Chapter 232

In his dream, Nolan saw another version of himself acting like a fool—desperately trying to please a girl named Serena Blake.

He showered her with resources, connections, and opportunities.

He even instructed his agent, Grant Mercer, to give her special treatment, unaware that the two were already secretly involved.

The strangest part? Every time he saw Serena, he couldn’t help but feel compelled to be good to her, as if under some spell.

His mother was the first to notice something was off. With a cold expression, she warned him, "Aria Bennett is the only one I'll accept as my daughter-in-law. If you betray her, don’t call me your mother anymore."

His father also sat him down for a serious talk. "Aria is the right person for you. Don’t wait until you lose her to realize that."

The most shocking was his grandmother, who suddenly stopped pressuring him into an arranged marriage and even agreed to let him marry Aria.

He didn’t have romantic feelings for Serena—he was just grateful because she’d once saved him. Yet, an insistent voice in his head kept urging him: Be good to Serena. Repay her.

His family’s interference only made him more rebellious.

When his mother bought an apartment and arranged for him to live with Aria, he felt like his entire life was being controlled—even his marriage.

When his family started pushing for marriage, he snapped.

Despite his defiance, he never considered breaking up with Aria.

After moving in together, Aria still cooked for him every day and playfully demanded his attention. He secretly adored it, but the pressure about marriage made him irritable, and he’d deliberately act cold toward her.

More often than not, he chose to stay away, burying himself in filming and rarely coming home.

They lived together, yet they barely even kissed. He often wanted to, but his pride wouldn’t let him.

Every time they went out, if Serena called, he’d abandon Aria without hesitation.

Aria quickly caught on, and they had a huge fight.

Serena was special—she was the first person who’d ever stood up for him. But no matter what, he couldn’t develop romantic feelings for her. He just couldn’t stop himself from being good to her.

Serena dropped hints about her feelings, even tried to seduce him. But he felt nothing—only guilt when he thought of Aria.

Strangely, every time he tried to make it up to Aria, Serena would "coincidentally" need him. That voice would return: Repay Serena. Be good to her.

On their anniversary, he stood Aria up again—for Serena.

Here, the dream began to diverge from reality.

Though furious, Aria didn’t break up with him.

When he was photographed picking Serena up from the police station, he followed Grant’s suggestion and let Aria take the blame.

No matter how much he indulged Serena, he didn’t want to be linked to her romantically. Making Aria the scapegoat would also pave the way for their eventual public relationship.

But things spiraled out of control.

Buried in work and with Grant sabotaging things behind the scenes, he failed to notice the online harassment Aria was enduring from his fans.

Grant arranged a live reality show. He only agreed to join because Aria was participating.

Then Serena showed up.

In the dream, the show played out differently. Serena shone brightly, her popularity soaring, while Aria was maliciously edited into a villain.

Something felt off. Aria had performed well, yet she was being twisted into a negative image.

Every time he tried to defend her, Serena would "coincidentally" appear to smooth things over, whispering, "Don’t get too close to Aria, or the fans will attack her."

Like a puppet, he obeyed.

Grant, sensing he wanted Aria to quit the industry, forced her to leave after the first episode.

He vaguely suspected Grant was up to something, but Serena’s affairs always distracted him.

After leaving the show, Aria grew distant and withdrawn.

He reached out, only to be rejected. Frustrated and worried, he kept pushing until she finally softened.

One day, Aria suddenly asked, "What would you do if I left the industry?"

His heart leapt—but he replied coldly, "Do what you want." He even added, "You insisted on following me into this world. Now you want to quit? You should’ve listened to me from the start."

He regretted it immediately.

Seeing her pale face, his chest ached—but his stubborn pride kept him from apologizing.

He dragged her out to eat, promising to take her shopping. Then Grant called—Serena had been injured on set.

Grant claimed he was too busy and asked Nolan to go to the hospital.

Serena was now Grant’s client. Something felt fishy, but that voice returned: Go to Serena!

In the end, he muttered "Sorry" to Aria and rushed off.