5
When my mom opened the door, we shared a long, overdue hug, and I had to fight back tears.
My parents had always been against me entering the entertainment industry. They thought it was a dark, complicated world and that with my personality, I was bound to get hurt. But I loved music, and I was determined to make a name for myself. They couldn’t change my mind, so they reluctantly let me go.
Chapter 2
13:35
Later, when my dad’s company took off, he moved it to Aethelgard. He had asked me to come with him, promising to find me a better agency. But I couldn’t bear to leave Bella and Zoe, and I felt a sense of loyalty to Rex, who had discovered me. It felt wrong to abandon him just as I was starting to succeed. So, I stayed.
Looking back, I had been so unfair to my parents, making them worry about me day and night.
“What’s wrong? Did you get bullied over there?” My mom held me tighter, gently patting my back.
“No, Mom. Who could possibly bully me?” I pulled away, forcing the tears back.
My parents exchanged a look. They clearly knew something but chose not to press the issue.
“That’s right, my son is so capable, who would dare?” my dad chimed in. “But you’ve gotten thinner!”
“Yes, definitely thinner,” my mom agreed. “Tell me whatever you want to eat while you’re home, and I’ll make it for you.”
Later, after I went to my room, I could hear my mom in the living room, quietly fuming to my dad about Bella and Zoe.
“Hmph. So greedy and heartless. What did they promise us back then? That they would take good care of Leo if he stayed. And look! They call him a womanizer, a
cheater! Is that what they call taking care of someone?”
“Two ungrateful brats. When they were being bullied as kids, it was always our Leo who stood up for them. One time, he even got his head split open for them. And this is how they repay him? By spreading vicious rumors. If those two girls ever dare to show their faces here again, I won’t even open the door.”
sighed in my room, pulling the covers over my head.
Just as I was drifting off to sleep, my phone started buzzing incessantly. It was Benny, spamming me with screenshots and a string of fire emojis.
[LEO! DUDE! WHEN DID YOU START DATING THE HEIRESS OF AETHELGARD?! YOU KEPT THAT QUIET!]
Confused, I opened the screenshots. It was a post from Aurora’s official, verified account.
She had posted a single photo of our marriage certificate and a short, powerful message.
[He’s my husband, not some ‘womanizer.‘ To my knowledge, my husband, Leo, has never been involved with any other women. He is dedicated to his music and
his career. The law is clear: the burden of proof is on the accuser. Let’s not create a situation where a lie spreads like wildfire, and the truth has to crawl behind it. Thank you.]
The other screenshots were of major news outlets and her family’s corporate social media accounts all reposting it.
The tide of public opinion tumed in an instant.
People might not believe a random source, but a statement from the “Aethelgard Heiress“? That, they would believe. After all, a family of that stature would have
done a background check going back generations before letting their princess marry someone. If I were really a player, would they have ever approved the match?
1
And if I wasn’t a player, then Bella and Zoe’s accusations suddenly looked very suspicious.
Right on cue, a wave of people claiming to be my old college classmates popped up online. They all confirmed that aside from Bella and Zoe, I had never been seen
with any other girls, and that the two of them would aggressively warn off any woman who tried to get close to me.
Meanwhile, Bella and Zoe, who were on vacation with Finn, saw the news. When they saw the marriage certificate, they reportedly lost their minds.
They rushed back to our old building, only to find the staircase between our condos sealed up. They ran upstairs and banged on my door, only to find out that a new
tenant had already moved in.
Bella nearly collapsed, murmuring over and over, “He really married someone else…”
Zoe’s face was ashen. “Bella, didn’t you say he would never leave us? Didn’t you say that if his career failed, we would be the only ones he could rely on?”
And Finn, upon discovering that the beautiful woman I’d “slept with” was the most powerful heiress in the country, smashed his phone in a fit of rage.
“Leo,” he seethed. “Why are you always so damn lucky?”
