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.
A forced marriage. A forgotten heiress. It's a game where survival means becoming Queen, not Pawn. Flora Grey – a young woman once abandoned by her father; she and her older brother drifted for over a decade in poverty. With her mother gone and her identity erased, the name "Flora" became a forgotten disgrace amidst the glittering elite. But when the family plunges into crisis, the callous father from her past coldly forces her to return, compelling her to marry Derek Blackwood – the nominal heir to the Arnold Group – as a final gambit to salvage the family fortune. However, what seemed like a mere transactional marriage was the beginning of a fateful game. Derek is far more complex than his indifferent facade suggests. And Flora? She is no longer the obedient doll, letting others pull her strings. Returning from the depths of society, carrying scars, resentment, and a fierce will to survive, Flora is determined never to let anyone control her again. She wants to live. She wants to protect her brother. And if she's been forced onto the chessboard, she intends to become the Queen-never content to remain a Pawn.
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?
Rachel used to think that her devotion would win Brian over one day, but she was proven wrong when his true love returned. Rachel had endured it all—from standing alone at the altar to dragging herself to the hospital for an emergency treatment. Everyone thought she was crazy to give up so much of herself for someone who didn’t return her feelings. But when Brian received news of Rachel’s terminal illness and realized she didn’t have long to live, he completely broke down. "I forbid you to die!" Rachel just smiled. She no longer needed him. "I will finally be free."
Yelena discovered that she wasn't her parents' biological child. After seeing through their ploy to trade her as a pawn in a business deal, she was sent away to her barren birthplace. There, she stumbled upon her true origins—a lineage of historic opulence. Her real family showered her with love and adoration. In the face of her so-called sister's envy, Yelena conquered every adversity and took her revenge, all while showcasing her talents. She soon caught the attention of the city's most eligible bachelor. He cornered Yelena and pinned her against the wall. “It's time to reveal your true identity, darling.”
After three secretive years of marriage, Eliana never met her enigmatic husband until she was served with divorce papers and learned of his extravagant pursuit of another. She snapped back to reality and secured a divorce. Thereafter, Eliana unveiled her various personas: an esteemed doctor, legendary secret agent, master hacker, celebrated designer, adept race car driver, and distinguished scientist. As her diverse talents became known, her ex-husband was consumed by remorse. Desperately, he pleaded, "Eliana, give me another chance! All my properties, even my life, are yours."
The day Raina gave birth should have been the happiest of her life. Instead, it became her worst nightmare. Moments after delivering their twins, Alexander shattered her heart-divorcing her and forcing her to sign away custody of their son, Liam. With nothing but betrayal and heartbreak to her name, Raina disappeared, raising their daughter, Ava, on her own.Years later, fate comes knocking when Liam falls gravely ill. Desperate to save his son, Alexander is forced to seek out the one person he once cast aside. Alexander finds himself face to face with the woman he underestimated, pleading for a second chance-not just for himself, but for their son. But Raina is no longer the same broken woman who once loved him.No longer the woman he left behind. She has carved out a new life-one built on strength, wealth, and a long-buried legacy she expected to uncover.Raina has spent years learning to live without him.The question is... Will she risk reopening old wounds to save the son she never got to love? or has Alexander lost her forever?
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."
After two years of marriage, Sadie was finally pregnant. Filled with hope and joy, she was blindsided when Noah asked for a divorce. During a failed attempt on her life, Sadie found herself lying in a pool of blood, desperately calling Noah to ask him to save her and the baby. But her calls went unanswered. Shattered by his betrayal, she left the country. Time passed, and Sadie was about to be wed for a second time. Noah appeared in a frenzy and fell to his knees. "How dare you marry someone else after bearing my child?"