Chapter 1
My singer boyfriend dumped me for a wealthy heiress.
And he demanded me to quit as his agent.
I chuckled.
My family started the company for me.
Who would dare accept my resignation letter?
His eyes swept over my dad Steven with disdain.
“Your sugar daddy? Seriously?
Grace, kneel and beg, I might let you work as a receptionist at Aurora Group.”
I smoothed my hair. Then, with a proper smile, I faced the flashing
cameras.
“Allow me to reintroduce myself.
“I am Grace Parrish, a new board director of the Aurora Group.
This is my father, Steven Parrish.”
***
Lying in a ward that smelled of antiseptic, I reached up. My right hand barely touched the bandage on my forehead when the door creaked open.
“Grace…” Judy Clark, my assistant, sighed in relief upon seeing me
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awake. “The doctor said you have a mild concussion and two broken ribs. You’ll need to rest for at least a month.”
I looked at the empty hallway behind her. Memories of the accident five days ago surged in my mind. The screeching brakes, the crash of metal, and the sound when the airbag exploded rang in my ears.
I checked my phone, only to find a red spot showing 99+ missed duty calls, either from the media or the company. None of them belonged to that familiar number of my boyfriend.
“Where is he?”
Judy’s hand shook as she clutched a thermos. Then she forced a smile. “Antonio… is a bit busy. Grace, recovering from the injuries is your top priority.”
In fact, I knew where he was–from the top trending hashtag this morning. But I still wanted to hear the fact the whole world already knew.
I reached for my phone on the bedside table. My wallpaper was a picture from last year’s company annual gala, where he and I had secretly intertwined our fingers.
The notification of the trending topic that read “Antonio Kaufman and Abigail Hall’s Legendary Kiss” popped up. Clicking in, I saw some high- definition photos.
On the deck of a private yacht, he was captured kneeling on one knee. A dazzling diamond ring of at least ten carats sparkled under the sunlight.
He was indeed busy, busy proposing to another woman.
“Grace Parrish!” The door was slammed open as Derek Johnson stormed in, holding up a tablet.
“Get up and write a public apology, now!”
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Chapter i
He shoved the tablet into my face, showing a livestream with comments flooding in.
“Cheating right after getting famous? What a jerk!”
“Heartbroken for the agent.”
“Abigail Hall, get out of Antonio’s life!”
I stared at the screen where Antonio’s eyes looked visibly red. He was as strikingly handsome as ever, but his tone was incredibly serious. “Grace Parrish and I only have a professional relationship. I am grateful for her dedication and support as my agent…”
My memory suddenly flashed back to a rainy night five years ago. In that damp rehearsal room, he pressed me against the mirror, sweat dripping from his lashes onto my collarbone.
“When I sell out a stadium…” he cooed as he bit my earlobe.
“I’ll put a ring on your finger in front of the whole world.
“By then, no one will stop us from being together.”
His voice sounded a bit juvenile yet determined, his eyes shining like
stars.
For that promise, I gave up my family inheritance to pave the way for him.
Back then, his previous agency shelved him. So I took the first flight home, kneeling before my dad’s study for 5 million bucks to buy out his
contract.
Dad threw the check to the floor, snapping, “Giving up your wealth and power just to babysit a celebrity? You’re hopeless!”
My family was prestigious and influential, with generations of power and
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Chapter 1
wealth. It was sitting at the top of the social ladder, far beyond the reach of mere nouveau riche.
Many would kill to ride the coattails of us but have no access. Even the now–thriving Aurora Group was just a branch of our vast empire.
***
“The company wants you to announce that you are the homewrecker and issue a public apology to Ms. Hall.”
Derek’s voice yanked me back to reality as he threw a stack of documents onto the bed.
“Sign the resignation papers. The press conference is scheduled at eight tonight.”
“The Hall family invested quite a sum in Antonio’s next movie. They spared no effort to secure a connection with the Aurora Group. That’s the kind of resource that you will never be able to get just by socializing.”
Judy finally lost it.
“Grace has barely slept more than four hours a day for the past five years! Even when she had a stomach ulcer, she was out drinking to land Antonio brand deals. She deserves better!”
Derek rolled his eyes. “What does it have to do with you? You really think she got those deals with just a few drinks? She probably slept her way through half the industry.”
The malice in his words churned my stomach.
Just then, the door swung open. Antonio, the very center of this storm,
came in.
The moment I saw him, my eyes lit up. Ignoring the pain wracking my
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body. I said, “Antonio, the company wants me to resign, I…”
“Actually, it’s my decision. Grace, you shouldn’t be staying by my side anymore.”
Chapter 2
Chapter 2
