1

“And this year's Best Actress award goes to... Let's congratulate...” Seated in the front row, Josephine smoothed her skirt, ready to rise. Those beside her began offering premature congratulations. “...congratulations to Winifred!” Josephine's face turned pale instantly after she had stood halfway. Amidst the applause and murmurs below the stage, she stiffly and awkwardly sank back into her seat, her fingertips digging deep into her palms. She slowly turned her head, gazing toward the back rows of the audience. In the farthest corner, a man of extraordinary bearing lurked in the shadows. Josephine recognized him instantly. It was her fiancé—Elijah Jones. Yet he hadn’t come for her, but for Winifred on stage. Whispers of controversy swirled around her. “Good heavens! Who is this Winifred? Some obscure nobody! How did she deserve to win this Best Actress award?” “This should have been Josephine's! This year's award is hers without question—she's the only one worthy of this Best Actress honor!” “What on earth is going on?”...... Others might not know why. But Josephine could guess—this was Elijah's doing. It's only because he is the biggest investor behind the organizer, then Winifred was his sister-in-law and also his first love. They'd parted ways years ago due to a misunderstanding. When they met again, Winifred had married his brother. Three months ago, his brother passed away from illness. Elijah then took it upon himself to care for his sister-in-law. Yesterday, Winifred had casually mentioned it to him: “I wish I could win this award. It sounds so impressive.” Today, Elijah made her wish come true. The award Josephine had strived for seven years to win was effortlessly claimed by Winifred, a newcomer to the field. How utterly ironic. The award ceremony came to an end, and Josephine returned to the backstage in a daze, unable to recover for a long time. A tall figure approached her. Josephine looked up at Elijah, her eyes filled with confusion. “Why did you do this?” Elijah remained calm, showing no remorse. “You've won so many awards already. What's the meaning of getting one more? So what if it's given to Winnie?” "My brother owed her while he was alive. Now that he's gone, the only one who can make up for what he couldn't do is me, his younger brother. " Elijah's tone was flat and matter-of-fact. Josephine, however, was the complete opposite. Her eyes instantly welled up, her voice nearly breaking. “Your brother owed her something. Why should you use what belongs to me to make up for it?!” “Do you have any idea how important this award is to me? Do you know how long I've worked for it? How dare you, how dare you...” Why should you casually pre-arrange someone else? Josephine choked on her words and unable to finish. Seeing how deeply she cared, Elijah’s expression finally shifted slightly. After a moment’s hesitation, he raised his hand to wipe away her tears, his tone softening slightly. “Come on, just a trophy, is it really worth your tears? I’ll make sure you get it next year. Isn’t that enough?” Josephine slapped his hand away with a sharp slap. “Don't insult me!” She, Josephine, had fought her way to this position in the circle. Every single award she'd ever won was earned through her own talent. Not through a man's charity. Just as Elijah's expression darkened, a figure suddenly threw herself into his arms from nearby. "Elijah, I actually won an award! " Winifred waved her trophy in front of him, beaming with delight. “I just started in this field and already won Best Actress! Aren't I amazing?” Elijah chuckled, offering genuine praise: “You are amazing. Your hard work paid off. You deserve this.” Deserved... How ridiculous. This Winifred had only entered the field a few months ago, starring in just one niche arthouse film that garnered zero buzz after release. To claim she deserved it? What about actors like Josephine who worked just as hard? She couldn't bear to listen anymore and turned to leave.