I held my head high and walked past him, plastering a smile on my face and greeting the staff warmly. I'd show him I could shine without him.

The interview was split into three parts. First up, we'd each discuss our understanding of our characters. Then, we'd talk about the relationship between the general and the princess. Finally, there was a dreaded "Gia and Ryan" compatibility test.

"Hey everyone, Gia here, aka the princess, Fallon Sterling."

"Hello, everyone. I'm Ryan," Ryan paused and gave me a subtle glance, "also known as Fallon's general brother, Thomas Anderson."

Humph, what a jerk. I couldn't help but snort.

Sensing the tension, the host quickly moved on with the question, "Gia, how would you describe Fallon in the series?"

"Smart, clever, and brave, but a bit too focused on love," I said. "Thomas ditched her right before their wedding for revenge, and she actually took him back in the end. If it were me, I'd never forgive someone who betrayed me like that. There are so many men in the world. Why get hung up on one?"

"What about you, Mr. Davenport?"

Ryan glanced at me. "Thomas is loyal and brave, a true hero, but he's a bit clueless when it comes to relationships. I wouldn't be anyone's stand in, not even for a second."

What did Ryan mean? There was no such thing as a "stand in" in the story.

"Is he implying I see him as some kind of replacement? When have I ever treated him that way?" I wondered.

The tension was thick enough to cut with a knife, and we were on the verge of another blowout.

Thankfully, the host moved us on to the next segment - a compatibility test. The host asked us questions about each other, and we answered with the √ and × signs we'd been given.

The first question was - Gia has been in the industry for 3 years.

I chose ×.

He chose √.

I knew Ryan did it on purpose. He knew every tiny detail about my childhood, down to the playground fights I had in elementary school, but he pretended not to know how long I'd been working.

He didn't get a single question right out of ten. Awesome!

The host asked, "Are you guys looking forward to working together again?"

We both raised our × signs, meaning "hell no".

The host looked awkward and paused the interview, whispering, "Mr. Davenport, Ms. Harris, this is an interview. It's going to be aired."

Duh, I knew it was an interview. And I knew Bobby was going to give me an earful when he found out.

But in this situation, I couldn't give up.

"Breakup? Whatever. I'm gorgeous, I'm loaded, and I've got men lining up for me from here to the moon. Who needs Ryan?" I mumbled to myself.

Sure enough, as soon as the interview was released, it immediately trended, saying Ryan and I couldn't stand with each other.

No kidding, we couldn't stand each other. If it weren't for work, I wouldn't want to see him again in a million years.

Twitter was on fire, with everyone calling the whole thing a buzzkill.

But then, the conversation took a turn. A popular relationship blogger chimed in. "Look at how they're acting. Doesn't it seem like they just broke up?"

"Girls, maybe there was something going on between them. They probably hooked up during filming but broke up later due to some misunderstanding."

And usually, they'd talk about the script in these interviews, but their answers were full of flaws, clearly intentional.

"Yeah, yeah, getting all the answers right is tough, but getting all ten wrong? They must have done it out of spite."

Damn it, that was too accurate!

I went viral seven times in one week.

#GiaAndRyanAreReal#

#GiaAndRyanBreakUp#

#BreakupInterview#

Bloggers analyzed everything in detail. "When actors spend so much time apart, it's easy for them to grow distant.

"I'm guessing it's a personality clash. Both Gia and Ryan have short fuses. Weren't they even caught arguing in public last time? Two headstrong people can't last. It's no surprise they split."

In reality, they were all wrong. Ryan and I broke up because he cheated.

I saw Ryan and Shelly Barnes getting all cozy in the hallway with my own eyes.

Shelly, the second female lead of the show, started her career as a child star and had won several awards for her acting. But she had a problem—she loved flirting with men, especially the male leads. On set, she would follow Ryan around, saying, "Mr. Davenport, your acting is incredible. You really bring out the emotions. I just can't seem to nail it. Mr. Davenport, can you give me some pointers?

"Mr. Davenport, wait up. Let's have lunch together."

There was a scene where the general rescued the drowning second female lead, and it took a whopping seven takes to get it right, even though Shelly usually nailed her scenes in one take.

I even saw her knocking on Ryan's door in the middle of the night to rehearse lines with him.

Ryan always knew what kind of person Shelly was. He told me he didn't like her and that he would keep his distance from her.

But that day, after having dinner with my best friend, I went to find him. Outside his place, I saw Shelly and Ryan looking pretty cozy on his doorstep.

Later, Shelly texted me. In the picture, Ryan was resting his head on Shelly's shoulder, their hands tightly clasped together. It was clearly a provocation.

I broke up with him right away and blocked him.

Originally, this show wasn't supposed to air until next year, but thanks to the male lead's scandal on another series, our schedule got bumped up.

So, yeah, I had to do a promo with my ex-boyfriend. Let's just say I deserved a medal for not flipping out on him and that homewrecker.

With all the buzz, the show totally blew up, with millions of viewers eagerly waiting for the next episode.

Shippers fans said, "I knew they were dating! No wonder their chemistry was so sweet on screen!"

Beauty fans said, "Gia is the queen! We stan our gorgeous Gia."

The director stayed up several nights editing the series and finally released it for early access viewing.

I originally planned to fake being sick or say I had a scheduling conflict to avoid the early access premiere, but Bobby threatened me, saying, "Gia, do you want to lose money?" So, I had no choice but to attend.

After not seeing each other for half a month, Ryan looked a bit rough around the edges. Even a thick layer of foundation couldn't hide the bags under his eyes. Meanwhile, Shelly, hanging on Ryan's arm, was all smiles and sunshine.

"Jeez! Doesn't she know how to take a break? Not worried about burning out?" I thought.

Our enthusiastic director spotted me and dragged me front and center, right next to Ryan. He couldn't help but exclaim, "You guys are such a perfect match."

I plastered on a fake smile and edged away from Ryan, feeling irritated by his presence.

Ryan subtly closed the distance to Shelly, who beamed in response. Meanwhile, Bobby frantically signaled me from below, but I played dumb, staring down at my feet.

During the audience Q&A, the director decided to spice things up. "There's a scene in the show where the young general and the princess stand on a high tower, watching fireworks together. Fans loved it. Any real-life sparks fly while filming that scene?"

"No," I answered without hesitation, fearing any hint of unusual emotion might be caught.

But the truth was, during that scene, Ryan had whispered in my ear, "Gia, I like you!" If it weren't for the intense atmosphere that day, I wouldn't have agreed! And if I hadn't agreed, none of what followed would have happened! The more I thought about it, the more pissed off I got.

"What about you, Mr. Davenport?" The microphone was shoved towards Ryan. He glanced at me, and I glared back. He calmly replied, "No, Ms. Harris is a very good actress."

"Mr. Davenport, your acting isn't bad either," I shot back smoothly.

The comments started flooding the screen. "Nonsense..."

"Let's be real, Gia's acting is still a bit rough around the edges."

"Ryan's is even worse. His kissing scene in that last movie was like watching a zombie."

"How do they have the nerve to praise each other like this?"

"But why are they dodging that question so hard?"

"Could the fan fiction actually be true? Did Ryan really whisper, 'I like you!' to Gia that night on the glittering streets under a sky full of fireworks? Oh my god, help, I'm totally shipping them now!"

I swore someone was spying on my life!

The video views exploded, hitting 10 million. The director, smelling blood in the water, pressed on with another question.

"Ryan and Gia, as young General Thomas and Princess Fallon, what would you say to each other?"

The comments blew up.

"A breakup confession? This is prime drama!"

"Legendary moment!"

I just wanted to curse so bad, but the camera was on me, and I plastered on a perfect smile. "Thomas, you're not alone anymore. You have a family now, and Fallon will always be there for you."

On the other side of the screen, Ryan suddenly responded, "Fallon, we promised to be together forever. Why did you let go of my hand?"

The scene blew up, and so did the live comments. "This isn't in the original plot. Thomas and Fallon get a happy ending."

"So this line isn't meant for Fallon but for Gia."

"Oh my gosh, is this really happening? I'm so excited!"

"For a lifetime? I'm crying!"

Ryan turned to me as if to explain, "Fallon, you are the only light in the little general's desolate life. He will cherish you forever. I hope you won't let go of his hand, even if you only see him as a stand-in."

I frowned. In the show, the princess initially saw the little general as a stand-in for the person she loved but eventually fell for him. I couldn't help but wonder why his words seemed full of resentment like there was something more to his words. I didn't have any other man I loved in my life.

He seemed to have gotten the wrong idea. I had to talk to him.

When the ceremony ended, I made a beeline for his G-Wagon. His agent moved to stop me, but I brushed him aside and hopped in the car.

"Ms. Harris, what's the meaning of this?" Ryan asked, his voice cold.

My anger flared up as I cut to the chase. "What was all that crap you were spewing on stage? What stand in? That wasn't in the script!"

"You know exactly what you've done!" Ryan retorted sarcastically.

I did have a short temper, so I leaned forward, grabbed his tie, and stared him down. "Ryan Davenport, you better explain yourself today. What exactly did I do? Otherwise, you'll regret it!"