Breaking Free to Stardom

As Dylan Andrews' kept companion, Elaine Willis was the epitome of perfection.

To be readily available for her benefactor, she took on work for only three months each year, filming low-budget movies and maintaining a lukewarm career.

Fully aware that Dylan saw her merely as a stand-in for his true love, she accepted it calmly, even deliberately mimicking the style of his beloved.

Everyone mocked her as a fragile vine, unable to survive without a man, destined to be chained to Dylan's side forever.

Yet, behind his back, she got two male escorts.

...

Watching the chiseled abs of the male escort ripple to the music, Elaine leisurely sipped her cocktail.

Her agent, Ivy Ward, leaned in with a worried frown. "Are you really going to Eldoria? If Dylan finds out..."

Elaine choked on her drink, coughing before replying hoarsely, "He won't. He'll just hand me a fat breakup check and tell me to hit the road."

She knew Dylan too well.

He was cold but generous.

His companions came and went like water, always parting on amicable terms.

If she left, a younger, prettier woman would take her place.

Ivy considered this and nodded, changing the subject. "You're leaving in a month. Is your visa sorted?"

"All set," Elaine confirmed. "Director Charlie has everything arranged. Filming starts as soon as I arrive."

It was a stroke of luck.

A low-budget art film she shot last year got nominated at a Uropia film festival, earning her a best actress nod.

Though winning was unlikely, an international director noticed her and invited her to film in Eldoria.

After much thought, she realized she was nearing thirty and couldn't rely on Dylan forever.

This was her chance to take a risk.

In Eldoria, if she made a name for herself, she could shed the label of "Dylan's mistress" and reclaim her identity.

Shaking Dylan's name from her mind, she contentedly traced the escort's firm pecs.

Ivy swatted her hand away. "Looking is one thing, but touching? If Dylan finds out, you're done."

"How would he know?" Elaine laughed lazily, a faint bitterness in her smile. "This month, he's off to Eldoria with Alina. He won't have time for me."

Alina Russell was Dylan's true love.

Unlike Elaine, she was ambitious, determined to conquer Eldoria's entertainment scene and refusing to return until she succeeded.

Dylan dedicated an entire month each year to fly across the ocean for her.

Elaine's lips curled with a hint of vengeful satisfaction as she playfully tilted the escort's chin.

He cooed obediently, "What can I do for you?"

Before the words settled, her phone blared.

It was Dylan's exclusive ringtone.

Her heart sank. She grabbed the phone and bolted to the bathroom, hitting accept.

Dylan's voice was icy. "What are you doing at the Xeno Club? You spent two hundred grand. On what?"

Elaine froze, her blood turning to ice.

She realized she'd used Dylan's secondary card to pay.

Stammering for an excuse, she heard his patience snap. "The usual spot. Get here now. Don't keep me waiting."

Dylan's "usual spot" was the presidential suite at Valoria's most luxurious hotel.

He owned countless properties in the city but only summoned her here.

Perhaps because his heart followed Alina across the seas.

Other women weren't worthy of a home with him; they were mere tools for his comfort.

Elaine rushed to the hotel, swiping her card to reach the top floor.

Dylan stood with his back to her, framed by the massive floor-to-ceiling window.

His tall figure was as striking as a towering evergreen.

Looking at his silhouette, Elaine recalled their first meeting.

She was barely eighteen, on the cusp of her college entrance exams, with grades good enough for a top local university and a bright future ahead.

But her family went bankrupt.

Her father transferred all their assets to his mistress and her daughter, then jumped to his death.

Her mother fell gravely ill, lingering in the hospital.

Debt collectors hounded their home, threatening to sell Elaine to traffickers to settle the debts.

Desperate, she leveraged her stunning looks and entered a talent show.

Right after her first performance, she was brought to this hotel, this very room.

Back then, Dylan stood by the window just like this.

He was like a born king, coldly surveying the world below.

With ease, he shaped the next eight years of her life.