From Abandoned Puppet to the Tycoon's Contract Wife

Lacey screamed. She scrambled backward against the headboard, pulling the white duvet up to her chin. Her eyes were wide with sheer terror.

Johan scrambled to his knees. His face drained of all color. His mouth opened and closed like a dying fish.

"Gab... Gabrielle?" Johan stammered. "What are you doing here?"

Gabrielle did not look at him. She kept her eyes locked on Lacey. Lacey shrank back, trying to make herself as small as possible behind Johan's shoulder.

"Me?" Gabrielle asked, her voice flat and devoid of any emotion. "I came to give you your birthday surprise. Are you surprised?"

She looked down at her own body, clad only in the sheer black lace. A bitter, mocking smile touched the corners of her lips.

Johan's panic shifted into defense mode. He reached out a hand toward her.

"Baby, listen to me," Johan said, his voice cracking. "It's not what it looks like. She came onto me. I told her to leave!"

He threw Lacey under the bus without a second thought. Lacey gasped, her face turning a sickly shade of gray.

Gabrielle tilted her head. She looked at Johan as if he were a stain on the rug.

"Is that right?" Gabrielle asked. "Did she also force you to say I was 'safe'? And 'ordinary'? Did she force you to say I look like an assistant?"

She repeated his exact words. Each syllable hit Johan like a physical slap to the face.

Johan flinched. He realized she had heard everything. Every single word.

He changed his tactic. He tried to look pathetic. He swung his legs over the side of the bed, ignoring his nakedness.

"Gabby, I'm so sorry," he pleaded. "I messed up. I was just stressed about the new movie. You know how I get."

Gabrielle stared at him. "Roll over and die, Johan."

She turned her back to him. She walked over to the armchair and picked up her gray skirt. She stepped into it and zipped it up. She pulled her stiff white button-down shirt over her arms and buttoned it to the collar.

As the familiar, rigid fabric settled against her skin, a profound shift occurred in her mind. For five years, she had smoothed out all her edges for this man. She had made herself invisible, swallowing her own ambition to be his stepping stone, only to be branded as 'safe' and 'ordinary'-a disposable convenience. The agonizing sorrow in her chest rapidly calcified into something cold, sharp, and unbreakable. From this moment on, she was done playing the martyr. She was going back to being Gabrielle Webb, fighting solely for herself.

She was putting her armor back on.

She picked up the heavy black glasses from the dresser and slid them onto her face. The beautiful, vulnerable woman from a moment ago vanished. The ruthless agent returned.

Johan watched her dress. The cold efficiency of her movements terrified him more than screaming would have. He had never seen her like this.

"No, wait," Johan said. He stood up and took a step toward her. "You can't just leave. We're not breaking up over this."

He reached out to grab her arm.

Gabrielle sidestepped him effortlessly. "Don't touch me."

She looked him dead in the eye.

"Johan Lee, as of this exact second, I am no longer your girlfriend," Gabrielle said.

She picked up her tote bag and slung it over her shoulder.

"And I am officially resigning as your lead agent. My lawyer will send the termination papers to your production company tomorrow morning."

Johan stopped breathing. The loss of his girlfriend was an inconvenience. The loss of his agent was a career death sentence. Gabrielle was the only reason he got the audition for his last movie.

"No!" Johan yelled, his voice shrill. "You can't do this to me! After everything we've been through!"

"Everything we've been through?" Gabrielle asked. "You're a joke."

She pulled her phone out of her pocket. She opened the video file and held the screen up to his face.

"An hour ago, TMZ contacted me," Gabrielle said. "They wanted half a million dollars for this. What do you think will happen if I just email it to them for free?"

Johan stared at the screen. He saw himself pushing Lacey against the concrete wall of the hotel parking garage. His pupils dilated in pure horror.

His career flashed before his eyes. The family-friendly brand deals. The upcoming press tour. All gone.

"Gabby, please," Johan begged, his voice broke into a pathetic whine. "Please don't do this."

Gabrielle lowered the phone and slipped it back into her pocket.

"Stay away from me," Gabrielle said. "If you ever try to contact me again, your name will be printed next to the words 'serial cheater' on every newsstand in America by sunrise."

Johan's arms fell limply to his sides. He knew she meant it.

Gabrielle turned around and walked out of the bedroom. She did not look back.