Chapter 2

The Metropolitan Charity Gala was a glittering sea of luxury.

The massive crystal chandeliers cast a mesmerizing glow over the room. The wealthiest elites, tech billionaires, and A-list celebrities of New York were all gathered here.

I was wearing an haute couture, star-embellished gown, sitting in the center of the very front row.

Sitting right next to me was Julian Vance—the newly crowned Oscar-winning actor, the man of the hour, and my boyfriend of seven years.

"Next up is our final masterpiece of the night—the legendary Pink Hope Diamond! We will start the bidding at ten million dollars!"

The auctioneer’s voice echoed through the grand hall.

A month ago, rumors had already flooded Snapchat and Instagram. Everyone said Julian was going to buy this diamond to propose to me on this live-streamed night.

"Twenty million!"

"Thirty million!"

"Forty million!"

The bids kept rising, pushing the atmosphere to a fever pitch.

Julian hadn't raised his paddle yet. He just leaned back in his seat, looking effortless and handsome, gently stroking my knuckles with his thumb.

His hand was warm. It was a touch that always made me feel safe.

When the price stopped at forty-five million, the room fell quiet.

Finally, Julian slowly raised his paddle. His voice was deep and commanding: "Fifty million."

The crowd gasped.

Countless cameras instantly spun toward us.

Flashbulbs went off like wild lightning, making the room as bright as day.

The live chat on the streaming platforms was exploding. The screen was covered in comments like: "OMG! Propose! Propose!" "They are literal goals!"

The auctioneer’s voice trembled with excitement. "Fifty million! Mr. Julian Vance bids fifty million! Any higher bids? Going once... twice... sold!"

The moment the gavel hit, the room erupted into thunderous applause.

I turned to look at Julian, my heart beating so fast it felt like it would burst out of my chest.

Seven years.

From the days when he had nothing, to now, standing at the absolute peak of the entertainment industry.

I had shared cold, cheap takeout with him in leaky basements. I had drunk myself to stomach bleeding at corporate dinners just to secure auditions for him.

Now, was he finally going to keep his promise to marry me?

Julian stood up. Under the watchful eyes of the world, he took the velvet box containing the pink diamond from the model.

He turned around, his deep eyes looking in my direction.

My breath caught. My eyes grew hot, and I even began to raise my hand, ready for him to slide a ring on it.

But Julian walked right past me.

A cold draft swept by as his suit jacket brushed against my arm, taking all the warmth from my body with it.

I froze. My mind went completely blank.

To the absolute shock of the audience, Julian walked to a quiet corner in the second row.

Sitting there was a young, rookie actress wearing a simple white lace dress, looking like a frightened little deer.

Chloe White.

Julian stopped in front of her and opened the velvet box.

The pink diamond sparkled brilliantly under the lights. It hurt my eyes to even look at it.

"For you, Chloe."

Julian’s voice wasn't loud, but through the microphone he was wearing, it echoed clearly through the entire hall.

The silence in the room was deafening.

Even the camera flashes stopped for a second.

Chloe covered her mouth, her eyes instantly turning red as tears rolled down her cheeks.

"Julian... this is too expensive. I can't take this..." She shook her head, looking incredibly fragile and adorable.

But Julian smiled warmly. It was a gentle, adoring smile he had never once shown me.

With his own hands, he put the fifty-million-dollar necklace around Chloe’s slender neck.

"Take it. You just started your career. You need something to give you confidence. Think of this necklace as my encouragement to a promising talent."

He said it so grandly, so righteously.

Then, he turned his head and looked at me, still frozen in my seat.

There was no guilt in his eyes. Instead, there was only a cold, condescending look of charity.

"Selena, you’re already an Oscar winner. You have everything. This necklace is too heavy for you; you don't need it.

Chloe needs it more to light up her path ahead. You're always so generous, I'm sure you don't mind, right?"

I looked at his familiar face, suddenly feeling like he was a complete stranger.

My heart felt like it was being squeezed by an invisible hand, crushed into tiny pieces. I could barely breathe.

"I don't mind?"

He took the pink diamond I had waited years for, on the night everyone expected him to propose, and gave it to a rookie who had done nothing but copy me and talk trash about me behind my back.

And he had the nerve to ask if I minded?

I bit my lower lip so hard that I tasted iron.

But I didn't scream. I didn't run away crying.

I am Selena Shaw. I never let anyone see me defeated.

I slowly stood up, smoothed down the wrinkles of my gown, and kept my spine perfectly straight.

Under the strange glances of the crowd, I walked right up to Julian.

"Julian," I said. My voice was terrifyingly calm. "Since you love playing the generous hero so much, I hope the two of you stay locked together forever."

Without waiting for his face to turn pale, and ignoring Chloe’s fake gasp of shock, I turned around.

Stepping in my five-inch heels, I walked out of the gala, head held high.

The moment I reached my private dressing room backstage, all the strength was drained from my body.

I collapsed onto the sofa, my hands shaking uncontrollably.

Julian’s spare jacket was still draped over the back of the couch.

I took a deep breath, wanting to throw his trash jacket into the bin.

But as I grabbed it, a neatly folded document slipped out of the inner pocket.

There was no title on the front, only a stamp:

"Project: Eclipse"

As if possessed, I opened it.

With just one look, the blood in my veins completely froze.

"Step 1: Gradually strip Selena Shaw of her major brand endorsements. Under the excuse of "rebranding," quietly transfer these contracts to Chloe White."

"Step 2: Use Selena’s social media traffic and industry connections to build hype for Chloe’s new movie. If necessary, leak negative rumors about Selena to make Chloe look pure and innocent."

"Step 3: On the day Chloe wins Best Actress, officially announce the breakup with Selena, securing Chloe’s place as the new queen of Hollywood."

At the bottom of the page was Julian’s signature.

The date was from six months ago.

Six months ago—right when Chloe first signed with his agency.

I stared at the document, and a dark, hysterical laugh escaped my lips.

Tears fell from my eyes, blurring the signature of the man I had loved for seven years.

He didn't just stop loving me.

He had been planning this. He was systematically draining my life, my career, and my influence to build up his new girl.

He wanted to destroy me to make her a star.

Julian Vance, you are a monster.