Chapter 209
Justin grinned like a sly fox. “Deal p>
Lisette made a personal visit to the production team. Thanks to her past life experience dealing with directors, this time she easily talked circles around them with her sharp tongue. With Justin in tow and a signed contract worth three million in hand, they walked out smiling ear to ear.
Over the next few days, Lisette buried herself in piles of scripts, filtering through them to find the perfect role for Justin. Besides that, most of her attention stayed glued to the internet.
Justin’s promo had reached the effect she was aiming for. Other than his personal Twitter still being updated, the other hot topics were quietly taken offline.
She didn’t want the campaign to go overboard and backfire.
Unlike Grace, Justin dreamed of winning Best Actor.
Sure, a scandal-ridden celebrity might ride a wave of fame, but once the audience turns against you, that’s it.
He could become a superstar, sure—but never a serious actor.
By the time My Beloved Muse entered its final promotional stage, Lisette was also getting ready to accompany Justin to join the film crew.
After finally locking in a role from the mountain of scripts, she handed it over to Justin. Once the audition and all the logistics were arranged, she stretched back with a tired sigh.
Ding.
A message from Tobias: [Lissy, got something tonight, can’t drive you home p>
Lisette had planned to spend some quality time with her number one admirer—especially since she’d be off the grid with Justin for the next week. It was gonna be a while before she’d see Tobias again.
But now p>
She just replied: [Alright, catch you later.], let out a quiet sigh, shut the laptop, and drove herself home.
Lately, the two of them had moved into Tobias’s villa, only returning to the Cavendish place on weekends to visit her folks.
And ever since then p>
Tobias had been stepping up his pursuit game—more shameless and straightforward than ever.
The thought alone made Lisette’s lips curl into a soft smile.
But just then—
Someone suddenly stepped out into the road.
Lisette hit the brakes fast.
When she looked through the windshield and saw who it was, her expression instantly darkened.
Seriously?
She cursed under her breath, rolled down the window, face frosty as she barked, “What the hell is wrong with you p>
Lennox looked like he’d been through hell lately.
Usually tidy and clean-shaven, now his face was scruffy, and his clothes looked crumpled like he hadn’t changed in days.
He stood under the shadow of a tree like some ghost haunting the street.
Inside the car sat a radiant woman, stunning as always. Even with that deadpan face on, she looked amazing. And he? He’d let his stupid pride get the better of him and left her… for someone like Grace?
He regretted it—deeply. He hadn’t eaten well, hadn’t slept well in days. After wrestling with himself, he finally showed up, hoping to at least see her again.
“Lisette,” he called, voice cracking.
A few tears slipped down from his eyes. “I’m sorry. I was wrong to doubt you p>
Turns out, one of the main points from the dirt on Grace was that she’d anonymously posted cruel “exposés” on Lisette out of pure jealousy—because Lisette had landed her debut role.
Grace had even used multiple sockpuppet accounts to fan the flames and twist public opinion, smearing Lisette’s name.
All those stories saying Lisette slept her way to the top, had plastic surgery, gave birth to a rich man’s kid and was thrown out by the man’s wife? All made up by Grace.
Not to mention, Grace’s private journal had been leaked too p>
In it were detailed notes about her manipulations—how to string guys along and get them to do whatever she wanted.
Lennox included. He was just one more pawn in her game. When Grace first met him, she didn’t think much of it. Later, when she found out his watch cost a million, his clothes started at fifty grand, and everything on him screamed luxury—plus he was rumored to be a young master from the “Gray” family in Veridia—she purposely made a move.
She had one goal: snag a rich husband. So, she pretended to stick it out with him through his “broke student” days.
Ha.
And he actually bought it. Thought she was different from those gold-diggers. Gave her every penny he had like some love-blind idiot.
All these years, everything he gave her, turned out to be a joke.
Even more ridiculous?
He went to confront Grace, only to catch her getting into Vernon’s car. The two headed straight to Vernon’s place.
He called her, and she tried to lie. When he exposed her, she got mad instead and dumped him on the spot.
That night, he stood outside Vernon’s apartment and didn’t leave.
She never came out either p>
All those pathetic memories, all that so-called love—it all felt like a cruel joke, mocking him for being blind and stupid.
The more Lennox thought, the worse he felt.
Lisette had planned to throw in a few sarcastic jabs, but seeing him all empty-eyed, dangling his arm on the window frame, resting his chin there like he had nothing left to live for, she chuckled and said, “What, Grace dumped you already p>
Nailed it.
Lennox asked, “Did you leak all that dirt on her p>
Lisette raised an eyebrow. “What, you wanna get revenge for her now p>
“No, no… Not at all p>
Terrified she might get the wrong idea, Lennox slammed the gas and drove her back home. She had a dog, and he wasn’t about to mess with that thing. He blurted out, “Lisette, I messed up. Can we try again p>
She rolled her eyes. “Try again? So I can bankroll you all over again while you sponge off me and pretend to be rich for someone else p>
Lennox shook his head fast. “No, I work at Hastings Corp now! I’ve got a real job, I’m team lead already. My future’s looking bright! I can take care of you now p>
Lisette didn’t want to crush a guy’s fragile sense of ambition, but a man who didn’t know his place and kept clinging around like a bad habit? Yeah, she wasn’t gonna be polite about it.
Better to make it crystal clear and slice through his hopeless fantasy in one go.
Her tone turned sharp as she smirked. “I drive a sports car, live in a villa, wear high-end designer brands. My five dogs eat fifty grand’s worth of dog food monthly. You gonna cover that p>
Lennox went silent.
After five seconds, he muttered, “Lisette, I know you’re not that kind of materialistic woman p>
“Pfft p>
Lisette couldn’t help but laugh. “And that right there, Lennox, is exactly where our worldviews clash p>
“In my world, sports cars, villas, luxury goods—they’re just regular daily things. But in yours, having them means I’m materialistic.” Her laugh faded into a cold tone as she picked his fragile pride apart, word by word. “You can’t relate to my life, can’t keep up with it, yet keep assuming you know everything p>
“Lennox, the moment you chose Grace, there was no ’us’ anymore p>
“You, that filthy? Think you’re good enough for me p>
“I, Lisette, don’t recycle human garbage p>
With that, she slammed the car window in his stunned face and drove off, absolutely done.
At home, Lisette parked the car, grabbed her keys, and stepped inside.
Usually at this time, the staff would be waiting at the door, and Wendy would be running over, wagging happily and ready for cuddles.
But tonight was dead silent.
She paused.
Called out “Wendy,” and got no answer.
“Don’t tell me someone broke in p>
Her heart skipped a beat. Fingers sliding along the console, she grabbed a sleek metal ornament, ready to bash a burglar’s head in if needed—but suddenly, a familiar melody played.
Next second, that familiar clean scent swept toward her, and she was pulled into a warm hug.