Kristen Facinelli is the daughter of the founding family behind the veteran Hollywood studio Facinelli Pictures. Following her mother's death, she was systematically ostracized by her stepmother, Bella, and her illegitimate half-sister, Catherine; they even manipulated the media to smear her reputation, painting her as a vicious socialite. Yet, amidst the malicious rumors, a bodyguard named Kyle remained constantly by her side, protecting her. Three years prior, Kristen had hired a live-in psychologist, Wyck Godfrey, and fallen for him at first sight. She set aside her pride to win his favor, only to be met with cold indifference. The truth finally came to light when she discovered that Wyck was the heir to a massive business empire; he had infiltrated the Facinelli household under a false identity solely to protect Catherine—whom he mistakenly believed to be the "first love" of his childhood. Kristen was utterly heartbroken.
At this juncture, the media conglomerate Harrison Enterprises proposed a marriage alliance with the Facinelli family. Rumor had it that the Harrison heir, Kaius Harrison, was bedridden and in a vegetative state following a car accident—unable even to open his eyes—so her stepmother forced Kristen to marry him in his place. Kristen agreed, seeing it as the only way to reclaim the film rights, shares, and trust fund control left by her mother, and prepared to leave the Facinelli family for good.
