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

When she finally landed, she was surrounded by unfamiliar faces. The towering figures of the Black people made her feel lost, and the dizzying scent of perfume mixed with confused accents made her feel flustered. She was just a simple girl, never having traveled abroad alone. She was always surrounded by flashes of light and adoring attention. She didn't understand why her luggage was delayed, how to exchange foreign currency, how to buy a SIM card, or why, even with international roaming activated, she still had no signal. As soon as she got off the car, a monkey or a baboon snatched the banana from her hand.


"You don't understand anything. How dare you come here?" Van's lips were so close, almost brushing her ear, as he whispered the question.


"Find the embassy..." Winnie's voice was faint, almost powerless, and when he kissed her again, all she could manage was a soft moan.


Chapter 98