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

The scene in front of him wasn't his own, but the image of Wyatt leading her to toast at the banquet. The crystal chandelier gleamed magnificently, casting a bright light that made her golden dress sparkle. Wyatt's hand was placed against her waist, tracing the curve from her waist to her hip, a gentle rise and fall like the dunes of a desert.


Van's breath caught, and instinctively, he felt the constriction of the tie. It wasn't until he raised his hand that he remembered the tie was still over her eyes.


He reached for the Perrier water on the center console, twisting open the bottle. The fizzing sound of the bubbles escaping was followed by a subtle feeling of irritation that was hard to describe.


"You seduced me," he said, taking a sip of the cold, crisp water, his tone returning to indifference.


"Did you push me away because you thought I belonged to Wyatt, or because you just wanted to push me away?" Winnie asked.


Van's tone was colder than before. "What do you think?"


Chapter 34