Chapter 2

If this had been before, I would definitely have had a huge fight with Lily and asked her why she was treating me like this.

But now, I suddenly felt tired, and I was sick of living this kind of life, constantly worrying and losing sleep every day.

Seven years was enough to warm even a stone.

But I still couldn’t get Lily’s acknowledgment or public confirmation.

Until everything came crashing down, and I saw Lily cheating with my own eyes.

Only then did the knot in my heart suddenly loosen.

It even came with a strange sense of relief, like dying early and being done with it.

I handed the contract in my hand to Lily, my tone unusually calm.

[This is the supporting female lead role in Director Lewis’s latest movie that I specifically fought for you. Consider it the last thing I ever do for you.]

Lily looked at the contract in her hand and laughed with disdain.

She tossed the contract straight into the trash can in front of me.

[Noah, do you really think I’m only good enough for a supporting role right now?]

Lily looked at me mockingly, tapping my chest again and again with her finger, as if she wanted to poke right through me.

[Noah, sometimes you need to understand how this world works. Even if you drink until your stomach bleeds or lower yourself to be someone else’s doormat, it still won’t compare to one promise from Jason Reed.]

Lily’s words were sharp and to the point, and they were also painfully true.

There was no denying that even if I gave it my all, I could only get her a supporting role, but Jason Reed could just hook his finger and hand her the female lead role.

I gave a bitter smile and looked at her with empty eyes.

That pair of eyes that once looked at me with admiration and worship now held nothing but disdain and scorn, like a bunch of sharp knives cutting away the last bit of dignity I had left.

I sighed and pulled the contract back out of the trash.

Under Lily’s disdainful gaze, I looked at her again. [I fought hard for this contract on my own no matter what. Since you don’t appreciate it, I’ll give it to someone else who needs it.]

With that, I turned and left with the contract in hand. When I reached the door, I saw a crowd of staff who had come over to watch the drama.

I slightly turned my head and looked at Lily, who was frozen in place. [I’ll talk to the company about replacing your agent. It should take about a month to complete the swap. I hope you don’t cause any trouble during that time.]

Even though Lily was the company’s prized and pampered actress, she was also famous for being a troublemaker.

Because of her blunt and straightforward personality, she had offended a lot of big shots in the industry and a bunch of rising starlets.

Without me paving the way for her from behind, her road to becoming an actress would never have been this smooth.

Hearing me say that, Lily’s face turned red too. [Noah, do you really think I can’t do without you? I’m telling you, even without you, I can still make it big.]

I didn’t bother responding to her provocation anymore and just looked coldly at the people gathered there. [Aren’t you going back to work?]

At my words, everyone quickly scattered.

Even though I was only Lily’s agent, my authority in the company was still not to be underestimated.

After all, I was the company’s top agent, and there were countless people who wanted to become artists under me.

I took a day off and went home to rest, because after just finishing a round of drinking and socializing, my stomach still felt like it was burning.

Lying in bed, even though I was exhausted in body and mind, I still couldn’t sleep.

Looking at the photo on my nightstand of Lily holding up a trophy, that bitter feeling in my heart surfaced again.

That was the photo I had personally taken for her when she won Best Actress for the first time.

My first meeting with Lily was at a ballroom dance social event.

Back then, she still had a youthful face, and she stood timidly in a corner, unnoticed by anyone.

And I, on the second floor, somehow found myself drawn to her.

I started paying attention to everything she did, and the corners of my lips would unconsciously lift.

Later, I found out that someone had secretly drugged her drink and wanted to get her drunk without anyone noticing.

At first, I had no intention of getting involved, since I usually didn’t like meddling in other people’s business.

But those wet, misty eyes of hers somehow left a mark in my heart.

In the end, I still chose to step in and save her.

She cried as she held me tightly and kept thanking me.

After that, she naturally became the first artist under me.

I gave everything for her, including my family.

I was the only heir to the Parker family, the richest family in the country.

But the Parker family had always had an unwritten rule: before the heir turned twenty-eight, the heir could not accept any help from the family.

They had to rely on themselves for everything in order to officially take over the Parker family.

And then, during one of Lily’s mistakes, she accidentally hurt the darling of some big shot, and was instantly blacklisted and shelved by the industry.

All the endorsements and appearances that had originally been hers were handed over to someone else.

Lily also started to spiral, drinking every day.

It was me who knelt in front of my grandfather and begged for three days and three nights before he finally agreed to help Lily.

Back then, I had sworn to Grandpa that Lily would one day become the future Mrs. Parker.

But reality slapped me hard across the face.

For Jason Reed, Lily abandoned me without any hesitation.