Chapter 3

Hailey POV

"I'm not putting on an act. I'm just tired." I turned to face him, looking directly into Ethan's eyes. Those eyes that had captivated me for eight years now only felt strange.

Ethan looked at my calm expression, his brow slightly furrowed, seeming irritated. In the past, the slightest kindness from him would make my eyes light up like stars.

This current distant attitude seemed to make him feel like he'd lost control.

"If you're tired, rest for a few days." His tone was stiff. "You don't need to do tomorrow night's Starry Night livestream. Give your prime time slot to Serena. She just took on the Mystique endorsement and needs a wave of major traffic exposure."

I clenched the makeup remover cotton in my hand.

"Starry Night" was my annual fan appreciation special. Fans had been posting countdown anticipation on social media for two weeks.

Now he wanted me to cancel last minute and redirect millions of viewers to Serena?

"Ethan, this is my promise to my fans. I can't give it up." For the first time, I refused him with such a firm tone.

Ethan's expression darkened. "Hailey, don't make me repeat myself. Serena's livestream debut can't have any mishaps. You have a strong fan base and the best traffic conversion. Think of the bigger picture. Do you understand?"

"The bigger picture? Your bigger picture is using my hard work to pave her path?" My eyes reddened, but my voice turned ice-cold.

"Enough!" Ethan cut me off sharply, his eyes as cold as if looking at an unreasonable stranger. "Serena is the person I want to promote. As a company employee, cooperation is your job. If you don't even have this much generosity, you don't need to be an influencer with millions of followers either."

With that, he grabbed his coat and slammed the door.

The loud bang of the door echoed through the empty apartment as I collapsed into the chair, drained. Wave after wave of sharp pain hit my chest, making it impossible to breathe.

The next evening, my livestream went live as scheduled, but the person sitting in front of the camera wasn't me. It was Serena.

I was forced to work behind the scenes as on-site management. Watching Serena on screen use my carefully prepared script to act cute and flirty with my fans, the comments section filled with questions and criticism.

"Why isn't it Hailey? Who is this woman?"

"Give us back Hailey! We refuse to watch someone who got in through connections!"

"Her skills are terrible. She can't even get the lipstick shade numbers right!"

Looking at the comments, Serena's eyes instantly reddened as she pitifully addressed the camera. "I'm sorry everyone. This is my first livestream, so I might not be doing well. Hailey wasn't feeling well, so Ethan asked me to fill in for her..."

That one word, "Ethan," instantly dragged Ethan into the center of controversy while confirming her close relationship with him.

After the livestream ended, Serena cried backstage, her face covered in tears. Ethan rushed over upon hearing the news, pulled her into his arms, then turned to look at me with ice-cold, sharp eyes.

"I told you to give her the time slot, not to get trolls to attack her in the comments!" Ethan's voice was freezing cold.

I looked at him in disbelief. "You think I hired them?"

"Who else would do something like this out of jealousy?" Ethan accused me mercilessly. "Hailey, I never realized how vicious you were."