At the award ceremony, my fiance, Allen Walter, pulled his mistress on stage and publicly announced their relationship when he presented me with an award..

"Out with the old, in with the new. Just a man," I shrugged.

My parents were furious.

"Pull our investments and end all cooperation," they said furiously.

My sister chimed in, "We'll retrieve the copyright. I would rather let it sit idle than sell it to them!"

Allen panicked and came to apologize, but I waved him off dismissively.

"Someone like you is not even worth talking to."

I was awarded the Golden Magnolia Award, and Allen Walter was the presenter.

I was about to receive the award trophy from Allen, but he suddenly stepped back and grabbed the microphone.

"Today is a special day, and I have something important to say."

The room went quiet. I watched as he looked at the crowd and said, "I have been dating Lydia for six months, and today, I want to announce it to everyone!"

He turned to the audience and added, "It is a man's job to make a confession, Lydia!"

The crowd erupted into applause, with cheers and whistles echoing all around. Lydia Moore was touched by Allen's move. She covered her mouth, and her tears welled up. The host had to nudge her to get up on stage.

The two embraced as Allen handed the trophy to Lydia. I stood off to the side as my brows furrowed. I grabbed the microphone with a laugh and said, "I heard Mr. Walter already has a fiancee. Is he now publicly asking Ms. Moore to be his side piece?"

The applause stopped immediately. Lydia froze, and Allen's face twisted in anger.

"It is just a joke from our elders. Come on, who does arranged marriages these days?"

I could not help but laugh at his arrogance. "Well then, I wish you two a lifetime of happiness!"

I dropped the microphone and walked off the stage, leaving the trophy behind.

I knew the media would eat this up.

The host called out awkwardly, "You left your trophy, Ms. Bell!"

"It's yours now!" I replied.

I was dead sure the host knew what Allen wanted to do, considering how the ceremony should have gone. Or it might be the fact that he has a complete lack of control of the ceremony. With that, I left the trophy as a reminder of his failure.

I lost interest in the rest of the event and texted my family about Allen's public mess.

I supposed the Walters would not need our family's support anymore.

The Walters were not exactly a big deal in the capital city. Allen would have never been my fiance if not for the connection between our old folks. He had enjoyed the perks of being connected to our family, and he thought he could just walk away from it.

How naive.

After the ceremony, I left with my manager, who was fuming. "Allen did this on purpose! Did he forget this was live-streamed? He ruined your big moment!"

I patted her shoulder and said, "It's just right on time. Make it the most trending topic online. I want Allen to beg me to forgive him."

I would never let him get away with this.

Natasha Holland, my manager and cousin, was stunned. "You are serious?"

"Of course."

"Alright, I'll get to it, then!" Natasha grinned. She had been with me from the get-go and knew exactly what Allen was like.

As the live broadcast continued, Allen's grand confession and Lydia's tearful response became the story of the night. The two were surrounded by reporters afterward, posing together like they were the happiest couple on earth.

I smirked as I watched from my car, driving away. I wondered how Allen would explain himself?

The moment I got home, Allen showed up at my door with his parents. His face was red and swollen, his shirt half-tucked, and he was tied up with ropes. Was he here to beg for forgiveness?

"Rosie, Allen was out of his mind today," said his mother, Jade Walter, pulling my hand. "Lydia seduced him, and she got to his head for a moment there. Please forgive him."

I could not help but laugh. It would make no sense that Lydia could fool Allen with just a snap of her fingers and announce our breakup during the live-broadcasted Golden Magnolia Awards Ceremony.

Allen ruined my big moment.

I kept silent and watched my parents.

My mother, Helen Bell, broke the silence. "That's not quite accurate. Allen and Lydia have supposedly been dating for six months now while Rosie and Allen are supposed to be engaged.

"Lydia is Allen's mistress, and he's allowing his side piece to take place!"

Jade's face darkened. She turned to Allen, feigning anger. "Apologize to Rosie, you fool!"

However, Allen raised his chin and replied, "I did nothing wrong. I will not marry Rosie because of such outdated, feudal relics from our elders! Love is love! I will leave if you two keep forcing me on this.

"Rosie, you were raised with modern education. Why are you acting so old-fashioned?"

His words enraged Jade.

Allen's father, Jack Walter, slapped him lightly on the head. "Stop talking!"

My mother chuckled dryly and said, "If that's the case, let's call off the engagement. Return our family heirloom, alright?"

My father nodded. "That's right. Young people have their own ideas. Forcing a match is never good."

They knew a forced marriage would only lead to more trouble. Neither of them wanted me to compete with Lydia for a man.

We should move on.

My mother added, "That's right. Since the engagement is called off, there will be no more interactions between our families. Any future cooperation ends here."

This was our family's line in the sand.

My parents wanted to resolve this quickly to avoid me getting caught up in an affair, but Jade thought we were the ones in the wrong.

She instantly took out the heirloom of the engagement, clearly prepared and wanting to end it right then.

My mother carefully inspected it and confirmed everything was in order before returning their family's heirloom.

Allen took it.

Jade continued, "Even though the engagement is called off, we must maintain our relationship! Rosie is such a wonderful girl. I will treat her like my own daughter."

I yanked my hand away and said, "I appreciate the sentiment, but I have my own mother who loves me. My mother always taught me that someone who truly cares for you won't act differently behind your back!"

"W-what's wrong with you?" Jade froze.

My mother laughed coldly. "That's Rosie for you. I might've slapped you if I was her."

Jade was stunned, but before she could say anything else, my father stepped in to escort them.

The furious Jade retorted, "How arrogant of you Bells, acting all high and mighty. We'll never see each other again!"

"I'm glad you're finally aware."

My mother coldly sent them off.

I wondered if the Walters thought they fully understood our family's capability just because they had worked with us twice.

Anyway, dealing with such short-sighted people was not worth our time.

The butler escorted them out, but just before leaving, Allen glared at me. "What a temper, Rosie. If you were as gentle as Lydia, I never would've—"

Smack! I slapped him hard across the face, stunning him effectively.

Jade screamed, "How dare you hit my son?!"

"He deserves it. I'm being generous by not making this a bigger issue. How long do you think it'll take before everyone knows the truth if I release the video of what you did earlier?"

Jade shut up immediately.

Allen glared at me and snarled, "Wait and see, Rosie. You're no one to dictate everything!"

I sneered, not taking it seriously. Allen could do nothing much as he still relied on my family's resources.

I thought it was over. To my surprise, Natasha called in the next morning in shock.

"Your role in the drama got pulled! Ugh, and they replaced you with Lydia!"

I quickly realized this must have been Allen's doing. After all, Allen had invested in the drama.

I had gotten the role through an audition, and I have been going well with the director. The replacement thus seemed unreasonable.

"Ugh, I won't let him get away with this!" Natasha gritted her teeth.

"Don't worry about it. Let Lydia play. Her films are all trash!"

Lydia had too many scandals. She was definitely digging her own grave without me lifting a finger. Furthermore, some people even took the opportunity to sling more mud.

The entertainment industry was filled with competition for resources.

I was sorry about the IP; Allen ruined it.

I did not mind at all, but they had clearly triggered me.

The production team officially announced the change. Lydia's fans went wild.

[Look at how powerful our Lydia is. Her opportunities skyrocketed after the official announcement yesterday!]

[Lydia is so beautiful. Rosie was completely out of match! She has nothing but some money from her family!]

[Someone must be furious now!]

My fans jumped into the fray, too.

[What's wrong with Rosie? Does she have bad acting? She had plenty of great work throughout the years.]

[Lydia wears a poker face all the time.]

[Is this the 3.0 version of her face? Is it finally stable? Don't be surprised if she changes it again after two years!]

The fans from both sides were arguing fiercely, and Allen's fans jumped in, too.

[Lydia is amazing. Rosie should just leave the entertainment industry!]

[How many syringes of hyaluronic acid did she get last night? Her face is as dark as it can get now. No amount of whitening serum will help!]

The three fan bases were causing a ruckus. A lot of people even sent me private messages.

[Aren't you going to say something?]

[I'm on a break. I'll be back to fight another day!] I replied shortly.

My fans were comforted and fell quiet for the time being.

Allen, however, asked to meet. Since we still had an engagement and some overlapping interests, I figured it was the right time to set things straight.

When Allen saw me, he walked in with his usual arrogance, tossing a stack of documents onto the table in front of me. "This is your compensation for losing the role in the drama 'The Blossom Flower'."

I glanced at it and sneered. "A trash script. Even Lydia wouldn't take it."

"This production might not be as huge, but the character is still pretty good. The villainous role is quite outstanding. It's perfect for you!"

Natasha, unable to hold back her anger, snapped, "Are you dumb or something, Allen?"

I stopped her and turned to Allen, saying, "Since I can't act in that drama, neither can Lydia. Did you even buy the copyrights to this novel?"

Allen was stunned. "What do you mean? Of course I did. Don't you lay a hand on Lydia, or I'll come after you."

"Let's see who's tougher! We're rivals from today onward. If you take my resources to Lydia, I'll take your project."

Allen lost his temper immediately and shouted, "You can't do anything, can you?!"

I turned to face him with a cold smile. "Just wait, Allen. This IP is definitely mine! I'll make sure Lydia never gets started to work!"