All Chapters of The Ugly Duckling: Rise of the Forsaken Wife: Chapter 191 - Chapter 200

Out of habit, he glanced toward the audience, and his eyes coincidentally landed on Danice in the front row.Zarius bit his lip.Had she been a woman all along?No one else seemed surprised. Was he the only one who didn’t know? Did he look like a fool in her eyes?He avoided Danice’s gaze as though he had been scalded, lowering his head and staring at the floor like a chastised child.“I… I wanted to change my image…”With his mind and heart in turmoil, he spoke the depth of his heart. His true reason for taking on the role of Zeke—one he hadn’t even realized he had been carrying—slipped out naturally.“A few months ago, I met a fan who had watched my film. I was in disguise at the time, so she didn’t know who I was. I asked her what she thought about the male protagonist—about me—and she said the words no one had ever dared to say to my face.”Zarius’s low, subdued voice echoed through the speakers.“She said that my flaws as an actor were obvious—especially when I played leading rol

Director Choi looked at the two with a displeased expression. These two always argued like sworn enemies, yet at times like this, they truly looked like family.He turned to Danice. “It’s good to have strong connections. But if you join them now, and these two fools openly give you resources even though you’re only a newcomer, many artists will envy you. You’ll only make more enemies because of them.” His tone grew serious. “This industry is quite vicious at times. You must be careful and think this through, Danice.”Danice saw the solemnity in Director Choi’s eyes. He wasn’t merely warning her—he was offering genuine advice.“I’ll consider it carefully,” she said earnestly. “Thank you, Director Choi.”“What enemies? They dare—” Zarius started, only to be interrupted by a cough.“Ahem! Everyone!”Producer Daniel, who had left earlier, returned, instantly drawing the attention of everyone at the table. They turned toward him—and then noticed the man standing behind him.At some point,

Danice had no choice but to face Julian. She bowed to bid him goodbye, “Then I’ll be leaving too. Thank you for tonight, Mr. Amberford.”She turned to walk away, but a hand suddenly held her wrist, stopping her. His palm was cold, and before she could react, he released her immediately.“Julian…” he said, standing tall and almost blocking the light behind him. “Just call me Julian.”With him standing close, she caught the faint fragrance of cool sandalwood, mingled with the scent of alcohol. That familiar scent again…Danice avoided his gaze. Not responding to his words, she said, “…If there’s nothing else—”Julian interrupted, “You drank a lot. Do you have your driver with you?”“Not at the moment. I’ll call someone…”“That will take time,” he said. “We can ride together.”“Thanks for the offer, but it’s okay. I can wait.”“Then I’ll wait with you.”A flicker of annoyance rose in Danice’s chest. Why was he being so persistent? Even earlier—claiming he was a fan, bringing side dishes

“I think you should hire a manager.”Butler Hans listened to Danice’s dilemma and felt equally helpless about her situation. “I can help you sort these things out temporarily, but you know my knowledge of this industry is very limited.”Danice knew that this was as much as Hans could do, and she appreciated it. She really needed an extra hand—someone who could respond to emails and keep an eye on her account while she searched for a manager. Unfortunately, Hans couldn’t recommend anyone either, as he lacked experience in this field.She thought of Zarius’s and Kelly’s agencies. With those two, she knew the contracts offered would never put her at a disadvantage. However, she also kept Director Choi’s advice firmly in mind.As someone who was just starting out—a complete newcomer to the film industry—being suddenly favored by top people of the agency and showered with major offers would likely attract more hostility than goodwill. It would be easy for her to become a target, both among

“What do you mean it’s closed for today?” Zarius exclaimed in shock.He had bought two suites at the Ivory Hotel and even held a VIP membership card. With that status—and ownership of two properties in this expensive building—he was always given priority whenever he booked a table at the luxurious restaurant at the top.Earlier that day, he had called to reserve a table for tonight to surprise his little brother, but the staff on the phone told him reservations were not being accepted. He assumed the staff member was new and didn’t realize that he, Zarius, was not like other guests. So he left his apartment and went straight to the management office.Only to be met by the head manager, who apologized profusely and explained that the entire venue had been reserved.To compensate for his frustration, they offered to waive the reservation fee and prioritize him for the following day. He could even choose his preferred table.Zarius: “…”Faced with the manager’s sincere apologies, Zarius