Amidst a room full of distinguished guests, my fiancé snatched away my bridal bouquet. He then dropped to one knee, proposing to my sister, who accepted with tears of joy. The wedding suddenly had a new bride, and I became the laughingstock of everyone’s gossip. But then, Lucas Reed, Hong Kong’s golden boy, stepped in with a marriage contract, boldly proposing to me. After our wedding, Lucas showered me with affection, and I once again opened my heart. On the night of my birthday party, I pretended to be drunk and fell asleep in Lucas’s arms. As people discussed how much one could truly love another, I heard him say, “I married the sister my true love despises the most, just to clear the path for her.” Every word fell like thunder in my ears. Nestled closest to his heart, I listened as he professed his love for my sister. I felt my blood run cold, as if plunged into an icy abyss. The room fell silent for a moment before erupting into a chorus of cheers. “As expected of the golden boy! Willing to share a bed with someone he doesn’t love for the sake of his true love.” “Mr. Reed is such a romantic, silently loving Chloe for so many years, even sacrificing his own marriage.” Lucas’s voice was low but tender: “As long as Chloe can be happy, I’m willing to do anything.” His friend teased, “I heard Chloe and Samuel are getting divorced. Doesn’t that mean you can rekindle your romance soon? When are you planning to come clean about your current situation?” Lucas paused before replying coolly, “Olivia can’t live without me. We’ll deal with this slowly.” “Don’t any of you mention this in front of her. I don’t want to see her make a fuss.” Everyone agreed, not daring to upset the golden boy. Someone, emboldened by alcohol, joked, “But Mr. Reed isn’t losing out either. A movie star must be quite the treat in bed.” Lucas chuckled, his fingers absently caressing my earlobe: “Indeed, she is.” I clenched my jaw, holding back tears. I had thought Lucas was my salvation from a bottomless pit. Little did I know, he was the knife cutting the rope. Seven years of marriage had become a joke. Be it Samuel or Lucas, they all loved Chloe. No one loved me.
As the party ended, Lucas personally carried me to the car. He quietly instructed the driver, “My wife is asleep, drive carefully.” Still attentive and considerate, he even lowered his head to nuzzle me gently, his breath warm against my ear. Half-lying in his arms, memories flashed through my mind like a slideshow. Years ago, Samuel Shaw, my childhood sweetheart, suddenly backed out of our wedding. Overnight, I became the laughingstock of all of Hong Kong. That’s when Lucas appeared with a marriage contract. He said he had just inherited his company and needed a stable, suitable marriage to help him establish his position in the group. At that time, disillusioned with love, I didn’t hesitate to agree to this arranged marriage. He gave me a grand wedding that stunned all of Hong Kong, with fireworks lighting up Victoria Harbor all night long. Originally determined to lock away my heart forever, I gradually softened to his unwavering devotion over seven years, opening my heart to him. Now I realized, what I thought was a jar full of honey was actually filled with poison. Immersing myself in it would have been fatal. “Honey,” I murmured, feigning just waking up. Lucas immediately adjusted me to the most comfortable position, letting me lean on his shoulder. “Baby, you drank so much. Are you feeling unwell? I’ll make you some hangover soup when we get home.” I clung to his arm, whining softly, “I was just happy today.” My voice was as sweet as ever. It was all an act, after all. If an amateur like him could keep it up for seven years, how could I, a professional actress, not manage? Lucas was clearly pleased, kissing my forehead lightly. “I have a new project coming up, so I might not be able to visit you on set often. Take care of yourself while filming.” “I’ll arrange for meals to be sent to the set regularly, and have your assistant make sure you eat everything… If you don’t behave… I’ll have to punish you…” Lucas’s suggestive hand lightly pinched my waist. I suppressed the urge to vomit and twisted away. “Stop it, that tickles…”
Late at night, I tossed and turned, unable to sleep. I thought of the hidden safe in Lucas’s study, which I had never opened before. This time, it took me only a second to open it. Because I finally knew the password was Chloe’s birthday. Inside, contrary to my expectations, there weren’t any mementos of Lucas and Chloe. There was only one company seal. The company name on it struck me like lightning. It was a company I had no connection with, but its name was very familiar to me. Because all the movies, TV shows, and commercial projects Chloe had been involved in over the years were heavily invested in by this company. I had always been puzzled. Why did Chloe, whose acting skills were constantly criticized, have even better resources than me, a wealthy socialite? The mystery was finally solved at this moment. It was Lucas, always paving the way for her. Once, a famous director personally invited me to be the lead actress in his latest film. The script and creative team were all to my satisfaction. To prepare for this role, I cleared half a year in my schedule, worked out to build muscle, and endured a lot of hardship. I had expressed to Lucas more than once how important this project was to me. But he said, “Baby, why work so hard? Isn’t it better to stay at home and be Mrs. Reed?” However, before the film started shooting, the director, willing to pay me a hefty breach of contract fee, replaced me with Chloe as the female lead. It was this company with the mysterious legal representative that tripled the investment, snatching the role away from me for Chloe. I put the seal back in its original position and closed the safe. In the dark and silent room, my eyes were misty with tears. My phone chimed with a notification, the suddenly lit screen particularly glaring in the darkness. “Miss White, have you really thought this through?” “Yes.” It was time to exit their love triangle game.
The next morning, the company’s car came to pick me up for the set. Lucas personally saw me off, kissing the corner of my lips before I left. “Baby, take care and don’t work too hard.” I voluntarily reported my schedule for the day: “We’re shooting an explosion scene today.” Lucas paused: “Wasn’t that scheduled for next week?” “It was changed last minute. We’re changing locations in a couple of days, so this saves us from having to set up the scene again.” He hugged me again, completely oblivious to my probing: “Make sure all safety measures are in place. Be careful.” My heart sank. In the past, whenever I had to film dangerous scenes like explosions, car crashes, or wire work, Lucas would always make time to personally oversee the set. Time and again, he would check the safety measures himself to ensure my wellbeing. But now… With news of Chloe’s marital problems just out, he couldn’t even be bothered to pretend to care deeply anymore. If that’s how it is, I might as well step aside for these star-crossed lovers. During a break in filming, I spotted Lucas’s Rolls-Royce in the parking lot of the neighboring set. Remembering that Chloe was the lead actress for that production, I felt a sudden urge to see him one last time. This impulse drove me towards his car. However, only the driver and his assistant were in the car. Seeing me, they hurriedly got out, looking flustered. “Mrs. Reed, Mr. Reed went to the restroom…” But their eyes kept darting nervously towards Chloe’s trailer nearby. Understanding dawned on me. I walked up and knocked on the trailer door. It was Lucas who opened it. Behind him on the couch, Chloe’s hair was slightly disheveled, her buttons done up crookedly. Seeing me, Lucas panicked for a moment before quickly composing himself. “Olivia, I came to see you and happened to run into Chloe. We were just discussing some business.” I forced a smile: “Oh? What business do you have with my sister that you didn’t tell me about?” “Just some boring work stuff. You wouldn’t be interested,” Lucas brushed me off gently. I was about to speak when his assistant came running up with a work phone: “Mr. Reed, it’s an overseas call from our partners.” Lucas patted my head, coaxing me: “Wait for me a moment, I’ll be right back.” He took the phone and walked away. Chloe uncrossed her legs and sauntered over, looking smug: “Curious about what Lucas and I were discussing, aren’t you? Oh, Olivia, my dear little sister.” “His company is about to announce me as their new brand ambassador across all lines.” “Soon, the whole world will know that Mrs. Reed’s husband chose his wife’s rival as their spokesperson…” “Isn’t that like rubbing your face in the dirt?” “Olivia, just you wait. I’m going to take everything that belongs to you, one by one.” She flashed a bright, challenging smile. She lifted her hair, deliberately showing me the fresh kiss mark on her neck. Chloe and I are half-sisters, sharing the same father but different mothers. She was raised elsewhere until my mother passed away, and then our father brought her home. Once, I had hoped to have a good sisterly relationship with her, but she always hated me and refused to get close. “Olivia, I hate you. You and your mother stole my father, stole everything that should have been mine!” “Chloe, my mom married dad in an arranged marriage. She didn’t know he already had a pregnant girlfriend… My mom was a victim too!” “Shut up! If it weren’t for your mom, dad would have married my mother! You’d better remember, you’re not my sister!” Our father always felt he owed Chloe, and from childhood, he always told me to give in to her. Even when she publicly stole my groom at my wedding to Samuel, dad only scolded her briefly before directly changing the bride on the spot. I fell into self-doubt and even depression for a while. It was Lucas who pulled me out of that quagmire with his love and gentle care. Chloe repeatedly snatched away my resources. Lucas always advised me: “Just treat your acting career as a hobby. I’d rather you spend more time at home with me.” I felt incredibly sweet inside. Meanwhile, Chloe took on several roles I had originally been interested in, greatly increasing her national popularity. Thinking about it now, my rival in the entertainment industry wasn’t just Chloe. It was also my dear husband, who shared my bed but not my dreams. “Oh, by the way, Lucas came to give me a script. He’s investing in a new movie for me, hired the most famous director, the most luxurious creative team. We’re starting production soon.” She handed me the paper script from the table. The cover bore the title in large letters – “Redemption in the Clouds.” Flipping through a few pages, my heart began to tremble violently. On the computer at home, there was a script I had been polishing for seven whole years. It was adapted from my story with Lucas, recording the journey of our seven-year marriage, from strangers to lovers, every little detail. Now it had been handed over to Chloe as a gift from Lucas. I was about to question her when I saw Chloe flash a meaningful smile. Then she raised her hand and slapped herself hard twice on the face, messed up her own hair, and screamed loudly: “Ah—” “Olivia, what are you doing!” Lucas, who was about to step onto the trailer, rushed over at the sound. He looked panicked, not even glancing at me as he pushed me aside and rushed to Chloe, urgently asking: “Chloe, are you okay?” Chloe covered her face, her eyes brimming with tears, looking pitiful. “Lucas, I don’t know… I didn’t do anything, I just invited her in for tea, and she rushed over to hit me, calling me a slut…” Lucas looked up at me, his gaze cold and harsh in a way I had never seen before: “Olivia, I know you have hostility towards Chloe, but how could you hit her for no reason! Look at what you’ve done to her face, how is she supposed to film?” “There are paparazzi outside. If they catch wind of this, how do you plan to deal with it?” I stared straight at Lucas, my eyes red but without a single tear. I didn’t explain that I hadn’t hit Chloe. I only asked him: “Why did you give my script to Chloe?” Lucas’s eyes were cold: “What script? Didn’t I tell you not to be so utilitarian? It’s just a script, does it matter who films it? Didn’t we agree that you’d gradually step back from the entertainment industry and come home to be a wife and mother?” I turned away, my fists clenched so tightly that my nails nearly dug into my palms. All I felt was exhaustion and disappointment. Be a wife and mother? That would never happen now. Perhaps struck by the emptiness on my face, Lucas softened his tone: “Olivia, I’m sorry for losing my temper. I was just worried about the paparazzi twisting this story, which wouldn’t be good for you.” “After all, the fact that Chloe is your sister is already all over the news. You’re my wife, I don’t want people speaking ill of you.” He reached out to ruffle my hair, coaxing softly: “Go back to filming now. I’ll have lunch with you. Be good.” I nodded. Turning away, I let out a cold, mocking smile. Poor Lucas, having to juggle between two women.
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