I understand that." "That necklace... if Nora likes it, let her have it. And the endorsement, I never deserved it in the first place." "I'm willing to step down. I don't want anything. I just ask her to treat Liam better." "Liam is a good man; he shouldn't be caught in the middle suffering because of us." I almost smashed my phone. With acting skills like that, the Academy owes her an Oscar. The chat went completely insane. "Mia is too kind!" "What kind of evil bitch bullies such a sweet girl!" "Who is Liam's wife? Dox her!" "#CancelNoraVance" "#EvilCapitalistBitchGetOut" I looked at those comments, each one stabbing at my heart like a knife. How were they painting me? A homewrecker stealing someone else's feelings? An evil bitch abusing her power? A greedy woman stealing someone else's necklace? My phone started vibrating wildly. Calls from unknown numbers came pouring in one after another. I answered one. "Are you Nora Vance? You shameless bitch!" I hung up immediately. Another call came in. "Get out of the entertainment industry! Stop bullying Mia!" I turned my phone off completely. But the text messages kept flooding in. "Evil bitch go die!" "Give back the necklace!" "Disgusting homewrecker!" I sat in my car, feeling like the whole world was turning against me with malice. I was the one who had done nothing wrong. I was the one who had been deceived. I was the one who had been schemed against. Why was the entire internet cursing me now? My phone buzzed again. This time it was a WeChat message. Liam. "Nora, are you satisfied now? Did you really have to make this so ugly?" "The internet is blowing up. Do you know how much this will impact my career?" "Get to the restaurant immediately and apologize to Mia and Chloe, or face the consequences!" I stared at the message and suddenly laughed. Apologize? He wants me to apologize to them? I'm the one they teamed up to frame, and now he wants me to apologize? I turned my phone back on and dialed a number. "Mr. Liu, it's me." "Help me prepare the highest-level press conference for L&W Group. Tomorrow morning at 10 AM." "A press conference? Ms. Vance, what happened?" "Also, notify Starlight Studios, which we just acquired, to terminate all collaborations with Liam Cross. We will bear the breach of contract fees." The other end of the line was silent for a few seconds. "Ms. Vance, isn't Liam Cross your..." "Not starting from right now." "And contact the PR Director. Tell her I want the entire internet to know what true capitalist power looks like."

05 I arrived at the restaurant at the agreed time. I pushed open the door to the private room. The three of them were sitting there stiffly, as if they had already rehearsed what they were going to say. Liam sat at the head of the table, his expression grave. Mia sat to his right, her eyes still red, looking very frail. Chloe sat across from them, arms crossed, her face radiating impatience. I walked in and sat down opposite them. No one spoke. After about thirty seconds of silence, Chloe couldn't hold it in any longer. "You actually have the nerve to show up?" Her voice was shrill. "Get on your knees and apologize to Mia right now, and hand over the endorsement and the necklace!" I looked at her without saying a word. "Did you hear me? I'm talking to you!" Chloe slammed her hand on the table. "Stop pretending! The whole internet knows about the disgusting things you've done now!" Mia tugged at her sleeve, tears starting to fall again. "Chloe, stop..." she sobbed. "It's all my fault. If I hadn't come back to the States, none of this would have happened." "Mia, don't blame yourself!" Chloe immediately turned to Mia. "It's not your fault, it's hers!" She pointed at me, speaking viciously: "Relying on a few filthy dollars to steal other people's men, steal other people's things? Everyone online is cursing you right now, do you know that?" I still didn't speak. At that moment, Liam spoke up. "Nora." His voice sounded very tired, but it carried a condescending tone of charity. "Apologize. This is your last chance." I looked up at him. There was no guilt on his face, only impatience and coldness. "You've caused enough of a scene," he continued. "This is spreading all over the internet now, and it's having a huge impact on my career. Give Mia and Chloe an apology, hand over the endorsement, and we can put this behind us." "Otherwise..." he paused. "You know the consequences." A threat. A naked threat. I took a deep breath, ready to speak. The door to the private room was pushed open. My assistant, Wendy, walked in, followed by a group of people. The Legal Director of L&W Group. The Brand Director. The CEO of Starlight Studios. And several investor representatives whom I rarely met with, but Liam definitely knew. They lined up neatly behind me. The private room suddenly became very quiet. Liam's face started to turn pale. Mia was stunned, forgetting to cry. Chloe's jaw dropped, looking as if she had seen a ghost. I slowly stood up. "I apologize for keeping everyone waiting," I said. "Let's begin." The Brand Director stepped forward and placed a document in front of Mia. "Ms. White, this is a cease and desist letter from our company accusing you of spreading rumors, falsely claiming to be the spokesperson for L&W, and infringing on our company's brand image." Her voice was clear and forceful. "Please issue a public clarification and compensate for the corresponding damages within three days of receiving this letter." Mia took the document, her hands trembling. "What... what does this mean?" Her voice was tiny. "It means that during your live stream, you claimed that necklace was specially designed for you, which constitutes trademark infringement against L&W," the Brand Director explained. The CEO of Starlight Studios looked at Liam. "Mr. Cross, given that your personal moral issues have caused a severe negative impact on our company's invested film projects, we are officially terminating our contract with you." He placed another document on the table. "The penalty for breach of contract and compensation for damages totals eighty million dollars. Please settle this within one month." Liam's face turned completely white. "Nora, you..." his voice was trembling. "What is the meaning of this?" I didn't answer him. I took off the necklace around my neck and walked over to the promotional poster on the wall of the private room. It was a promotional poster for the founder of L&W Group. In the poster, my grandfather was sitting behind a desk, and a young me was standing next to him. That was taken when I was sixteen. My grandfather said he wanted to cultivate my awareness as his successor. I held up the necklace, looking at it against the light. "Let me introduce myself." I turned around, facing the three of them. "L&W Group. My family owns it." "Did you say the necklace I'm wearing is a knockoff?" 06 The day after the truth came to light, the narrative online experienced a shocking reversal. "Holy shit! Liam's wife is actually the heiress of L&W Group?" "What 'rich family substitute' trope, she IS the rich family!" "Liam basically married royalty, and he didn't even know how to appreciate it?" "Eighty million in breach of contract fees. Tsk, tsk, tsk. He really is going to walk away with absolutely nothing now." I scrolled through these comments, unable to say if I felt good or bad. My phone rang. It was an unknown number. "Ms. Vance, this is Liam's manager, David." The voice on the other end was trembling. "Could you... could you give Liam another chance? He... he really knows he was wrong now." "Knows he was wrong?" I leaned back on the sofa, my tone calm. "What does he know he was wrong about?" "He... he said he shouldn't have let you suffer grievances, shouldn't have favored Mia, shouldn't have..." "Enough." I interrupted him. "Tell Liam our agreement is over. The divorce papers will be delivered to him tomorrow." I hung up the phone and continued scrolling through the news online. At that moment, my secretary, Wendy, pushed the door open and came in. "Ms. Vance, there's a situation you need to know about." Her expression was very strange, like she wanted to laugh but didn't dare. "What's the situation?" "Liam is currently... downstairs." I froze for a second. "What is he doing here?" "He said he wants to see you. The security guards wouldn't let him up, so he's kneeling downstairs." I put down my phone. "Kneeling?" "Yes, and..." Wendy bit her lip. "And people online have already filmed it. Videos of the 'wealthy son-in-law kneeling for forgiveness' are spreading everywhere." I walked over to the floor-to-ceiling window and looked down. From a height of twenty stories, I could only see a circle of people gathered in the plaza below. My phone rang again. This time it was a video call from Liam. I answered it. Liam's face appeared on the screen. He was kneeling at the entrance of the L&W Building, tear stains still on his face. "Nora, I'm begging you. Give me one more chance." His voice was choked with emotion. "I was wrong. I really know I was wrong." More and more people were gathering around, many holding up their phones to record. "Liam, what do you think you're doing?" "I'm atoning for my sins." He looked up, his eyes bloodshot. "I hurt you. I will kneel until you forgive me." "Get up." "No." He shook his head. "Nora, I have nothing left now. The movie contract is terminated, all my endorsements are cancelled, even the place I live in belongs to you." "But I don't care about any of that. I only care about you." I looked at him on the screen, not a ripple of emotion in my heart. "Liam, it's not me you care about." "It is! It's you! You're the only one I care about!" His voice grew louder, and the crowd around him grew larger. "Then tell me, when is my birthday?" The screen went quiet for a few seconds. "I... I..." "What's my favorite food?" Silence again. "What is my profession? What time do I get off work every day? Why did I agree to a contract marriage with you?" Every question was like a heavy hammer blow. Liam's face grew paler and paler. "I... Nora, I..." "You don't know anything." My voice was very calm, but every word was crystal clear. "Liam, the person you cared about was never me. What you cared about was everything the title 'Mrs. Cross' could bring you." "No!" He shook his head frantically. "I really..." Right at that moment, a familiar voice came from the crowd. "Liam!" Mia pushed through the crowd and ran to Liam's side. "Get up, get up right now!" She cried as she tried to pull Liam up. "It's all my fault! I'm the one who ruined you! You can't do this, I can't bear it!" Liam looked at Mia, a flash of unnatural emotion in his eyes. "Mia, you... why are you here?" "I heard you were here..." Mia cried beautifully. "Liam, let's go. Don't beg her anymore. She won't forgive you; she doesn't have you in her heart!" I saw this scene clearly through the video call. Liam hesitated. Just a few seconds of hesitation, but I saw it perfectly clearly. After Mia appeared, his attention was no longer on me on the phone. His gaze lingered on Mia's face. He reached out, wanting to wipe away her tears. "Mia, don't cry..." I simply hung up the video call. Wendy stood beside me, having also seen the scene just now. "Ms. Vance..." "Prepare the divorce papers." I turned and walked towards my desk. "Send them over tomorrow." "Also, notify the legal department. If Liam doesn't settle the eighty million dollar breach of contract fee he owes Starlight Studios within a month, we will pursue legal action according to the contract." "Understood." Wendy took notes. "Is there anything else?" I thought for a moment. "Look into exactly how many resources Liam took from our group over the past year." "Movie investments, endorsement arrangements, commercial activities... calculate everything down to the last cent."

? Continue the story here ?? ? Download the "MotoNovel" app ? search for "409200", and watch the full series ✨! #MotoNovel