System Crashed, I Went Feral

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I was bound to the Angst Romance System. Halfway through grinding this godforsaken mission, the system flatlined. My massive cash bounty vanished into thin air.

Something inside my brain snapped like a dry twig.

The exact day the system completely crashed just so happened to be Aspen's birthday.

Through a suffocating sea of extravagant white roses, Kael and Aspen were wrapped around each other, swapping spit. They moved like my name wasn't the one printed right next to his on our damn marriage certificate.

What a load of sickening, bullshit romance.

I was so moved. I shoved my phone high, slammed the livestream button, and marched right into the venue.

"Yep, you're seeing this right, folks! That's your precious A-list superstar, Aspen."

"And who's that sucking her face? Oh, just my husband! Bet you didn't see that plot twist coming, did you?"

"Thanks for the Super Rocket, top donator! New viewers, smash that follow button. Get this stream to a million likes, and I'll make them lock lips for you all over again."

I snatched a flute of champagne off a nearby table and hurled the contents directly at their tangled bodies. The ice-cold liquid splattered across them, dripping heavily down the neckline of Aspen's custom haute couture gown.

Kael's face instantly turned the color of week-old vomit.

Chapter 1

I transmigrated into a trashy, clich-ridden romance novel called Superstar's Shine: The Runaway Sweet Wife, bound to its godawful "Angst Romance System." In this dumpster fire of a plot, Kinsleymy current vesseland Kael were thrown into an arranged corporate marriage. Kinsley was obsessed with him. Kael, naturally, only treated her as a cheap stand-in for his precious Aspen.

Right when Kinsley was bending over backward, playing the perfect doormat wife and finally catching Kael's eye, the A-list superstar Aspen made her triumphant return. Aspen sabotaged Kinsley's career and bulldozed her way right into their marriage. What followed was a greatest-hits compilation of toxic tropes: Aspen orchestrated massive online hate campaigns against Kinsley, faked illnesses to move into our marital home, drugged her, framed her, and even pulled a surrogate pregnancy stunt. Ultimately, Kinsley suffered a miscarriage.

She had a total mental breakdown, spiraled into heavy drinking, and even considered swallowing an entire bottle of sleeping pills just to end the nightmare.

And that's exactly when Kael supposedly had his grand epiphany. He suddenly realized his precious, untouchable goddess was actually a toxic snake. He realized he had been deeply in love with his wife, Kinsley, all along, but was just too stubborn to admit it.

And the most sickening part? Kinsley somehow caught Stockholm syndrome, forgave him, and they lived happily ever after.

But the System laid down the law: I had to stick to the plot, or my payout would be slashed. If I played the good little victim all the way to the finale, I'd secure the massive cash bounty and get a one-way ticket back to my own reality.

And let's be realwho in their right mind chooses dignity over a mountain of cold, hard cash? So, I played ball. I followed the script like a dedicated actress.

The System made me grovel to that cheating bastard like a cheap escort, and I swallowed my pride. The System let me get brutally slut-shamed across the entire internet, and I kept my mouth shut.

Then, finally, the System flatlined. That mechanical voice vanished from my brain.

The cash I had sold my soul for? Gone. Evaporated.

A woman doesn't lose her mind over a pathetic man, but she absolutely will snap over stolen money.

I lost my damn mind.

The day the System crashed was Aspen's birthday. I knew the exact venue from the original plotline. I slipped into a pitch-black mourning dress, pinned a massive, funeral-white flower to my chest, and headed straight over.

The banquet hall was massive, suffocatingly packed with Aspen's favorite white roses. I walked in right as Aspen made her grand entrance. She was draped in a custom white tulle gown, playing the part of a pristine, innocent swan.

She scanned the room, covered her mouth with delicate fingers, and flushed red. She stared at Kael, her eyes welling up with perfectly timed tears of gratitude.

I was so moved by the performance, I shoved my phone in the air and hit record.

Kael gripped a microphone, his voice dripping with affection. "Happy birthday, Aspen. I flew in every white rose in the country just for you."

Every single guest in this godforsaken room had attended Kael and my wedding. Yet, the second those words left his mouth, the crowd erupted.

"Kiss her! Kiss her!"

Aspen's eyes sparkled. A second later, she planted a kiss right on the corner of Kael's mouth.

What a load of sickening, bullshit romance.

This whole circus was more absurd than a Kansas tornado.

The chat in my livestream blew up, begging for a close-up. Always a crowd-pleaser, I held my phone high and marched straight into the center of the hall.

One by one, heads turned. The buzzing banquet hall dropped into a suffocating, dead silence. Only a few piercing whispers cut through the quiet.

"What the hell is she doing here? Hasn't she embarrassed herself enough?"

"The real queen is back. The cheap knockoff needs to step down."

"She's just asking to be humiliated at this point"

"Why is she dressed for a funeral? Is she psycho?"

I didn't flinch. I kept my eyes locked on Kael and Aspen's rapidly paling faces and flashed a bright, blinding smile.

"Wow, what a massive crowd." I paused, tilting the screen toward them. "In my livestream, I mean."

Chapter 2

Aspen had built her entire brand on being America's untouchable, innocent sweetheart. When my words finally registered, all the color instantly drained from her face.

Kael quickly stepped in front of her, shielding her with his body. "Kinsley, what the hell is wrong with you?"

"Oh, you're damn right I'm crazy! I hope you all got a clear shot of this! This so-called innocent superstar, who claims she's never dated, was just wrapped around my legally wedded husband like a dog in heat!"

The livestream chat completely exploded.

I flipped my middle finger right at the camera lens. "Thanks for the Super Rockets, guys. Keep smashing that follow button. Get this stream to a million likes, and I'll make them lock lips for you all over again."

I killed the stream.

The internet went into absolute meltdown.

[Kinsley Married]

[Aspen Homewrecker]

[Kinsley's Husband is Billionaire Heir Kael]

Three massive trending topics sat right at the top of the charts. A premium, high-society Hollywood love triangle.

The internet comments poured in:

[So Kinsley wasn't targeting Aspen at all. Aspen is just a homewrecker who stole her husband!]

[Aspen kept hinting that Kinsley was sleeping her way to the top. But if Kinsley is married to a billionaire CEO, why the hell would she need a sugar daddy? Is Aspen delusional?]

[Honestly, Kinsley's reputation used to be great. It only tanked after that wardrobe clash, the pool-pushing incident on set, and Aspen's vague hints about Kinsley having a sugar daddy]

[Agreed. There's definitely more to the story. Aspen is no saint.]

Aspen's rabid fanbase immediately fought back:

[What 'more to the story'? Some people are just shameless!]

[Our Aspen is clearly Kael's true love! In a relationship, the unloved one is the real homewrecker!]

That specific comment was instantly ripped to shreds by the general public.

I had no idea how Aspen was holding up right now. Honestly, as I stared at my livestream revenue dashboard, I just laughed out loud.

The front door slammed open. Kael stormed inside, instantly closing the distance between us.

His fingers clamped hard around my jaw, bruising my skin. He ground his teeth together. "Are you out of your damn mind?"

"You bet your ass I am!"

"Do you have any idea what you've done? Aspen is a public figure! You're going to ruin her!"

Fucking hilarious. So he did know public figures needed to protect their reputations.

For months, I had suffocated under the System's control. I had swallowed every insult, every humiliation.

Right now? I was a walking nuclear warhead.

Staring at Kael's face hovering inches from mine only fueled the rage. I drove my knee squarely into his groin.

I grabbed the heavy marble ashtray right off the coffee table and slammed it onto his expensive leather shoe.

Kael completely missed my counterattack. He let out a pathetic yelp and stumbled backward, curling up in absolute agony. "Kinsley, what the fuck are you doing!"

"What am I doing?" I stepped right up onto the coffee table, forcing him to look up at me. "I'm crushing your pathetic little manhood! Who the hell gave you permission to get up in my face, Kael?"

"You two put on a live porno in front of a massive crowd, and now you have the nerve to tell me I'm ruining her? What, did I force you to throw her this lavish birthday bash? Did I force you to buy out the entire country's supply of white roses?

"Did I smash your faces together? You never gave me a 'no livestream' memo! What's wrong with me broadcasting your little celebration to the rest of the country?"

Chapter 3

Kael lunged forward, desperately trying to strike me. But the agonizing pain twisting his body grounded him. He could only heave for air, gasping out a pathetic, "You you!"

"Me what? Shocked I finally grew a spine and learned how to speak?"

I grabbed his tie, hauling him halfway off the floor, and glared viciously into his eyes. "Listen here, you arrogant, pathetic pig. Sign the damn divorce papers right now, or next time, your pathetic little manhood won't be the only thing I break."

Letting go of my sanity felt incredibly liberating.

I walked straight out of the multi-million dollar marital estate and drove back to the modest apartment my mother had left me. At barely a thousand square feet, it wasn't a mansion, but it had everything I needed. A real sanctuary.

This was the only thing I truly owned in this world. Yes, the only valuable piece of property left to my name was this tiny apartment.

My father, Clifford, had spent his entire life brainwashed by my stepmother, Victoria. He treated me like a stray dog. It only got worse after the wedding. They didn't care about me; their only daily obsession was figuring out how to bleed my bank accounts dry.

And Kael? He didn't care if I starved. Before the wedding, he forced me to sign an ironclad prenup. If we divorced, I walked away with absolutely nothing.

That was exactly why I was so damn eager to finalize this divorce today. Staying married to him was just a toxic, worthless burden.

My sole source of income was my acting gig. To make matters worse, I was chained to a garbage manager named Russell. Barely a fraction of my earnings ever made it to my bank account.

And ever since Aspen slithered back into town, my public image had taken a nosedive. My already thin wallet was practically on life support.

Back when the System was running, I only cared about hitting the payout threshold. But now? I was permanently stuck here. I pulled up my banking app to tally my exact savings and map out a survival plan.

A cold sweat broke out across my back as the numbers loaded. I barely had a few crumpled dollar bills to my name.

Thanks to the recent PR disasters, several brands had terminated my contracts, slapping me with massive penalty fees.

Long story short?

I was drowning in massive debt.

In the past, I could just play blind. As soon as the plot forced a reconciliation with Kael, all these financial problems would magically vanish, and I'd be teleported back to my reality with a fat stack of cash.

But now? I had to survive in this body. And I absolutely refused to rely on Kael's filthy money.

I took a scorching hot shower, threw on a clean shirt, and sat cross-legged on my mattress to check today's livestream revenue. The payout was actually solid. It was enough to keep the lights on and buy groceries for the next few months.

I had majored in acting, heavily influenced by my mother. There was exactly one year left on my agency contract. For the next twelve months, I had to hustle, book every gig I could, wipe out all my debts, and finally terminate that toxic management contract.

After that, I was going to pivot, apply for grad school, and carve out a real career path for myself.

I had an early call time tomorrow. I immediately shot a text to a high-powered divorce attorney to draft the separation papers. I forwarded the PDF file directly to Kael's phone, tossed my device onto the nightstand, and drifted into a beautifully deep sleep.

But first things first: time to hustle.

Every disadvantage hides a lethal edge. Even surrounded by a pack of wolves, I could flip the board and orchestrate a flawless comeback. I didn't care if the entire world stood against me. As long as I had a pulse, I was going to carve out my own empire.

I had absolutely nothing left to lose.

The ones who should be terrified right now? It was them.

Chapter 4

I still had an ongoing TV series shoot. A supporting role. I shared quite a few scenes with Aspen.

She had only taken the lead role in this production for one reason: to humiliate me. On the very first day of shooting, Aspen conveniently slipped into the pool while standing right next to me. She framed me for the push, triggering the most vicious, unprecedented cyberbullying campaign I had ever faced.

Today's call sheet included my wire-stunt sequence.

Aspen had explicitly bribed the stunt coordinator to ensure I got seriously injured. But in the original plot, her little scheme completely backfired. The accident coincidentally aligned perfectly with Kael dropping by the set for a surprise visit. The original text described it like this: Kael arrived just in time to see a flash of stunning color plummeting from the sky like a bird with a snapped wing.

It supposedly made his heart stop. In short, I fell so beautifully and tragically that it instantly triggered his lust. He frantically scooped me up and rushed me to the emergency room.

Originally, Kael had planned to chew me out over Aspen's pool incident. But instead, my tragic fall completely wrecked Aspen's carefully crafted scheme, fueling her jealousy and triggering even more unhinged revenge plots.

Previously, I had actually been agonizing over how to angle my fall so I wouldn't shatter any vital organs.

But now? The System was dead. I was completely fearless. Kael, Aspen, the corrupt stunt coordinatorthey could all go straight to hell!

When I marched back onto the set, full-blown feral, all the snobby crew members who used to treat me like dirt completely lost their voices. The little production assistant who always threw shade at me now approached with trembling hands. "Here's some water, sis."

"Who the hell is your sis? Do you just call everyone your sister?"

He forced an awkward, apologetic laugh. "Sis, come on, why would you say that"

I rolled my eyes and ignored him.

Before the livestream, nobody on set had a clue I was Kael's legally wedded wife. They didn't know I was the notoriously despised eldest daughter of my wealthy family, either. It wasn't because I wanted to keep it a secret. The System's plot armor literally restricted me from speaking out.

But a starving camel is still bigger than a horse. Now, they all finally realized they had been kicking a solid steel wall.

The production crew finished setting up. The rest of the cast had already finished hair and makeup by the time Aspen finally strutted onto the set, hiding behind oversized designer sunglasses.

After yesterday's livestream, every single eye locked onto us, burning with pure gossip. A few crew members even subtly pulled out their phones, ready to hit record. Aspen's PR team had worked straight through the night doing damage control, but I had already ripped a massive, irreparable hole right through her pristine public image.

Aspen scanned the set. When she spotted me sitting in my director's chair without a single scratch, completely unfazed by the massive crowd, she immediately sneered. "Bitch."

"Who is the bitch talking to?" I fired back.

"The bitch is talking to you!"

I burst out laughing. "Oh, so the bitch is talking to me. Got it."

A few crew members eavesdropping nearby failed to hold back their snickers. The realization finally hit Aspen. Her face flushed a violent, humiliating crimson.

She glared at me, her voice dropping into a vicious warning. "Let's see how long you can keep that smug look on your face!"

How long?

Until they shovel the dirt over your grave.

Director Dennis finally called my name for the wire-work sequence. A flash of pure, malicious glee flickered across Aspen's eyes.

I ignored the silent, knowing glance exchanged between her and the stunt coordinator. I kept my face deadpan and stepped right onto my mark. The coordinator masked his impatience as he strapped me into the heavy wire harness.

Aspen sat in the makeup chair, her eyes glued to my rig. She was practically drooling in anticipation of my accident.

Too bad I was about to completely ruin her day.

Director Dennis shouted, "Action!"

Following the floor manager's cue, I leaped from the platform and started my descent.

Right on cue.

The primary wire snapped!

Realizing something was catastrophically wrong, Director Dennis's face lost all its color. He shot up from his monitor. Aspen's lips curled into an uncontrollable smirk.

But I was already waiting for it!

I used the crushing downward momentum, grabbed the thick steel wire mid-air, and swung my legs with brutal force.

I stuck a flawless, secret-agent-style landing exactly three feet in front of Aspen's face.

The massive impact kicked up a thick cloud of dirt, blasting her directly in the eyes.

Chapter 5

Bet you didn't see that coming, bitch! I didn't just take self-defense classes; I'm a black belt in mixed martial arts!

The entire directing crew stood frozen in shock. Aspen's jaw practically hit the floor.

I looked straight at the camera lens, fully satisfied with myself. "Director, the wire snapped. Did nobody run a safety check before we started rolling? Seems like our stunt coordinator is completely incompetent"

All the color drained from the stunt coordinator's face. He opened his mouth to stammer out an excuse, but Kael's miserable, dark face materialized right in our line of sight.

Seeing the dead silence on set, his voice cut through the air. "What is going on here?"

I scoffed and flashed him a blinding smile. "Well, well, if it isn't my loving husband. What brings you here? Come to check on the homewrecker destroying our marriage?

"Your precious little Aspen? Oh, I almost forgot to ask. I hope my kick yesterday didn't permanently wreck your pathetic two inches?

"After all, that's the only microscopic piece of anatomy left that proves you're still a man."

The air instantly dropped into a dead, suffocating silence.

Kael's face cycled through shades of red, green, and stark white. He raised a trembling arm, pointing a finger at my face. "You you you" His eyes rolled back into his head.

Amidst the gasps and screams of the crew, he collapsed straight onto the dirt.

I stood completely still. Was his health really this fragile? I was genuinely shocked.

The production crew scrambled in a panic and rushed Kael into a waiting ambulance. Fully invested in the drama, I hopped right into the back with him. Aspen, completely shameless, pushed her way inside right after me.

She shot me a venomous glare, but her voice instantly morphed into a pitiful, delicate whine. "I know Kael will want to see my face the second he wakes up."

"Wow. You're practically the gold standard for side chicks everywhere. Truly an inspiration to homewreckers across the globe."

"You" Aspen glared at me, but glancing at the paramedics sitting right across from us, she snapped her mouth shut.

The second we arrived at the hospital, footage from the set had already dominated the trending charts. The number one hashtag? KinsleyKnocksKaelOutCold.

On the live feeds, thousands of women were deeply debating whether Kael was actually packing a pathetic two inches.

I pressed my hand hard against my mouth to physically stop myself from laughing out loud. Good thing he was still unconscious, or he would've definitely fainted a second time reading this.

Sending Kael to the ER was a massive rush, but it did come with a few annoying side effects. For example, hearing their precious son-in-law was hospitalized, my deadbeat father, Clifford, and his manipulative puppet master of a wife, Victoria, stormed the VIP ward. And of course, they dragged along Mason, the spoiled, rotten golden child of our family.

Clifford used to run a massive business empire. But because he built his wealth on shady, under-the-table deals in his early days, he was fiercely superstitious.

In the original plotline, the year Mason was born, I was sixteen. Clifford hired a so-called spiritual master to evaluate the feng shui of our mansion. Victoria paid off the master to declare me a cursed jinxa bad omen who would destroy Mason's future if I stayed under the same roof.

The second Clifford heard that, he completely panicked. His deep-rooted resentment toward mesimply for being born a girl, mixed with the bitterness over my mother's deathfinally boiled over.

He slapped me across the face with blistering force.

While Victoria smirked from the sidelines, he tossed me into a cheap boarding school. The miserable allowance he wired me every month was barely enough to keep me from starving to death.

That is, until recently, when Kael decided he needed a cheap stand-in for Aspen and proposed a corporate marriage. That was the only time Clifford realized the daughter he had treated like absolute garbage actually held some market value.

The moment Mason spotted me in the hospital corridor, he practically buzzed with excitement. He charged right at me, clutching an action figure in his fist.

"Super hero! Kill Kinsley, that stupid bitch! Pew! Pew! Pew!"

Mason wasn't even ten years old. The fact that he screamed "bitch" the second he saw my face proved exactly what kind of trash talk went on in that house.

That was fine. I was more than happy to do the action figure's job for him.

Chapter 6

Clifford marched up to me in three quick strides. He didn't strike meonly because we were in a public hospital corridorbut his face twisted into an ugly, furious scowl. "What kind of crazy stunt are you pulling now?"

I flipped my hair over my shoulder. "Just the normal kind of crazy, Dad."

Clifford shot a glance at Aspen and lowered his voice to a harsh whisper. "Every man makes mistakes like this. You need to be more forgiving. Was it really necessary to broadcast it to the entire world?"

"Victoria," I said, turning my head to look at the meticulously maintained woman standing right behind him. "Do you agree with that?"

Victoria choked for a second, but kept her chin high. "I stand by your father."

"Oh, that's perfect. Because there's something I've been keeping to myself for a long time."

Clifford paused. "What are you talking about?"

"Victoria, my dad's department manager is pregnant. The baby is his. He even bought her a condo over in Rosewood Estates and promised to take engagement photos with her this weekend."

Victoria froze. Her pristine mask shattered. She lunged at Clifford, grabbing him by the ear and clawing at his face. "You shameless old bastard! Is she telling the truth?! Is it true?! Mason isn't even ten years old, and you're pulling this disgusting shit?! My life is a joke! A miserable joke!"

"We're in public! Let's handle this at home" Clifford hissed, trying to pry her manicured nails off his ear.

"To hell with home! You're going to explain this right damn now!"

"Hold on!" I cut through their screaming match. "I wasn't finished."

Victoria stopped shrieking for exactly one second, her crazy eyes locking onto mine.

"Victoria, what's the name of that boy-toy actor you've been keeping on the side? He's been getting awfully cozy with Producer Carlton lately. You might want to keep a tighter leash on him"

All the color instantly drained from Victoria's face. The hand she had raised to claw at me froze in mid-air, making her look like a ridiculous, broken puppet.

"Unbelievable! Just unbelievable!" Clifford instantly reclaimed the moral high ground, pointing a shaking finger at her. "You shameless bitch! You've been using my money to fund your little sugar baby"

"Hold on!" I interrupted them again.

Did they really think I was done? Not a chance.

I marched right up to Mason, staring coldly down at him. Then, I whipped my head toward the two of them tearing each other apart like rabid dogs and shouted, "Since we're already at the hospital, why don't we run a paternity test right now?! Let's see if this little bastard is actually your blood, or just a mutt Victoria made with her bankrupt brother-in-law!"

The air flatlined.

Even Aspen's eyes practically bulged out of her skull.

Clifford's face morphed from absolute shock to pure agony. He clutched his chest and collapsed onto the linoleum floor.

I clapped my hands together and flagged down a passing nurse. "We need some help over here! Hurry! I just knocked another one out!"

Years of erratic schedules had cursed Kael with the standard CEO-issue stomach ulcer. Thanks to a lack of sleep and two consecutive days of me driving his blood pressure through the roof, his entire immune system had basically staged a coup. He was officially admitted to the hospital. Cue the confetti and fireworks.

My recent unhinged behavior must have genuinely terrified them. Aspen spent every waking second after filming rushing straight to Kael's VIP ward, leaving her absolutely no time to sabotage me. My days became surprisingly peaceful. I even had the luxury of scrolling through the internet drama every morning.

Right now, three massive factions were constantly tearing each other apart online.

Faction one: the pure drama addicts. Every day, they tagged me constantly, totally shameless.

[Kinsley, the entertainment industry is boring as hell right now. Drop some more bombs for us.]

Faction two: the fans drawn in by my authentic personality.

[Kinsley is our absolute queen. The only real one left in Hollywood.]

And faction three: my haters, mostly made up of Aspen's rabid fanbase. They spent all day throwing passive-aggressive shade.

[Are you kidding me? Are people seriously stanning a manipulative bully who intentionally wears the same dress to steal the spotlight, pushes people into pools on set out of spite, and wrecks relationships?]

Chapter 7

Right on cue, my fans fired back.

[Is there actually anyone left who doesn't know Kinsley is Kael's legally wedded wife?]

I sipped my iced boba, thoroughly enjoying the online bloodbath. Then, Kael's miserable name flashed across my phone screen. Realizing the divorce wasn't finalized yet, I swiped to answer.

His voice was raspy. "I've been in the hospital for three days. You haven't visited once."

I wasn't surprised that he was surprised. In the past, the second he caught a mild cold, I would have rushed over, waiting on him hand and foot, cooking his meals. I was even planning to get a professional massage certification just to help with his chronic migraines. Too bad the old Kinsley was dead and buried.

"I'm not a doctor. Besides, you already have someone keeping you company. Why do you need me?"

Kael's tone strangely softened. "I knew you still cared I'll just pretend I never saw that divorce agreement"

"Excuse me?" The sheer audacity spiked my blood pressure. "What do you mean you'll pretend you didn't see it? I paid a lawyer hundreds of dollars to draft that up overnight. You don't get to just ignore it!"

"Kinsley, what kind of tantrum are you pulling now?" Kael raised his voice. "No one is threatening your position as my wife. Isn't that enough for you?"

Honestly, I was genuinely fascinated by how the brains of these toxic alpha-male types actually functioned. Before I could fire back, Kael pressed on.

"My parents are visiting tomorrow."

"Okay. And?"

"You're not coming? Do you want your family to lose their contracts with my company?"

Did he seriously think he could use my family to threaten me? Too bad I couldn't care less.

"Keep your pathetic charity. I don't give a damn about your filthy money."

Kael's voice dropped into a dark, threatening register. "Kinsley, don't regret this."

I didn't wait for him to finish. I hung up the phone.

Kael's retaliation came fast. He instantly pulled two massive contracts from my father's company. What he didn't know was that my family was in the middle of a total implosion. Mason really wasn't my father's biological son.

The sheer shock had sent Clifford straight to the hospitalironically, checked into the VIP floor right above Kael's suite. Right now, Clifford was likely spiraling, completely oblivious to his crumbling business.

Meanwhile, Victoria didn't even bother showing up at the hospital. Instead, she had already hired lawyers to figure out exactly how much of the family fortune she could siphon off. Over the years, using Mason as her ultimate bargaining chip, she had manipulated Clifford flawlessly. While she couldn't bankrupt him completely, she could definitely tear a massive hole in his assets.

Seeing me completely unbothered, Kael finally snapped when he received the official divorce summons from my legal team. Toxic men were truly exhausting. They treated you like garbage when you were around, but the second you wanted out, they locked the doors.

Early summer rolled in, the trees lush and green. My manager, Russell, called me into the agency and slammed a thick file onto the desk in front of me.

"You're trending hard right now, Kinsley. We've got a reality show offering you a permanent spot."

So, this cursed reality show was finally happening.

In the original plot, this show was a pivotal turning point. The producers cast both me and Aspen. They handed me the script for the malicious villain. My entire job was to constantly sabotage Aspen on camera, pulling in viewers and generating massive viral drama.

This show was designed to make the entire internet hate me. My phone number would be leaked. My social media comments would be bombarded by rabid haters, and my DMs flooded with graphic death threats. Packages sent to the agency would be stuffed with dead rats and cockroaches.

Aspen's psychotic fans would even track me down in real life, splashing red paint on my car and hurling eggs at me during promotional events.

The relentless torment pushed Kinsley to the brink of complete mental collapse. And supposedly, because of all that suffering, Kael finally started feeling sorry for her, and their twisted romance blossomed.

Chapter 8

Kinsley lost her health and her sanity, but hey, Kael got his true love!

I didn't even bother looking at Russell. "You can keep that sickening romance to yourself."

Russell sneered. He didn't care. He just lit a cigarette, blowing a thick cloud of toxic smoke right in my face.

Unlike everyone else in this agency, Russell knew exactly who I was. He also knew exactly how little Kael cared about me. Russell wasn't your typical polished Hollywood agent. He was a slimy, opportunistic snake who excelled at kissing up to power and stepping on anyone beneath him.

In the original plot, Kael eventually stood up for Kinsley and forced Russell to his knees. Instead of getting mad, Russell just laughed and dropped to the floor without a second thought. The guy had absolutely no spine.

I flipped through the contract. It was a rustic lifestyle reality show that used to be a massive hit. But lately, with the economy tanking, audiences were sick of watching multi-millionaire celebrities rake in cash just for pretending to farm and staring at the sunset. The public backlash was severe.

To survive this season, the producers pivoted hard. They packed the cast with the most controversial, scandal-ridden names they could find and switched the format from pre-recorded to completely live.

Just like the original plot. Only, this show was supposed to happen way later. My recent unhinged behavior had forced the timeline forward.

"The show starts next week. Completely live," Russell said, exhaling another cloud of smoke. "You read the script. I know your situation, Kinsley Kael left a message. If you don't want to take this gig, if you don't want to ruin your entire career, just go to him and apologize. You're still his wife. All you have to do is swallow your pride"

"Who said I wasn't taking it?"

Russell choked on his words. His face went blank.

I leaned back and crossed my arms. "I'm taking the show."

The producers had cast six guests for this season. Aside from me and Aspen, they brought in Imogen, an A-list movie star fresh off a messy divorce; Paige, a wildly controversial trust-fund baby; Rowan, a rising pop idol plagued by rumors of a sugar mommy; and Malcolm, a washed-up former leading man everyone called a greasy creep.

The drama potential was completely maxed out. It was a prime summer broadcast. With a cast this volatile, even the casual viewers who hated reality TV were glued to their phones, waiting for the inevitable explosion.

I stepped off the plane and climbed into the production van. The director immediately pointed at the phone mounted on the dashboard. The livestream was already rolling.

The second my face appeared on screen, the chat exploded.

[Kinsley! You're about to see Aspen. Are you excited?]

"I'm not sure if I'm excited," I laughed, staring right into the lens. "But I bet my husband is absolutely thrilled."

[LMAO Kinsley, can you chill for one second?! Seriously though, are you actually married to Kael?]

"What, do I need to hold my marriage certificate up to the camera? Stop bringing up such a depressing topic on a beautiful day. Hubby, are you watching? When are you going to sign the damn divorce papers?"

And he definitely was watching. He was locked right onto my solo cam. I could practically picture ithis knuckles turning bone-white around his phone, his face twisting into a miserable, furious scowl as my words blasted from his speaker.

Chapter 9

The chat was still scrolling like crazy.

[Are you divorcing Kael? Is it because of Aspen?]

"Yes and no," I answered breezily. "He's trash and he sucks in bed, so what exactly am I sticking around for? Oh, and let me tell you a little secretthe richer they are, the cheaper they get. Our prenup literally leaves me with zero pennies if we split. But whatever, I can make my own damn money."

[Holy shit, being a trophy wife is a scam.]

[Why do I actually feel bad for her? Cheating husband and no money. Kael is pure trash]

[Kinsley is our queen! She finally woke up. Full support for the divorce!]

[The unloved one is the real homewrecker. Insiders say Kael and Aspen were together first, and Kinsley used her family's money to force the marriage.]

[Did you guys forget Kinsley literally pushed Aspen into a river and stole her brand deals? Please, I bet Kinsley has her own sugar daddies. They've probably had an open marriage this whole time]

[Kinsley, spill the tea. Is the CEO really a two-inch, supersonic minute-man?]

My eyes locked onto that last comment. I fired back instantly. "Well, you'll have to ask Aspen about that one. It's been a while, so my memory is a bit blurry, but she's been testing out the merchandise pretty frequently lately"

"Kinsley." The producer's face flushed a violent, panicked red. "Please stop talking. I'm terrified they're going to permanently ban our channel."

I threw my hands up in the air. "He's the one gagging me, guys. Don't blame me."

The second the words left my mouth, the entire screen filled with a massive wave of [LMAO]s. For once, the chat was totally united.

I reclined my seat all the way back, ready to catch some sleep. I had recently bought a stack of prep books for my grad school entrance exams and stayed up entirely too late doing practice tests. If I didn't desperately need the cash to fund my total revenge tour, I would have never signed up for this circus.

Mountain Living was filmed in a quaint, picturesque southern town. Rolling green hills, crystal-clear streamsa total scenic postcard. When I arrived on set, Aspen was already there. Judging by the dark, miserable scowl dragging down her face, she had definitely tuned into my little broadcast in the van.

The main cameras were positioned a fair distance away. After throwing out some casual greetings to the rest of the cast, I marched straight up to Aspen.

She shot a paranoid glance at the distant lenses before grinding her teeth together. "Kinsley, what the hell do you want from me?"

I flashed her a brilliant smile. "Hold that thought. I'll show you exactly what I want right now." I whipped my head around, spotted a roving cameraman, and waved my hand high. "Hey, camera guy!"

The guy looked completely lost. He pointed a confused finger at his own chest. I nodded, aggressively motioning for him to come over. The cameraman shot a hesitant glance at Director Dennis. Catching the director's subtle nod, he hauled his heavy live-broadcasting rig right up to our faces.

I waved right into the lens. "Hey everyone, can you see us clearly?"

The livestream chat rocketed at lightspeed, practically crashing the feed.

[What is Kinsley doing now?]

[Dragging the camera over to film her and Aspen? Truly an unhinged queen. I smell a massive scene coming.]

[Can this bitch Kinsley stay away from our Aspen? She's so disgusting.]

[My heart breaks for Aspen, her eyes are already red]

Aspen locked her eyes onto mine. She desperately wanted to skin me alive, but she was forced to play the fragile, teary-eyed victim for the live feed. The two conflicting emotions practically twisted her face into a grotesque mask.

I completely ignored her contorted expression. My voice rang out loud and cheerful. "Long time no see, Miss Aspen! How on earth did you find the free time to shoot a reality show today? Don't you need to be at the hospital servicing my husband?"

Aspen short-circuited. She never expected me to go feral right to her face. All the blood instantly drained from her cheeks.

"Oh, by the way, someone in the chat just asked me if the CEO really is a supersonic two-inch wonder. I honestly couldn't remember. But since you've been putting in the hours lately, you must know his exact measurements, right?"

Chapter 10