Chapter 1

"Look at you. You're not even worth a single strand of Su Nian's hair. Without the resources I throw your way, what are you even worth?"

My husband, Ethan Gray, slammed the gift bag from the awards ceremony down on the vanity table.

Ten minutes ago, he was on stage, arm around my waist under the spotlight, telling the cameras I was the most precious treasure in his life.

But the moment the door closed, he pointed a finger in my face and cursed that I wasn't even worth a single strand of Su Nian's hair.

I was organizing his safe at home when a document hidden at the very bottom fell out.

A five-year-old illegitimate son. Six-figure monthly child support payments. A paternity test report in black and white.

And the child's mother—my arch-rival from college, Su Nian. The girl I always beat for first place.

So, she didn't drop out to study abroad for postgraduate work. She left to have Ethan's baby.

I didn't throw things. I didn't demand answers.

I put the paternity test back exactly where I found it and called my lawyer.

"What can you do besides ride my coattails for a little fame?"

Ethan slammed the gift bag from the awards ceremony down on my vanity.

His tie, from a bespoke suit, was loosened with a rough yank. Ten minutes ago, he was on stage, his arm around my waist, telling countless cameras, with a face full of deep affection, that I was the most precious treasure of his life.

Now, it was just the two of us. He didn't bother to hide the disgust in his eyes.

I stood quietly, staring at the broken glass on the floor.

"What are you looking at? If it weren't to maintain the company's 'perfect couple' image, you think I'd take you to this kind of event?"

Ethan sneered, jabbing a finger at my face.

"Just look at yourself. You're not even worth a single strand of Su Nian's hair."

"You're nothing without the scraps I throw your way."

Su Nian.

Hearing that name, I didn't react the way I usually did, with arguments or tears.

I just looked up, perfectly calm, at the man I'd been married to for three years.

Ethan built his career on my family's connections and my PR skills.

The first angel investment for his company, Starlight Tech, was secured by my grandfather.

Every single one of his current major clients? I was the one who drank with him, one by one, at dinner tables, until they signed, negotiating the deals.

With that, Starlight Tech's valuation multiplied tenfold in two years.

Later, as the company grew, he became a celebrated young prodigy.

He pushed me behind the scenes, trapping me with an empty public persona of a "wife-obsessed romantic."

To the world, he was remarkable; at home, he did everything he could to put me down.

I used to think it was just his high-pressure job. Until three days ago, when I was organizing the family trust documents in his safe at home.

Hidden at the very bottom was an overseas trust agreement.

The beneficiary was a five-year-old boy named Leo Gu.

Every month, a high six-figure sum for child support was transferred from Ethan's private account to this overseas account.

Tucked inside the file was even a paternity test report. Confirmed: Ethan Gray was Leo Gu's biological father.

And under the field for the child's mother, two words were written unmistakably: Su Nian.

Su Nian was my arch-rival in college.

We were both in the broadcasting and hosting department back then. In any competition I entered, she was guaranteed second place.

She was jealous of everything about me. Then, in our senior year, she suddenly dropped out and went abroad, never to be heard from again.

So, she hadn't gone for further studies. She went to have Ethan's baby.

I shifted my gaze from the broken glass to meet Ethan’s rage-filled eyes.

"You're right," I said flatly. "I'm not as good as her."

Ethan froze for a moment. He seemed to not expect such a docile response.

Usually, if he so much as mentioned Su Nian's name, I would fight with him.

Seeing me so calm, he seemed even more irritated, like a prickling sensation he couldn't scratch. He adjusted his shirt with a vicious energy that couldn't be vented.

"Good you know it." He snorted coldly, straightening his rumpled shirt.

"The company releases the third-quarter financial report tomorrow. Remember to coordinate and repost it on your socials."

"Don't screw this up for me."

With that, he slammed the door shut on his way out.

The sharp, loud slam echoed in the empty dressing room before the soundproofed walls swallowed the noise.

I stood where I was, staring at the closed door for a full ten seconds.

I only picked up my phone after the last sliver of light from under the door had completely vanished.

When I dialed Julian Shaw's number, my hand was so steady it felt like a stranger's.

"Did you find everything out?" I asked.

Julian's voice was cool and steady. "It's all confirmed."

"Ethan pursued you back then because Starlight Tech desperately needed the land your uncle owns to build a research center."

"Also, before Su Nian left the country, she set a condition: he wasn't allowed to come back and see the kid unless he was worth over a billion."

"He married you not just for your resources, but because your profile looks seventy percent like Su Nian's."

"You were just his bank machine and her stand-in."

My fingers clenched around my phone. My knuckles went white.

"Luna, what are you going to do?" Julian asked.

I walked to the floor-to-ceiling window and looked out at the glittering city night. The glass reflected the cold look in my eyes.

"Collect evidence. Move assets. I'm going to make him cough up everything he took, with interest, until he's completely broke."