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

The jeep left the city, and the bustling traffic, market noise, and dust slowly disappeared, replaced by expansive grasslands.


In December, the Serengeti was filled with the moist scent of earth, signaling the lushness of the grass and the rising of the lakes, almost as if it were a prelude to the upcoming animal migration. Near the Mara River, herds of wildebeest had gathered, zebras following closely behind, hippopotamuses submerged in the water, crocodiles lying along the riverbank, and lion prides quietly circling, the scent of hunting quietly accumulating on the still land.


Animal skeletons were scattered along the dirt road, some still fresh, while others had long since weathered into dry remains. Winnie couldn't immediately identify the remains, but Van patiently explained, "These are wildebeest bones, that one is from a buffalo, and the mound of red earth next to it is actually a termite mound."


Chapter 100