The moment I mentioned Francis stabbing me, Sarah's expression darkened even further.

Before she could speak, Alice suddenly stepped in, forcing her tone to stay calm.

"Scott, I know you don't want to be just another pretty-boy idol. You care more about real acting skills, don't you? So I completely understand why you're focusing on acting now."

She handed me a filming notice.

"Here. I just landed you another stunt fight scene. Shooting starts at one in the morning, and the pay's pretty good."

I glanced down at the wound on my abdomen that was still throbbing faintly. I'd been stabbed yesterday, and today, she wanted me to film overnight fight scenes again?

I tossed the notice onto the floor.

"I'm not feeling well. I'm not taking it."

This time, even she lost her composure. Her brows knitted together, irritation obvious in her voice.

"Scott, accidents happen on set all the time. You used to be so tough. What's gotten into you today?

"Do you even know how hard I've worked these past five years? I never gave up on you. I've been fighting every day to get you roles."

I stared at her, bitterness surging in my chest as I let out a cold laugh.

"Oh, then I really should thank you."

She had been with me for five years. Back when I was at the height of my fame, I took her in as my manager. She never forgot that favor and stayed loyally by my side. Even after my popularity faded, she never left and kept desperately trying to find work for me.

I always thought she was righteous and loyal. That was why, no matter how many times my parents told me to come home and inherit the family business, I refused.

I worked myself to the bone because I didn't want to let her down. There were countless nights when I stayed on set until three or four in the morning, unwilling to leave.

And what did it get me?

No matter how hard I worked, I was nothing more than a stepping stone for Francis.

The thought made me shake my head.

"If I'm already washed up, then no matter how hard I try, I'll still stay washed up. So why should I keep trying?"

I looked up and smiled at her again.

"If you hadn't said you were suffering, how would I know you were suffering? Since it's so hard for you, then stop working so hard."

The moment I finished speaking, Sarah and Alice both stared at me, their expressions complicated.

My words sounded strange, but the meaning couldn't have been clearer.

I didn't give them another chance to speak. I stood up and headed straight for the door.

"I'm checking out of the hospital."

After snapping out of her shock, Sarah hurried after me into the hallway.

"What do you mean you're leaving? Your wound looks terrifying! Get back inside right now!"

Alice followed closely behind, frowning as she reached for my arm.

"Focus on healing first. There are still plenty of fight scenes waiting for you. You're throwing a tantrum over something this small? At this rate, you'll never make a comeback in your life!"

"A comeback?"

I stopped abruptly and turned to glare at her.

"I think you two are terrified that I actually will make a comeback."

The moment those words left my mouth, several passersby nearby looked over curiously.

Panicked, Sarah hurriedly pulled on a mask and lowered her voice.

"Calm down. We'll talk when we get back."

I violently shook her hand off and shouted, "I am calm!"

By then, more and more people had started gathering around us.

Sarah finally lost it.

"Scott, are you insane? Even if you don't care about your own image, you should care about the company's reputation! Look at yourself right now — ugly and reckless! Are you trying to embarrass me?"

Her face beneath the mask was flushed red with anger. I reached out and yanked the mask right off her face.

"So the great Best Actress only likes handsome men, huh?"

The second the mask came off, the crowd instantly exploded.

"Isn't that Sarah Koch?!"

"And the guy beside her — isn't that her boyfriend, Scott MacKenzie?!"

"Why are they fighting at the hospital? Wait, is the actress pregnant?"

"Hold on, isn't Sarah famous for doting on her ugly boyfriend? I seriously thought they were true love. Turns out it was all just for show!"

Sarah treasured her hard-earned Best Actress title more than anything. She hurriedly pulled her mask back on and muttered, "You've got the wrong person."

Then she fled in a panic.

The surrounding crowd awkwardly froze and turned toward me.

With a completely serious expression, I said, "No, that really was Sarah."

Alice finally snapped back to her senses and dragged me forcefully to the side.

"If you keep causing scenes like this, who's ever going to hire you again? Once this scandal blows up, your entire entertainment career will be finished!"

I tilted my head at her and suddenly laughed.

"Wouldn't that be perfect? I was already planning to leave the industry anyway."

My family still had plenty of businesses waiting for me to inherit.

It wasn't like I had to stay trapped in this rotten industry.

Taking advantage of Alice's moment of shock, I turned and walked away without another word.

After sending my mom a simple text message, I exited every stunt-double casting group I was in.

Then, I headed straight to the company to terminate my contract and leave the entertainment industry for good.

I had no endorsement deals, no variety shows, no productions tying me down. Besides, my parents were the company's biggest investors behind the scenes, so leaving wasn't difficult for me at all.

That was also why the company had never fired me despite my career being dead for so long.

The only reason things had stayed quiet was because I was afraid people would make a big deal out of it, so I personally asked the company to keep my background secret and even refused to let them give me resources.

The moment I stepped into the company building, I ran into Francis.

The instant he saw me, he stopped in his tracks, his eyes turning red almost immediately.

"Scott, I didn't know the knife was real. I really didn't know…"

I stared at him expressionlessly and let him continue his performance.

When he saw I wasn't reacting, he forced a strained smile and cautiously stepped closer.

"Scott, please don't be mad at me. It's all my fault. Blame me…"

As he spoke, his eyes drifted toward the bandage wrapped around my abdomen.

"Your injury… it's definitely going to scar. I can introduce you to a doctor I know…"

I coldly walked around him.

"So you stab me first, then offer to find me a doctor afterward. You're such a great person."

The second those words came out, the surrounding coworkers exploded.

"Francis, don't listen to him. If anyone's to blame, it's Scott! He saw it was a real knife and didn't dodge. He's obviously desperate for attention!"

"Exactly! Francis is always introducing roles to you. Forget one stab — even if he stabbed you ten times, you have no right to complain!"

"If you ask me, you're just ugly and full of drama! And now, you're even throwing sarcastic remarks at Francis?"

I swept my gaze across the crowd and let out a cold laugh.

"So stabbing me was justified, huh?"

The moment Francis heard that, his eyes reddened even more as he said pitifully, "Scott, that's not what I meant…"

The more innocent and helpless he acted, the louder the crowd became.

"Scott, aren't you taking this too far? Francis already apologized. What else do you want?"

"You think having a Best Actress girlfriend makes you so special? You think too highly of yourself."

"Look at yourself. How dare you compare yourself to Francis? One finger of his is worth more than you!"

"With a face like yours, the only reason you're still in the entertainment industry is because Francis helped you. Otherwise, you would've been kicked out ages ago!"

I took a deep breath and tried to suppress the fury boiling inside me.

They weren't wrong. Francis really was better than me. But everything he had was stolen from me by Sarah and Alice and handed directly to him.

Back then, he had only been an insignificant extra that everyone looked down on. I pitied him and personally asked Alice to help him out.

Who would've thought that one favor would make him famous?

And after becoming famous, he even got involved with my girlfriend.

At some point, the three of them had quietly started working together to destroy me.

I couldn't be bothered wasting more words on him. I reached out to push past him and leave.

But the moment I touched him, he suddenly staggered backward and collapsed dramatically onto the floor, clutching his knee with a pained expression.

"Francis!"

Sarah and Alice rushed out of the elevator at the same time and slammed straight into me, knocking me to the ground.

The wound on my abdomen split open again instantly. Blood poured out nonstop, and the pain made cold sweat break across my forehead.

Before I could even react, Sarah pointed at me and screamed furiously, "Scott! How can you be so petty?!"

Francis covered his waist, tears shimmering in his eyes as he leaned weakly against her.

"I have a commercial event tonight… but after Scott pushed me just now, I'm hurting so badly. I'm afraid I won't be able to go…"

He bit his lip anxiously.

"What if this affects the company?"

The moment he said that, the nearby employees panicked.

"Several major directors are attending tonight's event! If Francis can't make it, our company's reputation will be ruined! You vicious bastard, you did this on purpose!"

Suddenly, I noticed Francis was wearing a tight dress shirt today. The lines of his abdomen looked noticeably rounder than they had in the morning video. The fabric was stretched so tightly that it left visible marks across his stomach.

Right on cue, another floating comment appeared.

[Since Scott no longer cares whether his stomach scars or not, Francis's beer belly is reverting back to normal!]

I lowered my head and glanced at my own abdomen. Though the wound was bloody and gruesome, the surrounding skin had become smooth and pale again.

As I stared silently at my stomach, someone suddenly lifted a foot and stomped on my wound.

Pain exploded through me, and my vision instantly went black.

The others backed away in disgust.

"You got blood all over the company floor. What bad luck."

Sarah looked down at me from above, her eyes filled with contempt and disgust.

"Scott, if you keep refusing to come to your senses, then don't blame me for forgetting our past relationship and recommending that the boss blacklist you!"

Alice added coldly, "Without a top-tier manager like me, you'll never survive in the entertainment industry!"

At that moment, an enraged shout suddenly came from the entrance.

"Outrageous! Who dares cause trouble in my company?!"

The boss strode in furiously.

And behind him stood my mother, her face dark with fury.