Theater: NovelMaster | Language: English | NEW
Synopsis
My former influencer best friend, Amber, suddenly brought me up during her livestream. "Chloe, my twenty-fifth birthday is coming up. I’ve moved past everything that happened between us. I really hope you can make it to my party."
I had already stepped back from the internet and wanted nothing to do with her drama. I sent her a direct message on Snapchat: "Thanks for the invite, but I have other plans. Sorry."
I didn’t expect her to screenshot my DM and blast it live to her viewers. "Looks like Chloe still holds a grudge against me."
Instantly triggered by her playing the victim, her followers flooded the comments with hate.
"Amber already forgave her! Why is she acting so entitled?"
"She has zero followers left anyway. If Amber didn't pity her, who would even remember her?"
"If she hadn't pissed off that major brand back then, Amber wouldn't have been canceled and cyberbullied for a month. Amber rebuilt her own fame, while Chloe still acts high and mighty. What a hypocrite."
I sent her another DM, keeping it firm: "Happy birthday in advance, but I won’t be coming."
This time, Amber replied in seconds.
"Didn't we promise to watch each other find happiness? My top donor is also my boyfriend, and he's going to be there. I really want you to witness our love."
Before I could decline, she sent a video.
It was a clip of her and her mysterious sugar daddy acting all sweet together. "He’s a hotshot CEO. I’m only letting you see this before I officially reveal him to my fans tonight."
With just one glance, my blood ran cold. The man in the video was Logan—my fiancé.
Swallowing the sharp pain in my chest, I typed back: "I'll be there to witness your happiness."
Logan walked through the door just then. When he saw me sitting in the living room, he froze, visibly panicking as he tried to hide the gift box behind his back. Realizing I was staring right at him, he forced a casual smile, walked over, and kissed my forehead. "Babe, why aren't you out shooting content today? Something came up at the branch office, so I have to head out of town. Sorry I can't stay."
He set the box on the counter, his eyes lingering on it with reluctant hesitation.
Then, putting on a dramatic act, he turned to me. "I was planning to surprise you, but you caught me red-handed. Here—a custom watch and some treats. Try it on!"
I let out a soft chuckle and pulled the lid off. Inside sat a flashy watch completely encrusted with pink diamonds.
It wasn't my style at all. I had always preferred understated elegance over loud, gaudy bling. It was painfully obvious this hadn’t been bought for me.
Before I could ask, Logan scrambled for an excuse. "You always dress so quiet luxury, so I thought I'd get you something bold for a change. But if you don't like it, that's fine—I'll just return it and get something else."
He reached out eagerly to snatch the box back.
I pressed my hand firmly over his, smiling straight into his eyes. "Actually, it's perfect for a party. Thank you, babe. I love it."
Logan's smile stiffened, turning into an awkward grimace. "Glad... glad you like it."
I opened the bakery box next. To stay in shape, I hadn't touched sweets in months.
Inside were eight glazed donuts.
"I saw that viral trend on TikTok, so I grabbed them," he said smoothly. "All the donuts are yours."
I looked down, playing along. "Thanks, Logan. You're the best."
We grew up together. He had always been desperate to climb the social ladder, but hard work only gets you so far without connections. To prove his worth to my wealthy parents, I founded a company, handed him the CEO title, and quietly funneled high-paying clients and contracts his way.
Even with his mediocre skills, my background made his business soar.
I never imagined the resources I handed him would become his budget to spoil another woman.
Logan grabbed his suitcase, looking back at the watch on the table three times before heading to the door.
I acted oblivious and gave him a playful wave. "Go on, silly. It's not like we won't see each other again. Why so clingy?"
He had no choice but to leave. At the door, he gave his routine sign-off: "Love you, babe. Be back soon. Kiss kiss."
I didn't say it back. Blinded by his own lies, he didn't even notice my silence, mechanically going through the motions before rushing out.
The second the door clicked shut, I dumped the donuts straight into the trash can.
If it wasn't meant for me, it was garbage.
I drove over to the luxury hotel Amber booked for her party.
She was wearing a gown from the same luxury fashion house as mine, except hers was last season’s couture.
Around her neck was a necklace that looked sickeningly familiar.
A month ago, during a rare weekend we spent relaxing, Logan pointed at an actress on the Met Gala red carpet and asked if I liked her jewelry.
I thought he was planning a surprise for me, so I smiled and told him it was gorgeous. Knowing the piece cost seven figures and not wanting him to struggle financially, I went behind the scenes the very next morning and secured him a multi-million-dollar contract.
Now, reality gave me a brutal slap in the face.
His surprise was meant for Amber all along.
A cluster of local influencers buzzed around her like flies.
"Amber, that couture dress is insane! I heard only two A-list celebs have ever worn this brand. Are you secretly an heiress or something?"
"Wait, isn't that necklace identical to the one the pop star wore last month? That’s a one-of-five collector's piece! I can't believe I'm seeing one in real life."
Amber giggled, waving her hand modestly. "Stop it, you guys! I'm just a normal girl. My boyfriend bought all of this for me. He promised an even bigger surprise later tonight."
She lowered her head with a shy, practiced blush.
The crowd squealed with excitement.
"We finally get to meet your mysterious billionaire daddy!"
"I'm so jealous of you, Amber! Flawless career and the perfect man."
"Can't wait to see how he flexes his wealth tonight!"
Ever since Logan and I got together, I never bothered checking how much his company made. My personal investments earned more than his entire business was worth.
He had been working late every night. I thought he was grinding for our future. Turns out, he was busting his ass to shower Amber with luxury gifts.
And he did it knowing damn well that Amber and I had a falling out.
Fine. If he wants to play dirty, I’m ready to burn it all down.The moment I walked into the ballroom, the chatter died down.
When Amber saw my dress, the smile froze right on her face.
One influencer gasped, pointing at me. "Wait... she's wearing the exact same designer as Amber, but that's from the unreleased next-season runway collection! How is that possible?"
"Look at her trying to upstage the birthday girl. So tacky."
"She totally crashed just to cause drama. Who knows if that dress is even real?"
Influencers care about vanity just as much as Hollywood stars.
I smiled, casually walking up to Amber. Since she begged me to come, she'd better be ready for the consequences.
"Amber, long time no see."
She quickly hid her panic and put on a watery-eyed, dramatic pout. "Chloe! I honestly didn't think you'd come. You even coordinated your outfit with mine like back when we were besties... I'm so touched!"
Her sweet words were clearly meant to paint me as the petty bitch trying to copy her.
I held up the gift box in my hands. "Here's your birthday gift. Happy birthday."
"Just having you here is enough! You really didn't have to buy anything—"
Her voice cut off instantly. Her gaze locked onto the diamond watch wrapped around my wrist, and her face went completely pale.
She grabbed my arm with bruising force and shrieked, "Where the hell did you get this watch?!"
Before I could say a word, she shoved me violently.
Completely off balance, I tumbled down the marble stairs.
Amber rushed down, grabbing a fistful of my hair to jerk my head back with pure malice. "Chloe, I treated you like a sister, and you try to steal my boyfriend? After all these years, are you still obsessed with taking what's mine?"
Her words exploded like a bomb in the room, immediately setting off the crowd of influencers.
"Wait, Amber, don't jump to conclusions. Could it just be the same model?"
"She's totally irrelevant now, but she was an OG internet star back in the day. She definitely made bank."
Hearing someone defend me made Amber even more furious. She raised her hand and struck me across the face twice, hard.
A sharp sting tore through my cheek.
I tried to fight back, but two of her private security guards stepped in and pinned my arms tightly behind my back.
I had no idea Amber had gotten arrogant enough to commit assault in broad daylight.
"You're not afraid of me calling the police?" I spat out.
Amber let out a condescending sneer and ground the heel of her designer shoe onto the back of my hand. "Call them! Chloe, we were besties—do you think I don't know your broke background? Your construction-worker dad could never afford a watch like this!
"Go ahead and call 911! In this world, money buys the law. Absolute justice is a joke.
"My boyfriend drops tens of thousands on my livestreams in a single night. With him covering for me, who am I supposed to be afraid of?"
She ripped the watch off my wrist and held it up for the room to see.
"The back of the casing has my initials engraved right on it! This watch is a custom piece. I love shimmering stars, so Logan covered it in countless micro-diamonds, and I hand-picked every single center stone myself."
She pulled out her phone and displayed her Snapchat chat history with Logan on the screen.
"Holy shit, that's literally an eight-figure Patek Philippe!"
"Ugh, the billionaire romance... they are so sickeningly sweet!"
Someone in the crowd even started reading the text messages out loud, mimicking their flirtatious tone.
"Babe, what color gemstone do you want?"
"I only want you, my priceless gem."
"I love you, Amber. You're worth more than all the jewels in the world."
"I love you too. Meeting you was the best thing that ever happened to me."
Listening to their mockery felt like a dagger twisting in my chest.
Those exact, sweet promises—Logan used to whisper them to me.
We met and fell in love back in college. He was dirt poor back then, barely able to scrape together enough cash for rent and groceries.
Yet for my birthday, he spent his entire life savings to buy me a simple gold ring.
Engraved inside that cheap band were my initials, etched by his own trembling hands.
I had cried back then, both touched and heartbroken.
"You should have spent this money on food and yourself."
He had pulled me into his arms, rubbing my back softly. "I only want to give you the best. You're worth more than all the gold in the world, Chloe."
Those sweet words still echoed in my ears, but the boy who said them was long gone.
"Wait... are all the other luxury things she's wearing stolen from you too?" an influencer chimed in.
Amber whipped her head toward me, her eyes flashing with a terrifying, venomous glint.
She marched toward me, step by step.Grabbing my chin, she struck me twice more. "How dare you sleep your way into my man's bed? If you have a death wish, just say it!"
I spat blood at her feet. "This is felony assault! You're breaking the law!"
The more I brought up the law and morals, the more sadistic she became.
"I'm just defending my relationship. Let's see who has the guts to help you."
Still, my words seemed to snap a sliver of caution back into her. There were too many cameras and eyes around, and she still had her innocent, girl-next-door persona to protect on TikTok.
She could switch characters faster than a Hollywood actress.
Pretending to be concerned, she hooked her arms under mine. "Oh my god, Chloe! How could you be so clumsy and fall down the stairs like that?"
Along with her influencer sidekick, Rachel, she dragged me into the private VIP restroom despite my struggles.
Amber snatched the designer bag from my hands. "A cheap hooker like you doesn't deserve a half-million-dollar Birkin."
She threw it onto the wet floor and stomped on it repeatedly.
Behind my back, I secretly dialed emergency services on my phone. The line just clicked open when her sharp eyes caught the glare of the screen.
"Still trying to call for help?!"
Amber slapped the phone out of my grip and kicked it straight into the toilet bowl.
"Amber, everyone out there saw me come to your party," I said through gritted teeth, trying to reason with her. "Your fans are waiting to see our grand reconciliation. If anything happens to me, not a single one of you will walk away clean."
I tried to appeal to whatever reason she had left.
But I forgot—you can't negotiate with an entitled narcissist blinded by greed.
Amber let out a cold laugh, grabbed my hair, and slammed me against the marble counter.
I braced my hands desperately against the sink, struggling to stay upright.
Her clout-chasing friends swarmed like a pack of rabid dogs, holding me down so I couldn't move.
A wave of overwhelming humiliation and fury washed over me.
They struck me under the cover of the crowd, the pain making my whole body tremble.
They kept holding me down until all my strength gave out, and only then did Amber finally let go.
"Look at her. The nation's former internet sweetheart, reduced to a pathetic, filthy dog."
She mocked me with vile slurs while pulling out her phone to record every second of my bruised state.
I glared at her with pure hatred.
Her eyes suddenly darkened with a twisted idea, and she pulled out a sharp pair of scissors from her vanity bag.
"This hair is an absolute eyesore. I guess I'll be your stylist tonight and give you a proper trim."
Her unhinged behavior finally unnerved a few of the girls watching. "Amber... isn't this going way too far?"
"When another bitch seduces your man and spends your allowance, I hope you're this generous," Amber snapped back.
The girl shut up immediately. "Right. Homewreckers deserve whatever they get."
Amber yanked a huge chunk of my hair. "You used this long, dark hair to seduce Logan, didn't you? No wonder he always told me to keep my hair long and natural and forbade me from bleaching it! You sneaky little viper—playing the innocent angel while acting like a desperate tramp!"
"Amber, if you do this, you're going to prison!"
I desperately pulled back, trying to snap her out of her hysteria.
"I could kill you and still walk free!"
Completely unhinged, she lunged at me with the blades. In the violent struggle, huge chunks of my hair were chopped off, and the blade grazed her own hand, drawing a line of blood.
Enraged by the cut, she gave me a vicious shove. The back of my head slammed against the edge of the marble basin, and my vision went instantly black with nausea.
"Wait, she's bleeding... what if she dies?" someone whispered nervously.
Amber raised her chin arrogantly. "What's there to be scared of? If the sky falls, my billionaire boyfriend will hold it up."
Right then, a voice shouted from the hallway outside.
"Amber! Your sugar daddy is here! His Maybach just pulled up!"
Chapters (3)
Chapter 1
Chapter 2
Chapter 3
Watch & Promotions
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