Wendy was adopted by Hugo's father. The first time they met, she was five years old and he was eight years old. By then, either of them had expected that the complicated fate waiting for them in the future. He lost contact with her after an intense quarrel between them four years ago. To comfort his father, he lied to him that she was studying abroad for a postgraduate. However, when he failed to hide the truth, his father died of a heart attack. The day he met her again, he wanted nothing but vent his hatred on her, but he couldn't conceal the desire to want her to stay by his side.
"You must know that this is your retribution. This is what you deserve after betraying me. Unfortunately, your daughter will have to suffer your retribution too. It's worse than death, isn't it?" Hugo Hua, a tall and handsome man, leaned against the desk and crossed his arms across his chest, his left foot across his right. He looked so lazy but noble. With an undisguised sneer at the corners of his mouth, he raised his eyebrows. He waited for an answer from her.
They were in an extremely luxurious office. As a matter of fact, each room in this office had its own design for its unique functions and characteristics. The layout was casual and relaxing, creating a natural atmosphere. But it was easy to identify its simple yet elegant northern European style.
Eight chandeliers with Swarovski crystals were hanging on the ten-meter high ceiling. Each crystal was so eye-catching, reflecting the owner's unique taste.
It was noontime, and the bright sunlight seeped through the French window, illuminating the whole office. Wendy Luo stood in the middle of the office with her head down, looking so helpless.
If it weren't for the pressure of life, she would never step into this office where she didn't really fit in. She couldn't help thinking that even if she sold all of her belongings, it couldn't even pay for a bottle of hand soap in his bathroom.
Looking at the customized Persian carpet on the floor, she felt uneasy. If she could, she wanted to lift her feet in fear that she might stain the carpet.
Hugo Hua stared at Wendy Luo. But since her head was bowed down, he could only see the top of her head. The sunlight sprinkled on her head, making her hair look more desiccated. Her hair was tied up in a ponytail with a rubber band. She was wearing an old down-filled coat and white jeans.
She kept her head down. She never looked up no matter how harsh his words were. With a frown, her mouth remained shut. But with his last words, she felt like she had to say something now. So she took a deep breath and slowly raised her head. With an expressionless face, she stared at Hugo Hua. "Let's make a deal," she said.
Hugo Hua burst into laughter. "Who do you think you are to bargain with me? Do you really believe that I'm still interested in you?"
Wendy Luo didn't say anything. She lowered her head again, took out a small box from the reusable bag at her feet, and opened it carefully.
Hugo Hua noticed the skin at the back of her hands was rough and dry. In the past, her hands were so slender and smooth that he couldn't help but hold them. But now, he could barely recognize this pair of hands. There were also some fresh long red marks on her arms that looked like scratches. He could tell that she had done some heavy work. As he thought about it, his heart twitched a little. He could somehow feel the pain.
He walked up to her, took the box, and asked, "What is this?"
"Inside this box are all the things you gave to me. Since you don't want to have anything to do with me anymore, I'm giving them back to you. You can do anything you want with them. You can throw them away or destroy them. Without these memories, we will become strangers to each other. But I will only give them back to you on condition that you have to give me one million dollars." After she finished talking, Wendy Luo breathed a sigh of relief. Finally, she had said them all.
The gifts that Hugo Hua gave her were all limited editions that worth millions of dollars. If she sold them, she would be rich. But she couldn't just sell them to anyone else because she knew that if he found out, he would do something to torture her. So returning them to him in exchange for one million dollars was the only way she could think of to get some money. Although it wasn't that much, it could help her start a new life. Besides, it could also give Hugo Hua a closure to their previous relationship.
Hugo Hua gently fiddled with the things in the box with his fair and slender fingers. There, he saw his letters to her, tied together with a red ribbon. There was also a Stephen Webster necklace, a Chanel bracelet, and a Wellendorff ring. It was actually a couple ring, and he was still wearing the other one on his finger.
These were all the things he had given to her. And now, she was returning them to the original owner.
"Something is missing. Where is the brooch from Van Cleef and Arpels?" Hugo Hua looked at Wendy Luo's face and curled his lips.
"I need money for my daughter's hospitalization, so I sold it," she admitted frankly.
"Good. Very good."
Wendy Luo didn't know what he meant, and she wasn't interested either. Her only concern now was to get the money for her daughter's treatment.
Hugo Hua pressed a button on his table and said, "Give me one hundred thousand dollars right now." He then lowered his head to write something.
Wendy Luo was confused, but she had made a concession in her heart. If he would only give her one hundred thousand dollars, she would accept it. After all, she badly needed money right now.
A few moments later, his secretary knocked on the door and came in. There were two guards behind her, holding cash in their hands. They walked to Hugo Hua's desk, put it down carefully, and left. The secretary was a little surprised to see Wendy Luo standing in the middle of the room. She couldn't believe that such a shabby woman entered the president's office.
Hugo Hua didn't mind the people who came in. He continued writing without raising his head. After a while, he stood up and threw the piece of paper in front of Wendy Luo. With an expressionless face, he said, "That check is for nine hundred thousand, and this cash here is one hundred thousand." His voice was still as cold as usual. He didn't even spare her a glance when he spoke. She didn't know if she had annoyed him, but the faint feeling made her shiver.
Wendy Luo lowered her head and looked at the check on the floor. Indeed, it was nine hundred thousand dollars. She didn't expect him to just agree to her demand so easily.
"You said that everything was here. But just now, you also said that you sold the brooch. This is not a fair deal. But for the sake of your child, I will still give you the full amount. However, you must take the brooch back and return it to me." Finally, Hugo Hua looked at her.
Wendy Luo didn't say anything but just nodded slightly in agreement. She would definitely return the brooch to him because she didn't want to owe anything from him.
She picked up the check and put it in her bag carefully. She then walked to the desk to get the cash.
"Why in such a hurry? Are you afraid that I will go back on my word?" he said as his lips curved into a faint smile.
"If you don't want to give the cash to me, it's alright," Wendy Luo said as she retracted her steps and turned around to leave. But Hugo Hua stopped her. "Wait a minute."
He pushed all the bundles of cash on the desk, and they fell to the floor. She could see his face as he sat opposite her. It made Wendy Luo realize that they really belonged to two different worlds. She didn't even know if she could still have the courage to enter his world.
Hugo Hua smiled at her and said, "Pick them up one by one. Make sure that you don't miss even a single note." He then stood up and walked to the lounge in his office. Tears streamed down her face as she watched his receding back. This day finally came. From now on, the two of them would have nothing to do with each other.
It took them twenty-five years just to end up like this. Wendy Luo was adopted by Hugo Hua's father, Hale Hua. At that time, he was the CEO of H Group. She was five years old back then and Hugo Hua was eight. The first time that they looked at each other, she didn't expect that her fate would intertwine with his.
She squatted on the floor and picked up the money one by one. Looking at the bills in her hand, she remembered the time when he gave her the 999 roses. It was the first time that he had told her he loved her. It was also the first time that she had felt the happiness she had never felt before. Wendy Luo didn't know how long she had picked up the notes on the floor
and how much memories she had recalled. When she was done, she looked around to make sure that she had picked up everything. It was only then that she was able to breathe a sigh of relief.
She stood and straightened up, finding that she was still alone in the office. Wendy Luo held the bag of money in her hands tightly as if she was afraid that someone would take it away. This money would save her daughter's life, so she must take good care of it. She shouldn't waste her time thinking about the past. Those memories were nothing compared to her daughter.
She didn't even cast a glance at the door to the lounge. She raised her arm to wipe the tears on her face with her sleeves. She then took a deep breath and walked to the office door. She opened it and went out as if nothing had happened.
Five years ago, when Jarvis was looking for a surrogate mother, Nina came to him to pay off her brother’s medical bills. She gave birth to the twins. When they met again, she didn’t recognize him. However, he had been missing her for all these years. He swore to himself that he would never let her run away this time. While the lovely baby twins became their father’s little helpers to get their mother back home.
Sarah was devastated. Her boyfriend cheated on her with her best friend, and they even set her up. Out of despair, she ran away, only to find herself in trouble with a bunch of hooligans. She chased them away with bricks, but one missed and shattered the window of Owen's Maserati. Sarah begged him for mercy, so he offered her to work for him to pay for the damage. She made a deal, but she also fell into his trap. What Sarah owed Owen was not money, but love, and he would risk everything so she could pay him forever.
PERMISSION IS TAKEN FRIM THE ORIGINAL, BE WARNED!! Do you believe in Myths? Just when she thinks it can't get any worse, it does. Lucy lost everything four years ago in a rogue attack. She's been abused, starved, rejected, and broken. As her eighteenth birthday approaches, strange things start to happen, things that only happen once every century. She finds friendship in the most unlikely place and escapes to find her true self with the help of the most dangerous Alpha. Warning: This werewolf trilogy is not intended for anyone under the age of 18 or anyone who doesn't enjoy a good spanking. It will take you on adventures around the world, make you laugh, fall in love, crush your heart and possibly leave you drooling.
Melanie married Ashton out of gratitude, but she quickly found herself entangled in a web of relentless challenges. Despite these struggles, she stayed true to her commitment to the marriage. In the hospital room, Ashton indifferently attempted to draw her blood, disregarding her discomfort. This callous act was a harsh revelation for Melanie, awakening her to the grim reality of their relationship. Resolved to prioritize her own welfare, she decided to sever ties. With newfound resolve, Melanie filed for divorce. In the process, she unveiled her concealed identities, leaving everyone in shock. Throughout these turbulent times, Melanie realized that Derek, Ashton’s uncle, had been discreetly protecting her all along.
She was a world-renowned divine doctor, the CEO of a publicly traded company, the most formidable female mercenary, and a top-tier tech genius. Marissa, a titan with a plethora of secret identities, had hidden her true stature to marry a seemingly impoverished young man. However, on the eve of their wedding, her fiance, who was actually the lost heir to a wealthy dynasty, called off the engagement and subjected her to degradation and mockery. Upon the revelation of her concealed identities, her ex-fiance was left stunned and desperately pleaded for her forgiveness. Standing protectively before Marissa, an incredibly influential and fearsome magnate declared, "This is my wife. Who would dare try to claim her?"
Rena got into an entanglement with a big shot when she was drunk one night. She needed Waylen's help while he was drawn to her youthful beauty. As such, what was supposed to be a one-night stand progressed into something serious. All was well until Rena discovered that Waylen's heart belonged to another woman. When his first love returned, he stopped coming home, leaving Rena all alone for many nights. She put up with it until she received a check and farewell note one day. Contrary to how Waylen expected her to react, Rena had a smile on her face as she bid him farewell. "It was fun while it lasted, Waylen. May our paths never cross. Have a nice life." But as fate would have it, their paths crossed again. This time, Rena had another man by her side. Waylen's eyes burned with jealousy. He spat, "How the hell did you move on? I thought you loved only me!" "Keyword, loved!" Rena flipped her hair back and retorted, "There are plenty of fish in the sea, Waylen. Besides, you were the one who asked for a breakup. Now, if you want to date me, you have to wait in line." The next day, Rena received a credit alert of billions and a diamond ring. Waylen appeared again, got down on one knee, and uttered, "May I cut in line, Rena? I still want you."
Darya spent three years loving Micah, worshipping the ground he walked on. Until his neglect and his family's abuse finally woke her up to the ugly truth-he doesn't love her. Never did, never will. To her, he is a hero, her knight in shining armour. To him, she is an opportunist, a gold digger who schemed her way into his life. Darya accepts the harsh reality, gathers the shattered pieces of her dignity, divorces him, takes back her real name, reclaims her title as the country's youngest billionaire heiress. Their paths cross again at a party. Micah watches his ex-wife sing like an angel, tear up the dance floor, then thwart a lecher with a roundhouse kick. He realises, belatedly, that she's exactly the kind of woman he'd want to marry, if only he had taken the trouble to get to know her. Micah acts promptly to win her back, but discovers she's now surrounded by eligible bachelors: high-powered CEO, genius biochemist, award-winning singer, reformed playboy. Worse, she makes it pretty clear that she's done with him. Micah gears up for an uphill battle. He must prove to her he's still worthy of her love before she falls for someone else. And time is running out.
They don't know I'm a girl. They all look at me and see a boy. A prince. Their kind purchase humans like me for their lustful desires. And, when they stormed into our kingdom to buy my sister, I intervened to protect her. I made them take me too. The plan was to escape with my sister whenever we found a chance. How was I to know our prison would be the most fortified place in their kingdom? I was supposed to be on the sidelines. The one they had no real use for. The one they never meant to buy. But then, the most important person in their savage land-their ruthless beast king-took an interest in the "pretty little prince." How do we survive in this brutal kingdom, where everyone hates our kind and shows us no mercy? And how does someone, with a secret like mine, become a lust slave? . AUTHOR'S NOTE. This is a dark romance-dark, mature content. Highly rated 18+ Expect triggers, expect hardcore. If you're a seasoned reader of this genre, looking for something different, prepared to go in blindly not knowing what to expect at every turn, but eager to know more anyway, then dive in! . From the author of the international bestselling book: "The Alpha King's Hated Slave."