Part 3This girlfriend is not worth keeping.

The conference hall at the Cloudfall Hotel was packed with media and industry insiders. Everyone was buzzing, trying to figure out who the mysterious owner of Sunshine Media was.

“I hear he’s young, handsome, and brilliant. Just got back from studying abroad.”

“Must be from a powerful family. You don’t just land a deal with Sterling right out of the gate.”

“Maybe he’s related to the Crawfords?”

I let out a small, humorless laugh. I’d used the same playbook myself years ago to build Ashley’s brand as a sophisticated, artistic college student, even hiring tutors to teach her English and painting. But could Leo really live up to the persona Ashley had created for him?

When he finally took the stage, all eyes were on him. He was wearing a well-tailored suit and, at first glance, looked the part of a successful executive. But the moment he opened his mouth, the illusion shattered.

“Thank you all for coming to today’s signing ceremony…”

The microphone let out a piercing screech of feedback. He panicked, fumbling his lines. He stumbled through the first few sentences, his eyes darting to Ashley in the front row. She gave him an encouraging thumbs-up, and he managed a small smile, slowly finding his rhythm.

I remembered when Ashley was that nervous before her first live stream. I would spend hours with her, rehearsing her script, preparing her for every possible scenario. Later, when she started to get famous, she’d boasted, “Jayce, just you wait. One day, I’m going to buy you the most expensive car on the lot.”

I had waited. But what I got was betrayal.

After a long introduction, Ashley joined him on stage.

“Hello, everyone. I’m Ashley Vance, Director of Talent Operations at Crawford Media. Leo is the hardest-working man I’ve ever met. He was born with a silver spoon in his mouth, but he still chooses to compete with us regular folks. I have nothing but respect for him.”

The crowd laughed, her words cementing Leo’s image as the privileged heir.

Ashley paused, her gaze softening as she looked at him. “And he’s also the smartest man I know. I’m confident that Sterling has made the wisest choice, and I look forward to seeing the incredible opportunities this partnership will bring him.”

Smart, handsome, hardworking. She had used the same words to describe me when she first confessed her feelings. But yesterday, in my office, she had called me a cold, unfeeling man.

People around me started whispering.

“What’s the relationship between Crawford Media and Sunshine? Is it a subsidiary?”

“Could be. Why else would they send their top star to endorse him?”

“With Sterling’s backing and a top streamer’s support, this guy’s set.”

A few representatives from Sterling’s marketing department were in attendance. A serious-looking, middle-aged man in a sharp suit walked onto the stage. He sat down at the signing table and quickly flipped through the contract.

Just as he was about to put pen to paper, I stood up.

“If you’ll just wait a moment.”

Every head in the room turned to me. The Sterling representative looked up, pushing his glasses up the bridge of his nose, a look of surprise on his face.

“Mr. Crawford?” he asked politely. “Is there a problem?”

Ashley whipped her head around. When she saw me, the color drained from her face.