Chapter 155 Janice's Invitation
Whether out of embarrassment-fueled rage or something else, Janice and Charles had a massive blowout. She told him she'd never loved him, demanded he stay away from her, and said they were done.
Janice moved out of the Gonzaga family estate and returned to the house her late parents had lived in. She quickly signed with an entertainment company and debuted six months later.
Charles tried to see her multiple times, but she avoided him every time, claiming she'd signed a contract with her agency that prohibited dating. After her debut, Charles secretly sponsored opportunities for her, getting her into various performances. However, her skills weren't quite there yet. Later, she switched to acting, taking on minor roles in different TV dramas.
Janice couldn't sing to save her life, but she had real talent for acting. With Charles pulling strings behind the scenes, she quickly caught a director's eye and landed a second female lead role. The character was fierce and charismatic, and against all odds, she became a breakout star.
Once she hit it big, the offers came flooding in. She established her own studio and started working with A-list actors. Janice bounced from one production to another, swamped with work. In her rare downtime, she appeared on variety shows to boost her popularity. As for Charles, she'd practically cut off all contact.
Once Janice tasted fame, she grew restless with just television. She set her sights on the big screen. This was during an era of terrible movies flooding the market—they'd even chop up variety shows and slap them in prime-time theater slots. Janice poured her heart into a film, only to watch it bomb at the box office—crushed by some variety show flick someone threw together in six days. She lost everything she'd invested.
She returned to television, determined to tackle different types of roles. But she'd been typecast in those fierce, confident roles for so long that when she took on period dramas, viewers complained it felt off.
During that time, an older male actor befriended her and mentored her. They frequently discussed their craft, and she genuinely learned a lot about acting from him. She considered the actor a close confidant, completely overlooking the fact that he had a wife. She also ignored the obvious truth—when a man pursues a woman, he always has an agenda.
Even though nothing physical happened between them, their frequent private meetings made them easy targets for criticism. One time, the actor threw a birthday party and invited some industry people. Eventually everyone left except him and Janice. Since they were both filming nearby and staying at hotels close to each other, they headed back together.
What they didn't know was that paparazzi caught it all on camera. Desperate for clicks, the tabloids spun it as the two of them leaving a restaurant together and going back to the same hotel. Janice's studio immediately issued a statement, furiously denying the rumors.
But then the actor's wife jumped into the fray, posting passive-aggressive shade implying Janice had seduced her husband. The moment the wife spoke up, all hell broke loose. Her competitors hired trolls to pile on, online users boycotted her work, her new endorsement deals were pulled, and the entire internet labeled her a homewrecker.
The scandal devastated Janice. She lost all interest in the entertainment industry.
One day, she showed up at Charles's door with a three-month-old husky in tow. It was the first time in over five years she'd sought him out on her own. Charles barely paid attention to entertainment news anymore. He'd occasionally catch her work, but had no idea she was being crucified online.
"Charles, I'm leaving the industry." The sadness in Janice's voice was palpable.
Charles studied her. After years of clawing her way through the entertainment world, Janice had changed drastically. She looked more mature, sophisticated and alluring, but her eyes had lost their clarity. When she looked at people now, there was a sharp, guarded quality to her gaze.
"If you're tired, come back to me," Charles said. He hadn't been with anyone in those five years.
Janice smiled faintly. "Charles, will you hold me?"
Charles opened his arms to her.
That night, they ended up in bed together. After their passionate reunion, she asked, "Charles, you haven't been with anyone all these years?"
"No one," he confirmed.
Neither had she. During her years in the industry, she'd met countless people, played the buddy-buddy game with everyone, seemed close to so many—but not a single person had truly reached her heart.
"Charles, you're such a fool."
After saying that, Janice drifted off to sleep. Charles fell into a deep sleep as well.
The next morning, Janice was gone. When Charles couldn't find her, he did some digging and discovered her studio had been dissolved. That's when he learned what she'd been through. He figured she was going through a rough patch and needed space. But he took comfort in the fact that she'd come to him, that when she was at her lowest, she'd wanted him to hold her. He thought maybe, just maybe, she'd come back soon.
Eight years passed. She never did.
No one knew where she'd gone. She'd vanished overnight, leaving him nothing but that husky. Gradually, Charles realized he truly was a fool. That night she'd come back to him—she'd just needed a temporary fix when she was hurting. She really had never loved him.
...
In the hotel room, Charles laid it all out for Zoey, telling her everything about him and Janice.
Zoey couldn't help but wrap her arms around him. She wanted to say something but couldn't find the words. Your first love—that's the one you can never truly forget. No matter what, those feelings would always be etched in his heart, wouldn't they? If only she'd been born earlier.
Charles held Zoey tightly, as if loosening his grip would somehow unravel something inside him.
...
Evening came. Zoey was roasting a chicken in the hotel's oven. It was a cold day, so they'd stayed in.
Charles sat at the counter, watching Zoey work. He'd already scoped out a hotel in another city, planning to take Zoey there tomorrow.
Just then, the hotel phone rang. The front desk said someone was asking for him in the lobby—a woman who gave her name as Janice. Charles had put it on speaker, so Zoey heard everything.
Zoey looked at Charles. Charles looked back at her.
His eyes asked for permission—if she was okay with it, he'd go. If not, he wouldn't.
Zoey's chest tightened with a sharp pang. If he didn't want to go, he would've refused right away. Why ask her permission at all? He was only checking with her because she was his wife—just a token gesture, really.
"Charles, go see her. I'm fine with it," Zoey said.
Charles grabbed his coat. "I'll be right back."
Zoey gave him a small smile. The moment the door closed behind him, her heart sank. The chicken in the oven, forgotten, gradually began to burn.
...
In the lobby, Janice spotted Charles.
"Never thought I'd run into you here," Janice said.
Charles smiled faintly. "Didn't expect to see you here either."
"Want to go somewhere and talk?"
"Is there anywhere nearby we can talk?" Charles asked.
"Coffee shops are all closed. There's only a bar," Janice said.