Richard watches me for a long moment.

"Then become someone he’ll never be able to ignore," he says. "You want revenge? Then rise so high that he has no choice but to look up at you."

And so I push myself harder.

Every day. Every night.

Until the weak, broken woman I used to be disappears—replaced by someone stronger.

One evening, as I sit in the lounge, flipping through magazines, Richard enters with someone new.

A tall man.

Dressed in a sharp black suit, his presence demands attention the moment he steps into the room.

His eyes—piercing and observant—lock onto me.

"Claire, meet my grandson," Richard announces. "Lucas Blackwood."

I tense.

I’ve heard that name before.

Lucas Blackwood. The youngest, most sought-after film director in the industry.

The man behind countless award-winning movies.

And Richard’s heir.

Lucas studies me for a moment before speaking. "So you’re the one my grandfather’s been obsessing over."

I blink. "I… what?"

Richard smirks, sipping his whiskey. "I don’t obsess."

Lucas scoffs but doesn’t argue. Instead, he turns back to me. "He says you’ve got potential."

I straighten. "Potential for what?"

He slides his hands into his pockets. "For something big."

I frown. "I don’t understand."

Lucas tilts his head. "You want to take Ethan down, right?"

I stiffen.

Richard leans forward, resting his elbows on the armrest. "Then you need influence. Power. Something that makes you untouchable."

I glance between them, my heart racing.

"And what exactly are you suggesting?"

Lucas smirks.

"How about becoming a star?"

I blink. "A… star?"

He nods. "The entertainment industry is ruthless. But it’s also the fastest way to rise to power. Become a name everyone knows, and suddenly, Ethan Caldwell won’t just see you as a bitter ex—he’ll see you as a threat."

I stare at him, my mind spinning.

Me? In the entertainment industry?

It sounds ridiculous. Impossible.

But then I remember—

The way Ethan dismissed me. The way he replaced me. The way my son called another woman Mommy.

And suddenly… it doesn’t seem so impossible.

Richard watches me closely. "So, Claire… do you want to remain in the shadows?"

Lucas crosses his arms, his smirk never fading. "Or do you want to become the woman Ethan regrets losing for the rest of his life?"

I take a slow, deep breath.

The old Claire—the one who cried, who begged, who was discarded like trash—no longer exists.

I lift my chin, meeting Lucas’s gaze head-on.