Edward's POV

The day the Carringtons went bankrupt, Liana Carrington handed me a black card.

“This is all I have left,” she said. “Don’t suffer with me. Take it and chase your dream.”

But I tore up my Harvard admission letter right in front of her and boldly said, “If you’re going down, I’m going down with you.”

From that day on, the spoiled boy who used to spend tens of thousands on a single meal took off his luxury brands and haggled with market vendors for hours over a few cents.

Later, when Liana rebuilt her family’s fortune, the very first thing she wanted was to marry me. I was nervous but happy until I saw it.

At the door of a private dining room, I froze as I saw a rising young star, Samuel Reid, sliding the custom wedding ring I had made for her onto her finger.

“Miss Carrington, you said this was meant for Edward’s wedding. If you just give it to Samuel, won’t he be furious?” someone asked.

Liana didn’t pull her hand away. She let Samuel hold her slender fingers and simply smiled. “When we couldn’t even afford food, he dared to tear up his Harvard admission letter just to suffer with me. What can’t he accept after that? If he really has the guts to break up with me, I’ll think even more highly of him.”

I stood there, stiff, my chest tightening. Then I gave a bitter laugh.

Fine. Then we were done.

——

“What’s this supposed to mean, throwing money at me?” Samuel’s sharp voice cut through the room as he tossed a black card at Liana’s feet. His brows were drawn tight with anger. “Liana, I’m not some boy toy you can buy!”

The card skimmed past her cheek before falling to the floor.

The room went silent, tension heavy in the air.

But she only smiled, watching him with a teasing glint. She reached for his hand, thumb brushing the diamond ring on her own finger. “Alright, alright, my fault. I shouldn’t have treated you like some model I could just pay for.”

Still displeased, Samuel yanked his hand away. “I told you from the start, I’m with you because I like you. Whether you’re rich or broke doesn’t matter to me. If you don’t get that, then we’re done!”

“Baby, don’t say that.” She tried to grab his hand again, but he shoved her off.

The almighty Miss Carrington was helpless before this man.

“Please, I’m sorry, baby.”

“Get off me!” Samuel barked.

But she ignored his resistance and clung to him anyway, pressing herself against his chest. “Alright, alright, it’s my fault. How about I make it up to you? The Best Actor award this weekend, I’ll make sure it goes to you.”

Only then did Samuel’s expression soften.

But my fists clenched.

Then, someone hesitated before speaking up. “Miss Carrington, wasn’t that title already promised to Edward?”

She just smirked and settled herself onto Samuel’s lap. “Samuel’s worked hard. His acting’s good enough. Besides, the list hasn’t been announced yet, so I can still change it.”

Before her men could move, I kicked the door open.

Liana quickly pushed Samuel aside. “Edward?”

My side ached, but I forced myself to stand straight, glaring at her. “Tell me. Who are you giving that award to?”

Her eyes dropped.

She knew. She knew everything I had done. Refusing stunt doubles, doing dangerous high-altitude shots myself.

The day I fell and shattered my waist, I had eighteen metal pins hammered into me, and yet I still dragged myself back to finish filming.

She was there. She held me when I collapsed in pain, sweating through every breath.

But now, she wouldn’t even look at me.

“Samuel’s a newcomer. It wasn’t easy for him to make it this far. You’re his senior, just give him a chance.”

“Not a chance!” I roared, then jabbed a finger at Samuel. “If he were actually better than me, fine. But when I’m memorizing lines, he’s filling them in with one-two-three-four-five. When I insist on doing my own stunts, he uses eight doubles for one scene! You want to hand over an award that takes real actors’ years of blood and sweat to win just to a pretty face?!”

Edward's POV

“Edward!” Liana suddenly raised her voice, her gaze sharp and unfamiliar. “Know your place!”

But her words stunned even her.

I froze, disbelief tightening in my chest. “My place? Are you saying I don’t know my role as a senior in this industry? Or that I don’t know my place as your boyfriend of ten years?”

“Edward, I…”

For a second, she seemed to realize she had said too much.

But slips like that cut the deepest because they revealed what someone truly thought.

“Relax, Edward,” Samuel cut in, chin lifted, arrogance radiating from him. “Don’t treat me like some homewrecker you need to compete with. I don’t play those childish dominance games. We’re men, not gossiping women.”

He gave a short laugh, then added bluntly, “Let me be straight. Miss Carrington is my type. And I happen to be someone who loves boldly and hates openly. That’s all.”

He then waved the black card in front of my face and said, “This is the card she tried to give me earlier, but I didn’t take it. It's because I go after what I want on my own. Unlike you, I don’t care about her money. Rich or broke, it doesn’t matter to me. I like her herself.”

After that, the card slapped against my face before dropping to the floor, and he turned to leave.

But Liana’s eyes flicked toward her men, and they immediately blocked his path.

“How could I let you just walk out?” she said softly, rising to wrap her arms around his waist.

Then she suddenly ordered her men. “Take Edward’s nomination off the list. Give it to Samuel.”

“Liana!” I snapped.

“And another thing,” she cut me off, tilting her face up to Samuel, her eyes full of affection. “The money I spend is my business. It has nothing to do with you. You’ll never be a kept man to me.”

“Tsk.” He clicked his tongue, pretending to struggle before finally giving in. As he pulled her into his arms, his eyes flicked toward me.

Just for a moment, I caught the smug triumph flashing there.

By the time I got into my car, rage was boiling through me. I slammed my fist into the steering wheel.

I never even cared about becoming Best Actor. At the start, I only entered the entertainment industry to earn enough money for Liana and me to get by.

I’d always been too proud to flatter anyone, but for the sake of even a minor role, I forced myself to bow and scrape.

Somewhere along the way, though, I fell in love with the work. Even after Liana rebuilt her empire and tossed tens of millions at me to keep me from “wasting my time,” I refused to quit. That was when she should have realized that I had already become an actor in my own right. From then on, I wanted support, not chains.

But when I stumbled home that night, still reeling, I found strangers moving around inside.

“Take this. And that. All of it, move it out,” Samuel ordered a team of movers, pointing at my crystal figures and pure gold miniatures.

“Put those down! Who gave you permission to break into my home?” I barked.

Caught off guard by my sudden shout, Samuel actually jumped back a couple of steps before his face twisted in annoyance. “What are you yelling for? Miss Carrington personally registered my fingerprints here in this house, so I can come and go as I please."

"Hey! Take that one too. Move everything to the new place she got me!” His finger pointed toward a small gold chain sitting on my desk.

It weighed less than five grams, worthless compared to the watches I now owned that cost eight figures. But it was priceless to me. Back then, when we were broke, Liana had eaten instant noodles for three straight months just to buy me that chain. She swore she’d give us a better life, even if she had to fight the world as a woman alone.

With that, I slammed my hand down, stopping the mover mid-reach. My lips curled into a bitter smile as I asked, “Mr. Reid, weren’t you just preaching about how money doesn’t matter to you?”

Edward's POV

“What’s wrong now? Can’t even let go of something worth less than five hundred?” I sneered.

Samuel’s face instantly darkened. “It’s not about the money. It’s about what the money represents. Wherever the money goes, the love goes too. Edward, if you want something, you should fight for it yourself.”

I gave a cold laugh. “That’s the first time I’ve heard someone dress up greed and call it noble.”

“No need to be jealous, Edward.” He stepped closer, voice low and cocky. “In the end, it still depends on who Miss Carrington chooses. As for these things, I’ll gladly accept them.”

He then pointed toward the top shelf of the cabinet and instructed, “That trophy looks nice. Take it down. We’ll bring that too.”

My breath caught.

That was my father’s trophy.

“Stop!”

I shoved past the movers, clutching it to my chest. But in the process, Samuel nearly got knocked over.

His face twisted with rage as he barked, “Edward! Over a stupid trophy, really? Do you really have to? It’s not like an actor like you would ever deserve one anyway! What does it matter if I take something Miss Carrington gave you? Take it from him!”

“Don’t you dare!” I gritted and raised my fist high.

Samuel’s face immediately went pale, and he threw his arms over his head. “Ah!”

“Edward!”

My wrist was suddenly seized in a firm grip. As I turned, I met Liana’s cold, disapproving stare.

A second later, her bodyguard flung me back, slamming me against the wardrobe.

“Miss Carrington!” Samuel cried out dramatically, throwing himself into her arms, shoulders trembling as if he’d been traumatized. She hugged him tight as well as if comforting him.

Then she glared at me and snapped, “Edward, it’s just a trophy! Why go this far?”

I looked up at her in disbelief. “Liana… what did you just say?”

Only then did her gaze drop to what I was holding, the last symbol of my father’s glory. The last gift he left me.

Back in those days when I couldn’t even afford a proper meal, I’d sold every watch and suit I owned. But not this. Never this.

Right then, her expression wavered, and she looked away from me. Her voice was now softer but still dismissive as she reasoned, “Samuel is your junior. He can’t really hurt you. There’s no need to be so extreme."

“Can’t hurt me?” I let out a sharp, bitter laugh. “You mean, coming into my home and clearing out everything valuable, that doesn’t count as hurting me?”

Samuel blanched.

Finally, Liana seemed to notice. Nearly everything of value in the room had already been carried out under Samuel’s instructions.

“Liana,” I said, my voice like ice, “this man who won’t even spare a chain weighing less than five grams, you really believe he doesn’t care about your money?”

“Miss Carrington!” Samuel suddenly shouted. “If you believe him, then fine. I’ll put everything back right now. I’ll return every single thing you’ve given me!”

He then spun around as if to leave. But she grabbed his arm, stopping him.

His voice cracked with righteous indignation. “I wanted that gold chain because I know you gave it to him before! I’m not some saint. When the person I love gives another man something, even if it’s just a worthless scrap of paper, I get jealous! That's why I want it! But if you’re really going to believe him, if you think I’m just here to bleed you dry, then I have nothing else to say!”

I laughed, the sound cutting through the air like a blade. “So, you want to be both the whore and the saint. How convenient.”

“And you’re any better?” Liana suddenly whipped her head toward me, shouting the words like a slap across my face.

I froze.

Samuel finally stopped struggling. He leaned into her, letting her hold him.

She tightened her arms around him, her voice gentling. “Don’t argue with him. Please.”

I stared at her, my gaze burning.