The first time Claire meets Derek in a bar, she takes the initiative to approach and ask him questions. "Can you sleep with me for a night? I'll pay you." After the fun ends, Claire gives Derek some money and wants to end it with him. Cold as he usually treats women he doesn't like. But again, they meet in an ironic situation. She is a substitute, and Derek is her husband. The first thing he said to her was. "Stop acting; how does this gentle look suit you? You can fool people with this docile look. But did you know, your cold and indifferent eyes have denounced it with me? You are a heartless person." Claire replied sarcastically. "I almost didn't recognize you either; this sick look doesn't suit you either. You and hot girls are much more suitable."
"You will be expelled from school tomorrow." The principal pushed the frames of his glasses, solemnly looking at Claire with displeasure. Her hair was dyed red with personality, her long nails were carefully trimmed, and her clothes were out of the ordinary; he wanted to remind him a few sentences but felt that it was no longer necessary, so he did not discuss her rebellious appearance.
"What did you say? I was expelled from school?" Claire was taken aback for a moment and then frowned. "I want to know why."
"You're more than two months late for our tuition payment." Principal said.
Claire couldn't believe it, she asked again. "My father said he transferred the money two months ago. Can you help me check?"
"I have checked many times, and still nothing. You can call your family to ask." Principal said.
"But as for the competition next month, I...." Claire hesitated.
The headmaster raised his hand to stop her from continuing. "I give you one last chance; if you pay your tuition fees in three days, I will let you continue studying and taking exams."
Claire stood still for a moment and then lowered her head. "Yes."
As soon as she left the principal's office, Claire repeatedly called her father, but no one answered the phone. She paced to and fro, extremely impatient. Thinking for a while, she called her boyfriend because she was busy with exams; she did not contact him for a week.
Soon, a deep, warm voice resounded. "Claire? Did you finish the exam?"
Claire bit her finger. "Yes. Charles, I have something to ask you."
"Are you still being polite to me today?" Charles laughed softly.
"Is my father very busy these days? I haven't been able to contact him, I told him about the tuition fee, but today I almost got expelled for being paid late." Claire narrowed her eyes at the harsh sunlight.
Suddenly, she heard Charles hesitate, but he was casual the next second, speaking to her. "It's true that your father has been busy lately. He must have forgotten your tuition money; I will be transferred immediately."
Claire bit her lip. "Yes. You remind him to take care of his health if he has time to call me back."
"Okay." Charles laughed lowly. "Go on studying; I have a meeting right now."
"Yes." Claire obediently replied.
After talking with Charles, she returned to the classroom; the group of friends saw her and immediately asked a few questions. Everyone was surprised to hear that she did not pay the tuition. This seemed quite absurd for someone with a family as well-off as Claire.
But the following incident was even more severe; in the end, Claire was still expelled because of the unpaid tuition fees. And in the future, Claire could not participate in the drawing contest held every year at the school; because of this contest, she skipped eating and sleeping to prepare well, but now she doesn't even have the opportunity to participate.
She called her father and Charles in frustration, but he didn't answer her phone this time either.
It wasn't until a week later that Claire heard the news. Her father went bankrupt and committed suicide, and all that was left was transferred to her stepmother and stepchild. Charles changed from her boyfriend to the fiancé of Aine, the daughter of her stepmother.
And Claire did not receive any explanation from him, at first he called him, but he did not answer but after a few times directly blocked her number.
She bought a plane ticket and wanted to return, but heard the shocking news. An old family maid contacted her and asked by all means not to return to Paris at this time. Before his death, her father caused the considerable debt, and now Claire bears the burden. Now that the gangsters have spread all over Paris to wait for her, not a single airport is empty of their people. Catching Claire now would surely kill her if she didn't have the money to pay them.
At first, Claire didn't listen; she was still determined to return because she wanted to take care of her father's funeral. But then, she completely changed her mind.
Claire sat on the bench, choking as she watched the video on her phone.
Inside the phone was a worn-out face, still trying to smile at her, instructing her. "Claire, if you get this video, we probably won't be able to meet again. I know my decision seems abrupt; it will hurt you. But I'm so sorry; I can't take it anymore. You promise me, don't go back to Paris for ten years, maybe someone will want to deal with you. You won't deal with them, don't be foolish. If you still think of me as a father, don't go against this last wish of mine."
One day, Claire fell from heaven to hell.
...
"Don't, don't dance, Dad...." Claire jerked in the night, sweaty, heart still pounding.
She lazily sat up, wiped her sweat, and went to the table to get a glass of water; it took a long time to calm down. One month had passed since the day she heard the news that her father had jumped to his death; every night, she dreamed of her father standing on a high-rise building, his face haggard and desperate, and then jumping down.
That night, Claire couldn't sleep; she did something crazy: take a stimulant.
Claire goes to the bar, drinking all night. She sat dreamily on the bar, listening to the sweet words of lovers. That reminded her of Charles. Claire bitterly laughed a few times; she did not expect that her damn boyfriend would oppress her.
At this moment, a group of men dressed in luxury is next to her. Surrounded by countless hot beauties, in the middle is a man wearing a gray vest that stands out, and a tall figure is drinking with his legs crossed; it seems that all the beauties next to him do not affect him.
Claire smiled scornfully. "Men are all damn like that." She muttered to herself.
Suddenly she saw the exposed man's face, perfect as a statue, a little familiar. In the middle of the eyebrow, there seems to be some Charles likeness.
Thinking of him, Claire's blood boiled. She got up from her chair and strolled in front of the man, swaying the wine glass in her hand. "Will you have a drink with me?"
Derek raised an eyebrow to raise his glass of wine and drain it first.
Claire smiled softly and drank all the wine out of her glass; she made the gesture of pouring the glass upside down, indicating that she was finished.
"May I sit down?" Claire asked.
Derek felt interested in her and nudged his chin to the spot beside him. The girls present were not happy but did not dare to disobey him, standing up to make room for Claire.
Claire sat down, saw him smoking, and asked. "Can I have a cigarette, please?"
Derek pursed his lips. "Of course."
Claire took the cigarette but didn't smoke it, then dropped it a moment later, fingers resting on his hard chest sliding down.
Derek didn't push her away either but didn't care much; Women in these places are like that, actively soliciting men for money.
Claire burst out laughing. "Sleep with me tonight."
Derek raised an eyebrow, a slight disdain. Suddenly Claire's following sentence stunned him. "I pay you."
People around all think this girl is crazy and look at her worriedly, afraid that she will make Derek angry; friends all know that Derek's personality is not very good, and he is not patient with women.
"She must be drunk." A man whispered.
Unexpectedly, Derek was not angry but laughed. "Okay."
Claire achieved her goal and smiled even more brightly; she pulled a purse from her bag, took out a few changes, and put it in Derek's hand. "Is this enough?"
Derek raised an eyebrow at the bills in his hand, feeling a little hard to say, not understanding why he said it. "Enough."
"She must have been so drunk she was confused." A few people talked.
Lucasta is an orphan girl, who accidentally becomes the princess of a billionaire family, then suddenly becomes empty-handed. The ups and downs of life and betrayal from loved ones have made Lucasta change his personality to become thorny and cold. What's worse than losing everything, love, and money? A career is hindered by others; love is appropriated by others. What can a little girl like Lucasta do? When she was at a stalemate, she accidentally met Andrew, known as the king of the entertainment industry with ultimate power. One night's fate led Andrew to promise to help Lucasta win the halo peak. And from that moment, Andrew fell in love with Lucasta and pursued her. But now it was she who refused that love. Can Andrew do anything to win Lucasta's heart, and how does she get rid of the pain of betrayal?
For three years, Shane and Yvonne were wed, sharing heated nights, while his devotion clung to his ex. Yvonne strove to be a dutiful wife, yet their marriage felt hollow, built on desire rather than real warmth. All changed when she became pregnant, only for Shane to thrust her onto the operating table, warning, “Either you or the baby survives!” Broken by his cruelty, she vanished in grief and later returned, radiantly accomplished, leaving everyone awestruck. Haunted by remorse, Shane begged for another chance, but Yvonne only smiled and replied, “I’m sorry, men no longer interest me.”
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."
On her wedding day, Khloe’s sister connived with her groom, framing her for a crime she didn’t commit. She was sentenced to three years in prison, where she endured much suffering. When Khloe was finally released, her evil sister used their mother to coerce Khloe into an indecent liaison with an elderly man. As fate would have it, Khloe crossed paths with Henrik, the dashing yet ruthless mobster who sought to alter the course of her life. Despite Henrik’s cold exterior, he cherished Khloe like no other. He helped her take retribution from her tormentors and kept her from being bullied again.
Lindsey's fiancé was the devil's first son. Not only did he lie to her but he also slept with her stepmother, conspired to take away her family fortune, and then set her up to have sex with a total stranger. To get her lick back, Lindsey decided to find a man to disrupt her engagement party and humiliate the cheating bastard. Never did she imagine that she would bump into a strikingly handsome stranger who was all that she was currently looking for. At the engagement party, he boldly declared that she was his woman. Lindsey thought he was just a broke man who wanted to leech off her. But once they began their fake relationship, she realized that good luck kept coming her way. She thought they would part ways after the engagement party, but this man kept to her side. "We gotta stick together, Lindsey. Remember, I'm now your fiancé. " "Domenic, you're with me because of my money, aren't you?" Lindsey asked, narrowing her eyes at him. Domenic was taken aback by that accusation. How could he, the heir of the Walsh family and CEO of Vitality Group, be with her for money? He controlled more than half of the city's economy. Money wasn't a problem for him! The two got closer and closer. One day, Lindsey finally realized that Domenic was actually the stranger she had slept with months ago. Would this realization change things between them? For the better or worse?
Betrayed by her mate and sister on the eve of her wedding, Makenna was handed to the ruthless Lycan Princes as a lover, her indifferent father ignoring her plight. Determined to escape and seek revenge, she captured the interest of the three Lycan princes, who desired her exclusively amid many admirers. This complicated her plans, trapping her and making her a rival to the future Lycan queen. Entwined in jealousy and vindictiveness, could Makenna achieve her vengeance in the intricate dance with the three princes?
Marriage was a bed of thorns for Stella. She lived like an overworked and unhappy slave for six years in her matrimonial home. One day, her uncaring husband, Waylon said to her, "Ayla will be back soon. You have to move out tomorrow." "I want a divorce," responded Stella. She left without shedding a tear or trying to change Waylon's stone-cold heart. Days after their divorce, they met again. Stella was in the arms of another man. Waylon's blood boiled at the sight of her looking so happy. "So, you couldn't even wait a while before jumping into another man's arms?" he queried distastefully. "And who are you to question my decision? It's my life, so I call the shots. Stay out of my business!" Stella fired at him before turning to look at her new man with shiny eyes. Waylon immediately lost it.