Emily ended up being a replacement for Shirley, who was supposed to be engaged with James, a member of the royal family. However, Shirley ran off somewhere and Emily was kidnapped to play her part. That was how Emily entered the world of nobility and prestigious families. She thought she could make the most of this opportunity and just have a good time. The last thing she wanted was to lose her first kiss on her first day of school. In a fit of rage, she greeted her royal fiance, James, with a hard slap on his face. The entire school broke into gossip because of the commotion they made, But this was merely a prelude to their story.
In September, the autumn air was fresh as white clouds hovered the blue skies. The early morning sunshine sprinkled on the hurried pedestrians as if the sun was trying to greet them.
At this time, the red light was still glowing, so everyone was held up on both sidewalks.
Suddenly, a loud scream burst from the crowd. "Emily, from now on, you will be a freshman in senior high school. You can do this! Let's go!"
Everyone glanced at the source of the voice with contempt.
A slim young girl in a white school uniform had a schoolbag strapped to her back. She clenched her fists, stimulating all the positive energy she could carry.
'Oh my God! This is embarrassing.'
Realizing that she had attracted the attention of everyone on the street, Emily Jiang withdrew her arms dejectedly and held the straps of her schoolbag. She adjusted her thick-rimmed glasses, running down the pedestrian lane the moment the traffic light turned green.
After a few steps, seven or eight black Bugatti Veyrons zigzagged across the lane. The atmosphere around her tensed as the cars surrounded her. She pursed her lips. No matter where she moved, she couldn't find anywhere to escape to.
Ever since Emily Jiang was born, she had never offended anyone. In fact, she had always been a good student in the eyes of her teachers. She was also a good citizen according to her clean record.
What on earth was happening?
'I'm going to be late for class,' she thought.
"Get out of my way!" she roared adamantly. With her hands on her hips, Emily Jiang stomped forward.
Suddenly, the black doors opened and more than ten men in black suits and sunglasses walked out of the cars. All of them looked incredibly strong. In fact, even just one of them could beat her up in a second.
'Are they part of some mafia or something?' She didn't want to join the underworld.
"Miss Emily, please come with us." Two men stood by her sides. Each of them held her by the wrist.
"Who are you? Where are you taking me? I can sue you for kidnapping, you know!" With one hand on the car door, Emily struggled hard. Her feet were kicking up in the air as she tried her best to remove their hold.
'If you want to kidnap me, then I'll show you just how powerful I am! I can kick you so hard that you'll beg for mercy!' She had already reached level 8 in her Taekwondo, but no matter how much she kicked and punched, it didn't work.
"Are you all made of iron?" she gasped out, panting awkwardly. Her shoes were kicked across the pavements, but the two men still held her to the door.
"Miss Emily, please give in."
They pressed her head forward and placed her on the back seat.
"This is kidnapping!" Emily Jiang yelled restlessly. In a moment of desperation, she grabbed the hand of the man beside her and bit him hard. The man cried out in pain, retracting his hold.
She took the opportunity to open the door, but before she could escape, he lifted up her collar.
"You might as well give up by now. There's no way we will let you go." She was carried back to her seat pathetically.
"Drive." Soon, all of the cars left the intersection as if nothing had ever happened.
"How could you do this to me? What have I ever done to you?" Emily Jiang sobbed out. If she couldn't defeat them with her hands, then she could defeat them with her tears
"Miss Emily, we're just following orders. Please don't cry," the men explained helplessly, not wanting to hurt her.
However, Emily Jiang just continued to sob. Her cries became louder and louder. All the bodyguards were at a loss of what to do.
"Miss Emily, this is actually a good thing. Please don't cry."
"Really? Do you think this is a good thing? Tell me how!" As soon as she heard that this was a good thing, her eyes automatically lit up. She held her tears back as her hands grasped the corner of the bodyguard's clothes.
"You'll know when the time comes. You won't be disappointed."
"Fine. If it's not a good thing, then all of you are dead meat." She wagged her little finger at them threateningly. When they nodded, she sat quietly on the back seat to the men's relief.
After several turns, the car finally stopped at the gates of a luxurious villa.
The villa was designed as if it was one of the villas in Europe. Its golden tiles shone brightly under the sun as the waters from the fountains glistened under the light. She clenched the straps of her handbag and followed one of the men towards the hall.
An old man holding a crutch was sitting on a white sofa. He smiled lightly, waiting for her to come over.
As she got closer and closer, the old man finally saw Emily's face. Although her dark eyes were shrouded by a pair of thick-rimmed glasses, her paper white skin, tiny oval face, and pink cherry lips were exactly the same as his granddaughter's.
All the staff were whispering to each other as they stared at the young girl.
"You look so much like her," the old man exclaimed, chortling.
"Mr. Sam, Miss Emily is here."
After the man finished his report, he stepped aside and left Emily in the middle of the room. She rubbed the back of her neck and glanced around.
Was there anything on her face? Why was everyone staring at her?
"Hey, old man, why did you kidnap me?" Emily demanded.
"Your name is Emily, right?" The old man tilted his head.
"Yes." "How did you know me? Do we know each other?" she asked cautiously.
"From now on, your name will be Shirley, not Emily. Do you understand?" the old man said condescendingly, not even bothering to answer her question.
"And why will I be called Shirley? I have my own name!" Emily crossed her arms, not really knowing what was going on. Countless questions haunted her mind.
"Luke, explain everything to her and send her to the Holy Sakura Noble School as soon as possible." The old man stood up and left the hall with his crutch. He walked upstairs, leaving a row of servants. Suddenly, a man stepped out from the row. He was none other than Luke Zhang, the butler.
"Here's the thing. The An Family is an extremely well-known family. Miss Shirley is supposed to participate in an engagement party with Mr. James, a royal member, but she ran away. Although we haven't found her yet, we found you."
"Just because we look exactly the same?" In an instant, Emily finally pieced everything together.
"Yes."
"What if I don't agree?" She didn't want to be engaged with a man she didn't know. Besides, she was far too young! How could she be engaged so quickly?
"How about you answer this call from your parents?" Luke Zhang smirked, handing her the phone.
She stared at that phone doubtfully, wondering why they called her here.
"Hello, is that Emi? We're your parents. You can stay at the An Family for a while. We're already going to Europe! It's the first time since we've gone abroad. You can be Miss Shirley for a while, okay? We haven't enjoyed our life ever since you were born. It's time you take one for the team, okay? We love you very much! Good bye, dear!"
Before Emily could say anything,
they already hung up.
"Miss Emily, your parents were already given a million dollars. Will you really let them give it back? Or will you just cooperate with us?" Luke Zhang said innocently.
"What? One million?" she shrieked. She didn't know whether or not she was actually their biological daughter. How could they sell her like this?
"Maybe more. It depends on them."
"Kill me already," Emily howled in outrage.
Today was a complete disaster.
"Maid, help Emily... Well, Miss Shirley, get dressed up."
"Yes, Mr. Luke." The servants hurried Emily into the dressing room.
Half an hour later.
As she was forced to take off her glasses, Emily put on a pair of contact lenses. She changed uniforms. Her black ponytail was loosened, letting her strands fall on her shoulders. The ends were slightly curled. She wore a pair of crystal heels, which completed the overall haughty temperament.
"Is this... Is this real?" she whispered. Emily couldn't even recognize herself.
After tidying herself up, she followed Luke Zhang into a Lincoln car. In the car, Luke Zhang had already informed her all the do's and don'ts of Shirley An's life. Honestly, it just bored her to death.
Finally, the car stopped in front of the golden gates of the Holy Sakura Noble School. "We're here, Miss Shirley," Luke Zhang said.
The Holy Sakura Noble School was the best aristocratic high school in Sakura Kingdom. It covered the largest area, had the best architecture, and held the most intelligent and talented students.
Before this, Emily had only attended an ordinary high school. She had never dreamed that she would enter such a school. It felt as if she could wake up at any minute.
"Miss Shirley, please wait for me here. I'll go through the enrollment procedures first," Luke Zhang said before heading to the administration building to file all the documents.
Emily stood by the gates of the glorious school. She was in complete awe.
'You're so lucky, Emily!' she thought as she gazed up at the golden gates. Her bright eyes glistened.
Three years ago, Cecilia was left battered and alone by the man she loved most, Alston, yet she bravely completed the wedding ceremony while pregnant. Three years later, although they were married, they grew apart over time. Cecilia focused on her career, no longer foolishly believing in love. But her transformation instantly threw Alston into a panic... And what is the secret from 11 years ago that Cecilia has always been reluctant to reveal? *** "She went to a law firm, met with a lawyer..." A lawyer? Is Cecilia suing someone? Who? Is there any recent litigation against the company? Alston suddenly chuckled coldly, "Who could she sue? I'm the CEO of this company. How come such a matter doesn't come to me first?" The assistant swallowed nervously, speaking softly, "Sir, there's no litigation against the company. She met with... a divorce lawyer."
Rejected by her mate, who had been her long-time crush, Jasmine felt utterly humiliated. Seeking solace, she headed to a party to drown her sorrows. But things took a turn for the worse when her friends issued a cruel dare: kiss a stranger or beg her mate for forgiveness. With no other choice, Jasmine approached a stranger and kissed him, thinking that would be the end of it. However, the stranger unexpectedly wrapped his arms around her waist and whispered in her ear, "You're mine!" He growled, his words sending shivers down her spine. And then, he offered her a solution that would change everything...
After hiding her true identity throughout her three-year marriage to Colton, Allison had committed wholeheartedly, only to find herself neglected and pushed toward divorce. Disheartened, she set out to rediscover her true self-a talented perfumer, the mastermind of a famous intelligence agency, and the heir to a secret hacker network. Realizing his mistakes, Colton expressed his regret. "I know I messed up. Please, give me another chance." Yet, Kellan, a once-disabled tycoon, stood up from his wheelchair, took Allison's hand, and scoffed dismissively, "You think she'll take you back? Dream on."
"There will be no falling in love, we will only act as a loving couple when we are in public, we will share a room to make it believable, but no intimacy, touching is off-limits. We'll only have sex once a month, and that's solely to produce an heir. You won't interfere in my business, and I won't interfere in yours. You will be my wife in every sense and you will not be involved with any other man," he said, arrogance seeping from every word. I watch his mouth move, I'm not ready to fall in love with any man, especially not one as arrogant and egoistic as him. I can handle acting as a loving couple, and as for intimacy once a month. I can agree to that just to satisfy my sexual cravings with no strings attached. "Where can I sign?" I asked since I had nothing to lose. *** Nadine's wedding dreams turned to nightmares when she caught her sister and fiancé cheating! With a secret recording, she's ready for revenge. But then mysterious billionaire Logan West offers a deal: A Contract Marriage to take down her ex's empire. But what Nadine doesn't know is her life is getting complicated as she takes her chance to get revenge or risks everything for a chance at love?"
On the day of their wedding anniversary, Joshua's mistress drugged Alicia, and she ended up in a stranger's bed. In one night, Alicia lost her innocence, while Joshua's mistress carried his child in her womb. Heartbroken and humiliated, Alicia demanded a divorce, but Joshua saw it as yet another tantrum. When they finally parted ways, she went on to become a renowned artist, sought out and admired by everyone. Consumed by regret, Joshua darkened her doorstep in hopes of reconciliation, only to find her in the arms of a powerful tycoon. "Say hello to your sister-in-law."
Cathryn, an orphan with no family ties to Grayson, regarded him only as family. He, however, valued her as a precious jewel. From their very first encounter, Cathryn's destiny was intertwined with his. Once lonely and desiring affection, she was ensnared by his love, unable to break free. Eventually, she managed to escape his emotional clutches. Shockingly, she had fallen for someone else. Grayson confronted her sharply. "How could you feel for another?" Unable to meet his eyes, she whispered, "You're family. I can't..." Looking down, he pressed further. "You can't, or you wouldn’t dare?"