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 at her shocked expression and couldn't help but laugh out loud. "I told you, it was a small thing, but it was the biggest act of rebellion I've ever done."


Winnie felt a shift in her heart. "Did you get... your ex-girlfriend's name tattooed?"


"No." Van glanced at her. "That's not rebellion, just boredom."


"I said I'll only reveal one secret," Van said, his expression calm.


Winnie's gaze was filled with suspicion. "You're lying to me. How could the tattoo only be known by me? Don't you swim?"


Van remained unfazed, answering calmly, "It's in a place where you can't see it even when I swim."


Winnie froze for a moment, suddenly realizing something. She fell silent for a moment, then sighed quietly, "Alright, alright."


She thought with a hint of mockery, "No wonder you have dysfunction, always so distant."


"Winnie," Van's tone grew serious, his eyes fixed on hers. "Not there. Stop thinking nonsense."


Chapter 82