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

Van looked into her eyes and slowly began to realize the massive, unforgivable misunderstanding he had made with her on the plane. It turned out that the pride she gave him was different from the pride she gave to others. He had thought that the pride he tried to break through on the plane was a showy armor, a self-made trap, a stubbornness that forced itself because of distrust in him. But it wasn't that at all.


Winnie blinked, feeling that Van in front of her was becoming more and more blurry. Her mind was clouded, and with a pout, she protested in a spoiled tone, "You're not answering me."


Van reached out, gently stroking the warmth of her tears. Her long eyelashes were damp with them. Van lowered his eyes, his gaze scrutinizing, as if he found it unfamiliar. He really disliked the feeling of his fingers getting wet, but he didn't mind wiping away her tears and sweat.


Winnie sniffed, sounding truly heartbroken as she said, "If you hate me, then forget it."


Chapter 76