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

Ruby didn't want her to learn how to preserve her pride, but she learned it well—better than Ruby.


If Van didn't like her pride, then he would never like her, not ever.


"What you give to Wyatt and other men, how could I like it?" Van curled his lips, indifferent. "Stop crying."


"I... in front of them..." Winnie couldn't control herself, sobbing with a little sneeze from her nose. A sniffle and a small shiver of her body, like a little dog shaking its head.


"I... in front of them," she finished, choking on her words, "I'm not proud at all."


Van's sleeve was soaked with her tears, but he didn't blame her. He listened to her unconvincing defense, casually asking, "Is that so?"


"I've taken Wyatt's offers, thrown away his rings, worn his haute couture, and even seduced Edison..." Winnie searched her mind.


"I left lipstick marks on his shirt and told him to call me."


Chapter 75