The Ex-Girlfriend's Comeback Chapter 1

Five years after our breakup, Julian Vance's sister exposed me on a reality show.

"My brother used to date this girl. total gold digger."

"After they broke up, she sent him hundreds of texts begging to get back together."

"But, you know, I deleted all of them."

Netizens locked onto me, a washed-up actress, as the suspect.

To grab the headline, a paparazzo dug me out from a pile of "dead bodies" on set.

I wiped the dirt off my face and smiled at the camera.

"We really aren't close. Otherwise, would I be playing a corpse here?"

The interview went viral. Julian flew back from abroad.

That night, I saw him at my apartment door.

"Not close? So who was I sleeping with all those years? A ghost?"

* * *

After Chloe's explosive clip aired, it fermented overnight and trended #1 on Twitter.

On screen, she smiled nonchalantly, acting like the judge, jury, and executioner of gold diggers.

"Anyone with eyes could see she was after our money. My brother thought she was so innocent."

"You know, that 'innocent' act is the scariest. None of our friends liked her."

"But my brother was bewitched. He almost cut ties with the family for her."

"My mom wanted to force them apart, but I told her not to lose her son over a gold digger."

"Eventually, I went undercover and used some tricks to reveal her true colors."

"I saved my brother's life. Families like ours need a match of equal status for everyone to be happy."

Chloe entered showbiz as a "Chaebol heiress." Publicly, she was the daughter of Vance Real Estate.

People naturally assumed the brother she mentioned was the heir to Vance Real Estate.

But in reality, Vance Real Estate was just a small asset of the Vance Empire.

Anyway, you can't check your phone while playing a corpse.

The guy next to me filled me in on what Chloe said.

Somehow, the clues linked back to me, the has-been actress.

"Is it really not you?"

The director yelled "Cut!", and the paparazzo and I crawled up together.

This guy was dedicated. He snuck in to play a dead body just to get a scoop.

I dusted off my gray robe and grinned. "Really not me. If I could hook up with a billionaire heir, would I be playing a corpse here?"

He spat out a blade of grass. "Don't act. I've tracked you since your debut. I could never get a pic of your ex-boyfriend. Now this leak matches perfectly."

I ignored him, digging a crumpled business card out of my jeans pocket under the robe.

I shoved it into his hand with a flattering smile. "Boss, call me if you have work. Dead bodies, corpses, background trees... I can do it all. My skills are top-notch."

This paparazzo, Mike, bought stock in "Scarlett" when I debuted. In my prime, he bought a house in LA by selling my scandals.

Now that I was a flop, only he hadn't given up, hoping for my comeback tour.

He cursed and grabbed the card. "I swear, if you were a stock, I'd have lost my underwear by now."

"Scarlett, you used to be so glorious. How did you end up like this?"

I sighed and rubbed my hands. "Heroes don't brag about the past. Just throw some work my way, Mike, and I'll be grateful."

I stretched my neck and shouted at his back, "Bro, I'll play anything! Just give me a role!"

The autumn wind was cold. I wrapped my robe tighter.

If he hadn't mentioned the past, I might have forgotten.

Glorious? Yeah, it was glorious once.