Finn hesitated, then said, "Those weren't from me. Must be a coincidence."
"Heh." Kristen couldn't help the mockery. "Once or twice is a coincidence. Every time the same? Finn, never thought you'd be a coward who does it but won't admit it."
Finn's brows knotted. He opened his mouth to argue, but Kristen had already flung the roses against his chest.
He didn't catch them. The bouquet fell to the ground, the bright, delicate blooms crushed to ruin, petals scattering everywhere.
"Take the flowers to your precious Grace—so long as she doesn't mind they're the ones I refused." Kristen glanced at the roses without a flicker of regret.
A double meaning, clear as day.
If Finn couldn't hear it, he'd be a fool. Veins stood out at his temple as anger surged hot in his chest. "Kristen, do you really think you can survive in this industry without me? Don't be naive. If I announce our breakup, you'll have a line of men at your door tomorrow. Let's see what you do then!"
Kristen looked up at his furious face. People say love comes down to conscience in the end. From the look of him… not much conscience left.
Martin came over, steering Kristen toward the car while throwing Finn a look. "Mr. Gu, you don't need to worry about how Kristen lives from now on. Better spend that energy on Miss Grace."
Bang! He shut the door, ran around to the driver's seat, buckled in, and pulled away.
Finn watched helplessly as the car sped off. Out of the corner of his eye, he saw the roses on the ground and kicked them aside in fury. Staring after the car, he ground out, "Fine. Without me, let's see how many days you last!"
He pulled out his phone and instructed PR to issue an official breakup statement.
On the road, Martin drove and cursed in turns. "That shameless Finn—thinks a little family money makes him a king! Since your debut, have I ever pushed you to butter up those filthy men? And he dares say he 'protected' you—what a joke, polishing his own halo!"
Kristen looked down at her phone, fingers moving as she typed. "If you're going to curse, just curse. Don't drag yourself into it."
Martin's mouth twitched. "I'm not cursing myself. I'm not one of those men. Didn't you say I'm a friend to women—the best manager?"
Kristen answered with a quiet "Mm."
Martin shot her a sidelong glance. "What are you doing?"
Kristen hit send and handed him the screen. "Officially announcing the breakup."
"…"
A few seconds of stunned silence—then a howl that could kill. "Kristen!"
Acting on her own—again—without discussing it first!
Apartment.
Martin stared at Kristen's breakup Weibo and still wanted to commit murder.
Not Kristen—Finn.
Five minutes before Kristen's post, the Gu Group had already issued Finn's breakup statement, citing the usual "incompatible personalities" and "mutual decision."
"Hah, that fast—terrified people might think you dumped him first," Martin spat, eyes on the trending topics where the hate leaned heavily against Kristen. "Makes me want to slap their faces with the cheating evidence so they see who the real trash is."
Reclining on the sofa, Kristen looked toward the gray handkerchief hanging on the balcony. Her tone was calm. "It's fine. I've had more trending tags in the past few days than in the last two years."
"…" Martin gave a reluctant thumbs-up. "Infamy is still fame. You're something. But what now? Thirty million! Even selling your kidney in Northern Myanmar won't cover it!"
Kristen didn't answer.
Her phone buzzed. She glanced at the caller ID, her brows tightening by a hair. "Head back first. I'll take two days to rest. I'll call when I've decided."
Martin knew she needed time to breathe and didn't push. He left.
When the door closed, Kristen finally answered the call.
(End of Chapter)
If you like the story, please leave a review and donate some Powerstone