Chapter 1
730 Words
When Jacob Davis was surrounded by a crowd of directors and producers at the center of the celebration banquet, I sat on the sofa in the corner, watching him soak up all the attention, looking so arrogant and full of himself.
Six years ago, it was also at a business banquet just like this.
Jacob had been the one sitting in the corner, refilling drinks, forced to down glass after glass of alcohol.
Those eyes of his, slightly red and glistening with tears back then, were nothing like the calculating gaze he wore now.
"Ms. Roberts, what does Jacob mean by this?"
Alina Jones, my assistant next to me, handed me her phone.
On the trending search list, apart from the news that Jacob had won Best Actor, the only other entry that had rocketed straight into the top three in such a short time was this gossip topic.
#NewBestActorandYoungActressRumoredtoHaveFallenforEachOtheronSet
I had seen many trending topics like this over the past few years. But every single time before, Jacob would cling to my side, explaining over and over again, swearing up and down that he would never fake a romance for publicity with anyone.
I knew how things worked in this industry. So I always helped him deal with those clueless people trying to ride his coattails for clout.
But this time, I saw him repost it on his alt account. And in those photos, I saw something different in his eyes.
He and Jessie Cooper were the leads of the award-winning film.
I got him the male lead role, and he begged me to get Jessie the female lead.
The originally confirmed female lead was a top star with excellent popularity and acting skills.
But I had invested so much in the project. As the lead actor who had brought his own investment into the production, Jacob was granted the right to pick his female co-lead.
And Jessie—she was the actress who had gotten the role through his connections.
Because of this, Jessie was thoroughly slammed online with criticism.
Jacob, who had always kept his distance from actresses, spoke out in public for the first time just to defend her.
At the time, the reason he gave me was that Jessie reminded him of himself when he had first entered the industry.
I looked into Jacob's charming, inviting eyes and let the matter go without pressing further.
I even quietly handled the negative trending topics for him behind the scenes.
"Jacob, thanks to you, I got this opportunity."
Jessie stood beside Jacob, and the two really looked like a newlywed couple toasting guests at their wedding.
"There are so many of your shippers online now. Everyone's begging you two to collaborate again!"
"I've got a new script here that fits you two perfectly. Wanna give it a shot?"
Words of praise came one after another, until someone in the crowd called out, "Jacob, Ms. Roberts is over there all alone."
The noisy room instantly went dead quiet.
All eyes turned toward me.
I stood up and lifted my gaze to Jacob in the crowd.
"Is this almost over? We still have things to discuss."
The smile on Jacob's face faded immediately. There was even a hint of disgust in his eyes.
"Can't you see I'm networking? You can't even read the room."
His words plunged the entire room into awkward silence.
I looked at him and remembered six years ago, when he tugged at my sleeve, his voice soft and ingratiating.
"Ms. Roberts, if you help me, I'll repay you with the rest of my life."
Back then, his eyes were full of me. He couldn't bear to leave my side for even a second.
I did not get angry. I only said calmly, "The follow-up contract..."
"Discuss it with my team. No need to come to me."
His obvious impatience, paired with the whispers and stares from the crowd, made things awkward and embarrassing for both of us.
"Jacob, we still need to go toast Mr. Scott. Don't waste any more time."
Jessie's soft, coquettish voice broke the stalemate.
Jacob immediately put on a gentle smile and murmured his agreement.
The room grew noisy again.
I set down my wine glass and prepared to leave.
As I turned, I caught a glimpse of a figure I'd never been able to forget flashing past outside the door.
- Writer
