NewEraCulture

A high-society romance where pretense turned into reality.
 
Van, the heir to a top-tier fortune and a regular on the front page of the Wall Street Journal, had been mocked for being perpetually single, with even rumors swirling about his "dysfunction."
 
Winnie, a Hollywood superstar desperate to escape her constant barrage of scandals, encountered this billionaire worth tens of billions. To her surprise, Van presented her with an unexpected proposal:
 
"Pretend to date me for a year. You won't have to do anything else. I'll pay you $100 million after taxes."
 
She planned to laugh it off but couldn't ignore the man's chiseled features—the way his shadowed face was lit up as he casually raised an eyebrow and lit a cigarette in the glow of firelight, his voice steady and laced with danger.
 
She remembered their first meeting in a torrential downpour—the man reclining in a silver Maybach, eyes half-closed, exuding charm yet utterly unattainable. She also remembered later, when everyone had believed him to be unshakable and untouchable, he had appeared alone, worn and weary, at her remote desert film set, quietly asking:
 
"Do you really have to shoot this kiss scene?"
 
Behind this contract lay something far deeper than money—a fixation, a love that had turned real, or perhaps an irresistible force neither of them had recognized.
 
$100 million had set the stage for a high-stakes battle of love and hate that would ultimately unravel.

A Love Confession from Las Vegas

No more than a few minutes after the pocket watch was thrown out, the phone in the room rang, like the ominous chime of a cursed bell. Winnie jumped in fright, picked up the receiver without speaking, thinking it might be some creepy, obsessive fan.


Startled by the sudden ring, she heard a low, cold voice on the other end, "Actually, you could have just told me directly this way."


"And then?" Eric asked, barely holding back a laugh.


"She said okay, and next time she'll know better."


Van replied, "I asked her the same thing. It seems like Miss Loxley often does this kind of thing."


"What did she say?" Eric pressed, like he was watching a drama unfold.


What could Winnie say? She tightened her grip on the phone line and whispered, her breath tight with anxiety, "It's the first time."


Chapter 16