I felt my throat tighten, a lump forming that I couldn’t swallow.
Quietly, I opened my phone, double-checked the flight details and prepared to check in online. But before I could complete the process, Nora’s curious voice interrupted me.
“Hannah, where are you traveling to?” she asked, her tone light, but her eyes glinting with something far less innocent.
At her words, both Gerald and Daniel turned their heads sharply, their expressions darkening.
“Traveling? You must be joking,” Daniel snapped, his voice dripping with authority. “We still have several videos to shoot. Where are you finding the time to go on a trip?”
“Hurry up and cancel the ticket,” Gerald added coldly. “From now on, any trips you take have to be approved by the company.”
I stared at them for a moment, the weight of their demands crushing down on me. Resigned, I closed the check-in screen on my phone and gave a perfunctory response.
“Okay.”
Ever since their video channel skyrocketed to fame, my life had ceased to be my own. Every decision, every step, was dictated by their needs.
To the world, it seemed like they had “created” me, gifting me a life envied by millions. A life of glamour, wealth and popularity.
But in reality, I was a puppet, dancing to their every command. They made me feel as though I owed them everything and leaving them was an impossible dream. I should just obey—play the role they had assigned me.
By the time we got home, it was late at night.
Since graduating, I had been living with them. Once upon a time, I thought it was because they wanted me close, to spoil me like they always had. Back then, I truly believed I was the happiest woman in the world.
But then Nora entered the picture and everything changed.
They forced me to give up my spacious, sunlit room for her and shoved me into the small, freezing north-facing one instead. Every day, I watched them laugh and play together right in front of me, while I was reduced to little more than a servant in my own home.
“I’m starving, Hannah! Hurry up and make us something to eat,” Daniel barked as soon as we stepped inside.
The three of them flopped onto the sofa, leaving me to stand there, weary and ignored.
Once, I used to cook for them willingly, going out of my way to learn their favorite dishes. I wanted to make them happy, repay their kindness.
But over time, my efforts became their expectation—a routine they never questioned. In their eyes, cooking, cleaning and taking care of them was simply my duty.
Tonight, however, I’d had enough.
“I’m tired,” I said flatly, grabbing my makeup remover and heading toward the bathroom. “I don’t feel like cooking.”
Daniel’s temper flared instantly.
“Tired? What are you tired of?” he shouted, his voice rising with frustration. “If it wasn’t for your incompetence today, we wouldn’t have had to reshoot so many times! We’ve spoiled you so much and now you think you’re some kind of princess, don’t you?”
He gestured toward Nora. “Nora has a sensitive stomach. Are you really going to let her starve because of your selfishness?”
Spoiled me? The absurdity of his words made me laugh bitterly.
The only "favor" they showed me these days was the carefully constructed illusion they put on for the cameras. Behind closed doors, all that remained were orders, criticism and disdain.
I took a deep breath and swallowed the urge to argue. Soon, I reminded myself, none of this would matter. I’d be gone, far away from all of this.
But before I could retreat to the sanctuary of the bathroom, Nora sauntered in, a smug smile playing on her lips.
“Hannah, are you upset?” she asked, her voice honeyed with fake concern.
I glanced at her coldly. “No.”
“Oh, but you are,” she continued, lowering her voice as she leaned closer. Her gaze sparkled with open mockery. “You’re angry at me, aren’t you? Angry because I stole your two bamboo horses?”
I didn’t reply, but my silence seemed to amuse her even more.
“Hannah,” she whispered, her tone dripping with condescension, “have you ever heard the saying? ‘A childhood friend is never worth mentioning in the face of destiny.’”
She tilted her head, her smile growing sharper. “Everything you have right now—it’s all because of them. Your fame, your lifestyle... it’s all theirs to give. And just as easily, they can take it all away.”
Her words cut deep, each one a deliberate blow.
“All you have to do,” she continued, “is stay obedient. Keep playing the part they’ve crafted for you. Otherwise…” She paused, her eyes glinting with malice. “If the facade crumbles, you’ll be the one to suffer. You’ll lose everything.”
I clenched my fists, forcing myself to remain calm.
Nora’s smile turned triumphant. She knew she held all the cards. As the company’s major shareholder, she had the power to decide my fate.
And she wanted me to know it.
But I simply smiled back—cold, distant and unbothered.
She didn’t realize that soon, none of her threats would matter. Soon, I would be free.
