My sugar daddy brought me to a fancy party, and I got into a massive brawl with his childhood sweetheart. When he finally pulled me out of the chaos, I glared at him through my messy hair. “Picking sides, are we?” He said nothing. I ripped the ring off my finger and threw it in his face. “I’m dumping you.” 1 I was Clark Croft’s kept woman. I’d been with him for three years. He was handsome, rich, and incredible in bed. He was generous with me, too. His only rule? No kissing scenes. It cost me a few roles and earned me a reputation for being “stuck-up,” but I didn’t care. I’ve always been the type to play by the rules and never cause him trouble. I just never imagined my first time causing trouble would be this big. I beat up the woman he’d supposedly been in love with his whole life, who had just returned from overseas. 2 It all started when Clark asked me to be his date to a party. I never fit in with his high-society crowd and was tempted to refuse, but I’d been away filming for three months, and the truth was, I missed him. So I went. As expected, I ran into people I’d rather avoid. I tried to steer clear, but they always seemed to find me. I had just stepped out into the garden for a breath of fresh air when Evelyn and Cara followed me. Evelyn was Clark’s childhood friend. Her family had moved abroad a few years ago for business and had only recently returned. Cara was my arch-nemesis, the one who constantly paid for smear campaigns and negative press about me. I never would have guessed they knew each other. I sat on a bench, not wanting to move. Cara, arms crossed, started in with her thinly veiled insults. “Isn’t this Mr. Song’s engagement party? How did they let just anyone in?” Evelyn glanced at me, her tone flat. “Didn’t you drag me out here to talk? Is this it?” Cara shot her a sycophantic smile. “Don’t be in such a rush, Evie. It was so stuffy inside. Let’s get some air, we can chat while we walk.” Evelyn didn’t say anything, just leaned casually against the fountain. “Evie, are you and Clark getting married?” “Mm, it’s more or less decided.” “That’s wonderful! A match made in heaven. Some people should really know when to make a graceful exit.” Evelyn remained silent. Cara kept talking, but I wasn’t listening. I turned to leave, but her next words stopped me in my tracks. “Some people aren’t just trash themselves, their families are a mess, too. That construction project disaster… so many people lost their jobs. If you ask me, the person in charge getting off with just a broken leg was karma.” My steps faltered. I turned, walked right up to her, and slapped her twice. Cara clutched her face, glaring at me. “Ivy, are you crazy?” I scoffed. “Talking behind my back is one thing, but did you really think I wouldn’t dare to hit you to your face?” Evelyn frowned at me. “Miss Shaw, this is the Song family’s home. Have you considered the consequences of your actions?” My gaze was sharp. “Miss Vance, if it were your parents being slandered like that, I hope you’d also have the presence of mind to consider the consequences first.” Evelyn didn’t answer, but Cara lunged, grabbing my hair. We tumbled into a heap, scratching and pulling. I don’t know how Evelyn got involved, but by the time Clark and the others arrived, the three of us were a tangled mess on the ground. Clark’s face was dark as he yanked me out of the fray. I was a complete wreck. Across from me, Evelyn looked much better. I leveled a cold glare at Clark. “Picking sides, are we?” His brow was furrowed, but he said nothing. I ripped the ring off my finger and threw it in his face. “I’m dumping you!” Holding my breath, I ran out of the garden, out of the house, and jumped into a taxi that had just pulled up. But I couldn’t hold back the tears. A wave of overwhelming hurt washed over me. I had just wrapped a shoot yesterday and had come to see him, filled with longing. We barely spoke, and then I get humiliated and he takes her side. My phone buzzed relentlessly. It was Clark. I answered, launching a preemptive strike. “The penthouse is in my name. You have one week to move out!” I hung up and blocked him on everything. That bastard. We were done. 3 I didn’t go back to the penthouse. I found a random hotel and checked in. After a shower, I finally calmed down enough to realize how insane my actions had been. I had to be the first kept woman to ever kick out her sugar daddy. I was getting bolder and bolder with him. In the beginning, I was the one who was timid and subservient. I first met Clark at an industry party. My agent was forcing me to schmooze with directors and investors. My family used to be well-off, but my father’s construction business had gone under. He not only broke his leg, but he also used every penny we had to compensate his workers. We were drowning in debt, and my parents were stressed to their breaking point. I wanted to help, so when a scout offered me a contract, I signed it without thinking. It was a predatory deal. I got no resources and was dragged to parties to drink with powerful men. I couldn’t afford to break the contract, so I dodged a few parties by faking illnesses. Until that night, when I had no choice but to go. I pushed open the door to a private room filled with middle-aged men. At the head of the table, Clark was a breath of fresh air, impossible to miss. But he was just leaving as I arrived. In a panic, I followed him out. “Sir,” I asked, “can I be with you?” He was a head taller than me and looked down. “And why is that? Do I look like the easiest target?” He looked like the hardest target, but I didn’t dare say that. I shook my head earnestly. “You’re the most handsome.” Clark chuckled. “I know.” I could sense his impatience. I wracked my brain. “You look like a good person.” A half-smile played on his lips. “You’re a bad judge of character, then.” And then he left, and my agent dragged me back inside. They forced a lot of alcohol on me. When a fat, greasy director’s hand landed on my thigh, I struggled, knocking over a glass. He slapped me, calling me ungrateful, and started pulling at my clothes. In a moment of desperation, I grabbed a shard of broken glass and stabbed him in the leg. I was sure I was going to jail. Then, the door to the room swung open, and Clark was standing there. He glanced inside, and the director, who had been squealing like a pig, fell silent. “Didn’t you want to be with me? What are you waiting for?” I dropped the glass shard and threw myself into his arms, shaking so hard I could barely stand. He held me until he carried me out of there. 4 Clark took me back to his penthouse on the South Bank. I had showered hours ago but was too scared to leave the bathroom. I could hear him on the phone outside, dealing with the mess from earlier. When the talking stopped, I wrapped a towel around myself and walked out. He was lounging on the sofa, his white shirt unbuttoned at the top, revealing a hint of his collarbones. I walked up to him, mustered all my courage, and dropped the towel. I didn't dare to look up. He stood, picked up the towel, and wrapped it around me again. “Not very old, but you’ve got a lot of tricks,” he teased. My face was burning. “I… I’ve never been with anyone before… I don’t know the… procedure…” “Look at me.” I clutched the towel and forced myself to meet his eyes. His gaze was calm, with a playful glint that was both captivating and dangerous. “You trust me that much? Not afraid I’m worse than them?” A jolt of fear shot through me. I quickly tried to flatter him. “No way. Good-looking people are always kind.” He laughed, pulling me close until our bodies were pressed together. He bent his head and kissed me. It was my first kiss. My head was spinning. His thumb gently caressed my lips. “Go to sleep,” he murmured. “Are you scared to sleep alone?” I nodded dazedly. “Hm? Is that how you treat the person you’re with?” The upward lilt in his voice was a warning. I threw my arms around him. “I’m scared. I want you to hold me.” Satisfied, he tucked me into bed and went back outside to make another call. Half an hour later, he came back and held me as I fell asleep. For the next few days, I obsessively checked the news, but there was nothing about me. A week later, my predatory contract was terminated. Clark set me up with a new agency and a new agent. The director who had tried to assault me vanished from the industry. For three years, Clark gave me the best resources, roles that were perfect for me. I worked my way up from an unknown actress to a solid B-lister. My family’s debts were all paid off. My parents opened a small shop back home. Everything seemed to be getting better. Only I knew that things were getting worse. Because I was falling deeper and deeper for Clark. He was my benefactor, but I couldn’t stop myself from thinking of him as my lover. I don’t know when it started. Falling in love with Clark was just too easy. 5 The next morning, I woke up to hundreds of missed calls, mostly from my agent, Claire. I had no idea what was going on. I quickly called her back, and her booming voice chased away all my drowsiness. “My dear God, you finally answered your phone! Do you have any idea what’s happening?” “What did you do last night? What is going on?” I was completely bewildered. While still on the phone, I checked the trending topics. #IvyShawAttacksCaraMiller #IvyShawGetOutOfShowbiz #IvyShawRetires A video of my fight with Cara had been leaked, but it was cleverly edited. It cut out everything before and after, showing only the few seconds where I lunged at her. I closed my eyes and explained everything to Claire, including the fact that I had broken up with Clark. After all, I didn’t have a sugar daddy to protect me anymore. Claire was silent for a long moment, then sighed. “Take a few days off. Stay off the internet. I’ll figure something out.” After hanging up, I watched the video again. It was shot from a hidden angle, clearly premeditated. Even Evelyn, who had been standing right there, was cropped out. The frame only showed me and Cara. The comments were a landslide. 【Ivy Shaw looks like such a bitch. And she actually hits people. Someone finally exposed her.】 【I heard she has a powerful sugar daddy. How else could she get so many good roles with her terrible acting?】 【Insider info: she was just a stand-in for his real love. Now that the real one is back, she’s been kicked to the curb.】 I knew from the “stand-in” comments that Cara was behind this, manipulating public opinion. But I felt strangely calm. Let them curse me. It was part of the job. As long as they left my family out of it, I could take it. As for being a stand-in, that was pure nonsense. When Clark and I first got together, he was so good to me it was almost unsettling. One time, he picked me up from a dinner party, and fueled by a bit of liquid courage, I asked him if I looked like someone he knew. He had wrapped his arms around me and flicked my forehead. “Getting a little too into your roles, are we? A stand-in? I don’t do that.” I pushed my luck and asked if there was anyone else. He scoffed. “Do I look like I have the time?” Getting that confirmation made me happy for a long time. Maybe Clark wasn’t deeply in love with me. Maybe it was the novelty, or maybe he was just too lazy to find someone new. It didn’t matter. At least while we were together, there was no one else. I could live without being loved. I could live without being his one and only. But I couldn’t live without that last shred of dignity. 6 Because of the sudden negative press, a variety show I was scheduled to appear on was canceled. Now I was stuck in my hotel room, afraid to go out. I was genuinely scared of anti-fans. Two years ago, I played a crazy, villainous character. The role was beautiful and unhinged, and I portrayed her so well that people said it didn't seem like I was acting. I just never expected someone to confuse the character with the actor. While I was recovering from a leg injury, someone threw a hornet’s nest at me, trying to disfigure me. Thankfully, Clark arrived quickly. He set his own suit jacket on fire to drive the hornets away. A custom-made suit worth hundreds of thousands, gone just like that. I shook my head, trying to clear the thought of him. I checked my phone for missed calls and messages. Encouragement and comfort from all my friends. But nothing from Clark. Then it hit me. I had blocked him. On everything. I threw my phone down in a fit of pique. He was powerful enough. If he wanted to find me, he could. He just didn’t care. Sitting by the window, I felt so contradictory and dramatic. I knew it was impossible, but I couldn’t help but hold on to a sliver of hope. I always felt like he must like me, at least a little. After all, he was the one who came to me on New Year’s Eve, braving a snowstorm just to be with me. The first New Year I spent with him, I didn’t go home because of a tight schedule. I stayed at the penthouse. On New Year’s Eve, I was drifting off to sleep when I heard the front door open. I shot up in bed, grabbed a lamp, and crept to the door. Clark was standing in the foyer, snowflakes still clinging to his shoulders. He raised an eyebrow at the lamp in my hand. “Is this how you welcome me on New Year’s?” I dropped the lamp and jumped on him. I wanted to ask him why he was here, but I had a feeling he wouldn’t want to hear that. So the words that came out were, “How is it that you appear the moment I think of you?” He carried me to the bedroom, his voice a teasing whisper in my ear. “Let me see just how much you were thinking of me.” Outside, the wind howled. Inside, the air was thick with heat. By the time he finished his shower, I was already half-asleep. In a daze, I felt him tuck a red envelope under my pillow and press a kiss to my forehead. “Happy New Year, Ivy.” The first New Year I spent without my parents, I wasn't alone.
? Continue the story here ?? ? Download the "MotoNovel" app ? search for "392947", and watch the full series ✨! #MotoNovel