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A tiny, innocent baby girl was found curled up near a dumpster behind the city hospital. Her cries pierced the night, but no one cared. Wrapped in a threadbare blanket-her only witness to a betrayal no one saw. Elsewhere in the city, another baby girl slept peacefully in the arms of an elegant woman, in a bed adorned with gold. Her name was Celestine Avarelle, daughter of the wealthiest and most powerful family in the country. She grew up with love, the best education, and all the luxuries money could buy. They were twins. But only one was acknowledged by the world. While Celestine learned to play piano and dance ballet, her twin-Seraphina Vale-clung to life with bloodied hands. She was raised in the dark alleys of orphanages and the streets of the city. Poverty was her mother. Humiliation and loneliness were her family. But Seraphina never gave up. Behind her cold gaze burned a fire that never faded-a fire that demanded answers. Who was she? Why was she discarded? And most of all... who was to blame? As fragments of the past began to surface, Seraphina's world changed forever. A misplaced medical record, an old letter, and a reopened scar-all led to one truth: she was the daughter who was switched, discarded on purpose to protect the Avarelle family's name. Now, Seraphina stands between two choices: take back the life that should have been hers... or exact revenge in a way that will change their world forever. Because not everything that is thrown away stays lost. Some return to burn everything down.
The rain was merciless that night.
It pelted the rusted rooftops and turned the narrow alleyways of East Durnham into rivers of mud. Thunder cracked like bones breaking in the sky, but it was the scream of a baby-thin, hoarse, and desperate-that truly split the darkness.
She lay in a tattered blanket, barely bigger than a loaf of bread, her skin pale with cold and her fists curled tight as if clinging to life itself. No name. No note. Only a burn mark on her ankle-an accidental branding from the metal bin she was left beside.
The nurse who found her at dawn almost stepped over her.
Almost.
Had it not been for that single, shuddering cry-the one she would later swear "sounded too human to ignore"-Seraphina Vale might have died before the sun rose.
She didn't.
Instead, she lived.
And every second since that moment had been a fight.
Seventeen years later, the same rain returned. But now, Seraphina didn't cry. She stared out the cracked window of her shared room in the orphanage, watching the storm lash against the glass like it was trying to get in and drag her back to the place she came from.
If only it knew-there was nothing left to take.
"You're spacing out again," muttered Lira, her bunkmate, without looking up from her tattered book.
Seraphina didn't answer. Her reflection flickered against the glass-long black hair, sharp cheekbones, tired eyes that looked too old for her age. Eyes that had seen too much. She touched the burn scar on her ankle unconsciously, the reminder of her beginning. The branding of rejection.
"I heard Sister Magda talking about you," Lira continued, voice low. "She said someone's asking questions. About a girl who was found seventeen years ago."
That made Seraphina turn.
"What kind of questions?"
Lira shrugged, clearly enjoying the shift in Seraphina's tone. "The kind that make the staff nervous."
Seraphina's heartbeat quickened. She was used to whispers, but never like this. Her past was a closed door. No one ever came knocking.
Until now.
In the heart of Avarelle Estate, miles away and worlds apart, Celestine Avarelle was dressing for another charity gala. Her golden curls were being pinned into place by the household's finest stylist, while her mother fussed over her jewelry choices. The diamond necklace or the sapphire choker?
"Smile, Celestine," her mother murmured, adjusting the angle of her chin. "Remember, you're the face of the family. The legacy."
Celestine nodded obediently. She always did. Her life was mapped out in detail-schools, parties, friendships, even her future marriage. The Avarelles didn't raise daughters. They bred legacies.
She had never once questioned her place in the world.
Why would she?
She was born into silk and sunlight.
But that night, as she stepped into the waiting car, a flicker of something strange brushed past her thoughts. A face-faint, unfamiliar-hauntingly similar to her own. Eyes that mirrored hers. Lips curved the same way when angry.
A dream?
She blinked it away.
Back in the orphanage, Seraphina snuck into the records room.
Her fingers shook as she opened the rusted cabinet marked "1990s-Foundlings."
She'd searched before. Dozens of times. And yet, something drove her back now.
She found the file. Thin. Too thin.
Name: Unknown.
Date of discovery: November 6.
Condition: Malnourished. Estimated age: 3 days.
Unique identifier: Burn scar on left ankle.
She knew all this.
But this time, there was something new tucked inside-a page she'd never seen before. Folded. Yellowed with age.
A hospital wristband.
And written on it, in faded ink:
"C. A. V."
Her breath caught. Her heart thundered in her ears.
C. A. V.?
She grabbed the page and backed out of the room like a thief. Something heavy and invisible pressed against her chest.
Back in her room, she Googled the initials.
They hit instantly.
Celestine Avarelle.
The face that stared back at her from the search results made her knees weaken.
It was her face.
No-Celestine's.
But it could have been her.
Could have been her.
She stared at the image-flawless skin, a life of wealth wrapped around that smile-and felt something primal rise in her chest. Not envy. Not jealousy.
Rage.
How long had she been walking with someone else's shadow draped across her shoulders?
Who decided she was the one to be thrown away?
And why?
The next morning, she stood at the bus stop, rain still drizzling, her fingers wrapped tight around the hospital band in her coat pocket.
She had nothing-no money, no power, no name anyone cared about.
But she had questions.
And if no one wanted to give her answers... she'd tear them out one by one.
Even if it meant walking into the lion's den.
Even if it meant facing the girl who lived the life meant for her.
Aria, a simple and caring young woman, suddenly finds herself caught in a secret marriage with Dorian Calderon, a widower known for his cold and possessive nature. It all started with an accident involving her younger sister, Mira, who ran over Dorian's twin sister, Lina, who was pregnant at the time. As a result of the accident, Lina lost the child she was carrying and also her ability to have children. In an attempt to protect his sister's reputation, Dorian mistakenly believes Aria was the one responsible for the accident, even though she wasn't the one at fault. In the confusion, Dorian feels the need to "fix" things by forcing Aria to bear him a child, believing it will make up for Lina's loss. However, the truth is that this decision was orchestrated by Dorian's parents, who intentionally sacrificed Aria to protect Mira's career, which was at risk. Now, Aria is forced to live a life in a marriage built on lies and manipulation, with a man who is not only arrogant but also full of secrets and oppressive power. In this forced union, Aria struggles to find her own path while being trapped in a relationship full of tension, deceit, and unspoken feelings.
"Never let anyone treat you like shit!" I learned that the hard way. For three years, I lived with my in-laws. They didn't treat me as their son-in-law but as a slave. I put up with everything because of my wife, Yolanda Lambert. She was the light of my life. Unfortunately, my whole world came crashing down the day I caught my wife cheating on me. I have never been so heartbroken. To have my revenge, I revealed my true identity. I was none other than Liam Hoffman—the heir of a family with trillions of dollars in assets! The Lamberts were utterly shocked after the big reveal. They realized what fools they had been for treating me like trash. My wife even knelt down and begged for my forgiveness. What do you think I did? Did I take her back or made her suffer? Find out!
After two years of marriage, Kristian dropped a bombshell. "She's back. Let's get divorced. Name your price." Freya didn't argue. She just smiled and made her demands. "I want your most expensive supercar." "Okay." "The villa on the outskirts." "Sure." "And half of the billions we made together." Kristian froze. "Come again?" He thought she was ordinary—but Freya was the genius behind their fortune. And now that she'd gone, he'd do anything to win her back.
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.
They don't know I'm a girl. They all look at me and see a boy. A prince. Their kind purchase humans like me for their lustful desires. And, when they stormed into our kingdom to buy my sister, I intervened to protect her. I made them take me too. The plan was to escape with my sister whenever we found a chance. How was I to know our prison would be the most fortified place in their kingdom? I was supposed to be on the sidelines. The one they had no real use for. The one they never meant to buy. But then, the most important person in their savage land-their ruthless beast king-took an interest in the "pretty little prince." How do we survive in this brutal kingdom, where everyone hates our kind and shows us no mercy? And how does someone, with a secret like mine, become a lust slave? . AUTHOR'S NOTE. This is a dark romance-dark, mature content. Highly rated 18+ Expect triggers, expect hardcore. If you're a seasoned reader of this genre, looking for something different, prepared to go in blindly not knowing what to expect at every turn, but eager to know more anyway, then dive in! . From the author of the international bestselling book: "The Alpha King's Hated Slave."
Chandler Su who had cheated by her boyfriend then got drunk at a bar. To take revenge, she grabbed a man randomly and took him to the room. After a crazy night, Chandler found the strange man was a super handsome guy the next morning. Shy and shocked Chandler run away after leaving 150 RMB and scorning the man of his poor bed skills. However, she never thought the story would become so dramatic as the next day, she found out that the new coming president of her company was exactly the man she slept the last night! Worse than that, this new boss seemed very narrow-minded as he asked Chandler to come to his office on the first day.
There was only one man in Raegan's heart, and it was Mitchel. In the second year of her marriage to him, she got pregnant. Raegan's joy knew no bounds. But before she could break the news to her husband, he served her divorce papers because he wanted to marry his first love. After an accident, Raegan lay in the pool of her own blood and called out to Mitchel for help. Unfortunately, he left with his first love in his arms. Raegan escaped death by the whiskers. Afterward, she decided to get her life back on track. Her name was everywhere years later. Mitchel became very uncomfortable. For some reason, he began to miss her. His heart ached when he saw her all smiles with another man. He crashed her wedding and fell to his knees while she was at the altar. With bloodshot eyes, he queried, "I thought you said your love for me is unbreakable? How come you are getting married to someone else? Come back to me!"