Vivian stood frozen in place, as though a bucket of ice-cold water had been poured over her. She hadn't yet processed Nathan's heartless words when her assistant came rushing up behind her, face pale as a sheet.
"Miss Lin, it's bad! The reporters… they've released a video, saying that you've been… using drugs," the assistant whispered, her voice trembling.
"Drugs?" Vivian's voice cracked in disbelief.
"Yes… they've leaked the video, along with some blurry photos. The company has already held an emergency meeting and decided to… suspend all your activities." The assistant's voice grew softer with each word, the final phrase barely audible.
"How… how could this happen…" Vivian muttered, her head spinning, her vision blurring.
She had already lost her reputation—was she about to lose her career as well?
"Who attended the meeting?" she suddenly asked, her voice carrying the faintest glimmer of hope.
"It was Mr. Reid… he made the decision himself."
Vivian froze. Nathan hadn't just refused to help her; he was actively dragging her further into the abyss!
At that moment, another breaking news headline exploded across every platform:
"Award-Winning Actress Vivian Lin Caught in Scandal; Nathan Reid Announces Relationship with Emily White!"
The accompanying photo showed Nathan gently holding Emily's shoulder, smiling tenderly, the perfect image of a "golden couple." And Vivian? She was nothing more than the discarded victim of their calculated plan, left with nothing but ruins.
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Two days later, Vivian was officially terminated from the company. Her bank accounts were frozen, and all her assets were seized by Nathan under the pretense of "contract disputes." Even the place she had called home was emptied out.
She had no reputation, no career, and not even a roof over her head.
Dragging her exhausted body through the pouring rain, Vivian staggered along the city streets. Her face was soaked, but no tears fell from her eyes.
"So… from the very beginning, I was nothing more than a pawn in your game," she whispered bitterly.
Under the dark, rain-soaked sky, she tilted her head back and let out a laugh. It wasn't the laugh of a broken woman, but one laced with scorn, defiance, and steely determination.
"Nathan Reid, Emily White… If you wanted to destroy me, you should have made sure I stayed down."
Her eyes sharpened like blades, her voice filled with icy resolve.
"Because when I rise again, I'll drag both of you down to hell myself."
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Vivian Lin jolted awake, her eyes snapping open to a warm, golden ceiling—not the cold white of a hotel room, nor the gleaming mirrors of a backstage dressing room.
Her breaths came in short gasps as her fingers gripped the soft blanket beneath her, the texture rough yet familiar, a comforting blend of coarse cotton.
"Where… is this?" she murmured, her voice trembling.
The room was small, decorated simply but warmly. A slightly worn desk stood by the window, cluttered with books and a well-used notebook. Morning sunlight filtered through the sheer curtains, casting a soft glow on the wooden floor, with faint specks of dust dancing in the light.
Her gaze shifted to the desk and landed on a small mirror propped up beside the books. In it, she saw her own reflection—a young face, soft and untouched by the bitterness of time, her eyes wide with confusion.
Vivian froze.
She lifted a trembling hand to touch her face, her fingertips brushing against smooth, flawless skin. This face was free from the exhaustion and wear etched into it by years of betrayal and despair. Her hands, too, were unblemished—no cracks, no calluses from the relentless struggles of her later years.
Her eyes dropped to the calendar on the desk. The date was clear as day: three months before the Golden Screen Awards ceremony… five years ago.
Her breath hitched. Her chest rose and fell erratically as the realization struck her.
"I… I've gone back five years?"
She swung her legs out of bed, her bare feet touching the cool wooden floor. Rushing to the mirror, she stared at her reflection, gripping the edges of the desk as though grounding herself.
Yes, it was her. But it wasn't the broken, battered woman she had become. This was the younger version of her—the one who still carried dreams and hope, the one who hadn't yet met Nathan Reid, Emily White, or the vicious schemes that had shattered her life.
Tears welled up in her eyes, but before they could fall, she blinked them away, her lips pressing into a firm line.
"I'm back… I'm really back," she whispered, her voice wavering as she struggled to steady herself.
Her fingers brushed against something on the desk—a thick script. She froze, her gaze landing on the familiar cover. It was the script for her very first audition—the one that had launched her career and, eventually, her entanglement with Nathan Reid.
Her breath caught again.
In her previous life, she had approached this script with boundless enthusiasm, throwing herself into it wholeheartedly. Little did she know it would be the first step into Nathan's carefully constructed "trap," turning her into nothing more than a pawn in his hands.
Gripping the script tightly, her knuckles turned white as flashes of her past life bombarded her mind: the betrayal, the scandal, the cold disdain in Nathan's eyes as he discarded her.
With a sharp exhale, she flung the script onto the desk with a heavy thud, forcing herself to focus.
"If fate has given me another chance, I won't walk the same path again," she murmured, her voice low and cold, tinged with a determination she had never felt before. "Nathan Reid, Emily White—you will pay for everything you did to me."
She turned toward the window, the golden rays of the morning sun falling softly across her shoulders. Her gaze, however, burned brighter than the sunlight, filled with unyielding resolve.
"This time, I'll live for myself."