He ruled as the powerful and ruthless king of the magnificent realm of Stonebridge, with the ability to shape his fortunes effortlessly. However, fate led him into a carefully planned marriage of convenience with her. While he projected an image of invincibility, keeping others at a distance, deep down, he held her close in his heart, yearning for her both physically and emotionally. "Marguerite, I searched tirelessly for fifteen long years just to find you. Please, I beg you, never leave me again, alright? I love you more than words can express. From the darkest nights to the first light of dawn, from twilight to every season, my love for you knows no bounds." He whispered gentle words of affection and endless declarations of love, wanting to share them all with her. Despite her unassuming appearance, she became the precious..
Chapter 1
The room was a hot mess. A man and a woman were tangled up like a pair of intertwined snakes. Under the sunlight, their bodies were twisted tightly together.
When Frederick Winston woke up, he found a woman snuggled into his arm, her face covered by her hair, making it hard to see her features.
This woman shifted her neck slightly, murmuring in her sleep and unconsciously burrowed into his embrace.
Frederick had a splitting headache and realized that the woman in his arms was naked. Her skin had a sexy glow under the sunlight that made his almond–shaped eyes squint slightly.
His eyebrows furrowed as he instinctively looked around. Then, he suddenly remembered all the things happened last night.
At the company's anniversary celebration, he had drank quite much and crashed in his hotel room.
In his half awake state, the woman wrapped herself around him. Their skin–to–skin contact filled the air with a steamy atmosphere.
So, in a blurry haze, they did the deed.
Turns out, last night wasn't just a dream, it was real.
Frederick's expression darkened instantly. He rolled out of bed, hurriedly put on his clothes, his gaze swept over the bedsheet and then came to a
sudden halt.
The red stains on the bedsheet, like a blooming flower, caught his eye.
To his surprise, she was a virgin.
All of a sudden, he had an urge to see what the woman, whose virginity he took, looked like.
His large hand was about to brush away the hair obstructing her face, but he stopped just before touching her.
This was just a one–night stand, no need to get hung up on it.
After all, the women who wanted to sleep with him were only after his money and status.
His hand moved towards the suit on the bed, and Frederick bolted from the room.
But what he didn't know was that as he picked up his suit, a necklace that had fallen from the woman's neck got caught on it. The necklace was swept away along with his suit.
Ten minutes later, a Rolls–Royce Cullinan raced down the bustling streets.
The CEO Frederick's assistant Chuck was respectfully reporting work, but Frederick seemed a bit distracted, his thoughts started to wander.
He thought about the sweet scent he seemed to have smelled last night. He began to wonder if it was just his imagination.
After all, he lost his sense of smell in a car accident three years ago.
"Mr. Winston, there's a resident on Cedarbrook Street that refuses to move. The demolition department is at a loss," Chuck reported.
"What's the reason?" he asked, snapping back to reality.
"That family runs a casino, they are drowning in gambling debts. They think the compensation we offered for relocation is too low, so they are asking for more. If that plot of land isn't demolished, it will affect our upcoming bids," Chuck explained.
Frederick, sitting in the back seat, squinted his eyes and immediately gave an order, "To Cedarbrook Street."
Chuck was surprised but quickly understood Frederick's intention.
It appeared that Frederick was going to handle this matter personally.
Soon, the driver changed direction, and the car started heading towards Cedarbrook Street.
Just then, the suit draped over his shoulder began to vibrate.
As Frederick reached into his pocket to find his phone, a pendant suddenly dropped onto the floor..
It was a necklace with a stunning sapphire. The surface of the gem was carved with a floral pattern surrounded by a ring of tiny, dazzling
diamonds.
Frederick bent over to pick up the necklace. His deep eyes landed on the sparkling gem, his pupils quivered.
Was this necklace hers?
Was it her?
The person he had been searching for over a decade, could it be the woman he spent last night with?
Chuck looked at Frederick with a puzzled expression, "Mr. Winston, this is...?"
Frederick clutched the necklace like a treasure, a small smile playing on his lips, "Track down someone for me."
"Who is it, Mr. Winston?"
"A woman."
Chuck's eyes widened in surprise, "A woman?"
What was going on here?
Mr. Winston wanted to find a woman? This was shocking.
It wasn't surprising that Chuck was surprised, after all, Frederick was a legendary figure in Stonebridge City.
In the world of wealthy families, the family business is always inherited by the rightful heirs, no exceptions. But Frederick, being an illegitimate child, broke this tradition.
In less than three years since he took over, he turned Stonebridge City's top wealthy family, the Winston Group, into the world's top business empire.
The Winston Group was involved in many industries, not only globally renowned real estate but also a perfume company. Its unique scent drove all women crazy.
But the man in charge of the Winston Group, Frederick, has been single for 28 years.
There were even rumors that he... didn't like women.
Chuck was stunned for a moment before he found his voice again, "Mr. Winston, can you give me a search scope?"
*Regal Haven Hotel, Room 1205. Between 11 PM last night and 10 AM this morning."
Regal Haven Hotel?
Did Mr. Winston take that girl to the hotel?
Chuck forced himself to calm down, his hand trembling as he pulled out his phone to immediately contact the person in charge of the Regal
Haven Hotel
Meanwhile, Frederick lazily leaned back into the comfortable seat, the necklace clutched in his hand. The sapphire sparkled under the sunlight.
The sternness in his eyes faded away, replaced by endless tenderness.
His mind was filled with the image of a little girl from fifteen years ago, who held a loaf of bread in her hands and saved him in the snow.
He was only thirteen then, an illegitimate son of the Winston Group who was not acknowledged by the family, cruelly kicked out of the house along with his mother and dumped in the middle of nowhere.
During those desperate times, if it weren't for the generous little girl, he and his mother would have starved to death.
Now, he was the king of this city, and the only one he cared about was that little girl.
He kept replaying in his mind how the little girl had told him in her soft, childlike voice, "Will you marry me when you grow up? This is my necklace, remember what it looks like, so you can find me in the future!"
He had to find her!
He had promised to marry her since he was just a kid, and he was damn sure gonna make it happen!
Aurora Wells, a lucky star who brought prosperity to the Wells family. However, her fortunes took a drastic turn when her illegitimate sister, Ruby, was brought back into the family. Aurora's brothers, Ethan and Lucas, began to turn against her. "Aurora, is there anything you won't do to win favor?" Ethan spat, his disappointment palpable. Lucas pointed a accusatory finger at her. "You're always framing Ruby, who's kind and sensible. We don't want a sister like you in our family. Get out!" Aurora hoped to find a place in the Wells family, but even her mother, who loved her dearly, favored Ruby. Aurora was left reeling: jail, a broken engagement, and a swift eviction from the family home. Aurora had had enough. She decided to unleash her secrets. And she had the perfect ammunition - a photographic record of the family's darkest secrets. As she stood outside the Wells' estate, a sly smile spreading across her face, Aurora whispered to herself, "It's time to watch you all burn..." But little did she know, Ruby was watching her from the shadows, a sinister grin mirroring Aurora's...
Frederick Winston wakes up in a messy room with a woman after a night of heavy drinking. Realizing the events of the previous night were real, he notices red stains on the bedsheet and discovers that the woman was a virgin. Despite a brief desire to see her face, Frederick decides to leave, but a necklace falls off the woman and gets caught on his suit. While on his way to work, Frederick recalls the sweet scent from the night before, which surprises him since he lost his sense of smell three years ago. His assistant, Chuck, informs him of a resident causing issues on Cedarbrook Street, and Frederick decides to handle the matter personally. As Frederick is on his way, he finds the dropped pendant with a stunning sapphire, realizing it might belong to the woman he spent the night with. Intrigued and determined to find her, he instructs Chuck to track down someone based on the information about the Regal Haven Hotel between 11 PM and 10 AM. Frederick reminisces about a little girl who had saved him fifteen years ago and gave him a necklace, promising to marry him in the future. He is now driven to find her, despite being the successful CEO of the Winston Group. The story ends with Frederick's determination to fulfill the promise made to the little girl...
Carlos, born to be the heir to a wealthy and influential family, is very good-looking with an ideal body. He has a cold personality and is known to be aloof to women.Edith, without parents, is raised by her cousin’s parents for more than twenty years. She is a sweet, beautiful girl and intends to marry her fiancé after graduation but is betrayed by him.Edith is forced to replace her cousin to marry Carlos, who she has never met, but on their wedding day, he never shows up and leaves her alone at home. Edith mistakes her husband for someone else who leads a dissolute life and always has fun with other women throughout the night. Just as she feels that she’ll live in misery, a handsome, lofty man barges into her life and gets entangled with her…
My marriage to Mathias was supposed to make me the happiest woman in the world. Although I knew he didn't love me, I thought he would fall for me once I showered him with all the love I had to give. Five years passed and Mathias still didn't give a damn about me. Instead, he met his true love and cut all ties with me because of her. He showed her off; something he never did for me. His abandonment pushed me into depression. I was broken in every sense of the word. Even on my deathbed, my so-called husband didn't come to say goodbye to me. When I opened my eyes again, I found myself reborn. I was still Mathias's wife and it was two months before he met his true love. In this life, I refused to be hurt by him again. After talking some sense into my head, I asked him for a divorce in other to escape being heartbroken like I was previously. Mathias tore up the divorce papers time and time again while also shutting me down. "Rylie, stop all this nonsense! Playing hard to get doesn't work anymore!" To show him that I was dead serious, I went ahead to file for divorce. Only then did he panic. He abandoned the "woman of his dreams" and came to my side. "Please give me a second chance, Rylie. I promise to do right by you. You'll be the only woman in my heart from now on. Don't leave me, okay?" A war broke out in my mind after this apology. On one hand, I didn't want to be hurt again. And on the other, I didn't want to let go of the man I loved so dearly. What should I do?!
For ten years, Daniela showered her ex-husband with unwavering devotion, only to discover she was just his biggest joke. Feeling humiliated yet determined, she finally divorced him. Three months later, Daniela returned in grand style. She was now the hidden CEO of a leading brand, a sought-after designer, and a wealthy mining mogul—her success unveiled at her triumphant comeback. Her ex-husband’s entire family rushed over, desperate to beg for forgiveness and plead for another chance. Yet Daniela, now cherished by the famed Mr. Phillips, regarded them with icy disdain. "I’m out of your league."
Allison fell in love with Ethan Iversen, the soon-to-be Alpha of the Moonlight Crown pack. She always wanted him to notice her. Meanwhile, Ethan was an arrogant Alpha who thought a weak Omega could not be his companion. Ethan's cousin, Ryan Iversen, who came back from abroad and was the actual heir of the pack, never tried to get the position nor did he show any interest in it. He was a popular playboy Alpha but when he came back to the pack, one thing captured his eyes and that was Allison.
Mistaken for a runaway bride, Mildred's ordinary life is shattered when she's forced to marry the Alpha King. Trapped in a castle of secrets, she's a pawn in a deadly game she doesn't understand. When danger strikes, Mildred must face her greatest fear to save the kingdom and the heart of a king who never wanted to love her. Will their bond be their undoing, or will it be the key to their survival?
Sawyer, the world's top arms dealer, stunned everyone by falling for Maren—the worthless girl no one respected. People scoffed. Why chase a useless pretty face? But when powerful elites began gathering around her, jaws dropped. "She's not even married to him yet—already cashing in on his power?" they assumed. Curious eyes dug into Maren's past... only to find she was a scientific genius, a world-renowned medical expert, and heiress to a mafia empire. Later, Sawyer posted online. "My wife treats me like the enemy. Any advice?"
Natalie used to think she could melt Connor’s icy heart, but she was sorely mistaken. When at last she decided to leave, she discovered that she was pregnant. Even so, she chose to quietly leave his world, prompting Connor to mobilize all of his resources and expand his business to a global scale—all in a bid to find her. But there was no trace of Natalie. Connor slowly spiraled into madness, turning the city upside down and leaving chaos in his wake. Natalie finally surfaced years later, with wealth and power of her own, only to find herself entangled with Connor once again.