Poof! Wife Status, ERASED

Chapter 12: Your Leading Man

With the public announcement of Sophia Roberts' death, her massive fanbase quickly noticed discrepancies in the reports. Why would a woman seemingly wrapped in love suddenly pass away?

Fans dug deeper and uncovered Sophia's records of depression. Insiders then leaked that Ethan Vanderbilt's so-called devotion was nothing but a business scheme—Sophia had been deceived!

Soon after, die-hard fans pooled money to hire the top celebrity investigator in the industry, demanding a thorough probe into Sophia's death.

When a series of provocative messages and photos surfaced, the truth finally came to light.

The supposedly devoted Ethan had actually been cheating with a female student Sophia had sponsored. This student had repeatedly confronted Sophia, triggering her depression relapse and ultimately driving her to suicide.

The moment the report went viral, the internet crashed. Outraged, people gathered to protest outside the Vanderbilt Group headquarters.

Then, an alleged Vanderbilt employee exposed more: Ethan had not only promoted his mistress to executive secretary and carried on with her at work, but he had also married Sophia solely for her commercial value.

Even the so-called Lianyao Group was, in reality, entirely owned by Ethan.

Every ounce of affection had been calculated—nothing but a businessman's deception.

Almost overnight, the Vanderbilt Group's reputation plummeted. Sophia's death ignited public fury.

With Ethan's "devoted husband" persona exposed, numerous partners demanded contract terminations. Many had collaborated solely because of Sophia's influence, and now they questioned Ethan's integrity while mourning her unjust fate. Several key employees, who were genuine fans of Sophia, even defected to competitors.

The Vanderbilt Group was paralyzed, besieged on all sides and teetering on collapse.

Isabella Thompson became public enemy number one. From Oceanview City to her hometown village, people traveled miles just to curse her. Even hospital nurses refused to tend to her. If not for her bodyguards, the stress alone might have caused her to miscarry.

While chaos reigned domestically, abroad painted a different picture.

Though Sophia was a public figure, the agency handling her identity erasure had planned meticulously. To safeguard her career, they crafted a new identity for her—Sophia's "twin sister."

Sophia Holt—that was her name now.

With a face nearly identical to Sophia's and prearranged work opportunities, she adapted swiftly to life in Hollywood.

Director Grace Williams, who had received Sophia's recommendation, took her under her wing.

Grace demanded absolute dedication from her actors—no external projects during filming, full immersion in training, and complete isolation from the outside world.

For most actors, this would be torture. For Sophia Holt, it was a blessing.

If her face appeared on Hollywood screens too soon, Ethan would trace her with minimal effort. Grace's film required two years of preparation—by then, the frenzy over her "death" would have died down.

"Darling~ Let me introduce you to the film's investor—and your co-star," Grace chirped, nudging the man forward.

"Chr—" Christopher Holt?

Sophia froze. She hadn't expected to run into someone familiar so soon.

Christopher smiled, offering her a gift bag. "Hello, Sophia Holt. Pleasure to meet you."

They'd met years ago on a dating reality show in their home country. Back then, she was a rookie promoting her debut film, and the script had called for a cold-but-innocent heroine pursued by a CEO. But for some reason, Christopher had been added last minute, constantly interacting with her—nearly pushing Ethan to his limits.

She'd sensed his affection but never understood its origin, so she kept her distance.

When she and Ethan announced their engagement, Christopher had sent an extravagant gift and sat alone through the entire wedding.

She hadn't seen him since.

So why… was he here?

While she stood stunned, Christopher remained utterly composed, a lazy smirk playing on his lips.

"Allow me to introduce myself. I'm Christopher Holt—your leading man."