They Keep It Cool in Public, But in Private... Chloe always knew how to keep things professional. In public, she and her boss, Fred, maintained a safe distance-no flirting, no kissing, no asking personal questions. Just a purely physical arrangement behind closed doors. But then, an intern showed up at the company, and suddenly, things started to feel... off.
Mid-December, the temperature hit its lowest of the year. Snowflakes drifted down onto the streets, coating the bare branches in a layer of pure white.
At Race Corporation's annual party, the place was packed. Employees from every department were dressed to the nines, their faces lit up with relaxed, joyful smiles. After a year of hard work, this was the one night they could finally let loose and unwind.
Chloe, like everyone else, was relieved to catch a breather from the heavy workload in the marketing department.
Too bad she couldn't drink tonight.
"Chloe, not getting anything to drink?" Anna asked as she passed by.
Anna was one of Chloe's teammates.
Chloe leaned against the wall and shook her head. "Nah, just took some meds."
"You okay? Want me to help you sit down or something?" Anna asked, concerned.
"I'm fine, just an old issue. Don't worry about me-go have fun." Chloe smiled. "I'll just hang out here."
Anna hesitated but, hearing the certainty in Chloe's voice, didn't push further. "Alright, take care."
Watching everyone enjoy themselves, Chloe couldn't help but feel a little bummed. She'd had a sudden stomach ache around noon, and while the meds helped, the lingering dull pain was still there.
She had considered skipping the party, but since her whole team was attending-and as the marketing manager, she didn't want to kill the mood-she figured she'd show up, make an appearance, and leave early.
The party had only just started. Everyone was holding champagne glasses, chatting away, when the room suddenly quieted down.
Chloe looked up.
A tall figure was making his way to the stage.
Gasps spread through the crowd, followed by excited squeals laced with admiration and giddy excitement.
"HOLY SHIT, our boss is fine as hell!"
"NO KIDDING! I literally came to this party just to see him up close."
"That face is UNREAL-right up my alley."
"Forget the face, I wanna know what that BODY feels like."
"GOD, just thinking about it is sending me."
Chloe overheard the hushed, breathless exchanges between a few colleagues nearby. A couple of drinks in, they clearly didn't feel the need to hold back, openly discussing their thoughts on the man on stage-complete with starry-eyed stares.
The tall man stopped at the center of the stage, cleared his throat lightly, and began his speech.
"Thank you all for your contributions this past year. Our performance has improved compared to last year..."
His voice was deep, steady, magnetic.
Not only was he good-looking, but he also had the kind of voice that drew people in. No wonder the younger employees were completely smitten.
From where she stood, Chloe watched as the lights illuminated his towering figure. Even in a crowd, his presence was striking.
She didn't bother hiding the way she was looking at him.
This was one of the rare moments she could openly stare at Fred in public.
Only when lost in a sea of people could she gaze up at the brightest light on stage without drawing any suspicion.
To everyone else, Fred was just the company's CEO, and she was just the marketing manager. A typical boss-subordinate relationship. In the office, they barely interacted.
The speech lasted a few minutes before Fred stepped down, and the night's entertainment officially kicked off with performances and party games.
Chloe glanced at her watch.
With everyone's attention on the dancers on stage and the energy in the room heating up, she slipped away unnoticed. She made her way to the coat check, retrieved her coat, and pulled out her phone to call a cab.
It was a Friday night, and traffic was crazy. Still, she got lucky-only had to wait ten minutes before a ride showed up.
Stepping outside, her heels crunched against the freshly fallen snow. She walked carefully, not wanting to take an embarrassing tumble.
Her nose was already red from the cold by the time she reached the car.
She climbed in quickly, sighing in relief as the heater began to thaw her frozen fingers. Snowflakes tapped gently against the window, twirling for a fleeting moment before melting away.
Once she could feel her hands again, she pulled out her phone to check the notifications she'd been ignoring.
She dialed back, and as soon as the call connected, Teresa's excited voice burst through.
"So? Have you thought about it? My friend's little brother is seriously good-looking!"
Ah.
Right. The matchmaking thing.
Teresa had been trying to set her up for a while now. Chloe had already brushed it off once, but Teresa was persistent-especially since she was personally close to the guy.
"What do you think? I sent you his picture just now," Teresa pressed.
Chloe hadn't even had the chance to look at it yet. She hummed vaguely. "Seems alright."
"KNEW IT! Totally your type, isn't he?" Teresa's voice shot up with excitement. "When do you wanna meet him?"
"Uh... maybe sometime later."
"Oh, don't give me that 'I'm too busy' excuse! It's the end of the year-your company doesn't have any major projects left!" Teresa was practically jumping through the phone.
"He saw your photo and got totally hooked-he really wants to meet you."
"...Ugh." Chloe pinched the bridge of her nose, already regretting answering the call.
"COME ON, you're single! What's the harm in giving it a shot?" Teresa encouraged, then added with a suggestive tone, "He's an athlete, by the way. Stamina's top-notch... you know what I mean."
Chloe definitely knew.
Teresa had a habit of preaching about the importance of a fulfilling "personal life."
If that was the reason she should agree to this... well, Chloe wasn't sure how to respond.
Yeah, she was single, but it wasn't like she was that deprived.
Not nearly as much as Teresa seemed to think.
Still, with Teresa nagging her ear off, Chloe finally caved. It was just a meetup, after all. No big deal.
"Fine. I'm free next week."
"YES! It's a done deal!" Teresa practically squealed. "I'll tell him right now!"
After hanging up, Chloe noticed an unread message on her screen, received ten minutes ago.
"Where are you? Don't see you."
Her stomach flipped.
No name. Just a string of numbers.
But she knew it by heart.
She quickly typed back. "On my way home."
The reply came almost instantly.
"I'll be there in twenty minutes."
Just two weeks after their wedding, Raphael left for the other side of the world on business. Two years later, when he returned, Grace barely recognized her own husband. Everyone knew their marriage was nothing more than a business deal between two powerful families. To Grace, it was simply the last hurdle on her way to freedom. She barely knew her husband. All she really knew was that he was rigid, dull, and emotionally detached-like a financial machine. She figured he must find her just as insufferable-dramatic, and high-maintenance. When Grace placed the divorce papers in front of Raphael, stating that she wanted to end this loveless marriage, he merely looked at her, his gaze warm yet unreadable. He gently took her hand and murmured in a husky voice, half-smiling, 「Hmm? Did I not please you enough last night?」
Lena Carrington and Alaric Winfield have been rivals since childhood, always competing with each other-from school to adulthood. When Lena's family faces a financial crisis and her fiancé of three years heartlessly dumps her, all her old friends turn a blind eye, leaving her to fend for herself. One day, she runs into her ex-boyfriend, who's with his new girlfriend, eager to watch her hit rock bottom. Frustrated and unwilling to give in, she then bumps into Alaric, her lifelong adversary. "Beg me, and maybe I'll help you," he says, arms crossed, watching her with amusement. "I'd rather die than beg you. Keep dreaming." But later, she turns back. "Fine, help me! Name your terms." He gives a slight smile, "Deal." One night, she accidentally kisses him, and soon, she starts to notice that something about Alaric is changing...
Sofia Levine married a man she had known for less than 24 hours. The marriage was the result of an agreement between their grandfathers. At first, her half-sister even tried to take her place in the marriage, after all, Rome Beckett was the sole heir of a wealthy family. With his good looks, he was the object of many women's affections in the city. Rumor had it that Rome Beckett was cold and aloof, and many were waiting to see Sofia become the laughingstock of the high society as a discarded wife. After the wedding, they treated each other with respect, and Sofia believed that, in time, there might be a little love between them. That is, until one day, she overheard him casually talking to a friend, saying, "It's nothing more than fulfilling the familys' wishes." It was a business marriage from the start, and she had developed feelings she shouldn't have. She quickly moved out of that home. In the pouring rain, the once-proud man, humbled by love, held her hand with trembling fingers. "Let's go home, please?" The male lead, from indifference to deep devotion.
She thought she was the love of his life, and he became the love of her life that fateful day she had seen him at the pack's party. Selene Grace was only a replica of Alpha Leo's real mate, and when he spotted her, Leo immediately claimed her as his Luna in order to suppress the rumors of him being mateless. Being unable to conceive turns Selene's marriage into a nightmare, and as if that wasn't enough, Alpha Leo finally reunites with his long time lover and mate, rejecting a pregnant Selene as a result. 5 years later, Selene, a now successful doctor, receives an invitation to the moon shadow pack in order to rid the pack of a deadly disease which has struck it. Will Selene return back to the pack which had caused her so much pain, and what would she do when she realizes that she is mated to the Alpha who had betrayed her in the past?
On the day of their wedding anniversary, Joshua's mistress drugged Alicia, and she ended up in a stranger's bed. In one night, Alicia lost her innocence, while Joshua's mistress carried his child in her womb. Heartbroken and humiliated, Alicia demanded a divorce, but Joshua saw it as yet another tantrum. When they finally parted ways, she went on to become a renowned artist, sought out and admired by everyone. Consumed by regret, Joshua darkened her doorstep in hopes of reconciliation, only to find her in the arms of a powerful tycoon. "Say hello to your sister-in-law."
On her wedding day, Khloe’s sister connived with her groom, framing her for a crime she didn’t commit. She was sentenced to three years in prison, where she endured much suffering. When Khloe was finally released, her evil sister used their mother to coerce Khloe into an indecent liaison with an elderly man. As fate would have it, Khloe crossed paths with Henrik, the dashing yet ruthless mobster who sought to alter the course of her life. Despite Henrik’s cold exterior, he cherished Khloe like no other. He helped her take retribution from her tormentors and kept her from being bullied again.
"There will be no falling in love, we will only act as a loving couple when we are in public, we will share a room to make it believable, but no intimacy, touching is off-limits. We'll only have sex once a month, and that's solely to produce an heir. You won't interfere in my business, and I won't interfere in yours. You will be my wife in every sense and you will not be involved with any other man," he said, arrogance seeping from every word. I watch his mouth move, I'm not ready to fall in love with any man, especially not one as arrogant and egoistic as him. I can handle acting as a loving couple, and as for intimacy once a month. I can agree to that just to satisfy my sexual cravings with no strings attached. "Where can I sign?" I asked since I had nothing to lose. *** Nadine's wedding dreams turned to nightmares when she caught her sister and fiancé cheating! With a secret recording, she's ready for revenge. But then mysterious billionaire Logan West offers a deal: A Contract Marriage to take down her ex's empire. But what Nadine doesn't know is her life is getting complicated as she takes her chance to get revenge or risks everything for a chance at love?"
“You need a bride, I need a groom. Why don’t we get married?” Both abandoned at the altar, Elyse decided to tie the knot with the disabled stranger from the venue next door. Pitying his state, she vowed to spoil him once they were married. Little did she know that he was actually a powerful tycoon. Jayden thought Elyse only married him for his money, and planned to divorce her when she was no longer of use to him. But after becoming her husband, he was faced with a new dilemma. “She keeps asking for a divorce, but I don’t want that! What should I do?”
“Drive this woman out!” "Throw this woman into the sea!” When he doesn’t know Debbie Nelson’s true identity, Carlos Hilton cold-shoulders her. “Mr. Hilton, she is your wife,” Carlos’ secretary reminded him. Hearing that, Carlos gives him a cold stare and complained, “why didn’t you tell me earlier?” From then on, Carlos spoils her rotten. Little did everyone expect that they would get a divorce.