Cinderella's Sister

I spent our third anniversary alone in our penthouse, adjusting a white rose and waiting for a man who didn't want to come home. When my fiancé, Chris Osborne, finally arrived, he didn't notice the 1982 Lafite or the dinner I’d prepared. He looked at me with disgust, calling my desire for a wedding date "pressure" before storming out to a private club. I followed him, hiding behind a marble pillar at The Vault as I recorded his voice on my phone. He was laughing with his friends about a $20 million bet. He called me a "boring ice queen" and a "marble statue," explaining that he only needed to keep me around until the merger closed so he could steal my shares and "cut me loose." To make it worse, my own father was in on it, prioritizing his stock price over his daughter's life. Broken and barefoot in a torrential Manhattan downpour, I sought refuge at the Four Seasons. I collapsed into the arms of a tall, dangerous-looking stranger and begged him to take me upstairs. I wanted to be erased, to forget the transaction my life had become. After a night of salt and desperation, I left my engagement ring on his nightstand as payment for services rendered and fled. The next morning, I realized I had jumped from the frying pan into the furnace. My "stranger" wasn't a nobody. He was Gallagher Osborne—the ruthless patriarch of the family and my fiancé’s uncle. He tracked me to a private clinic, trapping me in a room while holding my medical file and the ring I’d discarded. He told me I was his now, and that he’d dismantle Chris piece by piece if I didn't comply. I was a piece of currency to my father, a bet to my fiancé, and a prize to his uncle. I had no allies, no escape, and no mercy left. I realized that being the "perfect daughter" had only made me a target. If they wanted to play games with the "Ice Queen," I decided to give them a frostbite they would never forget. I trashed my art gallery, backdated a diagnosis for a psychotic break, and sent a cryptic suicide note to Chris. As Gallagher watched from the shadows and Chris panicked over his investment, I began the process of scorching the earth. The merger was still happening, but I wasn't the bride anymore—I was the wrecking ball.

I went to the family lawyer for a routine travel clearance. Instead, I was handed a divorce decree. The ink was three years old. While I had been playing the role of the dutiful Capo's wife, Dante had secretly divorced me the day after our fifth anniversary. Twenty-four hours later, he legally married the nanny, Gia, and named her cruel-eyed son as his heir. I returned home to confront him, only for the boy to throw boiling tomato soup on me. Dante didn't check my burns. He cradled the boy and looked at me with pure, drug-fueled hatred, calling me a monster for upsetting his "son." The final blow came in a parking garage. A car sped toward us. Dante didn't pull me to safety. He shoved me into the vehicle's path, using my body as a human shield to protect his mistress. Lying broken on the asphalt, I realized Aria Vitiello was already dead to him. So, I decided to make it official. I arranged a private flight over the Atlantic and ensured there were no survivors. By the time Dante was weeping over the wreckage, realizing too late that he had been poisoned against me, I was already in France. The Canary was dead. The Reaper had risen.

I thought my pregnancy was the culmination of our love. But it was just a calculated move in my husband's political game. A surrogacy agreement on his laptop revealed the horrifying truth. The contract stated that after his election, custody of my baby would be transferred to my unstable sister, Britni. I overheard them all-my husband, my sister, and even my own parents-discussing the plan. They called me a "walking incubator," a strategic asset with "perfect genetics" for their campaign narrative. My life wasn't a love story; it was a transaction. They had turned my body into a political tool and planned to steal my child. The trusting woman I was died that night, replaced by a cold, calculated strategist ready for war. They thought they had me trapped, a perfect prop for their perfect family. But they made a fatal mistake. I walked into a clinic and made a choice that was mine alone, severing the last tie that bound me to their monstrous ambition. Then, I picked up the phone and called the one journalist who could burn their entire world to the ground.

My throat was closing up, anaphylactic shock setting in from the peanuts my half-sister, Kecia, had hidden in the macaron. But Jonathan didn't call 911. He rolled his eyes, called me "dramatic," and handed Kecia my late mother's vintage Cartier bracelet-the one heirloom I had left-just to comfort her. I woke up in the ER alone, only to find my father had sold me off to save his company. I was forced to marry Gage Sawyer, the "Sleeping Prince," a man rumored to be in a permanent vegetative state. Jonathan stayed with Kecia, believing her lie that she was his childhood savior. He didn't know I was the one who saved him years ago. He didn't care that she tried to kill me. But on my wedding day, as I stood by the altar ready to sign my life away, my comatose groom suddenly squeezed my hand. Gage Sawyer was wide awake, and he wanted revenge just as much as I did. When Jonathan finally learned the truth and crashed the wedding begging for forgiveness, I looked him dead in the eye. "You're trespassing, Mr. Chavez." "I'm Mrs. Sawyer now."

Five years ago, I poured my rare Silver Essence into Alpha Damien’s dying body, nearly sacrificing my own life to stitch his fatal wounds. But when he woke up, Seraphina was the one sitting by his bedside with a wet cloth. He assumed she was his savior, and she never corrected him. Now, three weeks before our Mating Ceremony, Damien brought her into our home. She was pregnant, and she was wearing his bite mark. "It is a Life Debt, Isla," Damien told me, his voice devoid of warmth. "She saved me. The Elders invoked the statute. You will accept this." He moved her into the penthouse meant for us. He demanded I use my healing gifts to tend to his mistress and their "miracle" heir. I became a ghost in my own pack, forced to watch my Fated Mate shower her with the love that belonged to me. He even ordered me to publicly apologize to her for my "jealousy." But as I reviewed her medical file, I found the truth he was too blind to see. The fetus was six weeks old. He had only marked her three weeks ago. And her energy levels? Non-existent. She didn't have a drop of healing magic in her blood. Damien thought I was preparing for our wedding. Instead, I picked up a red marker and crossed out the date on the calendar. On the morning of the ceremony, while he waited at the altar, I answered his frantic call. "I, Isla, reject you, Damien." It was time he learned exactly what he had thrown away.

My husband, a Mafia Underboss, built me a perfect life. I was the Chief Resident at a top hospital, the accomplished Dr. Falcone. But my world shattered when a woman brought her four-year-old son to my clinic. The boy had a rare genetic allergy—one that runs only in my family. On his intake form, his father’s name was listed as "Emilio Thomas," my husband's secret middle name. Then, my husband’s voice came through the woman’s phone, and I saw him pick them up from my office window, a perfect, secret family. That night, at our family's most important gala, the boy ran up to me, screaming, "You're the bad lady trying to take my daddy away!" The crowd turned on me, whispering that I was the other woman. On the boy's wrist was the custom bracelet I gave my husband on our first anniversary. When I reached for it, Emilio shoved me. I hit my head on a table, and a sharp pain ripped through my abdomen as blood soaked my dress. I lost the baby I didn't even know I was carrying—the legitimate Moretti heir. My husband turned his back on me, leaving with his other family as I bled on the ballroom floor. He never visited me in the hospital. His mistress, Hayden, did. She gloated that she’d planned it all, and that Emilio swore he'd never have another child after their son was born. I was just a barren, placeholder wife. But this was more than a betrayal; it was a declaration of war. That night, I stared at two pink lines on a pregnancy test I’d taken before the gala. I was six weeks pregnant with the true Moretti heir, and now, I had a weapon.

For fifteen years, I was the destined mate of the formidable Alpha, Dustin Powell. He called me his Anchor, the only one who could soothe the beast within him. But our perfect world shattered when I felt his betrayal through our psychic bond: the scent of another woman, a flash of her red nails on his thigh. My inner wolf howled in agony. He lied about urgent pack business on my birthday, but I found a single bleached-blonde hair in his car. At the restaurant where we first met, I discovered his secret phone and saw the explicit texts from his assistant, Jami. *“Are you with her now? Is it as boring as you say?”* she taunted. Then came the picture message: Jami holding a Tiffany's box he’d bought for her. *“Can’t wait for you to put this on me tonight, Alpha.”* The poison of his betrayal made me physically sick. My pack's Healer confirmed my illness wasn't food poisoning but a "Soul-Rejection"—our bond was so contaminated by his affair that my very soul was rejecting him. That night, Jami sent me a final, vicious psychic attack: a picture of her positive pregnancy test. *“His bloodline belongs to me now. You lose, old woman.”* I had been his anchor, but an anchor can also choose to let go. I called my lawyer. "I want nothing from him," I said. "Not a cent. I want to be free." This wasn't an escape; it was a carefully planned retreat. His world was about to collapse, and I was going to be the one to light the match.

I was a good architect, overseeing my dream project, until a fire on the 45th floor burned my life to the ground. I saved a man, but in return, the flames took my face and my future, leaving me a disfigured monster. Then he appeared like a savior—Carter Long, the brilliant plastic surgeon I’d secretly loved for years. He promised to restore me. He promised to protect me. He even married me. After two years of painful surgeries, the day the final bandages came off, he handed me a mirror. The face staring back was a beautiful stranger's. He showed me a photo of an influencer, a woman named Gia. "My one true love," he said, a wistful look in his eyes. I had been sculpted into her perfect replica. His plan was monstrous. I was to be her body double, a living shield to protect her from scandals. "You are my masterpiece," he said coldly. "You owe me." I stared at the man I had married, the man who promised to save me. He threatened to release photos of my burned face if I disobeyed. He wasn't my savior; he was my creator and my jailer. My reflection mocked me. I wasn't Alysha Jones anymore. I was a copy, a counterfeit trapped in a gilded cage built on his obsession. And I had no way out.

I stared at my phone, Liam's name glowing on the screen. For five years, I was his secret, his on-again, off-again lover, hidden from everyone, especially his sister, my best friend. Then, two weeks ago at a tech gala, he introduced another woman as his girlfriend, dismissing me with a cold, small nod, as if I were a distant acquaintance. My heart shattered as he laughed away my five years of devotion as just "fun." I finally typed a reply to his persistent messages: "I'm getting married, Liam." His immediate, angry calls followed, demanding to know who. I'd accepted David Chen's quiet, respectful proposal, a life where I wouldn't have to hide. When Liam discovered it was David, he accused me of marrying for money, blaming me for his mistakes. It was infuriating. How could he possibly misunderstand so profoundly, believing my escape was still about him, still a game to manipulate his attention? But I was finally free. I blocked his number, ready to paint my own picture on a blank canvas.

Tonight was supposed to be perfect, our fifth wedding anniversary, and I, Ava Monroe, was glowing, a secret smile playing on my lips for the news I planned to share with my loving husband, Liam. But then, a strange, unlocked phone in his study revealed a picture: Liam with another woman, Sophia Chen, whose hand clung to his with an intimacy that made my blood run cold. Hidden, I heard his voice, tender and intimate, confirming my worst fears about Sophia and a chilling dismissiveness towards me: "Ava doesn\'t suspect a thing. She\'s probably in the kitchen, playing the perfect wife, just like always." He then spoke of a "real, legally binding" marriage that wasn\'t ours, calling our five years "a beautiful placeholder," a "five-year arrangement that\'s about to end." My perfect life shattered, exposing his carefully constructed deceit. My heart hammered with a terrifying realization: I was pregnant with his child, a child conceived in a lie, while he was secretly married to another woman. Then, at a charity gala, with my arm still bruised from Sophia\'s staged fall and Liam\'s furious accusations, I saw them. Under the table, while he held my hand for the cameras, his other hand stroked hers-a secret, intimate gesture meant for me. The sheer audacity, the cold, calculated performance, didn\'t even hurt anymore; it simply filled me with a profound, soul-crushing boredom. I just wanted out. Suddenly, a searing pain ripped through my body, as I collapsed, instinctively knowing Sophia had poisoned me, and Liam, blinded by his own narrative, walked away, leaving me to my fate. Waking up alone in a sterile hospital room, no longer pregnant, I learned the truth: Sophia had tried to kill me, and Liam' s betrayal went deeper than I ever imagined. I would disappear, but not before leaving behind the unedited truth of his monstrous betrayal.

I woke up with the familiar scent of burnt coffee, seeing my charming boyfriend, Ethan Scott, across from me in our town's diner. He was pitching a blueprint for his "ultimate survivalist influencer retreat," that smile on his face the same one that made everyone swoon. But then, it all crashed back: the blueprint, the diner, the date. Ten days until the solar flare. Ten days until the end. I' d lived this before. In my previous life, I poured my family's everything into building this exact bunker for him. He promised payment, sponsorship. It never came. When the sky turned green and the grid failed, he locked us out-my parents and me, begging at the reinforced window of the shelter we built. He laughed as we died in the chaos. Now, as he spoke, his voice a smooth river of lies, another voice echoed in my head, sharp and clear: his real, sickening thoughts. This wasn't a dream. It was a second chance, and with it, a terrifying new ability to hear the betrayal lurking beneath his words. He took everything from us then. This time, I'm taking it all back. And I' m starting with his ultimate retreat.

My husband, Andrew, came home tonight, and he wasn't alone. Standing beside him was his high-school sweetheart, Sabrina Chavez, her hand resting conspicuously on her swollen belly. Then, he dropped the bombshell: Sabrina would be his public partner, she was pregnant, and our marriage was a mistake. He called me barren, an embarrassment from the mountains, and declared he was being generous by not divorcing me, condemning me to stay unseen. My world tilted, because I was four months pregnant, secretly carrying our child, a truth he dismissed with cruel words. The next morning, his security team dumped my belongings in the cold, damp basement - a place not for living, but for storage. My old illness, the one I got saving him, returned with a vengeance, and a sharp pain told me I was losing our baby. Then I watched them chainsaw down the cherry blossom tree Andrew and I planted, a brutal symbol of our love' s end. Days later, Andrew accused me of making Sabrina miscarry, though I knew it wasn't my doing. He beat me, kicked me until I curled on the floor, and in that agony, my baby was gone. He locked me in the basement, bleeding, broken, but a cold fire began to burn inside me. I mailed the signed divorce papers and left my tiny son, wrapped in cloth, for Andrew to find. Then, I set fire to my old life, burning it all to ashes, and whispered, "I' m coming home. For expansion." I escaped into the night, ready to reclaim my power.

I thought I lived a romance, me and Rex, King of The Devil' s Brigade. He saved me and my best friend, Clare, from a highway ambush years ago, my knight in shining armor. We found love, safety, cherished trophies in his clubhouse. But one night, Rex' s whisper shattered everything. He confessed the "ambush" was a staged setup, a cruel trap, for a shadowy woman named Silas' s amusement. Every tender touch became a malicious lie; he even subtly poisoned me, causing our child' s loss. Clare watched Marcus, the man she loved, systematically destroy her, culminating in him handing her most cherished locket to Silas. Broken, Clare erupted, igniting the workshop in a fiery inferno, consuming Silas and herself in a defiant, deadly embrace. My world crumbled into betrayal and icy rage. How could the man I loved orchestrate such a monstrous game, feeding our pain to a woman who reveled in our torment? The injustice felt like a physical wound. The naive Amy died with Clare in that fire. Only vengeance remained, cold and precise. I meticulously planned their destruction, orchestrating a final, bloody scene, only to wake in a hospital bed, Clare alive beside me. Everything was a terrifying, comatose nightmare. But was my world of pain, betrayal, and revenge just a figment, or something insidious trailing into my reality?

July Fourth. I promised my twins, Leo and Lily, a trip to the new Apex Park. My husband, Ethan, assured them the fireworks would be the best. Perhaps it was just a shadow of Daniel, the man I truly loved, smiling back at me. Inside the bustling park, Ethan’s phone rang. His face changed when he heard her name: Chloe. He muttered about a medical emergency and vanished, leaving me alone with our children. Then the sky opened, pouring rain, thunder booming, chaos erupting. In the frantic panic, amid the screaming crowds, I lost my little boy, Leo. Hours later, soaked and desperate, I found Lily, silent and traumatized, clutching her doll. But Leo… I found only a torn piece of his favorite blue jacket near a broken ride. At the hospital, the doctor’s grim words echoed: "He didn't make it. Mangled." My world shattered, one piece for every broken promise. Outside, a TV screen flashed: "Ethan Ainsworth celebrates with Chloe Vance, announces pregnancy." My phone buzzed with Ethan's text: "Kids shouldn't wander off. Stop overreacting, Sarah. It’s always drama with you." Then his voice on the phone, cold and angry: "If that defective kid is dead, just get him cremated. Fast. I don’t want any more fuss." Defective kid. My son. His son. How could a father abandon his children, mock their passing, and then celebrate a new life? As the words "defective kid" echoed, a cold, hard resolve settled in my heart. With nothing left to lose, and my mother-in-law Eleanor by my side, I knew one thing. He would pay. The charade was over, and the fight had just begun.

My future was meticulously planned: Columbia University, an SAT score above 1550 – the Winston way. Then, a notification: an anonymous link led to an auction site displaying hundreds of twisted deepfakes of my private life. The seller: "CB_Blackwood." – Caleb. Caleb Blackwood, the boy my father had saved, was auctioning my dignity. I frantically bid my trust fund, but Ashley Jenkins, Caleb’s vapid girlfriend, always outbid me. Caleb then demanded my 1550 SAT score as the ultimate stakes. In desperation, I bid it all. I ‘won’ the auction, but the next morning: my bank accounts empty, my SAT score zero. Ashley received my 1550 and Columbia scholarship, while my deepfakes were everywhere. The shame was a physical weight. As I fell from my balcony, a chilling truth hit: Caleb used a "Contract Auction System"—legally binding. His goal was not just money; it was my future, total destruction. Then, a gasp. I sat upright in bed. April 15th. Weeks before. I was back. The horror was fresh, but a cold, hard new emotion burned: revenge.

Teresa didn’t expect her whole world would crumble apart because of a secret she learned. As a happy-go-lucky girl, she returned home solely to participate in a jewelry designing competition. On this unfortunate day, she got targeted by Jerome, the most cunning man she ever met. "What...what...what do you want from me?" Teresa asked as she watched him step closer to her. Seeing the fear in her eyes, a sneer appeared on his handsome face. "Well, you’ve found out my secrets, so..." he faltered, waiting to get her reaction. "So what?" "I want you to take responsibility!" His voice echoed in the room. “Fo.. for what?" she stammered. In a swift motion, he took out a marriage agreement. Leaning closer, he whispered, "Marry me or I’ll see you in court. It’s your choice."

Today is October 14th, my birthday. I returned to New York after months away, dragging my suitcase through the biting wind, but the VIP pickup zone where my husband’s Maybach usually idled was empty. When I finally let myself into our Upper East Side penthouse, I didn’t find a cake or a "welcome home" banner. Instead, I found my husband, Caden, kneeling on the floor, helping our five-year-old daughter wrap a massive gift for my half-sister, Adalynn. Caden didn’t even look up when I walked in; he was too busy laughing with the girl who had already stolen my father’s legacy and was now moving in on my family. "Auntie Addie is a million times better than Mommy," my daughter Elara chirped, clutching a plush toy Caden had once forbidden me from buying for her. "Mommy is mean," she whispered loudly, while Caden just smirked, calling me a "drill sergeant" before whisking her off to Adalynn’s party without a second glance. Later that night, I saw a video Adalynn posted online where my husband and child laughed while mocking my "sensitive" nature, treating me like an inconvenient ghost in my own home. I had spent five years researching nutrition for Elara’s health and managing every detail of Caden’s empire, only to be discarded the moment I wasn't in the room. How could the man who set his safe combination to my birthday completely forget I even existed? The realization didn't break me; it turned me into ice. I didn't scream or beg for an explanation. I simply walked into the study, pulled out the divorce papers I’d drafted months ago, and took a black marker to the terms. I crossed out the alimony, the mansion, and even the custody clause—if they wanted a life without me, I would give them exactly what they asked for. I left my four-carat diamond ring on the console table and walked out into the rain with nothing but a heavily encrypted hard drive. The submissive Mrs. Holloway was gone, and "Ghost," the most lethal architect in the tech world, was finally back online to take back everything they thought I’d forgotten.

For three quiet, patient years, Christina kept house, only to be coldly discarded by the man she once trusted. Instead, he paraded a new lover, making her the punchline of every town joke. Liberated, she honed her long-ignored gifts, astonishing the town with triumph after gleaming triumph. Upon discovering she'd been a treasure all along, her ex-husband's regret drove him to pursue her. "Honey, let's get back together!" With a cold smirk, Christina spat, "Fuck off." A silken-suited mogul slipped an arm around her waist. "She's married to me now. Guards, get him the hell out of here!"

"Stella once savored Marc's devotion, yet his covert cruelty cut deep. She torched their wedding portrait at his feet while he sent flirty messages to his mistress. With her chest tight and eyes blazing, Stella delivered a sharp slap. Then she deleted her identity, signed onto a classified research mission, vanished without a trace, and left him a hidden bombshell. On launch day she vanished; that same dawn Marc's empire crumbled. All he unearthed was her death certificate, and he shattered. When they met again, a gala spotlighted Stella beside a tycoon. Marc begged. With a smirk, she said, ""Out of your league, darling."

Sunlit hours found their affection glimmering, while moonlit nights ignited reckless desire. But when Brandon learned his beloved might last only half a year, he coolly handed Millie divorce papers, murmuring, "This is all for appearances; we'll get married again once she's calmed down." Millie, spine straight and cheeks dry, felt her pulse go hollow. The sham split grew permanent; she quietly ended their unborn child and stepped into a new beginning. Brandon unraveled, his car tearing down the street, unwilling to let go of the woman he'd discarded, pleading for her to look back just once.

After five years of playing the perfect daughter, Rylie was exposed as a stand-in. Her fiancé bolted, friends scattered, and her adoptive brothers shoved her out, telling her to grovel back to her real family. Done with humiliation, she swore to claw back what was hers. Shock followed: her birth family ruled the town's wealth. Overnight, she became their precious girl. The boardroom brother canceled meetings, the genius brother ditched his lab, the musician brother postponed a tour. As those who spurned her begged forgiveness, Admiral Brad Morgan calmly declared, "She's already taken."

Linsey was stood up by her groom to run off with another woman. Furious, she grabbed a random stranger and declared, "Let's get married!" She had acted on impulse, realizing too late that her new husband was the notorious rascal, Collin. The public laughed at her, and even her runaway ex offered to reconcile. But Linsey scoffed at him. "My husband and I are very much in love!" Everyone thought she was delusional. Then Collin was revealed to be the richest man in the world. In front of everyone, he got down on one knee and held up a stunning diamond ring. "I look forward to our forever, honey."

Elliana, the unfavored "ugly duckling" of her family, was humiliated by her stepsister, Paige, who everyone admired. Paige, engaged to the CEO Cole, was the perfect woman-until Cole married Elliana on the day of the wedding. Shocked, everyone wondered why he chose the "ugly" woman. As they waited for her to be cast aside, Elliana stunned everyone by revealing her true identity: a miracle healer, financial mogul, appraisal prodigy, and AI genius. When her mistreatment became known, Cole revealed Elliana's stunning, makeup-free photo, sending shockwaves through the media. "My wife doesn't need anyone's approval."

Maia grew up a pampered heiress-until the real daughter returned and framed her, sending Maia to prison with help from her fiancé and family. Four years later, free and married to Chris, a notorious outcast, everyone assumed Maia was finished. They soon discovered she was secretly a famed jeweler, elite hacker, celebrity chef, and top game designer. As her former family begged for help, Chris smiled calmly. "Honey, let's go home." Only then did Maia realize her "useless" husband was a legendary tycoon who'd adored her from the start.

I sat in the gray, airless room of the New York State Department of Corrections, my knuckles white as the Warden delivered the news. "Parole denied." My father, Howard Sterling, had forged new evidence of financial crimes to keep me behind bars. He walked into the room, smelling of expensive cologne, and tossed a black folder onto the steel table. It was a marriage contract for Lucas Kensington, a billionaire currently lying in a vegetative state in the ICU. "Sign it. You walk out today." I laughed at the idea of being sold to a "corpse" until Howard slid a grainy photo toward me. It showed a toddler with a crescent-moon birthmark—the son Howard told me had died in an incubator five years ago. He smiled and told me the boy's safety depended entirely on my cooperation. I was thrust into the Kensington estate, where the family treated me like a "drowned rat." They dressed me in mothball-scented rags and mocked my status, unaware that I was monitoring their every move. I watched the cousin, Julian, openly waiting for Lucas to die to inherit the empire, while the doctors prepared to sign the death certificate. I didn't understand why my father would lie about my son’s death for years, or what kind of monsters would use a child as a bargaining chip. The injustice of it burned in my chest as I realized I was just a pawn in a game of old money and blood. As the monitors began to flatline and the family started to celebrate their inheritance, I locked the door and reached into the hem of my dress. I pulled out the sharpened silver wires I’d fashioned in the prison workshop. They thought they bought a submissive convict, but they actually invited "The Saint"—the world’s most dangerous underground surgeon—into their home. "Wake up, Lucas. You owe me a life." I wasn't there to be a bride; I was there to wake the dead and burn their empire to the ground.

Sophie stepped in for her sister and married a man known for his disfigured looks and reckless past. On their wedding day, his family turned their backs on him, and the town laughed behind their hands, certain the marriage would collapse. But Sophie's career soared, and their love only deepened. Later, during a high-profile event, the CEO of some conglomerate took off his mask, revealing Sophie's husband to be a global sensation. *** Adrian had no interest in his arranged wife and had disguised himself in hopes she would bail. But when Sophie tried to walk away, Adrian broke down and whispered, "Please, Sophie, don't go. One kiss, and I'll give you the world."