With a contract, her family sold her to him, the notorious playboy in the city. She tried her best to get rid of him but still got trapped in the end. The man stood in front of her, however, was different from what the rumors said about him. He was intrigued by her since the first time he met her. Even though he got her, he still wanted more than that. He wanted her love, her heart and to be with her forever.
As night fell, the street lights began to come on, beautifully illuminating A City.
Amidst the towering buildings was the QH Hotel, and on its top floor were the presidential suites.
In a suite, Luna Ruan, in an elegant black dress, rushed into the bathroom, took out a document from her handbag and tore it into pieces.
She was about to flush the shreds of paper down the toilet when she heard noises on the other side of the door.
A woman was moaning in pleasure as her male companion breathed heavily. Luna's eyes widened as she realized what these sounds entailed.
Opening the bathroom door a crack to take a peek, she saw that only the lights of the bedroom and the bathroom were turned on.
She switched off the light right away and stuck her head out the door.
A loud moan reached her ears. She wrinkled her nose in disgust.
Word on the street was that Silas He spent twelve hours sleeping with different women every day.
It seemed that the rumor was true.
There was no way she would sleep with such a man just to get a contract signed.
No way in hell!
Judging from the sounds, it seemed things were getting heated in the bedroom.
An unpleasant smell filled the suite, which made Luna sick to her stomach.
'Now's the time to run!' she thought to herself.
She tiptoed out of the bathroom and ducked down behind the big sofa in the living room, crawling her way slowly to the front door.
With the door in sight, she felt a wave of relief. Unbeknownst to her, someone was sitting on the sofa, tapping his gloved fingers on the armrest.
The man squinted at her in the dark, quietly watching her every move.
"Ow!"
Just as she was about to reach the door, she bumped into the sharp corner of some furniture. The searing pain made her eyes well up with tears.
Rubbing her forehead, she looked up and unexpectedly met the eyes of the mystery man on the sofa.
"Ah!"
Utterly shocked, Luna gasped and lost her footing on the carpet. When she realized what happened, she clamped a hand on her mouth anxiously, eyes wide. To her relief, she could still hear Silas and the woman thoroughly enjoying themselves in the bedroom. It seemed they were completely oblivious to what was happening in the living room.
When Luna returned her gaze to the gloved man, she found him picking up something from the carpeted floor.
Frowning, she grabbed her handbag and eyed the man warily.
"Who are you? Why are you here?" she asked in a hushed, angry voice.
The man snorted.
His voice made Luna blush slightly.
But she decided she had nothing to do with this man. Her priority now was to get out of here as fast as she could.
Just as she took another step towards the door, the man grabbed her by the wrist.
"Ouch! What're you doing?"
She tried to wriggle free but his grasp was firm-so firm that tears began to well up in her eyes once more.
Seeing her glistening eyes, the man dragged her out of the room.
It was bright in the corridor. The sudden exposure to light blinded her momentarily and she squinted at her surroundings in a daze.
The man took out a card key and opened another suite.
Luna heard the sound of door opening and snapped back to her senses. What she saw made her feel quite uneasy.
Panic welling up inside her, she struggled violently.
'What does he want?'
The man dragged her into the suite, leading her to the floor-to-ceiling windows.
"Tell me, why were you hiding in the bathroom?"
He placed his gloved hand under her chin, forcing her to look up at him.
Luna winced and made an excuse. "Mr. He asked me to come."
The man's eyebrows shot up in amusement. "Really? How come I didn't know that?"
"Could you please let go of me first?" Luna glared at him impatiently.
The man loosened his grip and leaned against the wall lazily, as if he was waiting for her to continue.
As soon as Luna was released, she rubbed her aching wrist angrily. "You're just his bodyguard. Who gives you the right to treat me like this?" she asked crossly.
His eyes narrowed slightly and he smiled, his eyes studying the woman who was trying desperately to hide her fear.
'Interesting!'
He reached into his pocket and pulled out the object he had picked up earlier, toying with it in his hand. But when he spoke, his voice was eerily cold. "Luna Ruan, I really underestimated you."
Luna froze.
'He knows my name!
How does he know my name?' Her mind raced as panic seized her.
Just as she opened her mouth to say something, she caught a glimpse of the lipstick in the man's hand. Her body stiffened, as though she had just been struck by lightning.
'Why is my lipstick in his hand?'
The truth was, that lipstick was a recorder in disguise.
So that was what he picked up from the floor. Her recorder!
'This is a disaster.'
She broke down. Her facade collapsed and she burst into tears.
"Sir, I'm sorry to have bothered you.
To tell you the truth, that lipstick was one of my mother's effects..."
The man sneered upon hearing this.
Luna didn't know whether he believed her or not.
She forced a smile and looked at his face carefully.
What she saw took her by surprise.
He actually was handsome, but not just handsome.
He was perfect!
The man's face was chiseled to perfection.
He had fair skin, deep eyes, prominent nose, and lips pursed in displeasure.
The man seemed to be very satisfied with the undisguised fascination and surprise in Luna's eyes. He turned the lipstick in his hand and said slowly, "You can go now. Don't let me catch you doing this again."
His words made Luna snap back to reality. Dubious, she wondered if he would actually let her off the hook so easily.
'I was so scared!'
Though she couldn't believe it, she ran away as fast as her legs could take her.
As she was closing the door behind her, she stole one last glance at the gloved man, catching a glimpse of his profile.
Shaking her head, she warned herself not to be enchanted by his beauty and left quickly.
The door slammed shut. The man's eyes were full of amusement. He reached for his phone and made a call.
"I want all the information about this woman, Luna Ruan," he said into the receiver.
Luna, relieved that she had somehow gotten herself out of that situation, had no idea that she was being investigated.
She figured Silas must have some special, private hobbies. That was why he needed bodyguards like this man.
She'd better not have anything to do with him.
She shook her head, hoping to get rid of the chaotic thoughts in her mind.
Later that night, she finally made it home. It was already 11 o'clock.
When she pushed the door open, she saw her father Jake Ruan, her stepmother, Lucy Lin and her half-sister, Nina Ruan, sitting on the sofa in the living room.
Nina must have said something funny, because Lucy was doubling up with laughter, and even Jake was smiling.
Luna paused at the door, a bitter taste lingering in her mouth.
She lowered her head. With all of them in the living room, it seemed she wouldn't be able to avoid being interrogated.
Luna tried to look as aggrieved as possible as she sat down opposite the three. That was when Lucy spoke up.
"How's it going, Luna?"
"I, Riccardo Saviano, future Alpha of the Grey Shadow Moon Pack, reject you, Artemisia Guerrieri, Daughter of Alpha Franco of the Blood Moon Pack, as my mate and future Luna." One single sentence. One stupid single sentence was all it took to disintegrate my life. And the day of my birthday, on which this sentence was audaciously uttered to me, I lost the love of my life, my future mate, and my wolf, all at once. As I'm still assembling the pieces of my shattered heart years later, there they come. Like lightning out of a crystal blue sky. My Mates. But wait... If I am mated to triplets, how come I'm about to be mated to 5 gorgeous men? *** TW: explicit and foul language; spicy content; explicit sex scenes ***
Janice, the long-forgotten legitimate heiress, made her way back to her family, pouring her heart into winning their hearts. Yet, she had to relinquish her very identity, her academic credentials, and her creative works to her foster sister. In return for her sacrifices, she found no warmth, only deeper neglect. Resolute, Janice vowed to cut off all emotional bonds. Transformed, she now stood as a master of martial arts, adept in eight languages, an esteemed medical expert, and a celebrated designer. With newfound resolve, she declared, "From this day forward, no one in this family shall cross me."
“You need a bride, I need a groom. Why don’t we get married?” Both abandoned at the altar, Elyse decided to tie the knot with the disabled stranger from the venue next door. Pitying his state, she vowed to spoil him once they were married. Little did she know that he was actually a powerful tycoon. Jayden thought Elyse only married him for his money, and planned to divorce her when she was no longer of use to him. But after becoming her husband, he was faced with a new dilemma. “She keeps asking for a divorce, but I don’t want that! What should I do?”
Madisyn was stunned to discover that she was not her parents' biological child. Due to the real daughter's scheming, she was kicked out and became a laughingstock. Thought to be born to peasants, Madisyn was shocked to find that her real father was the richest man in the city, and her brothers were renowned figures in their respective fields. They showered her with love, only to learn that Madisyn had a thriving business of her own. "Stop pestering me!" said her ex-boyfriend. "My heart only belongs to Jenna." "How dare you think that my woman has feelings for you?" claimed a mysterious bigwig.
Belinda thought after divorce, they would part ways for good - he could live his life on his own terms, while she could indulge in the rest of hers. However, fate had other plans in store. "My darling, I was wrong. Would you please come back to me?" The man, whom she once loved deeply, lowered his once proud head humbly. "I beg you to return to me." Belinda coldly pushed away the bouquet of flowers he had offered her and coolly replied, "It's too late. The bridge has been burned, and the ashes have long since scattered to the wind!"
Rumors said that Lucas married an unattractive woman with no background. In the three years they were together, he remained cold and distant to Belinda, who endured in silence. Her love for him forced her to sacrifice her self-worth and her dreams. When Lucas' true love reappeared, Belinda realized that their marriage was a sham from the start, a ploy to save another woman's life. She signed the divorce papers and left. Three years later, Belinda returned as a surgical prodigy and a maestro of the piano. Lost in regret, Lucas chased her in the rain and held her tightly. "You are mine, Belinda."