Chapter 2
意者
My gaze met with his. In the hospital room, in front of everyone, he yanked off my hospital gown. The bruises from the car accident were still faintly visible.
His thumb pressed harshly over the marks.
“I heard Mr. Grossman loves leaving his mark on women.‘
I gasped in pain. “Antonio, what are you thinking? Mr. Grossman is from my father’s generation. That day, I was rushing back to see you. I didn’t even change my high heels. I tripped over a waiter as soon as I entered. You can check the security footage…”
“Security footage from a hotel suite?” He rubbed the bruise with his fingertips. “I don’t want this role anymore. The resources you slept your way into are filthy.
That night at the hotel, I hadn’t even had dinner before I twisted my ankle. But I was in such a hurry to bring him the script. Mr. Grossman had been a longtime friend of my father’s. When he saw my ankle swollen up, he immediately booked a suite for me to rest.
Yet Antonio pulled out that contract and tossed it into the trash right in front of me.
“You think I care about these dirty things you traded your body for?”
Suddenly, I remembered a post from Abigail’s private account. “He says he despises those who rely on connections to climb up.”
Only now did I understand what that meant.
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Chapter 2
But he didn’t realize that he was no exception.
Back when I left home, my father had spread the word to every industry veteran. If I wanted to help Antonio secure opportunities, I had to pay the
price.
Most people wouldn’t make things difficult for me, even if they didn’t
offer favors. But there were always those who wouldn’t miss the chance to insult me when I was down.
Three years ago, Antonio got the male lead in the film which launched him to stardom. I only managed to secure his audition slot after working as a trainee masseuse for two whole months at a foot spa owned by the film’s screenwriter.
That screenwriter, Mr. Smith, stepped on the back of my hand as I did massage on his foot.
“Ms. Parrish, your hands are quite beautiful. Back in Switzerland, when I held the leash of that sled dog for you, I never imagined one day my foot would be pressing down on your hand instead.”
Laughter erupted throughout the room. I felt ashamed as my name tag of “No. 63 Technician” shone.
Everyone thought such humiliation would make me back down. But I didn’t.
And Antonio? At some point, he had already convinced himself that I had traded my body to secure resources for him.
But hadn’t he been enjoying them all these years without complaint?
He accepted my help while looking down upon me in disgust. Antonio, how innocent were you?
My head buzzed as my lips trembled.
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“Antonio, are you breaking up with me?”
At the word “breakup,” he let out a mocking chuckle. “Were we ever together?”
Of course. An agent getting involved with her artist was no big deal. It was not even considered a true scandal. No one would ever take it
seriously.
“Besides, weren’t you the one who begged me to be with you? You told me not to feel pressured.”
Back then, Antonio had just turned twenty. Despite his young age, he showed a kind of resilience in his eyes that made him stand out from his peers. That was what caught my attention.
“Be with me,” I said. “I will place the resources you want in your hands.”
I gave him everything I had.
Once, to secure him the lead role in a drama, I drank myself sick. That night, my stomach burned so badly that I sobbed and vomited nonstop. He rushed me to the hospital.
When I woke up, I met his concerned gaze, his eyes red as if he had cried the whole night.
“Grace, I have to become stronger as soon as possible. I don’t want you to drink another drop of alcohol for me. From now on, just stay in the background and wait for me. I’ll make the money and take care of you.”
But now, after gaining wealth and fame, he wouldn’t even acknowledge that he was once with me.
789 eaters
Chapter 3
