Chapter 1

As the host of the university's annual Winter Gala, I was standing backstage, holding my cue cards and getting ready to deliver the opening speech.

But as the heavy velvet curtains drew back, the giant screen behind me didn't show the beautifully edited promotional video. Instead, a blurry, shaky video began to play.

If you looked closely, you could see two people in the deep, dark woods of the campus. It was an explicit video!

The camera zoomed in, focusing sharply on the girl's face. The girl, who was half-naked and breathing heavily, was none other than me!

Gasps and whispers instantly erupted from the crowd.

Right then, my boyfriend stormed onto the stage, his eyes bloodshot with rage.

"Chloe Sterling, I never thought you could be this cheap and shameless. We're over!"

In my line of sight, floating chat bubbles—like a live Twitch stream that only I could see—started spamming my vision. Yet, I just smiled calmly.

"It’s just a video. Who doesn't have one?"

The moment the video started playing, the auditorium erupted into utter chaos.

"What the hell? Did I walk into the wrong room? Is this a school gala or an adult film screening?"

"Holy shit! Is that Chloe Sterling?!"

"Oh my god, it really is her! The campus goddess plays this dirty in private?"

"Who's the guy? Is it Julian Vance?"

"Doesn't look like him... That guy looks way too short. You can't see his face, but... wow, Chloe’s taste is trash."

"Wait, it’s not Julian? Does that mean Chloe is cheating on him?!"

Staring at the giant screen that was currently projecting a high-definition close-up of my face, my heart sank.

In the very front row of the VIP section, I saw Julian Vance. His face was as dark as a thunderstorm.

Frowning, I ran backstage and ordered the tech crew to shut the screen down immediately.

My co-hosts were staring at me, their eyes filled with judgment, suspicion, and disgust.

I didn't have time to deal with them. Once the screen went black, I walked back onto the stage to handle the rioting crowd.

Even though I had been somewhat prepared for this, facing it head-on still made my heart race.

A person's reputation is everything, especially in a circle like ours.

If I didn't handle this perfectly tonight, I would be ruined forever.

Julian walked up the stage steps, one heavy step at a time.

He was holding a massive bouquet of fresh, blood-red roses.

The next second, he hurled the bouquet straight at my face. A hard velvet box hidden inside the flowers struck my cheekbone, leaving a stinging, burning pain.

The roses scattered across the floor. The exquisite box popped open, and a platinum ring rolled out, catching the stage lights.

"Chloe."

"Is this your way of celebrating our two-year anniversary?"

Today was indeed our two-year anniversary. We had planned to celebrate right after the gala.

I had even told him I had a massive surprise for him.

The boy who used to look at me with sparkling, loving eyes now looked at me with nothing but cold, pitch-black hatred.

Julian, who always kept his emotions tightly guarded, had red rims around his eyes. His hands, hanging by his sides, were trembling.

"Sienna told me you had a wild, messy private life, but I refused to believe her."

"I really didn't expect you to be this kind of girl... We're done."

"You make me sick."

Behind Julian's angry figure, huge blocks of floating chat text kept scrolling in my vision.

[Ugh, the male lead is being so harsh now, but he's going to be so miserable later.]

[This is so annoying. The evil side-character keeps causing drama, and the main couple doesn't even end up together in the end.]

[It’s fine. Once the female lead dies, the male lead will find out the truth, avenge her, and spend the rest of his life as a cold, heartless billionaire machine.]

[Just watch. I can't wait for the regret arc. The harder he hurts her now, the sweeter the revenge later.]

These crazy scrolling comments had first appeared in my vision this afternoon while I was preparing backstage.

The spoilers said that tonight, I would be publicly humiliated, suffer endless rumors, and eventually lose my life.

And all of this was orchestrated by the "evil second lead," Sienna Cole.

"Chloe! How could you do this to Julian?!" a sharp voice cried out.