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

As the autumn wind blew, Winnie's next-door neighbors, a couple from China, would always make their own cured meats every autumn and share them with the neighbors. Winnie, being fortunate, would always receive some. So, tonight, Yulia specifically went to the Chinese supermarket, bought seafood soy sauce to go with the roast meats, and made a claypot rice with a double portion of cured meats. She also cooked Alaska deep-sea cod and Boston lobster, paired with clam chowder, and bought an entire Belgian chocolate cake for dessert. The table was filled to the brim, and beside it, a ceramic fruit bowl held bright orange fire crystal persimmons.


When Van arrived, he saw Winnie sitting at the round table, facing Wendy. She was nibbling on a piece of bread before the meal, turning slightly towards him.


She was wearing a dress, with a wool cardigan draped over her shoulders. Both elbows rested on the table, chewing slowly as she asked, "Who's coming over while we're eating?"


Chapter 48