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Elena faked her identity to survive, caught between desperation and ambition. When billionaire Damien Cross offers a contact marriage backed by promises, she sifbs away her soul for a future built on lies. But in Damien's world, loyalty is the currency and Elena is broke. One night of passion, a forbidden love and a secret betrayal. As enemies close in and truths unravel, Elena realizes too late that she was never the player. She was always the pawn. Now divorced, left in ruins and exposed, the woman who once dreamed of fortune must fight to survive the empire she at one point, was a part of. But the greatest betrayal is yet to come.
In a world built on lies, Elena was an artist.
Portraying herself as a character that existed only in her imaginations, but acting so well, such that everyone she came across easily believed it. And since everyone was busy trying to get strings pulled in different aspects of their lives, they cared less about verifying her identity and claims. Over time, she had made substantial gains through her schemes, but she was yet to hit her jackpot... her main target. she believed that it was only a matter of time before she would get it done, and after that, she would quit for good and make something reasonably substantial out of her life.
This was just another day in her constant attempts to fix herself within the one group she didn't belong to.
There had been an announcement of a party for the elites, the kind they held quarterly, and it was indeed everyone's dream, except only the select few could attend. Invitation-only, strict security, and only the elite.
Elena gracefully walked up to the entrance and handed her invitation to the security, who checked it against the guest list and within a few seconds, smiled back at her and let her through.
The golden chandeliers in the hall sparkled like frozen fire, casting a pretty glow over the sea of designer gowns and hand tailored tuxedos. Elena adjusted the delicate crystal mask over her face, feeling the whisper of silk against her skin as she slipped effortlessly between the world's untouchables.
Yet here she was, a nobody dressed in stolen dreams and walking among the sea of prestigious individuals as if she belonged with them.
A waiter passed with a tray of champagne and Elena plucked a glass with gloved fingers, tilting her chin just right, effortlessly giving off the arrogance of old money. Elena knew how to play the game. Through constant practice, she had memorized every rule, every subtle cue. Eye contact, but not too much. Smile, but with the perfect edge of boredom. Every move, every breath, simply calculated to perfection.
And for a while, it worked. at least until he found her.
The stranger stood by the marble staircase, a black mask concealing half his face, but doing nothing to hide the raw magnetism pouring off him. He was danger clothed in velvet, tall, cold, very commanding. His gaze followed her across the room, sharp as a hook through flesh.
Predators recognize other predators. Or maybe... a prey in this instance.
Elena's heart kicked against her ribs, but she smiled in a well-practiced lazy way and drifted closer to him.
"You don't look like you belong here," he said, voice low enough, almost a whisper, so that only she could hear.
The words weren't cruel. They were... just curious, inquiring.
"And yet," Elena smiled, swirling the champagne between her fingers, "here I am. just like everyone else."
He laughed. A soft, dangerous sound. "And your name?"
She sipped her drink, letting the golden liquid burn down her throat as she leaned closer. The smell of him... expensive cologne and something darker, like a storm ready to break, curled around her senses.
"Where's the fun in giving away all my secrets?" she whispered, leaning backwards in a seductively inviting manner.
His eyes darkened beneath the mask. "Maybe I like games." He curled his lips to form a half smile.
Some games were survival. Others were suicide. She hadn't yet decided which this was, but she looked determined to play it.
"You look like you do," she teased, voice dropping a note, letting heat flicker in her gaze. She had to keep him guessing and appear distracted If he asked too many questions... if he pressed too hard.
Elena's pulse beat in her throat.
He stepped closer, so close their bodies brushed with every unsteady breath. The world blurred around them. Only the two of them, locked in some reckless, magnetic pull.
"You still haven't answered," he murmured, voice like silk over steel. "I know the majority of people in this room, even with their masks on. and somehow, I feel strongly that I do not know you. So, who are you?"
"Most... you say" Elena said in a calm and composed manner. "So, I easily fit into the few who you don't know. Case solved."
He was not satisfied with her reply. "That was a smart way to evade." He said.
"I'm quite interesting." She replied. "By the way," she continued, "how are you able to recognize everyone and also suspect me for being different?"
He did not answer.
"Hmmm..." she observed him from over the rim of her champagne glass. "You also took note of the body forms."
Elena set her champagne down with deliberate care, then smiled again.
Raised a hand to the side of his face, tracing the sharp line of his jaw through the mask slowly and softly.
And then, without warning, she lifted the bottom half of his mask just enough to expose his mouth.
"Maybe I'm nobody, maybe I'm somebody." she whispered. And then she kissed him.
A soft press at first, then a question, a dare, and then harder, hungrier, as the heat between them ignited.
The stranger's hands gripped her waist, dragging her closer. His mouth moved over hers with a violence that stole the ground from beneath her feet.
It was madness, it was freedom, it was everything she was never supposed to have.
The kiss deepened messy, desperate, two strangers clinging to the only real thing in a world made of lies.
Somewhere between the kiss and the hunger clawing at her skin, Elena grabbed his hand and led him through the maze of corridors. No words and no second guesses.
The door slammed behind them. A forgotten guest room in a forgotten corner of the estate. She didn't stop to think, didn't stop to breathe. She yanked his jacket off his shoulders. His hands fisted in the thin fabric of her gown, shoving it up, up, until silk whispered over her thighs. He kissed down her neck, her shoulder, teeth scraping where his mouth had just soothed.
Elena moaned raw, broken, and real. Continuously passed her fingers through his hair.
Tonight, there were no rules, no consequences. Only need.
Buttons scattered across the floor. Fingertips and teeth and desperate gasps filled the room. His body fit against hers like he'd been built for it, like he'd been waiting for her without even knowing.
When he finally entered her, rough and aching and overwhelming. Elena cried out, nails digging into his back.
It wasn't gentle, it wasn't sweet. It was a claiming... it was a destruction.
Elena Vance had always believed in the power of family. Her love for her husband, Marcus, and their son, Eli, was unwavering. But everything she held dear begins to crumble when she discovers that both her husband and son have turned their backs on her, choosing someone else over her love and sacrifices. Heartbroken but resolute, Elena makes the difficult decision to walk away from the life she once knew, relinquishing custody and leaving behind the painful remnants of a broken family. Determined to rebuild, Elena channels her pain into strength, rising from the ashes to become a successful entrepreneur, amassing a fortune that surprises even those who once underestimated her. As her empire grows, so does her confidence, and she discovers a version of herself that's been buried for far too long. But the past is never far behind. Marcus, now filled with regret, and Eli, torn between the love for his mother and his newfound family, seek her forgiveness. Just as Elena is learning to trust herself again, a new figure enters her life in the person of Luca DeMarco, a billionaire investor whose admiration for Elena goes far beyond the boardroom. Together, they form a partnership that challenges everything Elena thought she knew about love and trust. Now, as old wounds threaten to resurface, Elena must decide if she will open her heart to a new future with Luca or remain guarded by the scars of the past. Will she allow herself to be loved again, or will she continue to choose her own path toward freedom and self-discovery?
While on a work trip with her best friend, Kristine Richards meets Alexander Williams who is an Art dealer from the legal perspective. On the side, Alexander turns out to be the boss of a crime family. Alexander falls out with a long-term business contact Octavio. Octavio had attempted to cross Alexander on a deal but ended up on the losing side, thereby vowing to take vengeance. Once he learns of Kristine and Alexander, he takes advantage of their relationship by using Kristine's inherited debt to set her on a new course; destroying Alexander's empire at any cost. Kristine is left to choose between love and freedom.
When Zora was sick during the early days of her pregnancy, Ezrah was with his first love, Piper. When Zora got into an accident and called Ezrah, he said he was busy, when in actual fact, he was buying shoes for Piper. Zora lost her baby because of the accident, and throughout her stay at the hospital, Ezrah never showed up. She already knew that he didn't love her, but that was the last straw for the camel's back, and her fragile heart could not take it anymore. When Ezrah arrived home a few days after Zora was discharged from the hospital, he no longer met the woman who always greeted him with a smile and cared for him. Zora stood at the top of the stairs and yelled with a cold expression, "Good news, Ezrah! Our baby died in a car accident. There is nothing between us anymore, so let's get a divorce." The man who claimed not to have any feelings for Zora, being cold and distant towards her, and having asked her for a divorce twice, instantly panicked.
In the previous life, Maggie Johnson was so cowardly, gullible and stupid that she was coaxed by her fiance and stepsister and then broke her legs and lost everything including her fortune, love and even life. However, she was so lucky that she was reborn in the year before everything happened. Since her life restarted, how could she repeat a previous tragedy? Therefore, in this life, she took the opportunity to improve herself and take revenge on the ones who had ever insulted her. Facing the people who had humiliated her previously, she became smart and experienced to break their frames and tricks that had caused her to hurt in the previous life. Finally, no one could stop her pace to amaze the world any more.
Rena got into an entanglement with a big shot when she was drunk one night. She needed Waylen's help while he was drawn to her youthful beauty. As such, what was supposed to be a one-night stand progressed into something serious. All was well until Rena discovered that Waylen's heart belonged to another woman. When his first love returned, he stopped coming home, leaving Rena all alone for many nights. She put up with it until she received a check and farewell note one day. Contrary to how Waylen expected her to react, Rena had a smile on her face as she bid him farewell. "It was fun while it lasted, Waylen. May our paths never cross. Have a nice life." But as fate would have it, their paths crossed again. This time, Rena had another man by her side. Waylen's eyes burned with jealousy. He spat, "How the hell did you move on? I thought you loved only me!" "Keyword, loved!" Rena flipped her hair back and retorted, "There are plenty of fish in the sea, Waylen. Besides, you were the one who asked for a breakup. Now, if you want to date me, you have to wait in line." The next day, Rena received a credit alert of billions and a diamond ring. Waylen appeared again, got down on one knee, and uttered, "May I cut in line, Rena? I still want you."
Carrying a child left Adeline trapped in marriage to the ruthless and unhinged Waylon, and everyone doubted she'd survive to see the baby's first breath. Filled with dread but determined, she carefully won him over and soon became his lethal obsession. Yet on the day she planned to escape, Waylon drove their car to a cliff's edge, foot hovering over the gas. "I'm sorry, love—did you just say divorce?" His fingers skimmed her cheek, his tone a deadly whisper. "Defy me, and you pay." Later, drenched in blood and rain, he knelt before her, trembling, and pleaded, "Tell me how to keep you here."
Angus Smith is the most powerful president who controls the national economy, while Tammy Wood is a seriously disfigured lady who was exiled by her family. However, she had been loving him for over 15 years since she met him at the age of 5. Thus when he proposed a marriage, she was so happy that she expected a new life. However, the truth was that their marriage was totally a plot. Upon the truth being revealed, Tammy was almost torn to pieces and escaped from him with their baby. Four years later, she was stopped by Angus as soon as she came back. It seems that Angus has regretted what he had done. So he just holds Tammy in arms tightly and decides to love her forever and ever!
After two years of marriage, Sadie was finally pregnant. Filled with hope and joy, she was blindsided when Noah asked for a divorce. During a failed attempt on her life, Sadie found herself lying in a pool of blood, desperately calling Noah to ask him to save her and the baby. But her calls went unanswered. Shattered by his betrayal, she left the country. Time passed, and Sadie was about to be wed for a second time. Noah appeared in a frenzy and fell to his knees. "How dare you marry someone else after bearing my child?"