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

Yulia had just made herself a sandwich and brought it to the walnut wood bar by the window. She hadn't taken more than a couple of bites when she noticed the car returning.


She glanced at her small, elegant wristwatch—it had been barely two hours, much shorter than she'd expected.


She took a bite of her sandwich, chewing slowly while looking through the window. She saw the two of them get out of the car, one on the left, the other on the right.


The goodbye was very ordinary. She saw Winnie nod slightly to Wyatt, and Wyatt simply curved his lips in a brief smile. They didn't exchange a single word, and then they went their separate ways.


A moment later, the SUV's engine started up in the driveway. The tires slid over the patterned stone road, the sound of friction fading as the car drove down the slope.


Yulia ran to meet Winnie and asked, "Did Wyatt take you out to eat? I can make you some meat sauce pasta?"


Chapter 43