"Oh, here he comes! You know him, right? Christopher Tao Xu, CEO of Xu Empires, Heir to the Golden Estate! I don't date broke guys!" Alia said to spite Stephen with a satisfying grip on her lips. After watching her relationship of three years go done the drain because her boyfriend cheated on her, Alia Moon Crust, trying to get back at him get Christopher entangled in a lovers' feud. But what happens when entanglement turns into love? Will Alia give in to Christopher? What happens when he finds out that she is the woman he has been chasing for two years? What happens when Stephen decides to strike back.
FIVE YEARS AGO
"Help!!! Please, help me!!!" I screamed at the top of my voice, tied up in a dark room with a light bulb at the center as the only source of light.
I have been kidnapped and it's only a week to my birthday. I don't want to die yet. I don't even know who or what kidnapped me. I struggled to free myself but it was all futile. I decided to give up and remain silent until someone could come rescue me, while searching around with my eyes.
Where is Christopher? I thought.
Just then, he walked in. Christopher? No, it wasn't. It was the man who would ruin my life forever.
"It's July 19th" the man said out loud as he walked closer to me, his shoes making a sound with each step he took. I couldn't make out a face just yet.
"Please, please help me!" I begged him at the top of my voice.
He got closer to me and lean in. Finally I could see his face. A scar! He had a scar underneath his left eye. It looked old but it made him more domineering. He had this psychotic smile and for a kidnapper, he sure was handsome. I didn't care about the details of his face because obviously I was in panic but the scent of his perfume and his well-fitted black suit told me he is rich. His appearance screamed of it.
"I will help you." echoed his voice in the entire room as he pulled away from my face and stood in a clear view where I could see him. We were in what looked like an old abandoned warehouse and it was the perfect place for a kidnap.
"Thank you. Thank you so much!" I thanked him. He let out a heavy laugh that echoed even more in the warehouse. It seemed like he was happy. Maybe he might let me go?
"That was a good one!" he said after the laugh.
"Please, I don't know anything about the business deal and I haven't done anything, so if you could please just let me go and I won't tell Christopher about all this!" I told him with tears streaming down my eyes. I was scared. I knew I had to be.
"Christopher? You absolutely think I'm worried or scared of Christopher?!" he asked in disbelief.
"I don't know. I...just want.. to be free." I said with a quivering voice and fear in my heart.
"Oh I'll free you Alia. I will free you!" he replied to me with a maniac look in his eyes.
"Can you let me go now?" I asked with fear.
"Not yet. The fun's just getting started. Christopher's still looking for you!" he responded with a sly smile on his lips.
"Which is the reason why you should just let me go!!!" I screamed at the top of my lungs.
"Like I said, I will let you go but...not in the same way you came." he said and let out a psychotic smile.
"What do you mean?" I questioned him, this time more fearful than ever.
"Nothing." he said nonchalantly.
"If you try to do anything to me, Christopher will find you and he will end you!" I threatened.
He let out a long laugh and sighed.
"I heard...it's someone's birthday in a week!" he said cunningly.
"Please, don't kill me!" I begged profusely.
"Happy birthday to you. Happy birthday to you. Happy birthday, happy death day..... Happy death day to you!" he sanged as he walked round me in circles. I couldn't help but shudder in fear. I began to cry because at this point, it was the only thing I could do.
"Please, please, please don't kill me. If it's about the business deal, I'll make sure you get it. Christopher will step down. Mark my words!" I tried to reason with him.
"Oh no! I don't want the business deal anymore. For all I care, he can have it. I have something much more precious to him." he replied.
"I give up." I said with tears streaming down my eyes. It was like an ocean in form of raindrops let loose.
"Give up? Why so easily?" he asked with interest on his face.
"Because...it seems to me that you have already made up your mind and trying to plead or reason with you anymore would be utterly stupid!" I said with a straight face.
"Smart girl!" he remarked with a smile on his face.
"What are you going to do to me? Kill me?" I asked, this time my tears had dried up and I had accepted my fate.
Christopher wasn't coming. I have to be brave.
"Killing you would be too easy Alia. I don't want to kill you." he responded.
"Then what?" I asked further.
"You sure are inquisitive for an artist. I see why Christopher likes you." he voiced out with a mischievous smile.
"Don't you dare say his name!" I screeched at him.
"Okay, okay. Easy there now. Fiesty! I like it!" he mumbled out loud to me.
"If you're not going to kill me then what are you going to do to me? It's funny how you are wasting all of your time to torture me. Christopher's gonna be here anytime soon." I fired at him.
"Who said I was going to torture you?" he asked me with arched eyebrows.
"Then what!!!" I screamed at him.
He let out a small laugh and leaned in to me. The scent of his perfume was breathtaking.
"I am going to give you a scar that will last you a lifetime!" he hinted and let out one of his psychotic smile.
"A scar? Like the one underneath your eyes?" I asked as he pulled away back to his previous position.
"Even better!" he muttered confidently.
"Make-up can fix it!" I assured him.
"Who said it's going to be on your face?" he asked again.
"Do you always speak so unclearly? It must be hard working for you when you can't say exactly what you want!" I said to spite him.
"Do you know what's worse than death for a woman?" he asked again.
"Oh good, more questions!" I replied to him.
He let out a scoff and proceeded to say "When her dignity gets taken away from her!"
I stopped to think. Making him angry wasn't my goal anymore. His words kept ringing in my ears. I was confused. What did he mean by her dignity? He saw the confused expression on my face and smiled in satisfaction.
Oh no! He wouldn't dare, would he?
"What?" was all I could mutter.
"Oh good, more questions!" he repeated my words back at me in a proud manner like he had finally won.
"I'm sorry what?" I couldn't help but ask again. Maybe I'm the one with the bad thought.
"What are you thinking?" he asked.
"Are you...going to...ra..pe me?" I shuddered to ask as a tear drop down from my eyes.
"There's the smart girl I know!" he replied.
"Why?" I wanted to know.
"You see Alia, for a person like Christopher, hurting their loved ones is the best way to ruin them." he answered with an air of certainty.
I breathed in, it was more of a sharp breath "And you think he would just let you live?" I asked.
"Death...I don't fear it...I await it. Christopher should." he replied to me confidently.
I prayed in my heart that Christopher would come, that he would find me and save me.
"Christopher will find me. I promise you!" I affirmed with hope in my heart.
"Don't you get it? There is no saving you because he can never find you!" he said out loud.
"You bastard!!!!" I screamed as he laughed and walked towards me, he bent down close my face and whispered into my ear.
"You would look gorgeous in a red dress."
He proceeded towards the exit with me screaming and crying at him.
"See you in seven days, Princess Alia!" were his final words as he walked off.
I waited...and waited.
Christopher never came...
And I wore the red dress.
"To Liam and Aurora... for your story will always live on in my heart." Aurora watched in horror as her father attacked her mother and charged at her to kill her. She never thought that her life would change on the night of the tragedy. She never imagined that one fateful night would change everything. When she begged Liam Anderson, a mysterious and powerful figure, to save her, she never imagined that he would offer her a marriage proposal in return. She was torn between her desperate need for safety and her reluctance to marry a man she hardly knew. Little did she know that accepting Liam's proposal would lead her into a world of romance, danger, and suspense, one where they would both have to fight for their life.
"Is-Is that a ring I see? Stephen, are you…engaged to her?" I stuttered, my voice trembling. I couldn't believe what I was seeing. My mind was reeling, trying to process the reality of the situation. Alia's world is turned upside down when she discovers that her boyfriend of three years has been cheating on her. Filled with anger and hurt, she reluctantly attends a high society event, where she runs into Stephen again. They get into a bitter argument, and in a fit of pique, Alia claims that she has a new boyfriend - a man she doesn't even know. But this man, who turns out to be the dashing and enigmatic CEO of Xu Empires, Christopher Tao Xu, is more than happy to play along with Alia's charade. As Christopher and Alia continue their charade, they begin to develop real feelings for each other. But as they grow closer, Alia's ex-boyfriend, Stephen, becomes increasingly jealous and vengeful. He starts to plot against the blossoming relationship, putting Alia's safety in jeopardy. Will Alia and Christopher's love survive? Or will Stephen's scheming tear them apart?
“It all began in Casablanca, do you still remember?” the voice said. Stripped of everything he has and betrayed by his wife and bestfriend, a young, wealthy businessman sets out on a path of vengeance to get back what he's lost. Along the way, he discovers that the betrayal may have been part of a larger conspiracy, and he must decide whether to continue down his dark path or try to rebuild his life….but vengeance is a must!
“Get married to my son if you ever want your father to be released!” Mr. Carter uttered the very words that would end up turning my life around. I knew he wasn't joking. The look on his face was all the evidence I needed. I knew I had to do it because it was the only choice I have left, but... I'll not go down without a fight! "I, Althea Ruiz, swear on my life that I will never get married to Adam Wilson!" I said out loud, my voice echoing through the room. "We'll see about that!" Adam said through the phone. *With blood on the line and an arranged marriage as ransom, Althea has to make the most difficult choice of her life; abandon her boyfriend of six years and get married to a man that no one has seen for the last ten years. What could go wrong?
There was only one man in Raegan's heart, and it was Mitchel. In the second year of her marriage to him, she got pregnant. Raegan's joy knew no bounds. But before she could break the news to her husband, he served her divorce papers because he wanted to marry his first love. After an accident, Raegan lay in the pool of her own blood and called out to Mitchel for help. Unfortunately, he left with his first love in his arms. Raegan escaped death by the whiskers. Afterward, she decided to get her life back on track. Her name was everywhere years later. Mitchel became very uncomfortable. For some reason, he began to miss her. His heart ached when he saw her all smiles with another man. He crashed her wedding and fell to his knees while she was at the altar. With bloodshot eyes, he queried, "I thought you said your love for me is unbreakable? How come you are getting married to someone else? Come back to me!"
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."
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."
"It was just one night stand, and now I'm pregnant with triplets? Gosh!" Josephine Jade never thought that she would have to run away from her own family while pregnant. She was alone, without money, without connections, with three fetuses in her stomach. How can she survive? However, Josephine couldn't give up now, until she managed to reclaim her arbitrarily seized property and get back at everyone who tried to get rid of her. A sick child, a past crush that comes back, a mysterious eccentric man, and a family that hates her, will weave together the journey of Josephine Jade's new life. "You have no right to separate me from my children, you bastard! I will survive and you will submit to me. Just watch!"
Her fiance and her best friend worked together and set her up. She lost everything and died in the street. However, she was reborn. The moment she opened her eyes, her husband was trying to strangle her. Luckily, she survived that. She signed the divorce agreement without hesitation and was ready for her miserable life. To her surprise, her mother in this life left her a great deal of money. She turned the tables and avenged herself. Everything went well in her career and love when her ex-husband came to her.
Two years ago, Ricky found himself coerced into marrying Emma to protect the woman he cherished. From Ricky's perspective, Emma was despicable, resorting to underhanded schemes to ensure their marriage. He maintained a distant and cold attitude toward her, reserving his warmth for another. Yet, Emma remained wholeheartedly dedicated to Ricky for more than ten years. As she grew weary and considered relinquishing her efforts, Ricky was seized by a sudden fear. Only when Emma's life teetered on the edge, pregnant with Ricky's child, did he recognize-the love of his life had always been Emma.