Chapter 7
Leila Jenkins—heiress to the Jenkins family, one of Emerald City's most elite dynasties, and the only real friend Jessica had ever known.
"If I hadn't come back when I did, were you just planning to let them pick you clean to the bone?" Leila shot her an exasperated look and unceremoniously bundled her into the Bentley without waiting for protest.
Half an hour later, they sat across from each other in an upscale restaurant known for its discretion.
Leila ordered a soothing pumpkin soup and several light dishes for Jessica. Studying her friend's paper-white complexion, she couldn't suppress the anger simmering in her voice.
"I flew back for a charity performance—thought I'd surprise you. Instead, I'm the one who got the shock." She tapped her spoon against the rim of her bowl with a sharp clink. "Look at you. You're practically transparent. So tell me—has that bastard Stanley been treating you like garbage again?"
Jessica kept her eyes down, sipping the soup in tiny increments. The warmth spread through her stomach, but her heart remained frozen solid.
She shook her head, her voice barely audible. "No. I've just been working too hard lately."
"Working too hard?" Leila's laugh was bitter and sharp. "Jessica, you can lie to everyone else, but you can't lie to me. Where's that fearless girl who once released a box of frogs in Stanley's study just to watch him squirm? When did you turn into this... doormat?"
Those vivid memories felt like relics from another lifetime now.
Jessica's eyes stung with tears. She could only continue drinking her soup, hiding behind the bowl to conceal her crumbling composure.
Watching her friend's pitiful state only stoked Leila's fury higher. She slammed her palm on the table. "Stop eating! I'm going to find Stanley right now and give him a piece of my mind! If he thinks he can keep using you like a disposable rag, he's got another thing coming!"
"Don't!" Jessica grabbed her arm, panic flooding her features with an urgency Leila had never seen before. "Leila, please don't go!"
She knew Leila had the power and connections to make Stanley's life difficult. But Stanley's influence in Emerald City ran deep as roots through concrete. Jessica's own life was already a lost cause, her days numbered—she couldn't drag her only friend down with her.
"This is my problem. I'll handle it." Jessica drew a steadying breath and met Leila's worried gaze with clear, deliberate resolve. "I'm going to divorce him."
Leila froze. Then her eyes blazed with fierce approval and relief. "Really? You're finally seeing sense? Thank God! I've been saying it for years—that man isn't worth a single tear! Divorce him! You absolutely must!"
The crushing weight that had sat on Leila's chest for years suddenly lifted. Her mood soared—until a notification lit up her phone screen barely minutes later, instantly draining all color from her face.
She shoved the phone across the table toward Jessica.
On the screen was a crystal-clear photograph, shot outside one of the city's trendiest cafés.
Stanley was leaning close to Lydia, his thumb gently wiping a smudge of cream from the corner of her mouth. His dark eyes held a tender warmth Jessica had never once glimpsed directed at herself.
The headline was a knife to the chest: Smith Entertainment CEO and A-List Actress Ready to Go Public? Sweet PDA Caught on Camera!
Jessica's pupils contracted violently. Her heart plunged into ice water—freezing, agonizing.
Yet years of professional training kicked in like reflex. Even through the searing pain, her mind automatically began calculating damage control.
Camera angle. Timing of publication. Possible sources behind the leak. Information cascaded through her thoughts at lightning speed.
Almost unconsciously, she reached for her phone and opened her assistant's chat window.
"Jessica!" Leila slammed her hand down over Jessica's, her voice shaking with rage. "What are you doing? Have you lost your mind?! You're about to divorce him, and you're still cleaning up his messes? Do you really have no self-respect left?"
Jessica looked up. The exhaustion and desolation in her eyes were utterly foreign to Leila.
She gently pushed Leila's hand aside and said quietly, "It's my job. I finish what I start." Her voice dropped even lower. "Leila, this is the last time."
Before Leila could respond, Jessica grabbed her coat and bolted from the restaurant, deaf to her friend's furious protests.
By the time Jessica arrived at the café, reporters had already swarmed the entrance like vultures.
The company's PR team was floundering, visibly overwhelmed.
Jessica pushed through the crowd with an expressionless face, immediately taking command. Her instructions came rapid-fire and precise.
"Team A—clear the crowd. Create an exit path."
"Team B—brief the media. Say Mr. Smith and Ms. Moore were discussing a new charity initiative. The photo was taken from a misleading angle."
"Team C—contact our media partners immediately. Prepare the official statement for distribution."
She operated like an emotionless general, executing each move with surgical precision. Under her direction, the chaos gradually transformed into controlled order.
She was so focused that she didn't notice Stanley and Lydia emerging from the café behind her.
Stanley stood a few paces back, studying the familiar yet distant figure. She looked deathly pale, fragile as spun glass—yet when she commanded the room, her authority was absolute.
'Playing hard to get. She's really committed to the performance.'
A cold sneer tugged at his lips. He strode forward through the parting crowd and stopped directly behind her.
The surrounding noise seemed to fall away. A shadow engulfed her.
Jessica was just turning to issue the next directive when a low voice—dripping with mockery and cold as winter steel—spoke directly against her ear.
"Had enough of the act yet?"
