Falling for the Star

1
John held his wine glass in one hand, his other hand resting on my shoulder.
“Having dinner with you, Anna, the idol, is truly my lucky day,” he said.
His hand slid a little too eagerly down the neckline of my dress.
The men at the table, all loyal to John, were grinning lewdly, egging him on.
I gritted my teeth, humiliation burning inside me.
My fiancé, Christopher Green, had secured the lead role for his idol Sophia Lee in a breakout film. Now, the director, John Quinn, had asked for Sophia Lee to join him for dinner.
But Christopher had the audacity to suggest that I go instead of Sophia, simply because I was more famous than the fresh face that was Sophia Lee. Of course, John Quinn was more than happy to comply.
“They say you’re the boss of the company, and Sophia is one of our artists. If you go, it’d be good for me and for the company,” Christopher said, his voice full of impatience.
I looked up at him in shock.
This year, Christopher had done everything in his power to make Sophia Lee a star—taking my custom dresses, stealing my endorsements, blocking my opportunities. And now, he was asking me to go sit with the infamous director John Quinn for drinks.
“What can I do? John specifically asked for you. He insisted on dinner with you,” Christopher said, his tone filled with annoyance.
“Don’t worry, nothing will happen. You’ll just have a drink, and I’ll be with you the whole time.”
Reluctantly, I followed him.
Though I knew John Quinn had a notorious reputation for exploiting young actresses, I figured I’d be safe with Christopher, a rich heir from New York and the executive director of the agency. I thought nothing could go wrong with him there.
But just as dinner started, Christopher received a call—Sophia Lee had sprained her ankle, and he was rushing to leave.
“Christopher, I’ll go with you…”
Seeing John Quinn’s displeased expression, Christopher snapped, “Finish your drink, have dinner, then you can go back.”
John Quinn also grabbed me, pulling me to toast, and before I knew it, the door to the private room was locked tight. There was no way out.
“John can’t wait to talk to Anna, huh? How about we step out for a moment? There’s a little room here where you two can have a quiet chat,” John suggested, his voice dripping with lewdness.
John leaned in close to my ear. “What do you think, Anna? Is that okay with you?”
I felt disgust wash over me. I yanked his hand off my shoulder.
I grabbed my phone, trying to call Christopher, but he hung up immediately.
John Quinn’s face darkened, his eyes turning cold and vicious.
“We’re all in the same business, Anna Yates. Don’t pretend to be so innocent,” he sneered.
“I told Christopher to bring Sophia, but he refused. He said he’d bring you instead. Now that you’re here, what’s the problem?”
I froze. So Christopher hadn’t wanted to send Sophia after all. He had forced me into this position.
The others at the table joined in.
“Who dares refuse John’s request? You really think you can cross him? Even Christopher doesn’t dare do that.”
“Don’t refuse the toast. If you do, there’ll be consequences!”
I stood there, completely alone, as John Quinn’s smirk grew more predatory.
“Tonight, you’ll drink whether you like it or not.”
Saying this, he suddenly grabbed me, his hands wandering. I smashed the wine glass in my hand and grabbed a shard.
“Let me go, or I swear, I’ll die right here!”
They froze for a second, then burst into laughter.
John Quinn’s revolting breath was on my neck, his grip on my arm tightening. The only place I could hurt was my face.
I swung my arm hard, and immediately, blood splattered across my face. I wiped it off, my face now streaked with red, like a ghost.


2
My agent, Agent Lucy, rushed me to the hospital.
"You absolutely cannot scar your face like this. After all, as a celebrity, your face is everything."
What could I do? My hand, still holding the broken glass, was pinned down, and the only place I could bleed was my face.
"I know what I'm doing," I reassured her, trying to comfort both her and myself.
At the hospital, I bumped into Christopher Green, who was there with Sophia Lee, tending to her sprained ankle.
Sophia Lee was almost entirely leaning on him, and his gaze was full of tenderness and pity, as if he would do anything to take on her pain.
When he met my angry and hurt eyes, Christopher froze.
Sophia Lee looked at my bloodied face, first showing confusion, then a look of smug satisfaction, as if she were enjoying my misery.
The next second, she clung tightly to Christopher Green.
Christopher frowned and asked, "What happened to you?"
What did he expect? He had abandoned me, ignored my calls, and had never once considered what I might have gone through.
"Christopher, that sleazy director, John Quinn, assaulted Anna. She had no choice but to hurt herself to escape," Agent Lucy answered for me.
Christopher gently helped Sophia Lee sit down before walking toward me. I thought he was coming to comfort me, to show some concern.
But no. He walked up to me and coldly said,
"It was just a dinner. Why did you have to make such a big deal out of it? Now Sophia’s role is surely lost. What will she do?"
"Do you have any idea how hard I fought to get that role?"
I stood there, frozen. He was more concerned about Sophia Lee’s role than my bloodied face, scolding me without a second thought.
"So, what do you want me to do? Should I have sacrificed myself for John Quinn and let her take my role?" I pointed at Sophia Lee, my voice heavy with disbelief.
"It’s not about Sophia!" he snapped.
"Do you know how hard Sophia Lee has worked to get here? If she lands this role, she’ll be set for life. You’re doing this on purpose, aren’t you?"
Sophia Lee had it easy. With Christopher Green backing her, her rise to fame was smooth, as all the company's resources were thrown her way—she even took my lead role from me.
I trembled with anger. Just then, the doctor came over to treat my wound, and Christopher waved him off dismissively.
"Let’s not talk about it. You’re embarrassing yourself. Just get that face cleaned up—looking like that is scary," he said, clearly disgusted.
His tone was a world away from when I once cut my finger making dinner, and he panicked, yelling at the housekeeper to call an ambulance. Now, with my face possibly scarred for life, he couldn’t care less.
Christopher helped Sophia Lee to another treatment room. I overheard her, weakly whispering,
"Did you hear Anna say my appearance scared her? Do you think she’ll hold a grudge over this?"
"It’s nothing. Just a few scratches. She’ll be fine," Christopher replied, not even looking at me.
Tears filled my eyes. How could someone who once loved me turn into this?
When I first debuted at eighteen, the company hinted that I should accept the unspoken rules. I refused, and I was blacklisted for two years.
When I had nowhere else to turn, I met Christopher Green. He paid a huge penalty to help me break my contract.
He supported my acting dreams, sent me to the best acting coaches, and told me to trust him as I pursued my career.
But now, all he saw was Sophia Lee.
The irony was, I’d been okay with him signing Sophia Lee.
A year ago, Christopher Green came to visit me on set and suddenly pulled out a ring, asking me to marry him. I cried tears of joy—five years of secret love had finally blossomed into a proposal.
That very night, Christopher told me he wanted to sign Sophia Lee and make her a star.
I knew Sophia Lee was his idol, so I had my doubts, but Christopher patiently explained that he was just repaying a favor. Back then, he wasn’t acknowledged by his family, but the Lee family helped him out when he was struggling, and now that the Lee family was bankrupt, signing Sophia Lee was just a way of paying back that kindness.
Caught up in my emotions, I looked at the ring on my finger and thought that Christopher loved me. Sophia Lee was just a past chapter. I didn’t think much of it.
But now, as he openly favored Sophia Lee, I couldn’t lie to myself anymore. It wasn’t just gratitude. He would swallow me whole if it meant helping Sophia Lee.


3
After my wound was treated, the situation didn’t look good. The doctor couldn’t help but scold me, saying that if I had cut any deeper, I would have permanently scarred my face.
After stitching it up with the best cosmetic needles, he warned me to take extra care during recovery, saying there was still a chance I’d end up with scars.
Christopher Green called me over, his face dark with anger.
“The historical drama you were going to sign for, The Dawn, don’t bother going. I’ve already spoken to the producer, and we’re going to add some investment to recommend Sophia Lee for the role.”
“And your recent endorsements and activities? They’ve all been transferred to Sophia Lee’s agent.”
That role in The Dawn had been one I really wanted. I’d written a long character study for it, and I had worked hard just to get it. It was the only role I had left that Sophia Lee hadn’t taken from me.
And now, just like that, it was snatched away.
"Why are you doing this? You know how important that role was to me."
"Well, since Sophia Lee lost such an important role, I have to give her something better. What’s wrong with that?"
"And don’t you care that you’ve ruined my face? The company’s lucky I’m not suing you for this!"
He shot me a cold, emotionless glance.
"Why?" I asked, unable to hold back the frustration.
"You didn’t let Sophia Lee go with John Quinn for drinks, and instead, you sent me. I’m your fiancée. You left me alone in that situation, refused to answer my calls. Do you have any idea what kind of person John Quinn really is?" I demanded, still hoping for a reasonable explanation.
But Christopher Green only coldly replied, “I have my own plans.”
“You’ve ruined your face, so maybe you should just retire. The company can throw all their resources into promoting Sophia Lee. And according to the rules, you’ll have to pay the company a billion in breach-of-contract fees!”
I was speechless. I couldn’t believe those words were coming from my fiancé.
That was when I truly realized: everything Christopher Green had done was for Sophia Lee.
He only proposed to me so he could sign her. He sabotaged all my opportunities just to build her career.
Agent Lucy had warned me countless times. It was obvious to everyone, but I chose to believe Christopher Green. I thought he was just doing this for gratitude, that he was helping Sophia Lee out of a sense of duty.
But now, there was no point in talking about it. I insisted, "I won’t give up that role to Sophia Lee. The shooting doesn’t start for another two months. My face will heal by then. It won’t affect filming."
“I’m not retiring, but I’m leaving.”
“Leaving?”
Christopher Green paused for a second, then scoffed.
“Anna Yates, so you’ve grown some wings, huh?”
“Without me, you’ll either be stuck with a massive breach-of-contract fee or end up in some greasy old man’s arms. Do you really think you’d have it so good today?”
“Without me, Christopher Green, how would you have chased after your so-called dreams? You keep saying Sophia Lee stole everything from you. Let me tell you—everything you have, I gave you. How things are distributed, I get to decide. Understand?”
These were the words from the man who once said he loved me and asked me to marry him.
I knew Christopher Green had always been my support, and I didn’t want to disappoint him. I tried my best for years—working tirelessly on set, always bringing in new talent for the company, using my name to get endorsements, and passing them to newcomers.
Besides filming, I’d taken care of everything for him—from picking his clothes to making him soup—anything to make him feel comfortable.
And Sophia Lee, with her pretty face, lacked talent in singing and dancing, and her acting was stiff. Yet Christopher Green poured all his resources into her, and she rose to fame, thanks to the “innocent girl” persona she projected.
I don’t know how much money I’ve made for the company, but my personal account barely had any savings.
And now, he openly told me to quit and pay a billion-dollar penalty.
I had given Christopher Green my whole heart, and this was the outcome.
I took the ring off my finger and tossed it at him—his smug grin barely concealed.
"Let’s call off the engagement."
"You can now be with Sophia Lee without any guilt."
"My contract with the company is also about to expire, so we’re done. From now on, you and I have nothing more to do with each other."

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