Chapter 1. The Divorce

Chapter 1: The Divorce

Golden rays of warm sunlight pierced through the corner of the bedroom, illuminating a small figure curled up on the sofa.

Rita was sleeping soundly, still tightly clutching a stack of script notes in her hand. The sunlight highlighted her skin, white and delicate as snow, and her face looked breathtakingly lovely—the entire scene was nothing short of picturesque.

Yet, the next second, Rita pressed her lips into a thin line and abruptly snapped her eyes open. Lifting herself up in a daze, she looked around, and only after collecting her wits did she realize that it must have all been just a dream.

The dream had been bizarre, yet frighteningly real. Rita had dream that the world she lived in was actually a novel. The male protagonist of this book was Arman—Rita’s secret husband, whose very existence, however, was like a thorn in his side.

Arman was young and remarkably successful in his career, and the Storm Media Group under his control practically held half of the entire entertainment industry in its grasp. A man who, at first glance, had absolute perfection, turned out to be miserable in a marriage of convenience. Fortunately, that contract was coming to an end in a divorce.

Reaching this point in her dream, Rita had jolted awake. Although she hadn't managed to catch a glimpse of who the novel's female protagonist was, Rita genuinely believed that she and Arman got along quite well: no serious conflicts or quarrels had ever arisen between them. Then again, that was merely her own perspective—what Arman actually thought, Rita had no idea.

To put it briefly, this book-like dream felt more like an omen, one that simply reminded Rita that the expiration date of their marriage contract was rapidly approaching. Thinking back on it, less than a week remained.

Usually, Rita was completely consumed by her scripts, which was why she had almost forgotten about the matter. Besides, Arman had left on a business trip half a month ago and still hadn't returned, as if he had vanished into thin air. Matching reality with the dream's portrayal of her as a thorn in his heart, Rita couldn't help but half-believe it. To say she felt no sadness at all would be a lie, but she had never been someone excessively hung up on problems.

Guided by the philosophy that "a clean break is better than dragging out a bad arrangement," she decided not to put off the inevitable. Taking advantage of the gorgeous weather, Rita briskly packed up her modest belongings, dug out the very first draft of the divorce agreement, signed her name, and left the papers right on the desk. With that, she resolutely walked out of the mansion they had shared.

As she headed downstairs, the butler very courteously helped her carry her suitcase. Arman was rarely home, so Rita had grown quite close to the elderly butler. Right before her departure, she gave the old man a farewell hug, told him to take good care of his health, and left without looking back.

That afternoon, while the servants were cleaning the rooms, the divorce agreement was discovered sitting right there on the desk. The butler, who until that moment was convinced that the young mistress had simply left for a shoot, felt the smile gradually slide off his face...

In truth, the butler was aware of the couple's contract, but he had never expected time to fly by so quickly. Overcome with anxiety and shock, he immediately hurried to report the matter to his master.

When Arman received the message, he had just wrapped up a meeting. The news that Rita had already signed the agreement and moved out caused him to freeze for a split second. A subtle, fleeting sensation that flickered in the depths of his heart disappeared just as quickly as it had arrived. Over the past year, Arman had signed countless business agreements, and he was notoriously strict about adhering to contracts—even when it came to a marriage agreement. Therefore, on the surface, he showed not the slightest sign that anything out of the ordinary had occurred.

However, that was only how it seemed to Arman himself. To his senior assistant, it felt as if the number of proposals sent back for revision over the past few days had skyrocketed to a catastrophic level: literally nine out of ten projects were being rejected, leaving every employee in the company with a splitting headache.

It was only three days later, when Arman finally returned to the country from his business trip, that everyone could breathe a temporary sigh of relief. Arriving home at dusk when darkness had already fallen over the streets, Arman refreshed himself with a shower. Looking at the empty room, he knit his brows and summoned the butler.

"Has the weather gotten colder here?" Arman asked.

The butler looked completely baffled. "No, sir. It's early May, the very beginning of summer. If you feel cold, I can turn on the heating?"

"Forget it," Arman brushed him off.

The next few days passed as usual, but Arman’s expression grew progressively darker. Though he had never been known for a cheerful disposition, the heavy, suffocating aura radiating from him now was something those around him felt with acute intensity.

That day, holding his breath, the assistant used trembling hands to submit a proposal for an innovative new reality show for his review. In his mind, the idea was doomed: the boss had axed several new projects recently, and this one likely didn't stand a chance either. Besides, the assistant knew that Boss Arman had just gotten divorced. Even if it was merely a contract marriage, the very theme of the project felt like a blatant challenge to fate.

While the assistant was spiraling in his own grim thoughts, Arman had already flipped through the concept, skimmed it quickly, made a couple of minor tweaks, and signed his name under "Approved" with an entirely impassive face. Everything was handled with absolute impartiality.

When the folder featuring the project titled "We Are Divorced" landed back in the assistant's hands, he felt as if he were dreaming awake. Had he simply been overthinking things? Could Arman ever be driven by emotion? When it came to work, the man had always maintained extreme professionalism and a strict boundary between personal matters and business!

With a lightened heart, the assistant stepped out of the president's office. Only after closing the door behind him did he fail to resist the urge to open the folder again, curious to check what the boss had written. Hadn't he made a couple of edits?

Flipping through a few pages to no avail, the assistant finally reached the section listing the cast members—and right there, his entire worldview completely shattered.

The assistant: "...?!"

Turns out, you could actually do that?!

After the divorce, Rita’s life hadn't changed all that much. The only pleasant perk was the freedom to shamelessly lounge across the spacious king-sized bed, which now had one less person in it, freely rolling from side to side.

Otherwise, her attention remained firmly fixed on scripts. In her spare time, she watched quality films and series, tirelessly honing her acting craft day in and day out.

In this day and age, where capital called all the shots, breaking through without connections—while refusing to play by "unspoken rules" or star in mindless garbage—was becoming harder by the day. After several years in the industry, Rita still hadn't achieved major fame. However, being a lesser-known actress didn't diminish her genuine passion for her craft in the slightest.

Recently, Rita had signed on for a promising project—a deeply heartwarming drama centered around cooking. Although the project lacked solid backing from investors and the director couldn't even guarantee an exact filming start date, Rita took on the role anyway. She happily immersed herself in studying the script and recipes, enthusiastically polishing her cooking skills. While such scenes on screen could easily be handled through editing and body doubles, Rita strived for authenticity and always preferred doing everything herself.

So when her manager, Lana, video-called her, the first thing that met her eyes was an impossibly mouthwatering plate of pork ribs wafting a delicious aroma. Lana, who was currently on a diet, instantly felt a wave of hunger, briefly forgetting what she had even called to say. Thankfully, she quickly recalled the purpose of her call.

When the camera switched over to Rita, Lana looked at her captivating face. Normally, Rita never gave the slightest reason for suspicion, yet the manager asked with a hint of doubt:

"Wait... were you married?"