LOGINThe day my husband, Leon Ford, won Best Actor, a video smearing me went viral. In the video, my sister, Lucy Carter, tearfully accused me of using my position as Leon's manager to break them up. She claimed I'd threatened to ruin his career and forced him to marry me, a 250-pound woman. Leon liked the video the moment it went up, making it look like he was backing Lucy's story. Within minutes, the entire internet had turned against me. "She used her power to pressure an actor into marrying her? Someone like that should be blacklisted!" "God, she stole her own sister's boyfriend! What a vicious woman. Leon must've been miserable waking up to that disgusting fat pig every day!" "I hope Leon and Lucy finally get to be happy. That damned woman can go to hell!" What no one knew was how much I'd sacrificed for Leon over the years. I'd found investors for him and spent countless nights drinking with clients until I ended up in the ICU with a perforated stomach. I'd even been injured protecting him from a hater. The medication I needed afterward made my weight spiral out of control. Back then, Leon had sworn he'd never be ashamed of me. He called me his only treasure and chose to marry me of his own free will. I believed him. Despite what the medication had done to my body, I kept working tirelessly for him until he finally won Best Actor. But now that he'd made it to the top, all I got in return was a public smear campaign and divorce papers. Just when I had nowhere left to turn and despair was closing in, I received a text from Stephen Moretti, the mafia Don. "Want revenge? Lose weight and I'll make you a queen."
View More"IBU!" Kushaira berteriak dari pintu rumah. Baru saja dia ingin melangkah masuk, matanya bertatapan dengan beberapa orang tamu.
"Ups. Ternyata ramai. Maaf-maaf!" Kushaira berlari kecil ke dapur untuk mencari keberadaan Puan Asnah. "Apa teriak-teriak begitu? Nggak lihat ya ada tamu di depan?" omel Puan Asnah kepada anak bungsunya. "Mana aku tahu. Ada apa ramai-ramai begitu, Bu?" Kushaira menarik kursi lalu menjatuhkan tubuhnya ke atasnya. Air di dalam teko berwarna ungu dituangkan penuh ke dalam gelas kosong yang berada di atas nampan. "Heish!" Tangan Kushaira ditepuk kakaknya, Kushaima. "Itu air buat tamu, kenapa malah kamu yang minum?" marah kakaknya lagi. "Ah kak, hauslah." Kushaira memasang wajah polos. Tenggorokannya kering sejak tadi, sudah ada air di depan mata. Sekalian menyelam, biar sampai ke dasar, begitu kata orang. "Bu... siapa mereka itu?" Kushaira masih penasaran ingin tahu siapa sebenarnya tamu-tamu yang datang itu. Dia merasa aneh, belum pernah mereka menerima tamu sebanyak itu. Bahkan sampai menyiapkan nampan hantaran. "Orang datang melamar," jawab Puan Asnah acuh tak acuh sambil membawa beberapa kue yang dibeli Kushaima pagi tadi setelah mengetahui tamu-tamu itu akan datang ke rumah mereka. "Wah, mau melamar siapa tuh? Ibu ya?" goda Kushaira. "Banyak omong kamu." Puan Asnah melotot tajam. Tangan Kushaira yang ingin mencuil sedikit kue-kue itu langsung ditepis. "Mereka datang mau melamar kakakmu jadi menantu, sebentar lagi kamu punya kakak ipar." Mata Kushaira membelalak. Kepalanya langsung menoleh ke arah sosok kakaknya yang baru saja kembali ke dapur setelah menghidangkan minuman di depan. "Kak, serius? Azrul sudah berani lanjut ke tahap berikutnya?" Kushaira tanpa sengaja menyebut nama kekasih Kushaima hingga membuat Puan Asnah berhenti menyusun kue di atas piring kaca. "Azrul?" Sekali lagi Kushaima menepuk lengan adiknya. Soal Azrul, dia belum pernah memberi tahu ibu mereka. Kalau Puan Asnah tahu, habislah semuanya. "Err... Azrul itu cuma teman Shaima, Bu. Teman waktu kuliah dulu. Nggak ada apa-apa kok." Kushaira terdiam. Dalam hati dia sudah menyindir sendiri. 'Teman kuliah katanya... padahal.' "Kalian berdua jangan macam-macam, terutama kamu, Shaima. Di depan itu orang datang melamar, mau menjadikan kamu menantu. Kalau memang sudah punya kekasih, bilang dari awal. Jangan kasih harapan ke tamu-tamu itu." Kushaima menggigit bibir. Dia memang sudah putus dengan Azrul. Tapi, sanggupkah dia melupakan mantan kekasih itu? Dan yang paling sulit, mereka sudah hidup bersama layaknya suami istri yang sah meski belum menikah. Kushaira diam. Dia tidak tahu sejauh mana hubungan kakaknya dan Azrul. Tetapi, dia yakin kakaknya sangat mencintai lelaki itu. Kalau tidak, tak mungkin dia menangis tiga hari tiga malam karena ulah lelaki itu. "Nggak kok, Bu. Kami nggak ada apa-apa." Kushaima akhirnya bersuara mencoba menenangkan hati sendiri sekaligus meyakinkan Puan Asnah. "Shaira. Tolong bawa kue ini ke depan sebentar. Kakak sakit perut." Kushaima buru-buru berlari ke kamar mandi. "Eh? Aku lagi?" Baru saja ingin mengeluh, bahunya malah ditepuk Puan Asnah. "Sudah, antar dulu. Sebentar lagi Ibu keluar." Kushaira menurut. Jus anggur di dalam gelas dihabiskannya. Setelah itu barulah dia menuju ruang tamu sambil membawa nampan berisi kue-kue. Baru saja meletakkan kue di atas meja, mulutnya langsung ramah mempersilakan semua tamu makan dan minum. "Silakan diminum, dimakan juga ya. Sebentar lagi Ibu keluar." Mereka saling melempar senyum. Salah seorang mulai bertanya. "Ini Kushaira ya? Adik Kushaima..." tanya seorang wanita yang tampak seusia dengan Puan Asnah. Senyum masih menghiasi bibirnya. "Iya, saya." "Masih kuliah?" "Iya, masih. Ini juga baru pulang dari kampus." "Oh... ambil jurusan apa?" "Saya kuliah di bidang bisnis. Tapi, Ibu suruh ambil sains. Jadi saya ambil dua-duanya sekaligus. Tante namanya siapa? Teman Ibu ya?" Kushaira begitu luwes mengobrol dengan tamu-tamu itu. Sama sekali tidak canggung. "Iya. Tante ini teman Ibumu dan almarhum ayahmu dulu. Panggil saja Tante Zara." "Oh! Tante Zara tinggal di mana? Cukup cuma makan kue ini? Kalau mau makan yang lain, nanti saya tanya Ibu mau beli atau masak." "Eh, nggak usah repot-repot, ini sudah cukup. Kamu kuliah di kampus mana?" "Kolej Tun Abdul Hamid. Ibu yang suruh kuliah di sana, katanya dulu dia pengin kuliah di situ tapi nggak kesampaian. Tapi, Tante, benar ya Ibu terkenal waktu masih kuliah dulu?" Puan Zara dan keluarganya terkejut mendengar pertanyaan Kushaira. Sangat berbeda dengan kakaknya yang hanya tersenyum manis. Adiknya benar-benar lain, sampai bisa mengajak bergosip tentang ibunya sendiri. "Terkenal juga sih. Almarhum ayahmu dulu orang ketiga yang ikut berebut mendapatkan Ibumu." Puan Zara juga tidak mau melewatkan kesempatan bergosip. Dia jadi teringat masa mudanya, sesuatu yang berhasil mengusik hatinya. "Wah... Ibu cantik juga ya dulu, hehe..." Kushaira langsung mendapat ide untuk menggoda ibunya nanti. "Haha... kamu ini lumayan lucu ya?" Kushaira tertawa kecil. Suasana ruang tamu langsung menjadi ramai oleh tawa mereka bersama Kushaira. Tak ada lagi rasa canggung. "Wah, ngobrol apa sih? Ketawanya sampai terdengar ke dapur." Tegur Puan Asnah yang baru saja keluar dari dapur bersama Kushaima. Mereka mengambil tempat duduk kosong yang tadi diduduki Kushaira. "Saya pamit dulu ya. Ibu sudah keluar. Saya cabut dulu." Kalimat terakhir sengaja dipelankannya. Takut kena cubit ibunya. Tanpa disadari Kushaira, sejak tadi calon kakak iparnya terus memperhatikannya. Sesekali dia tersenyum melihat tingkah dan ocehan Kushaira bersama Puan Zara. "Maaf ya, Zara. Anak bungsuku memang begitu. Tingkahnya agak beda. Nggak seperti kakaknya ini, sopan, lembut, manis di depan orang." Puan Asnah sengaja memuji anak sulungnya. Maklum saja, mereka datang untuk melamar anak sulungnya. Tentu dia harus menjual sisi baik putrinya. "Eh, nggak apa-apa, Asnah. Anak bungsumu pintar, pandai mengambil hati kami tadi. Anak bujangku sampai hilang rasa gugup. Hebat juga dia bisa ambil dua jurusan sekaligus. Kamu harus jaga dia baik-baik, Asnah. Setelah lulus nanti, peluang dapat pekerjaan bagus besar sekali." Puan Asnah hanya tersenyum tipis. Dia tidak bangga dengan pujian itu. Di matanya, Kushaima lebih pantas menerima pujian tersebut. "Iya deh, jadi bagaimana?" Puan Asnah cepat-cepat mengalihkan topik. Dia tidak ingin terlalu banyak membicarakan Kushaira. Baginya, Kushaira hanyalah aib. Mulutnya sudah berbusa menasihati agar berubah sikap. Namun, Kushaira tetap keras kepala. Sampai-sampai Puan Asnah hampir malu karena seluruh kompleks perumahan sudah mengenal keluarga mereka akibat tingkah Kushaira yang aneh-aneh. "Oh iya, hampir lupa. Berarti urusan kita hari ini jadi ya. Zareef juga setuju menikahi Kushaira." "Eh!" Puan Asnah terkejut. "Eh! Salah-salah, Kushaima. Aku keseleo lidah, nama anak-anakmu hampir sama. Aku jadi bingung. Jadi cincin tanda lamaran ini aku serahkan padamu. Cincin tunangannya mau langsung dipakaikan atau nanti saja waktu acara?" Puan Asnah memandang Kushaima. "Shaima ikut Ibu saja." Usai berkata, Kushaima menundukkan kepala malu. Wajahnya memerah ketika melirik ke arah Zareef yang sejak tadi hanya duduk diam tanpa bersuara. "Kalau begitu, langsung saja pakaikan cincin pertunangannya. Nanti acaranya tinggal akad nikah dan resepsi saja." Entah mengapa Puan Asnah ingin secepat mungkin menyatukan Kushaima dan Zareef. Hatinya cemas akan sesuatu, dan hal itu berkaitan dengan Kushaira. "Baiklah." Puan Zara bangkit dari sofa. Dia mendekati Kushaima. Kotak cincin dibuka lalu langsung menyematkan cincin itu ke jari gadis tersebut. "Tante tinggal jauh, kadang-kadang harus ke luar negeri. Makanya acara ini dibuat sederhana begini, nggak sempat memberi tahu Ibumu dengan baik. Nanti waktu pesta pernikahan, Tante bikin yang besar ya?" Kushaima hanya tersenyum. Matanya diam-diam mencuri pandang ke arah Zareef. Tadi lelaki itu sempat tersenyum, tetapi kini wajahnya tanpa ekspresi. Apa dia tidak bahagia bisa bersatu dengan Kushaima? Sementara adegan di ruang tamu itu diam-diam disaksikan Kushaira. Dia berdiri di anak tangga sambil mengintip apa yang sedang terjadi. Saat sedang mencoba membetulkan posisi duduknya, tiba-tiba vas bunga kecil yang berada di atas anak tangga terjatuh dan mengenai kepala Zareef yang duduk di dekat tangga. Refleks Zareef mendongak, dan mata mereka langsung bertemu. Kushaira terkejut bukan main. Wajahnya berubah panik sambil meminta maaf kepada lelaki itu. Kedua tangannya langsung disatukan. Zareef tersenyum lebar. Setiap kali melihat Kushaira, bibirnya selalu ingin tersenyum. Ada sesuatu pada gadis itu yang lebih menarik perhatiannya dibandingkan tunangannya sendiri. Kushaira langsung bangkit dari tangga. Dia buru-buru melarikan diri setelah mendapat tatapan tajam dari Puan Asnah. Begitu masuk ke kamar. "Aduh... kaget aku. Untung vasnya plastik. Kalau vas kaca, mungkin kepala lelaki itu sudah bolong." Kushaira merebahkan tubuh di atas ranjang. Rasanya empuk dan nyaman. Tanpa melepas hijabnya, dia menarik guling ke pelukan. Dalam sekejap mata dia langsung tertidur. Hari itu benar-benar melelahkan. Seharian di kampus mengerjakan tugas-tugas yang berkaitan dengan mata kuliah bisnis. Sore harinya sebelum pulang, dia mencari dosen di laboratorium untuk bertanya tentang mata kuliah sains. Kadang-kadang dia merasa heran, mengapa Kushaima lebih bebas memilih hal yang disukainya dibanding dirinya yang selalu dikekang dalam setiap langkah.Three days later, Leon and Lucy went on trial.I attended as the victim and watched them turn on each other in court, each desperate to save themselves.Lucy called Leon a coward, screaming that he'd whispered sweet promises to her in bed, only to blame everything on her the moment they were caught.Leon called her an idiot and claimed none of this would have happened if she hadn't hired that obsessed fan in the first place. Without that attack, investigators would never have uncovered everything else they'd done.I watched them coldly. Once I'd handed over all my evidence, I walked out and never looked back.With those two finally out of my life, I threw myself into my career.With Stephen behind me and my determination driving me forward, I turned David's film into the biggest box-office hit of the year. I used its success to buy three production companies and expand my influence across the industry.Within a year, I had a hand in everything from production and distribution to talent
Stephen whirled around and pulled me against him as we fell. The knife missed me, but the blade sliced across his arm.Leon lost his balance and crashed into a metal frame. Before he could get back up, Stephen's bodyguards swarmed him, forced him to his knees, and restrained him.Even as they dragged him away, Leon kept shouting, "You have no evidence! You can't arrest me! This is kidnapping! I'll sue you!"Stephen's chief bodyguard gave him a cold look. "There are sixteen security cameras covering this plant, inside and out. Ms. Carter was also carrying a recording device, and the men you hired have already confessed. Mr. Ford, we have more than enough evidence."The color drained from Leon's face.As the police shoved him into the back of a squad car, Lucy started screaming at him. "This is all your fault! You're the one who said kidnapping her would fix everything! Now we're both finished!"Leon swung at her, but the officers quickly restrained him. Even then, the two kept lunging a
After that livestream, Leon and Lucy became two of the most hated people in the industry.My parents finally showed their true colors. They abandoned Lucy, sold the house, and disappeared.Buried under massive penalty fees and blacklisted everywhere, Leon and Lucy finally went mad.They spent every cent they had hiring a group of criminals. One day, while I was on my way to sign a contract, the men forced my car off the road, knocked my driver unconscious, and kidnapped me.They took me to an abandoned chemical plant that reeked of rust and mold.Several thugs surrounded me, each holding a camera. Leon stepped through them, his face twisted with hatred. "Ella, you pushed me to this! You destroyed my career and left me buried in debt! If you're determined to ruin my life, then I'll drag you down with me!"Lucy stepped forward and slapped me. "If it weren't for you, would I have ended up like this? Mom and Dad abandoned me! I've been hiding from place to place, and it's all because of yo
In the end, Lucy left with my parents in disgrace. After that, she didn't dare start another livestream.The recordings also exposed her affair with Leon while we were still married. Once the internet turned against her, she ran crying to Leon.Leon felt sorry for her, but before he could come after me, his agency suspended all of his work.Desperate, he tried every possible way to contact me and begged to meet.That day, after training, Stephen handed me a bottle of water. He asked, "Are you going?"I caught my reflection in the mirror and smiled. "Of course. I wouldn't miss the chance to watch them turn on each other."Stephen wrapped an arm around my waist. "Then I'll keep out of sight and enjoy the show."Half an hour later, we arrived at the club where Leon had asked to meet.Leon couldn't stop staring at me. "Ella, there's something I need to tell you. Lucy was behind everything. I never wanted to betray you. She seduced me. And I swear I had no idea she'd hired that obsessed fan












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