Chapter 1

On the day cameras were set to roll, my screenwriter girlfriend promised we would announce our engagement to the press.

Instead, the pretty-boy pop idol who always gave her the cold shoulder showed up on set. Tearing up, he sighed with fabricated regret:

"I always thought I wasn’t good enough for you, so I kept running from your feelings. I guess... I was too late after all."

Angela broke down in tears on the spot. Right then and there, she announced she was stripping me of the lead role and handing it to him, vowing she’d turn him into an Oscar-winning star with her own two hands.

The room erupted into cheers and applause.

Julian threw me a smug, venomous smirk behind her back.

Angela turned a blind eye to his sneer and snapped at me instead, calling me petty.

"So what if you can act? Julian is the biggest idol in the country! Putting him in the lead is the only way this movie makes any money at the box office!"

I let out a bitter laugh, done arguing.

"Fine. If you think follower counts matter more than actual talent, then I have no reason to stick around."

I’d just love to see what happens without me.

Let’s see how much this talentless pretty face can actually bring in at the box office!

On the day of the production kickoff, I arrived ready to play the male lead, only to be cornered in the dressing room by two crew members.

"Are you guys blind? You don't know who I am?"

The press conference was starting in minutes. I took a deep breath, fighting down the rage simmering in my chest.

To secure funding for this project, I hadn’t slept a full night in two weeks. Nothing could go wrong at the finish line.

More importantly, Angela had promised that today, in front of all the cameras, we would announce our engagement.

The two crew guys exchanged awkward glances.

"Mr. Sterling, we're just following orders. Please don't make this hard on us..."

I froze.

"Whose orders?"

The answer was already painfully obvious.

Aside from me, Angela had the final say on this set.

Why? I needed to hear it from her face.

I shoved past the two guards and stormed straight toward the stage.

Before I even stepped out, Julian’s shaky, tear-choked voice echoed through the speakers:

"You're going public with him today... aren't you?"

"I worked so hard, but I guess I still didn't make it in time."

Angela sounded like she was on the verge of a breakdown, grasping at his words like a lifeline. "What do you mean?"

Julian gave a self-deprecating sigh. "I always thought I wasn’t good enough for you, so I kept running from your feelings. I guess... I was too late after all."

Through the crowd, I watched my fiancée burst into tears, throwing her arms around Julian.

"Julian, I made the right bet."

With that, she grabbed his hand and declared directly into the microphones:

"Actually, this role was written specifically for Julian. In my eyes, no one else is worthy of playing him."

"My dream has finally come true. I am completely confident that this movie will turn Julian into a Best Actor winner and shatter box office records!"

The crowd went wild.

I stood there frozen, fists clenched so tight my knuckles turned white, trying to process this madness.

So all my sleepless nights, all my running around begging for money... was just to set the stage for another man!

Cheers and clapping shook the hall.

Then, a few people spotted me standing in the shadows.

"Wait, wasn't Vincent Sterling supposed to be the lead? He got replaced just like that? God, that's humiliating!"

"Whatever, he's just an aging, D-list nobody. Trying to compete for a role against a superstar like Julian? Talk about delusional!"

"If I were him, I'd dig a hole and crawl into it right now!"

Julian noticed me too. He playfully pulled his hand away from Angela’s grasp.

"Angela, this isn't right. You promised this role to Vincent. I can't take it from him..."

His words sounded polite, but his eyes were dripping with pure triumph and spite.

Angela frowned the second she saw me, her expression souring.

"Did you seriously come out here just to humiliate yourself?"

Surrounded by reporters’ mocking whispers and Julian’s sneer, I couldn’t find my voice.

Angela lost her patience, her tone turning venomous. "It’s just one role! Do you really have to be this petty?"

"So what if you have talent? Julian has millions of fans! He's the only one who can guarantee this movie makes money!"

Seeing my silence, she feigned a compromise. "It's not like I'm kicking you out. The supporting role still has plenty of great scenes."

Julian tugged at her sleeve. "Angela, if Vincent doesn't want to give it up, give it back to him."

Angela scoffed, glaring at me with utter disgust. "Vincent, you better take what you can get. Keep acting like this, and you won't even have the supporting role!"

Looking at the woman I had loved for years—screaming at me to defend a plastic pretty boy—my heart turned to ice.

I gave a dry, bitter laugh and shrugged.

"Fine. If you think follower counts matter more than talent, then I don't need to be here to hold your hand."

I turned on my heel and walked away.

Angela shouted at my back, "Vincent! Don't you dare come crying back!"

I didn't turn around. Instead, I pulled out my phone and dialed a number.

"Director Stone, I'm taking the lead in your movie."

I couldn't wait to see how she’d fare without me.

Let's see if her precious little eye candy can actually carry a movie on his own!