1 For ten years, Nina and I were the industry’s most notorious couple—and it was all an act. If she dined with a male co-star, I flipped the table. If she filmed a kiss, I’d storm the set. I fueled endless negative press to keep her in the spotlight, watching her rise to stardom while I became the most hated man in Hollywood. It ended when she was photographed checking into a hotel with Felix, the new heartthrob. She issued one statement: 【It's real.】 Fans celebrated but warned Felix: “Watch out for Leo, that psycho.” Felix mocked me on live: “A good dog knows its place. It doesn’t bite its master.” Then Nina texted me: 【Don’t act this time. The brand wants us to play up our relationship. Be good.】 I laughed coldly. She’d forgotten one thing: I, Leo Ashworth, am competitive. I hold grudges. I repay every debt. The psycho was never an act. … When I crashed Nina's lovey-dovey livestream, the host was in the middle of a question. "Nina, what are your thoughts on the rumors that you and Leo Ashworth have a toxic, on-again, off-again relationship?" "We are not in a relationship." Nina's voice was as cool and placid as ever. With one sentence, she severed our ten-year history. The live chat erupted with comments praising her for being so direct. Just then, the host spotted me striding onto the set. In an instant, every camera swiveled and zoomed in on my face. I met their lenses with a dead-eyed stare. Fresh scratches from my latest manufactured brawl marred my cheekbone. The fight had been simple: Nina didn't want to film a kissing scene with some rising star, so I'd shown up and made a scene. She shot to the top of the trending topics again, her new drama a guaranteed hit before it even aired. I, on the other hand, spent the next two weeks being hounded by the press and had my head split open by a rock thrown by an extremist fan. Seeing me, a flicker of panic crossed Nina’s usually unflappable face. Her brow furrowed, a wall of defense rising in her eyes. "What do you think you're doing?" she demanded, instinctively moving to shield Felix who was sitting beside her. I just stood there, and the entire studio tensed, treating me like a bomb about to detonate. The live chat on the massive screen behind them scrolled with derision. 【OMG, the real couple makes it official and the psycho ex actually shows up? Look at his face, all scratched up. He’s here to make a fool of himself.】 【Did you see how Nina instinctively protected our sweet Felix!! I’m shipping it so hard! The psycho is just embarrassing himself!】 【Can someone get security? She already denied their relationship on live TV. Why is he still clinging to her? It’s pathetic.】 【Seriously, can this infamous industry troll stop leeching off Nina's fame? Every time he goes crazy, it’s terrifying. He's probably abusive IRL.】 Somewhere along the way, my name had become synonymous with "psycho." I didn't argue. I just repeated her words back to her, my voice low and dangerous. "Not in a relationship?" It was half-question, half-accusation, laced with the bitter sting of a decade of sacrifice. She had promised me she would never be close to another man. Nina met my gaze with that same infuriatingly calm expression, effortlessly sidestepping the weight of my question. "Leo, just look at the state of yourself," she said, her tone dripping with disappointment. "Stop demeaning yourself like this. Go home." Her composure was a stark contrast to my raw, unhinged presence. The live chat immediately exploded with praise for Nina's grace and compassion, lauding her for giving even a "maniac" like me a dignified exit. She accepted their praise without a hint of irony. After playing a part for so long, she seemed to have forgotten who it was that had thrown his dignity away to build her this "unhinged protector" persona in the first place. A deep, unforgiving chill began to spread through my chest. The internet trolls had one thing right. I was a mad dog. And everything she had today, she'd gotten by standing on my back. I deserved an explanation. But before I could speak, Felix, the boy she was protecting, shot to his feet, placing himself firmly between us. He snatched a teacup from the table and flung its contents into my face. "That's enough!" he cried, his voice trembling with manufactured bravery. "Stop harassing Nina!" The scalding liquid hit the open scratches on my cheek, and a thousand tiny needles of pain erupted across my skin. I winced, my jaw clenching. Felix, dressed in a simple white T-shirt, looked heartbreakingly fragile and defiant as he stood with his arms spread, shielding his damsel. Nina saw my pained reaction and instinctively leaned forward, about to check on me, but Felix’s next words stopped her cold. "The tea is lukewarm," he declared, his voice ringing with certainty. "You can act all you want, but no one's going to pity you. We all know what kind of person you are!" Hearing his confidence, Nina’s expression hardened again. "Are you still acting?" she snapped at me. "Was I not clear enough?" My face was flushed red from the hot tea, but she didn't seem to see it. Or care. The chat went wild with praise for Felix. 【Our boy Felix is so amazing, bravely standing up to the industry's biggest bully!! That tea splash was ICONIC!】 【It’s always the psycho beating up on others. Finally, someone puts him in his place. Felix, our little angel of justice!】 【He was literally shaking with fear but he still protected Nina. Tell me they aren't the real deal!】 【But won't the psycho retaliate? He's famous for getting revenge…】 【No way! Felix is protected by Orion Enterprises. Every big shot in the industry has to treat him with respect. Leo is just a D-list celebrity famous for being trash. If he touches a hair on Felix's head, the corporate overlords will crush him!】 Nina’s disgust was palpable. "Leo, stop this. Can't you have a shred of dignity?" My heart plummeted. "Nina," I asked suddenly, my voice hollow. "Do you know how many scars are on my body?" She blinked, caught off guard. "What?" "Fifty-nine." For ten years, playing the part of the mad dog, I had chased away every man who got too close. She didn't want to drink with producers, so I crashed the dinner and started a fight. She didn't want to do a promo livestream with a co-star, so I smashed the set. She rode the wave of controversy I created all the way to the top, becoming a household name. In return, their crazed fans took their revenge on me. They put needles in my water bottle. They threw rocks at me on the street. The longest scar on my body came from a stalker who stabbed me in an alley. She used to cry when she saw those ugly marks. Now, all she could talk about was dignity. Ten years. Fifty-nine permanent reminders of my devotion. What the hell was dignity? I'd forgotten long ago. Seeing my silence, Nina grew impatient. "What does that have to do with anything? It's your own fault for being so extreme." I stared at her, taking a slow step forward. "You're right," I said, my voice dangerously soft. "And since you know how extreme I can be, you should also know I'm not the type to suffer in silence." Realization dawned on her face. She moved to shield Felix again, her voice rising in alarm. "I told you, don't you dare touch Felix!" When I didn't stop, she finally played her trump card. "Felix is with Orion Enterprises! Do you want to throw your career away? They'll have you blacklisted!" I finally stopped. The live chat lit up with mockery. 【See? Felix is the golden boy of the corporation. I knew he wouldn't dare!】 【No one who messes with Felix in this industry gets away with it.】 Felix saw me hesitate and puffed out his chest, a smug look on his face. "Now you get it. Get on your knees and apologize, and I might forgive you." My eyes scanned the set, landing on a decorative bottle of red wine on the table. In the next second, without a flicker of hesitation, I snatched the bottle and brought it crashing down on his head. "Orion Enterprises?" I sneered as his eyes rolled back in his head. "You? You're all nothing." The bottle was a sugar-glass prop, but the shock was enough to make Felix faint on the spot. Nina, without a backward glance at me, rushed him to the hospital. The clip of me assaulting him went viral. My agent's call came minutes later, his voice dripping with fury. "Do you have any idea who you just touched? Felix is the heir to Orion Enterprises! Not even I can protect you this time!" he screamed down the line. "Your reputation is destroyed! The breach of contract penalty is three million dollars! You couldn't afford that if you sold your own organs!" "Your only option is to apologize. Beg for his forgiveness. Otherwise, you're on your own!" Nina had recommended this agent to me. I knew those words were coming straight from her. The last bit of warmth in me died. I hung up without a word. If any of them had a single working brain cell, they might have wondered why, after ten years of offending countless celebrities, not one had ever truly come after me. It wasn't because they didn't want to. It was because they didn't dare. I took a deep breath, opened my messaging app, and sent a text to my family's group chat. 【Dad, I've thought it over. I'm ready to come home.】 I went back to the villa Nina and I shared to pack my things. When I opened the door, I found Felix standing there, wearing my pajamas. He flinched when he saw me. Then, as if remembering his position, he straightened up, deliberately tilting his head to show off the faint, suggestive marks on his neck. "Oh, hey, big brother. Sorry about this. I didn't realize you two were a real couple. After I got hurt, the investors insisted I stay here with Nina to recover. It's all for the cameras, you know." He smirked. "Nina needs my popularity to get an invitation to the Film Guild Gala. Your kind of infamy would only drag her down." I shot him a withering glare, having no interest in his games. "Get out of my way." I brushed past him and went to my bedroom. The minimalist space I had designed was gone. In its place were trendy, garish furniture and graffiti-covered walls. I froze, then frantically scanned the room for the picture frame that always sat on my desk. It was the only photo I had of my late mother. A voice came from behind me. Felix was leaning against the doorframe, dangling something from his hand. "Looking for this?" It was the frame. "Give it back," I growled, striding toward him. He gave me a sly, knowing smile. Just as I reached him, he let his hand go slack. The frame dropped, shattering on the hardwood floor. "Oops," he said with fake innocence. "My bad, brother." Then, he ground his heel onto the photograph itself. "I heard your mom died a long time ago. Who keeps a picture of a dead person in their room? So morbid." A murderous rage surged through me. I raised my hand to strike him, but before my palm could connect, Nina, who had just arrived, grabbed my wrist. "Leo, have you completely lost it?!" she yelled. "I already told you, Felix and I are just business partners! Why are you so jealous of him?!" Felix peeked over her shoulder, a triumphant smirk on his face. My eyes flickered from Nina's disgusted expression to the shattered photo on the floor. I took a deep, steadying breath. "Nina," I said, my voice eerily calm. "We're done." She stared at me, stunned into silence. I took the opportunity to yank my hand free. In one swift, brutal motion, I grabbed a fistful of Felix's hair. "Now," I said, my voice as cold as the grave. "It's time for you and me to settle our accounts." Felix shrieked in pain. "Nina, help me! Mr. Hayes and the media are coming to interview us! Don't let this lunatic ruin your career!" Nina snapped out of her shock, her face paling with panic. "Leo, stop! I let your other tantrums slide, but if you make a scene in front of Mr. Hayes, your career is over!" "Nina, I played the part of a maniac for you for ten years," I said, my voice dripping with ice as I slapped Felix hard across the face. His cheek instantly swelled. "What career do you think I have left?" "That," I snarled, "was for touching my things." I yanked his head down, preparing to grind his face into the shards of broken glass on the floor. The first rule I learned growing up in the Ashworth family was simple: if someone throws mud at you, you shove their face in the swamp. Fear breeds respect. As I expected, Felix started sobbing. "Are you crazy?! I'm sorry... I was wrong, I was wrong! Please, don't ruin my face!" I felt nothing. People should pay for their actions. But in the next second, Nina shouted for her bodyguards. Several large men rushed in, grabbing my arms and pinning me. "Enough! How long are you going to keep this up? You're acting like a hysterical shrew. You're nothing like the man I used to know." "He destroyed the only photo I have of my mother, and you think I'm in the wrong?!" I roared, my eyes red with fury. Nina paused, turning to Felix. "Is that true?" "I was going to give it back to him, I swear!" Felix whimpered, burying his face in Nina's shoulder. "But he came at me so aggressively, I got scared and dropped it..." Nina’s heart immediately softened. The look she gave me was filled with revulsion. "So this is your own fault, then," she said coldly. "Now, apologize to Felix." I gritted my teeth, refusing to speak. At her nod, the bodyguards dragged me forward and forced me to my knees in front of him. "Brother, I'm not a bully like you," Felix said, looking down at me, his voice dripping with false magnanimity. "Just get on your knees, bow your head, and apologize, and I'll forgive you." He placed his expensive leather shoe on the back of my hand and pressed down. A sharp, grinding pain shot up my arm. I met his gaze and let out a cold laugh. "You better pray I never get my hands on you again. Because when I do, I'm going to break your fucking leg."
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