Joanna was sabotaged by her sister and ended up in a stranger's bed. Despised by her boyfriend and pressured by her family, she was forced to marry a wealthy scoundrel, Rhys. Rhys' young adoptive father was the richest man in town, but was also said to be violent. Everyone thought Joanna was doomed, but Owen favored her and condemned her bullies. Joanna secretly loved Owen, but after a night of passion, he began to withdraw from her. Heartbroken, she entertained other men. She was on a date when Owen suddenly barged in. "You said you loved me!" Joanna smirked. "Too late. You'll have to get in line."
The room was dim, casting shadows over two figures locked in a passionate embrace.
The man gripped the girl's hands, his lips gently brushing her neck. His voice was low and rough. "I'll ask you one more time. Are you sure you won't regret this?"
The girl's gaze was distant, her mind clearly clouded.
Her body arched instinctively, a soft invitation slipping from her lips. "I want you..."
The man chuckled quietly. "You asked for it."
He then tilted her head and kissed her deeply.
Later that night, Joanna Powell was jolted awake by the shrill ringing of her phone.
Her head pounded from the hangover, and she rubbed her temples, feeling a rush of embarrassment.
In her dream, she had slept with her boyfriend, Mathew Higgins.
In the dream, Mathew had been forceful and dominant. She had only kissed him, but he had taken control, pinning her down-nothing like the polite, respectful guy she knew.
There was no denying that this side of him had a magnetic pull.
Joanna smiled sheepishly, turned on the bedside lamp, and reached for her phone to answer the call. But then she stopped dead in her tracks-she was completely naked!
Pink hickeys marked her skin, each one telling the story of the previous night.
She glanced down and noticed a man's arm wrapped tightly around her waist.
Joanna's mind went blank.
It wasn't Mathew's arm.
She turned her head slowly and then fell back onto the bed.
The man next to her wasn't Mathew.
He was a stranger, someone she had never met before.
The color drained from her face, leaving her pale and shocked.
How had this happened?
The night before, there had been a school event, and everyone had booked rooms at the hotel to rest.
But why was there a stranger in her room?
"Miss, are you still there?" The nurse's voice crackled through the phone.
Joanna, still in a daze, wasn't sure how she even managed to lift the phone to her ear. "Yes, I'm here."
The nurse went on, "You're related to Martha Russell, right? She had a sudden heart attack and was just brought to the hospital. We need you here right away."
Joanna's eyes widened in panic, her voice shaking. "A heart attack?"
"Yes, it's critical. She's waiting for surgery, and you need to sign the papers quickly!" The nurse gave her the hospital's address before hanging up.
The blows had left Joanna feeling dizzy. She pinched her thigh hard, the sharp sting proving it wasn't just a dream.
She couldn't afford to wait any longer. She quickly jumped out of bed and got dressed.
Before leaving, she cast a final look at the man still asleep on the bed, her eyes filled with bitterness.
She grabbed a pen and paper, wrote a quick note, and hurried out of the room.
Not long after she left, the man on the bed slowly woke up. He reached out, but his hand only found the warm, empty sheets.
He paused, then tossed off the covers.
The bed was vacant.
If it hadn't been for the red stain on the sheets, he might have thought the woman from last night was just a product of his imagination.
He had returned to the country the night before, drunk from a heavy night of drinking. When he collapsed onto the bed, he found a woman already lying there.
He had encountered countless women throwing themselves at him, but one bold enough to slip into his bed without being invited? That was a first.
Normally, he would've kicked her out without hesitation.
But when she clung to him, maybe it was the alcohol messing with his head, but he didn't push her away.
To his surprise, she had been a virgin.
But it didn't really matter to him.
A brief fling was never something he'd bother to remember.
He lazily swung his legs out of bed, his tall frame heading toward the bathroom. That was when he noticed a piece of paper on the floor.
He picked it up, and the moment he read it, his face darkened.
Two years ago, Ricky found himself coerced into marrying Emma to protect the woman he cherished. From Ricky's perspective, Emma was despicable, resorting to underhanded schemes to ensure their marriage. He maintained a distant and cold attitude toward her, reserving his warmth for another. Yet, Emma remained wholeheartedly dedicated to Ricky for more than ten years. As she grew weary and considered relinquishing her efforts, Ricky was seized by a sudden fear. Only when Emma's life teetered on the edge, pregnant with Ricky's child, did he recognize-the love of his life had always been Emma.
Janice, the long-forgotten legitimate heiress, made her way back to her family, pouring her heart into winning their hearts. Yet, she had to relinquish her very identity, her academic credentials, and her creative works to her foster sister. In return for her sacrifices, she found no warmth, only deeper neglect. Resolute, Janice vowed to cut off all emotional bonds. Transformed, she now stood as a master of martial arts, adept in eight languages, an esteemed medical expert, and a celebrated designer. With newfound resolve, she declared, "From this day forward, no one in this family shall cross me."
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."
My family was on the poverty line and had no way to support me in college. I had to work part-time every day just to make ends meet and afford to get into the university. That was when I met her—the pretty girl in my class that every boy dreamt of asking out. I was well aware she was out of my league. Nevertheless, I mustered all my courage and bravely told her that I had fallen for her. To my surprise, she agreed to be my girlfriend. With the sweetest smile I had ever seen, she told me that she wanted my first gift for her to be the latest and top-of-the-line iPhone. I worked like a dog and even did my classmates’ laundry to save up. My hard work eventually paid off after a month. I finally got to buy what she wanted. But as I was wrapping my gift, I saw her in the dressing room, making out with the captain of the basketball team. She then heartlessly made fun of my inadequacy and made a fool out of me. To make things worse, the guy whom she cheated on me with even punched me in the face. Desperation washed over me, but there was nothing I could do but lie on the floor as they trampled on my feelings. But then, my father called me out of the blue, and my life turned upside down. It turned out that I was a billionaire's son.
Rosalynn's marriage to Brian wasn't what she envisioned it to be. Her husband, Brian, barely came home. He avoided her like a plague. Worse still, he was always in the news for dating numerous celebrities. Rosalynn persevered until she couldn't take it anymore. She upped and left after filing for a divorce. Everything changed days later. Brian took interest in a designer that worked for his company anonymously. From her profile, he could tell that she was brilliant and dazzling. He pulled the stops to find out her true identity. Little did he know that he was going to receive the greatest shocker of his life. Brian bit his finger with regret when he recalled his past actions and the woman he foolishly let go.
After hiding her true identity throughout her three-year marriage to Colton, Allison had committed wholeheartedly, only to find herself neglected and pushed toward divorce. Disheartened, she set out to rediscover her true self-a talented perfumer, the mastermind of a famous intelligence agency, and the heir to a secret hacker network. Realizing his mistakes, Colton expressed his regret. "I know I messed up. Please, give me another chance." Yet, Kellan, a once-disabled tycoon, stood up from his wheelchair, took Allison's hand, and scoffed dismissively, "You think she'll take you back? Dream on."