Whoever said money couldn't buy happiness had clearly never tried crying on the street. And suffering being ogled at the passers by for being weak.
Maybe money couldn't buy joy, but it could certainly buy a car where you could sit in silence and fall apart in peace. And that was exactly what Vanessa did as she raced out.
Vanessa sat in the backseat of her car, staring at the city lights sliding past the tinted windows like blurred stars.
Her driver, thankfully, kept his eyes forward, professional enough not to glance at the rearview mirror even once.
That was good. She didn't want witnesses. Not that she was crying. It was strange that she... couldn't cry.
Her eyes burned, her heart felt heavy and yet no tears came.
Perhaps it was because this wasn't just heartbreak. It was humiliation.
She had never really known what love looked like. Her parents had passed too early, leaving behind money, expectations, and a massive corporation she'd been too young to shoulder.
What she'd shared with the grandparents who had raised her could not be termed as love.
So, somewhere along the way, she'd convinced herself that loyalty and effort were enough to build a relationship. While love was only secondary.
Thus, she didn't demand grand gestures or even expect sweet words like those in novels. She simply stayed.
As a partner, she gave him her respect and loyalty She supported his company which hadbeen struggling due to mismanagement in the past. She introduced him to investors and she made sure to give opportunities to those who worked for him.
On his request, she had even paused her own directing career. Offers had poured in after her debut film exploded in popularity. Critics had dubbed her a genius. Studios begged her to direct again. But Ethan had said— "Being a producer is safer. You're the CEO anyway. Don't take risks, for now. Please, for our sake."
So she listened and buried her own passion. And took on the mantle of being the head of Grant Studios.
Vanessa laughed quietly at herself now. How generous of him to use her life as his stepping stone. She leaned her head against the seat and closed her eyes.
If she hadn't gone home early tonight… If she hadn't forgotten her folder…
She might have found out about their betrayal on the engagement day. In front of everyone and being turned into a public joke.
Her grandparents would've been there. Investors. Media. Her entire social circle. She pictured herself standing on stage, smiling foolishly, while her fiancé slipped away with her sister dealing her a slow humiliation.
Her fingers clenched. Good. At least fate had spared her public humiliation if not a private one.
The driver finally broke the silence. "Miss Grant… should I take you back home?"
Vanessa opened her eyes and shook her head, "No. Office."
Home no longer felt like home.
Her mind drifted into familiar fantasy territory. If this were a novel, she would call her best friend, gotten drunk, and woken up next to some devastatingly handsome CEO followedby marrying him and then having Ethan come back crawling to her in regret.
Vanessa snorted at her own imagination. Reality wasn't that kind.
If she tried getting drunk and sleeping with some dude, she'd probably wake up to a paparazzi nightmare.
Because, she wasn't the delicate heroine novels loved. Heck, she wasn't even particularly beautiful.
She was… capable. And tonight had taught her one lesson. Men hated capable women.
Her phone buzzed, then and she frowned. Miss Grant, the meeting with Stellar Entertainment is confirmed tomorrow.
Vanessa stared at it for a moment, then typed: Cancel it.
She had been planning to buy out Stellar Entertainment and give it as an engagement gift to Ethan so that he could merge his own it with his own company. That would have made his company the top one in the entertainment industry.
There was no use in buying it now.
The car slowed at a red light. Her gaze lifted lazily and landed on a massive billboard towering above the street.
"Happy Birthday to the Most Beautiful Man."
Below it was a face. Sharp jawline. Perfect skin. Eyes that sparkled even through cheap printing.
Elliott Ross.
Vanessa frowned slightly as she scanned the perfect face.
Beautiful man?
She had seen him at award ceremonies. Honestly, in person, he was even more striking. Cameras didn't capture him properly. There was something too soft, too unreal about him. In fact, she would have thought he was artificially generated if she had not seen him herself.
The light changed and the car moved. And just when she would have turned back to her own melancholy thoughts, a banner passed by on a bus.
"Happy Birthday to the Most Handsome One in the World."
She scoffed quietly. Handsome one. So. This was the standard now.
Her mind replayed Ethan's words. "Not even the beast would be interested in her."
Those had been his exact words, right?
Fine. If that was the game…She would raise the stakes.
Her eyes returned to the billboard. Elliott Ross.
National Favourite boyfriend. Women chased him in dramas and in real life. Fans babied him.
He was… dazzling and the kind of man people remembered.
The kind of man Ethan could never compete with. No man could compete with.
Her lips curved slightly. She pulled out her phone and spoke a single sentence into it. "Find everything on Elliott Ross."
Her assistant replied in seconds. "Elliott Ross?! Oh my god—are you trying to poach him? But..."
Vanessa did not reply or listen to her assitant fangirling. She smiled as she disconnected the call.
Poach him? Sure. She was going to do exactly that. Why not?
But not for the studio. For herself.
She leaned back, finally allowing herself to breathe. A marriage partner so flawless… So dazzling…
That Ethan and Lynette would never dare show their faces again. That would be perfect.