Chapter 2

I clutched my phone, my fingertips trembling.

"Sarah, are you sure it's Ethan Vance? The Ethan Vance who claims he's allergic to reality shows?"

My manager, Sarah, sounded like she was floating on air over the line.

"One hundred percent! Production just sent over the confirmation! Summer, your golden era is here!"

"With superstar Ethan on board, this show's ratings are going to shatter records! Play your cards right and ride this wave straight to the A-list!"

My vision went dark.

A-list? More like straight to the afterlife.

Ethan Vance and me on the same reality show?

Wouldn't that be Mars slamming into Earth, blowing right through the planet's core?

I tried to push back. "Sarah! You're like a sister to me!"

"You know what things are like between Ethan and me. Can you please turn it down? Just say I've been feeling under the weather lately."

"Turn it down?!" Sarah cut me off immediately.

"Do you know how many starlets are clawing each other's eyes out just to share a stage with Ethan Vance? This is Ethan's reality TV debut! The hype! The buzz!"

"My sweet girl, this is a gift from the heavens! The show is already blowing up before it even airs. Your market value is about to skyrocket!"

I fumed. "I'd rather keep my current value!"

"Wake up, Summer Miller," Sarah's tone turned dead serious.

"Forget feeling under the weather—even if you're hooked up to life support in the ICU, you're crawling out of that bed to film this show!"

"Oh, by the way," Sarah suddenly lowered her voice.

"Word is, Ethan's team specifically requested plenty of on-screen interactions with you. Do you think he..."

"Does he want to speed-run my funeral?" I ground my teeth.

Sarah sighed in exasperation. "You! You're just too stubborn! In this industry, bad press is still press. The buzz around you and Ethan is a godsend. You'd be an idiot not to cash in. Besides, the contract is already signed. The breach-of-contract penalty is this much."

She named a figure, and all the fight drained out of me instantly.

Fine. Well played.

For the paycheck, I would endure it.

But the grudge between Ethan and me remained completely irreconcilable.

After hanging up, I collapsed onto the bed, totally dead inside.

I unlocked my phone. Staring at my gaming boyfriend's gray avatar and that icy automated reply, my chest tightened even more.

At the most critical moment, the boyfriend I could rely on had vanished into thin air, while my insufferable arch-rival haunted me like a ghost.

"Why did you have to go on a business trip right now?"

"I'm about to film a reality show with that nightmare of a man for three months! Three whole months!"

"How am I supposed to survive without you venting about him with me..."

My messages sank like stones into an ocean.

I tapped his profile. It was just a simple black silhouette.

His feed was completely blank, except for a handful of generic game update shares.

We had never even FaceTimed or exchanged photos.

He told me his line of work was sensitive and required strict confidentiality, and I understood.

After all, I hadn't told him about my job either.

But now, he had vanished for three months without a single heads-up?

Swallowing a wave of frustration, I tossed my phone aside.

No, Summer Miller, you cannot admit defeat!

Even without your gaming carry in your corner, you're going to wipe the floor with Ethan Vance on that show!

I'd make sure he learned the hard way that I wasn't someone he could push around!