Chapter 1

At the Spectra Awards ceremony, rising star Zara Hayes received her first Best Actress award. When the host asked how she felt and planned to reward herself, she turned to the award presenter beside her, Dorian Blake—the screen legend. "Can I have your sandalwood bracelet, Mr. Blake?" Her words stunned the audience. Everyone in the entertainment industry knew that the sandalwood bracelet was Dorian's most treasured possession and never left his side since his debut. There had long been rumors in the industry that Dorian was offered a luxury watch endorsement. At that time, the brand wanted him to wear their watch exclusively, without his sandalwood bracelet. However, Dorian flatly refused, stating he would rather forgo the endorsement than take off his beloved bracelet. To salvage the situation, the brand specifically designed a Zen-inspired watch to go with his sandalwood bracelet. So, had Zara gone nuts? Why would she ask for Dorian's bracelet? The host froze on stage and found himself in a quandary. Just as everyone awaited a rejection from Dorian, he surprisingly let out a chuckle and slowly removed his bracelet from his wrist to put it onto Zara's. In the audience, Lila Hart witnessed the scene in silence. Unbeknownst to the world, the well-respected screen legend on stage was her boyfriend of five years. Similarly, rarely anyone knew that she acquired the sandalwood bracelet after painstakingly climbing a thousand stairs up to Mount Shasta. Of course, nobody knew she carved the primrose patterns on the sandalwood beads themselves. Onstage, Zara excitedly showed off the bracelet. "Thank you, Mr. Blake, for all the encouragement and knowledge you've generously shared with me. I'll continue to work hard and look forward to seeing you all in the next project." Her voice was as sweet as her appearance. A faint smile lit up Dorian's face, but it quickly vanished when he turned toward Lila and noticed her empty seat. On her way back to the company, Lila could hear discussions about Dorian and Zara's interaction at the awards ceremony. Sourness formed tears that welled up in her eyes, and she hurried into the washroom. After the cold water hit her face, she lifted her head to look at herself in the mirror. Her eyes reddened at the sight of her pathetic state after a frantic escape. She and Dorian had known each other for seven years and dated for five. She had stood by him as he transformed from a nobody into a screen legend. Despite all the blood, sweat, and tears, she enjoyed the whole journey because she wholeheartedly did it for him. When they first started dating, she had seen Zara's picture on Dorian's phone once. He earnestly explained that she was the girl next door whom he saw as a sister. Lila believed in him at that time. In the next three years, she willingly sacrificed her passion for directing and put all her effort into building Dorian. He wasn't well-known then and couldn't land good roles, so she scampered around, begging for opportunities. That was on top of the fact that the company was unwilling to spend too much resources on new talent. As such, Lila took on many jobs at once. She became Dorian's manager, assistant, photographer… anything but her best self. When they were finally not working, he would cuddle with her on the couch and yearn for the future together. "Lila, once I win Best Actor, I'll propose and give you the grandest and most beautiful wedding you can ever ask for. What do you say?" She wrapped her arms around his waist, affirming, "I'd love that," while she drowned in anticipation. To realize their wish, she gave her everything to assist him while he similarly worked hard for his career. Three years later, Dorian won Best Actor and became a screen legend. Before Lila could receive his proposal, the girl he grew up with returned to the country. Time after time, Dorian would desert Lila because of Zara; this lasted for two years. Of course, Lila had confronted him about it. His justification was that he felt a responsibility to take care of Zara and honor their years of friendship, especially since she was alone in the country and navigating the cutthroat entertainment industry. Lila covered her eyes yet couldn't suppress her urge to cry. To honor their years of friendship, huh? What about her, though? For two years, Dorian had been supportive of Zara at every step of the way, including giving her screenplay and endorsement opportunities. Lila endured all of it, yet all she got in return was for him to give away that sandalwood bracelet. What made her fall for Dorian in the first place, then? She pondered and asked herself, "Was it because we're both orphans and feel for each other? Or was it because he jumped into the water to save me? But so many other people share the same fate as me; why him? "Was it because I felt indebted? After everything I've done for him—sacrificing my career, giving my everything so he could get what he wanted. Haven't I cleared the debt?" When Lila looked up again, her face had turned normal again. The last two years had worn out all the love she had for him. After returning to her office, she habitually logged onto Twitter. "Dorian Blake's Enduring Gift: The Sandalwood Bracelet He Gave Zara Hayes" was the trending news article, gaining traction every second. Lila's fingertip trembled. As she tapped on other related posts, the first one that came up was a fan-edited video of Zara asking for Dorian's bracelet. At that time, Dorian's back was facing Lila. It wasn't until then that she saw the look on his face. The man, who was typically serious and unsmiling, looked ever so gentle as he put the bracelet on for Zara. Their fans fawned over their interaction in the replies section. Within just half a day, the likes had exceeded three million. The video looped. As the scene of Dorian casually removing the bracelet flashed across Lila's eyes, she suddenly recalled the endearing and surprised look he wore when she put it on for him. Clutching at her chest, she felt engulfed by that painful realization. She tossed her phone to the desk in frustration, and the clip continued to play. The sky grew dark, and only the faint brightness from the screen lit up the entire room. At that moment, someone opened the door and switched on the lights. Lila instinctively covered her eyes, and her phone happened to run out of battery. A calm-looking Dorian entered and slightly frowned at the sight of her exhausted state. "Why did you leave early? I searched the whole venue before finding out you left." He came to her side and tried to touch her face. Lila dodged his touch and propped herself up to her feet. She looked up at him, her eyes devoid of any decipherable emotions. "Why do you look unhappy? Who pissed you off?" he nonchalantly asked. It wasn't Lila's first time dealing with such an attitude from him, and she had long accepted it. However, her heart began to clench again after a respite. She squeezed out a smile that was visibly forced. "Hey, Dorian. Since that bracelet was just right on you, it's probably too big on Zara. Maybe I should take it back and resize it for her." Frowning, Dorian explained, "I couldn't just embarrass her onstage today. Besides, Zara only wanted something new to play with. The bracelet isn't suitable for her anyway. "I understand that you don't want me to give it away. Once she gets bored with it—probably around two days—I'll ask for it back." Of course, Dorian was aware of how inappropriate his action was. However, he didn't have it in himself to reject her at the sight of her anticipated look. Even if she was only joking, he couldn't embarrass her at an awards ceremony. Thus, his solution was to let Zara have it for two days before asking it back. That was a minor issue that required no debate, right? Dorian extended his arms and wanted to comfort Lila with a hug. She dodged him once again. "Don't even touch me after touching her. I'll feel disgusted." "What does that mean?" His expression darkened. She cut to the chase. "Let's break up." Dorian pinched between his brows, looking listless. "I've been filming non-stop recently and barely have time to rest. Who do you think I did that for? "Whenever I had a free slot, I came to you immediately. Now, you're making a big deal because of a bracelet?" Lila laughed out of exasperation. "You did that for yourself, not for me. You didn't bother to set your boundaries, which is the truth. Why blame it on me now?" His face turned cold upon sensing her reluctance to back down. "Have I been too lenient on you, Lila? Don't think that just because I love you, you can be a brat! "From now on, put all your work on hold and take a break to cool off! Once you do, reflect on your words, and we'll talk again."