Chapter 1
My boyfriend wanted to be a star, so I secretly pulled strings to help him rise to fame. And yet, he ended up fooling around with a producer ten years older than
him. When I confronted him, he waved me off dismissively.
“Can you stop?” he said with irritation. “I never planned on marrying you. The years we spent together? It was just for fun.”
“I’ll give you money to make up for the time you’ve spend on me. Take that money and stay out of my life.”
The female producer standing next to him sneered at me, her voice dripping with disdain. “You‘ re just a country bumpkin.
Don’t ever dream of becoming someone big.”
“Kieran‘ s destined to become a
superstar, adored by millions. You and he
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will soon be worlds apart, so you’d better give up on the ridiculous idea of marrying him. Take that money and get as far away as possible.”
I stared at them, completely stunned with their audacity.
A superstar adored by millions? A top–tier producer with endless resources? They had no idea I could end both their careers and life with just a call.
***
For a week, I couldn’t get ahold of Kieran. My calls went unanswered, my texts ignored. He’d mentioned going out of town to shoot a film and said he’d be out of contact for a while. At first, I believed him. But as the days passed, worry began to creep in. There had been news of an actor recently being scammed overseas and barely making it back.
Just as I was about to use my family connections to track him down, Kieran
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returned.
The first words he said to me upon returning felt like being doused with ice- cold water, freezing me in place, making my entire body stiff and numb.
“What did you say?” I asked, trying to make sure I’d heard him correctly.
He sighed impatiently. “I’m breaking up with you.”
“I’ll give you money to compensate the time you’ve spent on me. From now on, let’s never see each other again. My career is taking off and I can’t risk the paparazzi catching the picture of us together. That could ruin my reputation.”
As he spoke, he pulled out a $1,000 check and tossed it onto the table before heading into the bedroom to pack his things.
Did I just get dumped? Me, the eldest daughter of a wealthy family, dumped out of the blue with no warning whatsoever? I couldn’t process it. I stood at the
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bedroom door, watching Kieran shove his belongings into a suitcase.
“You‘ re joking, right? This is just a prank. You‘ re trying to prank me because
it’s my birthday.” My voice trembled as I asked.
Without even looking up, he snapped,
“I’m not joking!”
“I’ve thought this through, Lila. It’s the best decision for both of us. At least we won’t have to keep hiding our relationship anymore. Plus, I’ve got a huge fanbase, most of them women. If they find out I secretly have a girlfriend, they‘ 11 get angry. Not only will it affect my image, but the more obsessive ones might try to track you down and hurt you. I’m doing this for your own good.” “There‘ s something you’re not telling me. What is it, Kei?” I pressed on, my voice rising.
“Didn’t you say that as long as this movie that you’re starring in gets released, you’d finally step into the ranks of
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second–tier stars? And that when the time
comes, you’d publicly announce that I’m your girlfriend?”
“How is it that after just a few days away,
you come back and suddenly want to break up with me?”
Kieran grew even more impatient and snapped, “Why are you so nosy?”
