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.

Elaine felt uneasy, dreading that Dylan might press her about the Xeno Club.

She approached him, timidly clutching the edge of his shirt, her voice soft and sweet. "Mr. Andrews, you haven't come by in half a month...I thought you'd forgotten about me." When his gaze swept over her, she flashed a smile that mirrored Alina's perfectly.

Her worries proved unnecessary; Dylan had no time to interrogate her.

Without a word, he scooped her up and tossed her onto the expansive bed.

Elaine suspected his sudden return and foul mood stemmed from a spat with his beloved.

She didn't dare provoke him further, softening her body to yield completely.

Yet her compliance seemed to enrage him, his actions growing fiercer, as if he meant to consume her entirely.

Unable to endure it any longer, she clutched his tense back, her voice trembling with a sob. "Mr. Andrews... please... be gentle with me..."

His scorching palm covered the lower half of her face, leaving only her eyes visible.

Staring into her tearful gaze, he rasped, "Call me Dylan."

Elaine understood his intent.

Her eyes were the feature most like Alina's.

Obediently, she curved her tear-soaked eyes into crescents, mimicking Alina's playful tone, and softly called, "Dylan."

Satisfied at last, Dylan's touch softened, and he placed a tender kiss on her forehead.

She knew full well that such a gentle, innocent kiss wasn't meant for her.

It was for Alina.

After so many years, her heart had grown calloused; it no longer hurt.

In the beginning, she hadn't been so compliant.

When she first started with Dylan, she was a bit reckless.

He had been so good to her back then.

He cleared her debts, paid her mother's medical bills, provided her with opportunities, and showered her with clothes, bags, and jewelry.

She almost believed they were in love.

Until Dylan's birthday, when she baked a cake herself and texted him, saying she'd wait at the hotel.

She waited past midnight, but he never responded.

Panicked, she called him repeatedly, but he didn't pick up.

Finally, she learned from his assistant that he was at his suburban villa.

She rushed there overnight, only to be stopped by a cold iron gate.

That night, a torrential downpour soaked her as Dylan remained upstairs in the warm glow, forbidding anyone to let her in.

Later, she discovered Alina had returned, flying in specially to celebrate his birthday.

Elaine stood in the rain all night, catching a fever that nearly turned into pneumonia.

Dylan only visited her in the hospital when she was nearly recovered, saying coolly, "If there's a next time, you're out."

There wouldn't be a next time.

After that, she learned her place.

She realized she was no different from a pet cat to Dylan.

A cat could sleep beside him, get a treat or a pat when he was pleased, maybe a scratch under the chin.

But a cat was just a cat.

After eight years of being his cat, Dylan was growing bored, and she was exhausted.

She wanted to be human again.

After his release, Dylan fell into a deep sleep.

Elaine couldn't sleep at all.

She scrolled through her phone, glancing at trending topics, when a name caught her eye.

Alina.

By coincidence, just as Elaine accepted Director Charlie's offer to pursue a career in Eldoria, Alina, who had been making her mark in Eldoria's film industry, announced a high-profile return to shoot a TV series.

Probably for Dylan.

Elaine gazed at Dylan's refined profile and let out a soft laugh.

His abrupt, angry return must have sparked a sense of urgency in the great beauty Alina.

A year ago, Elaine rescued a stray dog from the roadside and named it Sunny.

Her filming schedule kept her away for months, making pet ownership difficult.

She mustered the courage to ask Dylan for help.

He was engrossed in paperwork, barely glancing up, and waved dismissively. "My suburban house needs a guard dog. Send it there. The old caretaker will handle it."

She thanked him profusely and sent Sunny to the villa.

Sunny was remarkably intelligent. Though it didn't live with her, it knew she was its savior.

Each time they met, its tail wagged like a propeller.

This pure affection became a rare comfort in her bleak life.

She calculated that once she left, Dylan would hardly care for Sunny.

She drove to the suburban villa, planning to take Sunny home and bring it abroad with her.

But when she stepped into the villa's courtyard, no yellow figure greeted her.

Her heart sank, her voice trembling. "Jake, where's Sunny?"

The caretaker hesitated, then whispered, "Last night, Miss Russell returned. She's allergic to dog fur. Mr. Andrews told us to get rid of the dog..."

"Get rid of it?" Elaine felt as if she'd been plunged into icy water. "Where? Where did you take Sunny?"

"Outside the neighborhood..."

Like a madwoman, Elaine rushed out, asking everyone she met if they'd seen a yellow dog.

She searched all afternoon until night fell and rain began to pour, but Sunny remained missing.

Elaine wandered through the downpour, hoarsely calling, "Sunny!"

The dog didn't appear, but Dylan did.

Dylan approached under a black umbrella, swiftly grabbing her soaked arm, his brows furrowed. "Elaine, have you lost your mind?"

She stared into the dim rain, imagining Sunny cold and hungry, her heart burning with panic.

Forgetting herself, she shouted at Dylan, "You promised you'd take care of Sunny! Why did you abandon it? Why?"

Her rare outburst caught Dylan off guard. He stiffened, then said coldly, "Who said I abandoned it? Come with me."

Elaine froze.

He shoved her dripping wet into the back of his Maybach, instructing the driver, "To Riverbay."

Dylan owned an oceanfront house in Riverbay.

The yard bloomed with fragrant white gardenias.

As the gate opened, a familiar yellow figure bounded from a polished doghouse.

Sunny pounced on Elaine, licking her face with its wet tongue.

Then it nuzzled Dylan's pant leg.

Dylan grimaced, signaling a servant to pull the dog away, before saying to the stunned Elaine, "I have plenty of houses. No need to abandon it. Just moved it here."

Surprised, Elaine blurted, "But the caretaker said you got rid of it..."

"Alina has a temper. If I didn't make a show of it, she'd raise hell." His tone was resigned, but a flicker of warmth crossed his eyes.

Elaine thought, that was love.

Loving someone so much that even their tantrums seem endearing.

Suppressing the ache in her chest, she forced a grateful smile. "Thank you, Mr. Andrews. I've got some free time soon. Can I take Sunny home to care for it myself?"

Dylan glanced at her, tossing out casually, "Do what you want."

He'd been out for a while when Alina's call came through. "Dylan, where are you? I'm craving blueberry cake. Go get me some!"

She was the only person in the world who dared speak to Dylan like that.

He didn't mind, a faint smile on his lips. "Alright, I'm on it."

Hanging up, he looked at Elaine, drenched like a drowned rat, and frowned slightly. "I won't have time for you lately. There's a magazine cover shoot. Go do it. Keep yourself busy."

The opportunity he casually offered was a top-tier fashion magazine cover that countless actresses would kill for.

Elaine had no reason to refuse and accepted the "compensation" graciously.

But when she arrived at the studio, she discovered it was a group shoot.

And in the center, commanding the spotlight, was the newly returned, ever-radiant Alina.