A Life Off Script

"Honey, the soles of my shoes are lambskin. They can't get wet. Come pick me up." I had just sent Preston Hale that message when a swarm of floating comments suddenly exploded through the rain. [I'm so sick of this drama-queen villainess. The male lead is a billionaire CEO, and she's treating him like a dog.] [Our darling heroine has already joined the company. Once the male lead sees how gentle and sensible she is, he'll dump this woman right away.] [Lol. After the divorce, she won't know how to do anything. She'll have to become some sleazy livestreamer.] Watching the screen fill with malice, I clenched my fingers in anger. Just then, Preston came running over with an umbrella, half of his custom suit soaked through. When he saw my pale knuckles, he froze, then carefully tugged at my sleeve. "I'm sorry, honey. Any faster and I'd have been speeding." Chapter 1 The floating comments were still going wild over my head. [Whenever I think about a drama-queen villainess like her marrying the male lead, I feel so bad for our darling heroine.] [Once the male lead gets together with our darling heroine, he'll finally understand what true love is.] [The harder the villainess acts up now, the worse she'll fall later. Just thinking about it is satisfying.] True love? When I stayed with him in a basement apartment and split a single bread roll between two meals, where was that darling heroine? When I sold the house my mother left me and my dowry to help him survive his crisis, where was she? Now that Preston Hale had become a billionaire CEO, she wanted to swoop in and reap what I'd sown? On what grounds? "Honey? Why are your hands so cold?" Preston lowered his head and rubbed my hands, his brows drawn together, his voice careful. But when I looked at his handsome face, I had only one thought. For another woman, he was going to push me into becoming a sleazy livestreamer. I pulled my hand back. "I'm not going home. Take me to the office." Preston froze. "Why do you suddenly want to go to the office today?" "I'll wait for you to get off work. We'll go home together." His eyes curved into a smile. "Okay." After we arrived, his secretary came to rush him into a meeting. "Honey, wait in my office. I'll be back soon." He hurried away, and I went to the top floor alone. The moment I pushed open his office door, I saw a bag of oranges on his desk. They were bright and perfect, each one wrapped separately. They obviously weren't cheap. I had just reached for one when the comments exploded again. [Villainess, get away! Those are for the male lead. Our darling bought them for him. They're twenty-five dollars each.] [She usually only dares to eat discount meal boxes, but she bought him oranges this expensive. She really loves him.] [That's real love. What the villainess does is just taking.] Twenty-five dollars for one orange. How generous. I turned and went out to the open office, raising the orange in my hand. "Who bought these oranges?" A girl with a low ponytail timidly stood up. She looked pure and delicate, with wide, startled eyes, like a frightened deer. "I-I bought them." Her voice was very small. "If Mrs. Hale doesn't like them, I'll take them home to my grandmother. She normally can't bear to buy these for herself." The way everyone looked at me changed at once. There was reproach in their eyes. As if they were saying, she meant well. Why are you putting on airs as the boss's wife? I didn't get angry. I held up the orange and smiled. "You misunderstood." "These oranges are delicious. They should be, at twenty-five dollars each." The way everyone looked at the girl changed again, now with a few more suggestive guesses. The girl's face turned scarlet. She seemed to want to explain. I didn't give her the chance. "Everyone has been working hard lately. I'll have this kind of orange ordered for the whole office. When you get off work, each of you can pick up a case at the front desk." The open office instantly burst into cheers. "Thank you, Mrs. Hale!" "Mrs. Hale is so generous!" The girl's smile froze on her face. Her fingers twisted into the hem of her shirt until her knuckles went white. Chapter 2 The comments came back. [Hah. Buying goodwill. She's spending the male lead's money anyway.] [What can the villainess do besides spend money? Once the male lead discovers how good the darling heroine is, let's see how long she can stay smug.] [Exactly. The male lead belongs to the heroine sooner or later. What's she so proud of?] I looked at the girl. "What's your name?" "B-Bethany Quinn." I nodded and turned back to the office. Not long after, Preston came back from his meeting. He pushed the door open with a smile. "Honey, what you did just now--" "Fire Bethany Quinn." His smile stiffened for a second. "What?" "I said, fire Bethany Quinn." Preston frowned. "Over one bag of oranges? She was only being kind--" "She has designs on you." Preston froze for a few seconds, then laughed and came over to take my hand. "You're overthinking it. She's just a fresh graduate. She's very capable, too. Several major projects in marketing were negotiated by her." "I don't interfere with your company." I pulled my hand back. "But I don't like this person." Preston sighed, softening his tone. "Honey, don't make a scene. "A company has rules. I can't fire a talented employee just because of your intuition. What would that look like if word got out?" [The male lead is protecting the heroine! So sweet!] [Look at the villainess getting humiliated. This feels great.] [This is only the beginning. Later, when she frames the heroine, the male lead throws her straight into a psychiatric hospital.] A psychiatric hospital. It felt as if someone had seized my heart. It hurt so badly I couldn't breathe. I looked at him. There was still tenderness in his eyes, still patience. He was still coaxing me. But he didn't know the comments had already told me the ending. I closed my eyes and forced down the emotion surging through me. "Fine. You don't have to fire her." Preston let out a breath. "Thank you for understanding, honey--" "Put all your assets under my name by notarized agreement." The office went silent. Preston's expression froze completely. "Mara, this is the office." His voice sank. "Don't be unreasonable." I looked at him and said nothing. His phone rang. He answered and said a few words. After he hung up, he told me, "I have a business dinner tonight. I'll have the driver take you home first." He didn't wait for my answer. He turned and left. His steps were quick. Almost as if he were fleeing. [Haha, the villainess is spiraling.] [Serves her right. She wanted all his assets? Look how the male lead ignores her.] [Later, when the male lead gets with the heroine, he hands over all financial control to her. The difference is obvious.] I didn't know how I got home. By the time I came back to myself, I was already sitting at the computer in the study. The comments said that after the divorce, I wouldn't know how to do anything and could only become a sleazy livestreamer. What a joke. I clicked open a folder. It was filled with photographs I had taken. There were also several award certificates from photography magazines. I flipped through them one by one. My gaze stopped on the last image. It was a collage, made from countless photos of Preston and me, forming a portrait of him. Every photo was a memory. Only the place over his heart was empty. That spot was supposed to hold a photo of the aurora. Back in college, we agreed we would see the northern lights together. He said the aurora symbolized eternal love. Ten years had passed. We still hadn't gone. I opened a job site and began filling out applications. I entered my awards one by one. I attached a link to my portfolio. Then I clicked submit. The next day, I began picking up all the skills I had once thrown away. Starting with making breakfast. Turn on the stove. Pour the oil. The beaten egg hit the pan, and hot oil spat upward. Chapter 3 A drop landed on the back of my hand, and it hurt enough that I hissed. Preston rushed down from upstairs, grabbed my hand, and held it under the running faucet. "Who told you to do this?" [Here she goes again, pretending to be an independent woman.] [Does she think the male lead will feel sorry for her if she does this?] [Lol. He'll just think she's being weird.] Preston pressed me onto the couch and gently applied ointment to my hand. "Are you still angry?" I didn't speak. "There's really nothing between me and her. "If you mind that much, I'll have HR transfer her to a branch out of town." The comments exploded. [No! If she gets transferred, how will the romance develop?] [Don't worry. They're the official couple. Even if she gets transferred, they'll meet again.] [The male lead will belong to the heroine sooner or later. Villainess, stop wasting effort.] "No need. Arrange it however you want. That's your business." Preston looked at me, hesitating. He told me to sit still, then went to clean up the mess in the kitchen and finish making breakfast. During breakfast, my phone vibrated. It was an interview invitation. Starlight Media. The celebrity agency I had dreamed of joining after graduation, the one that worked with nothing but A-list stars. And among them was my idol, Lucas Rhodes. After I accepted the interview, I couldn't help smiling. Preston noticed immediately. "Who are you texting?" "An interview. I don't want to be a full-time housewife anymore." I ate with a rare appetite. Preston opened his mouth, then swallowed his words. Maybe he didn't want to ruin my mood. After breakfast, Preston went to the company. I changed out of my dress and put on pants I was used to wearing. The interview went smoothly. But for a company like Starlight, there would be at least a second and third round before anything was finalized. In the days that followed, Preston seemed busier and busier. He came home later and later. Sometimes, there was a faint perfume on him that wouldn't wash away. I knew Bethany had not been transferred. But since I had decided we were walking different roads, I would focus on my own. On my first day at work, my supervisor was a sharp, capable woman in her forties named Diane Cole. "Mara, I've seen your work. Your composition has real ideas." "Thank you, Diane." "New hires start by following outdoor shoots. Can you handle hardship?" "I can." The new-hire period was rough. Outdoor shoots meant wind, sun, and carrying equipment all over the city. After one week, my face was a shade darker, and my shoulders had two red strap marks cut into them. But I liked it. The moment the lens focused, the whole world went quiet. There was only light and shadow. Only what I wanted to capture. That day, I had just turned off the camera and sat down under the shade of a tree when Preston messaged me. Honey, I have a business dinner tonight. Don't wait up for me. Don't push yourself too hard. You've got me. I had just started typing a reply when the comments became active again. [The male lead is learning to lie for the heroine.] [It looks like a business dinner, but he's actually helping the heroine move and set up their little home together.] [The male lead cooking is so handsome! Domestic couple vibes! They're perfect together!] Cooking. He had never cooked for me. When we first got together, he was so poor he had nothing. I felt sorry for him and took over cooking. Later, when he became rich, he hired staff, so he had even less reason to do it himself. But for that woman, he cooked with his own hands. My eyes suddenly stung. I put down my phone and didn't reply. Preston came home close to midnight. I lay on my side in bed with my eyes closed. He walked in and bent down, wanting to kiss my forehead. It was that same perfume again. I rolled over and dodged him. "Honey?" "I'm tired. I'm sleeping." Chapter 4 Preston was silent for a long time. "...Okay. Good night." When I woke up the next morning, there was an extra document on the nightstand. A notarized asset transfer agreement. Preston had already signed it. The comments went mad. [Holy crap? The male lead really gave the villainess all his assets?] [It's fine. Legally, he can get them back. A marital asset agreement can be revoked during divorce.] [He must be spending so much time with the heroine lately that he's afraid the villainess will make a fuss, so he's just pacifying her.] For a second, I almost let myself be moved. I put the agreement back where it was. Then I opened my lawyer best friend Rachel Price's chat. Help me prepare a divorce agreement. Split the property according to the law. That day, Diane called me into her office. "Mara, there's a big job. The client specifically asked for you." "Who?" "Lucas Rhodes." I froze, thinking I had heard wrong. "R-really?" Diane tossed the contract to me with a smile. "Really. He looked at your portfolio and requested you specifically." My fingers trembled as I opened the contract. Lucas Rhodes. My idol since middle school. In college, I once scrimped and saved for his concert ticket until I fainted from hunger in class and became the joke of the whole campus. When Preston found out, he lost his temper at me for the first time. "Are you crazy? What's so great about him that you'd risk your life?" After Preston became a billionaire CEO, he worked with Lucas several times. But he had never helped me get even one signed photo. After leaving Diane's office, I instinctively wanted to share the good news with Preston. But when I remembered his attitude back then, my finger paused above the screen. In the end, I only sent one message. I'm going on a business trip. About a week. More than ten minutes later, he replied. Okay. Don't let anyone mistreat you. You've got me. I looked at that phrase and suddenly found it ironic. Had him? Soon, he would belong to someone else. The shoot was at the beach. I arrived at four in the morning. Setting up equipment, adjusting parameters, testing light. The wind was strong, and grains of sand stung my face, but I had no mind to care. My heart had been pounding since the night before and had not stopped. At seven sharp, a black van pulled up. Lucas Rhodes stepped out. White T-shirt, black casual pants, hair barely styled and falling loosely over his forehead. He looked almost the same as the boy onstage ten years ago. No, he had changed. He was thinner than before, his jawline sharper, his eyes holding something more. Marks polished into him by time. "Hello, Ms. Linton." He held out his hand. I shook it. My palm was a little sweaty. "Hello." "I've seen your work. Your compositions are bold, and you use light and shadow well. I specifically asked Diane for your schedule." He smiled. "I hope that doesn't pressure you." "It won't." I took a deep breath. "I'll do my best." After a brief exchange, we started work. Lucas was easy to photograph. His camera sense was excellent, and I barely needed to guide him. I crouched on the sand to find angles. The sun burned hot against my back, but my mood was strangely bright. During a break, my phone vibrated. Rachel had sent the divorce agreement. You're really doing it? I stared at the file, thinking of the unfamiliar perfume on Preston and of the comments calling him and Bethany a domestic couple. Yes. Rather than wait for him to throw me out, I might as well take some retirement money while he still felt a little guilty. On the third day of the shoot, I was adjusting my camera settings when the comments suddenly flooded the air. [Ahhh, the male lead and the heroine went to Northreach! The aurora! It's so beautiful!] Chapter 5 [It's twenty degrees below zero in Northreach. The male lead was afraid the heroine would be cold, so he took off his coat and put it around her. So sweet!] [Holy crap, this is the original novel's love-confession scene for the male lead and heroine!] [Kiss! Kiss! Kiss!] The camera in my hand suddenly fell to the ground. "Ms. Linton? Are you okay?" Lucas walked over. "I'm... I'm fine." I crouched to pick up the camera, but my fingers shook so badly I had to try twice before I could hold it. The aurora. He had promised to take me to see the aurora. In college, he had held my hand and said, "Mara, when I have money, we'll go see the northern lights." He said the aurora symbolized eternal love. He made me wait ten years. Now he had taken another woman. "Ms. Linton, you look really pale." Lucas bent down to look at me. "Are you overheated?" "Maybe..." Lucas asked his assistant to bring me medicine and handed it to me. "Go back to the hotel and rest. We can shoot tomorrow." I hesitated, then nodded. My heart was a mess. Anything I shot like this would have no soul. "I'm sorry. I delayed the schedule." "It's fine. Your health matters more." Back at the hotel, I sat on the bed in a daze, staring at the ceiling. The air conditioner hummed, blending with my heartbeat. Suddenly, I found it a little funny. I had already decided to part ways with him. Why did I still care about that promise? I opened Preston's chat and sent him the divorce agreement. If there's no problem, let's sign this when I get back. I thought Preston would call me immediately. At least he would ask why. But he did not. An hour passed. Preston still did not reply. A little after nine, the doorbell rang. I opened the door. Lucas was standing outside with a cup of hot tea. "Feeling better?" He handed it to me. "Much better. Thank you. I'll make up the schedule tomorrow." He paused. "There's something I'd like to ask you for help with." "What is it?" "Next month is my parents' golden anniversary. I'd like you to take a set of anniversary photos for them. Can you make time? "I'll pay you triple your normal rate." I froze. "Me?" "Yes. Your lens has warmth." "Thank you for the recognition. I'd be honored." "Then would you be free to have dinner together? My parents are nearby. We can sit down and talk about the style for the shoot." "Sure. Let me change." After seeing Lucas off, I picked up my phone. Preston still had not replied. I changed and went to the restaurant we had agreed on. Lucas and his parents were already there. "Hello, Mrs. Rhodes. Hello, Mr. Rhodes." "Sit, sit. Don't be so formal." Mrs. Rhodes took my hand and looked me over. "What a pretty young woman." "Thank you, Mrs. Rhodes." Lucas sat across from me and smiled, mouthing, Don't be nervous. I smiled back. Mrs. Rhodes held my hand and talked for a long time. She told me about her and Mr. Rhodes when they were young, how they met, and how they made it to today. "Fifty years." She patted my hand. "Mara, we're counting on you for this set of photos." "Don't worry. I'll make sure they turn out beautifully." As we were talking, the private room door was suddenly pushed open. Everyone turned. Preston stood at the doorway. He looked travel-worn, even his tie crooked. He saw Lucas, then Lucas's parents, and finally his gaze landed on me. His eyes were red. "You're divorcing me because of him?" His voice shook. "You've even... met his parents?"