Chapter 1

My ex-boyfriend’s excuse for dumping me was that I was too good.

He said I was so obedient that fooling around with me made him feel guilty.

Yet he still made me stand in Valentine’s Day lines, deliver condoms to hotels, and even give up the ambulance that was supposed to save my life.

Before I passed out from blood loss, I heard someone say:

“I spent all those years playing this game, and somehow I raised a daughter this useless!”

“Pick up that phone. Look up the five biggest companies, pick a CEO, and start crying for Daddy!”

“An unforgettable first love who died young? If those bastards dare ignore my baby, I’ll haunt their dreams until it kills them.”

With her urging me on, I used my last ounce of strength to call the richest man in the country.

“Excuse me. Can I call you Dad?”

“Who is this?”

To my surprise, he answered right away.

His voice was low but gentle, nothing like what I’d imagined a powerful CEO would sound like.

Unfortunately, the pain at the back of my head was unbearable. Before I could answer, everything went black.

“I don’t care how bad my acting is. You have to make me famous.”

I had no idea how long I’d been unconscious when my younger cousin Sophie Bennett’s voice woke me.

She was curled up in Ethan Hayes’s arms, coaxing him into feeding her fruit.

He agreed with a smile.

“Relax. I’ve already contacted your favorite celebrity, and I’ve paid for people to flood the press conference coverage with positive comments. Just show up. Leave public opinion to me.”

He’d comforted me with the same promises the night we started filming this series.

Less than three days later, he’d broken up with me. Over the next two years, he’d gone through more than a dozen girlfriends.

Buying flowers. Buying condoms. He made me serve every new girlfriend like a maid, never once imagining I might leave.

“Shouldn’t we at least contact Clara?”

The cameraman sitting across from them hesitated. He’d worked with me for a year.

“This series was the last thing her mother wrote before she died. Clara spent two years filming it. She didn’t even use stunt or body doubles. You’re digitally replacing her face with Sophie’s. Aren’t you afraid she won’t come back?”

His question brought an awkward silence. Sophie, sitting at the center of the conversation, laughed.

“So what if she leaves? They’ve known each other since they were kids. No matter how pretty she is, he’s bound to get bored.”

Hearing Ethan’s girlfriend say that, the coworkers who’d looked nervous relaxed.

“Exactly. How many girlfriends has Ethan had these past two years? She still won’t let go. Clinging to him like that is embarrassing.”

“She hasn’t squeezed enough money out of him yet. Didn’t you see how jealous she was of Sophie? She hit her like some lunatic. No wonder Ethan dumped her.”

It was true. I hadn’t wanted to let go.

Ethan had brought me home when I was five. Until now, I’d never spent so much time apart from him.

I didn’t want to leave, especially not with Sophie taking my place.

I’d swallowed my feelings over and over. Just as I was about to go out and explain myself, Mom’s voice sounded in my ear again.

“That’s my girl. Even your backup men are just as good as mine used to be.”

Backup men?

When I realized who she meant, my eyes widened.

How could Ethan possibly be my backup?

We’d lived together since we were children. He treated me no differently from the cats and dogs at the mansion. Even when we were dating, he’d never said anything romantic.

He couldn’t really love me. Otherwise, he wouldn’t have casually given the ring I bought him to some online gaming companion he liked.

“Silly girl. Listen to your mother.”

“He likes you. If you don’t believe me, put on a hat, wait for the right moment, and fall into the arms of that young man who spoke up for you. I guarantee he’ll panic.”

I shook my head frantically, my heart pounding.

Ethan was obsessive about cleanliness. Anything another man touched had to go.

If I dared do that, he would throw me out of the Hayes family.

The terror of losing my family again consumed me. But soon, that fear faded.

Mom was still here.

As long as she was here, I had nothing to fear.

I made up my mind, pulled my hat down, and left the room with my head lowered. Then I stumbled into the cameraman’s arms.

Ethan’s fingers tightened sharply around his wineglass. His beautiful eyes narrowed like a cat preparing to pounce.

He looked dangerous, but he didn’t lash out.

“That desperate for company? Seducing my uncle wasn’t enough? Now you’re going after the people you work with?”

His uncle?

I looked around at the room, and my mind exploded.

The man Mom had told me to call was Ethan’s uncle, Adrian Hayes?!

“What are you afraid of? He’s the least likely to be your real father.”

Mom didn’t think it was a problem at all. I was so panicked I didn’t know what to do with my hands.

I’d supposedly seduced my ex-boyfriend’s uncle, and now Ethan was calling me dirty.

Did Mom really think none of that mattered?

In all the time Ethan and I had been together, he had never said anything so cruel to me.

“He doesn’t get to decide what kind of person you are. You aren’t even his girlfriend anymore. What right does he have to control you?”

Mom laughed scornfully.

“Only the most useless men shame women for their bodies. Don’t be scared, sweetheart. Listen to me. Be bold.”

Her words seemed to have magic in them.

My rigid body slowly relaxed. Tentatively, I leaned against the cameraman’s shoulder.

“If I’m lonely, isn’t that your fault?”

“Small and inconsiderate. Older men make much better boyfriends. Mature, gentle, and not the kind of men who’d humiliate someone by leaving her on the side of the road.”