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

"If you don't want that, then forget it." Winnie followed the flight attendant off the plane, the heavy snow falling on her long hair.


The flight attendant was about to warn her about the slippery ground but then noticed Winnie wasn't even wearing shoes. The next second, the flight attendant's down jacket was suddenly yanked from her hands. Van shook out the coat and wrapped it around Winnie, then effortlessly swept her up in his arms. The black jacket covered her pretty, defiant face.


Winnie kept her lips tightly shut, her eyes red as she stared at him.


Van held her tightly, walking into the snow against the wind. "I want."


He helped her into the backseat of the car, where the heating was strong, but Van still pulled Winnie onto his lap. Through the down jacket, his arms wrapped tightly around her.


Winnie trembled intermittently, her face pale except for her brows and eyes.


Van brushed aside her messy hair and asked, "Cold?"


Chapter 73