My name was Rita Fox. I broke up with Ned Grant, the richest, most handsome man in New York.

After that, my TV drama with the theme of a domineering CEO I wrote without him knowing became popular.

At the celebration banquet, he sat in the main seat as the investor.

He heard the director, Noah Mason, insulted me.

"The success of the TV drama is all thanks to the investors and actors.

"I heard that the CEO you wrote was modeled on an actual person? What kind of CEO stays up all night drinking with his girlfriend? Keep your own bad habits to yourself. Don't influence the audience badly..."

Ned sat aside, looking calm.

He said in a deep tone, "Mr. Mason, since you understand the script so well, I don't think you'll have to be a director anymore.

"Also, the crazy CEO you mentioned is me."

The TV drama I wrote accidentally became popular.

At the celebration banquet, the company prepared a big prize for all staff.

Noah won a six-figure prize, and the male lead, Derek Ward, won a luxury car voucher.

Even the photographer and the makeup artist won a tablet and a phone.

I rubbed my hands together with confidence and put my hand in the lottery box.

I muttered inwardly, "I want money! Money!"

Then I gave my number to the host.

Without even looking at it, he shouted excitedly.

"Congratulations to Ms. Fox for winning the mysterious grand prize and having dinner with the CEO!"

I was shocked.

No way! I don't accept it!

I grabbed his clothes and asked him to confirm it again. He must have made a mistake.

After all, everyone in showbiz knew that the mysterious prize was a means for rich men to pursue the female leads.

But he didn't even look at me as if he was in a hurry to move on to the next step.

Then he said, "Next, let's welcome the creative team to come on stage and receive the award!"

I went on stage with the creative team.

Derek told me that the female lead was filming a scene out of town tonight and couldn't make it.

I was speechless. Shouldn't this award go to the second female lead then?

I was feeling sorry for my phone, computer, and bonus car.

Meanwhile, the host shouted again.

"Folks, today Mr. Grant specially came to the celebration banquet to present us with the award. Now let's welcome Mr. Grant!"

I turned my head in the direction of his gaze and saw a familiar figure.

In a custom-made suit, Ned went up on stage amidst the crowd.

It had been three years. His face was now more angular, and his eyes were still that cold and stern. The mole on his high nose bridge was still there, as charming as ever.

Him? Shit! I shouldn't have come tonight.

Ned's gaze fell on me through the crowd.

My damn muscle memory made me subconsciously drama a flattering, bright smile.

As he got closer to me, my heart started beating faster and faster.

Finally, he stood in front of me and handed me the medal. I froze.

After a few seconds, Derek gently tapped my arm and said, "Rita? Hurry up and take it!"

I instantly snapped out of it and hurriedly reached out to take the medal.

Yet Ned stepped back with the medal in his hand, and my hand froze in mid-air.

I looked up at him, but his gaze stayed on the arm that Derek had touched, and he smiled.

He spoke indifferently, "Ms. Fox, what were you thinking just now?"

I lowered my head without answering and forcefully took the medal from his hand. Unexpectedly, I touched his fingertips, causing my heart to tremble.

Ned was not angry. He stood beside me, taking a photo together with me and everyone else.

As he stood by my side, the familiar scent of cold pine took me back to the past.

When I first entered the industry, the screenwriter who took me under his wing said that the scripts I wrote were all very good.

But the romantic scenes I wrote made people want to stay away from relationships.

He asked me to date someone.

But I was always single and had never been very interested in romantic relationships.

Yet I was also a very ambitious screenwriter.

I was at a loss.

In the next second, I turned around and saw a handsome man passing by me.

I was fascinated by his appearance and stopped him to ask if he wanted to go out with me.

There was a hint of surprise in his eyes, but he quickly regained his composure. I thought I'd be rejected.

To my surprise, the next second, he decisively nodded and said, "OK."

So, we started dating.

When I was with him, I secretly noted his habits in the memo.

I often pestered him to do things with me that couples did.

At that time, I didn't know much about his family background or job.

My goal was simple. I wanted to write a sweet love story by dating him.

During the months we were together, my ability to write emotional scenes improved by leaps and bounds.

On the day the script was finished, my screenwriting teacher praised me and said I could graduate.

But my excitement was short-lived, leaving behind a trace of melancholy.

It meant that I had to break up with Ned.

However, I was a career-oriented woman, and breaking up had never been a big deal for me.

Before going to see him, I deliberately drank two bottles of wine at his doorstep.

Yet when I entered, I saw that he was not in a good mood and was also drinking.

We hit it off. I forgot why I was there and continued drinking with him.

The next day, we woke up in bed together.

Things were getting out of hand. So, I left him a message to break up with him and then deleted his contact information.

If it were just these, I wouldn't have felt so guilty when I saw him. But the problem was that message.

No man in the world would accept being told that he was sexually incompetent, and Ned was definitely no exception.

In order to cut ties with him, I texted.

[I want to break up with you. Last night was terrible. You need practice.]

But now I regretted it very much. I always felt that he, who used to listen to me obediently, had a hint of killing intent in his eyes.

I thought that my contact with him was limited to those few seconds on stage.

Yet then he sat at our table under the crowd's adulation.

I felt like dying at once.

After sitting down, I could only lower my head and eat, afraid of meeting his gaze.

But things didn't go as planned.

Noah took the lead in toasting Ned.

Then the producers and actors at the table started to toast Ned one by one.

I was thinking about how to avoid a direct confrontation with Ned.

Suddenly, a cold gaze fixed on me.

Ned stared at me without moving.

I had to admit that Ned still had an extraordinary temperament on a social occasion like this.

I didn't have time to dwell on that. Instead, I tried to come up with something to deal with the situation.

Ned always yields to soft approaches, so, I should take the initiative to drama goodwill.

So, I held a glass of wine and stood behind everyone else to toast him.

Unfortunately, the stupid Derek was behind me.

He grabbed my sleeve and said loudly.

"Rita, I thought you disliked dealing with people like him the most!"

I glanced at him and then looked at Ned. Then I quickly said to Derek in a louder voice than his.

"I have heard about Mr. Grant for a long time. I've always wanted a chance to meet him.

"Moreover, I thought you showed a perfect CEO in the drama. But when I saw Mr. Grant, I finally understood what a real domineering CEO is. He's so handsome and noble."

Everyone around us froze, and the scene fell silent.

The corners of Derek's mouth twitched slightly as he couldn't believe I used him to praise Ned.

Even Noah, my archenemy, gave me a thumbs-up.

It was like he was saying to me he was impressed by my words.

I coughed affectedly and observed Ned imperceptibly.

Sure enough, he smiled.

At this moment, I happened to walk up to him and clinked glasses with him.

"Mr. Grant, cheers."

As the wine slid down my throat, I was choked.

Ned handed me a tissue and said, "Take your time. Savor the drink for a better experience."

My hand paused for a moment when I took the tissue. Experience? Is he suggesting something?

I was flustered but still tried to control the situation.

I said, knowing he'd understand, "Mr. Grant, you're right. It's not terrible at all!"

Meanwhile, I looked at him eagerly.

His cold eyes softened for a moment and then suddenly shifted away.

I felt a gentle tap on my back.

It turned out that Derek thought I was nervous and was soothing me.

I immediately looked at Ned's expression. He stopped smiling.

I straightened up and moved forward to avoid Derek's touch, but as a result, I got closer to Ned.

He curled his lips and looked at Derek with a hint of mockery.

The producer next to us spoke for me, "Mr. Grant, Ms. Fox is not good at drinking."

Ned turned his head and looked at me with a half-smile.

"Ms. Fox, is that so?"

He knew that I could drink, and I was a heavy drinker no less.

"It depends. If it's with Mr. Grant, I can drink a lot."

He finally changed the topic after I made him happy.

"Ms. Fox, my family are fans of the drama, too. But somehow, they always feel that the male lead is very familiar."

I was on the verge of collapsing. "Mr. Grant, I think the CEO I wrote is nothing compared to you."

Ned nodded, seemingly satisfied with my answer. He picked up his glass, took a sip, and then changed the subject.

"Why don't you guys start working on a new drama? It'll still be the same team. This time, I will provide additional investment as well as sponsor you."

The first person to get excited and stand up was the producer.

"Thank you, Mr. Grant. We will definitely live up to your support!"

Then the producer turned to look at me, the look in his eyes telling me that we'd be loaded.

Everyone in the room was ecstatic.

I was the only exception. My expression changed at once, and I cursed in my heart.

I put a lot of effort into writing this drama.

Now that he was gonna invest, I'd definitely have a lot of contact with him. Things would be troublesome.

I didn't expect that Derek and I would be the first to get into trouble.