The Ex's Revenge: Escaping the Hollywood Alpha Novel

At the dinner table, I told Carter it was over."All because I didn't wear the outfit you picked out?" He laughed, but there was no humor in it—just exhaustion."Yes." I met his eyes without flinching."You know how demanding my job is," he sighed, running a hand through his hair. "After all these years, aren't you used to it by now?"We'd known each other since we were nobody. Drama school classmates who became lovers, climbing from obscurity to the pinnacle of Hollywood success. He thought I'd never let go of what we'd built.But he didn't know that the thought of leaving had been growing inside me like a tumor, fed by years of neglect and compromise.I'd already submitted my resignation to the agency. My destination was already chosen.I was going to the farthest place from him I could find, to honor the promise I'd made to myself when I was young. Including the promises he'd once made to me.This time, I was really leaving him...."All because I wore the dress Hailey brought over?"The candlelight from the upscale restaurant flickered across Carter's face as he sighed softly."Stella, come on. Is this really necessary?"I nodded, pretending not to catch the mockery in his tone.He rubbed his temples, then finally looked up at me. "I haven't cheated. I haven't given you the cold shoulder. I haven't done anything to hurt you."I accidentally bit my tongue, wincing at the sharp pain.His stopped. He pulled out a napkin, then leaned back in his chair, looking away.After taking a deep breath, he turned back to me."I'm really exhausted on set, Stella. Don't make this harder than it needs to be."I waited for the pain to subside. "I'm not making anything hard.""Right," he scoffed. "Fine. Don't come crying to me later.""I'm finished eating." I stood up, the chair scraping softly against the carpet.As I turned around, I saw Hailey peeking around the private dining room door.What a perfect picture. She hadn't even bothered to knock. When she saw me, she gave a slight nod—professional and distant.But when she looked at Carter, her expression shifted to one of concerned uncertainty."Carter, Amanda sent over another script from Warner Brothers. I can't decide if it's worth your time. Maybe you could take a quick look..."I knew Carter's eyes were following my retreating form.In the past, I would have confronted her immediately—even if it were a Spielberg script, couldn't it wait one hour for dinner?But this scene had played out too many times. I was tired.Surprisingly, it was Hailey who stopped me."Oh, Stella, I really didn't mean to interrupt you two," she paused, as if just realizing her poor timing."I'm still new to being a personal assistant. There's so much I don't understand, and I need to ask Carter's advice.I'll leave right now—please don't be angry with Carter because of me. He had such a heavy shooting schedule today, he must be exhausted..."I cut her off coldly. These fake lines should have come from Carter's mouth."Is this your first day working as an assistant in Hollywood?""This dinner was booked three days ago. You didn't know?Did I hold a gun to his head to make him come to this dinner, or did I force the director to add scenes today?""Oh, right. You just started working as his assistant. So that's why when you had a fever at 1 AM, you called him instead of going to urgent care.That's why you don't understand that his private schedule is highly confidential and none of your business.That's why you just 'happen' to show up at every single place we have a date.""So what's your excuse this time?"Hailey's mouth fell open, as if she'd been mortally wounded.The restaurant's dim lighting couldn't hide the tears welling up in her eyes. She looked back at Carter, then hung her head in silence."Stella, enough."Carter walked over, patting her back soothingly before turning to glare at me. "You're getting more vicious by the day. It's just dinner. She'll be more careful next time."Next time...I never wanted to endure another three-person candlelit dinner for the rest of my life.Hailey's tears fell silently, but her suppressed sobs were crystal clear.What a waste that she never auditioned—Hollywood missed out on real talent.I suddenly felt the absurdity of it all.These tired green tea tactics, and Carter, a professional actor, was buying every bit of it.Wasn't this a kind of perfect collaboration?I shook my head and walked out.