Helen felt that she was a despicable woman. Her best friend kindly sheltered her, but she developed a crush on her friend's husband. Before committing a major mistake, she wanted to leave the estate but found various reasons hindering her departure. First, she inexplicably fainted and fell asleep. Then, she lost her job. She woke up in a strange room. Worst of all, she couldn't remember when she had slept with her friend's husband. She gradually discovered the mysteries within the estate. Her best friend and her husband's relationship was not as loving as it seemed, and that extraordinarily handsome man seemed inhuman. As strange events unfolded, she finally realized that she had stirred up a monster that she shouldn't have. At first, Richard only found this woman too enticing, she was just his prey. His prey, of course, couldn't be stolen by others. He saved her from danger time and time again. However, slowly, he couldn't bear to devour this prey that he finally had in his grasp.
"Helen, I want to eat the fried chicken, fries, and toast you made," Lydia Clark kicked off her high heels as soon as she entered, took off the sparkling diamond earrings from her ears, and flopped herself lazily on the sofa, not wanting to move.
Her black spaghetti strap dress tightly embraced her ample and rounded bosom. She was beautiful, charming, and cute, bringing out a sense of tenderness.
Her snow-white skin became even more alluring against the backdrop of the black dress.
Helen Lewis closed her laptop and walked over to pull up the raised hem of Lydia's dress. "Don't be like this even if nobody is here."
Lydia narrowed her eyes and smiled, "Helen, you are so old-fashioned and conservative, no wonder your man ran off with another woman."
Before she finished, the air became tense. Lydia knew she had said the wrong thing, but she was used to speaking her mind without reservation and didn't feel like apologizing.
Helen, on the other hand, mockingly remarked, "You're right, I am indeed too old-fashioned and conservative."
She was not angry either, and went to the kitchen to put on an apron, took out ingredients from the refrigerator, and quietly started cooking.
Lydia licked her red lips, sat up, and picked an apple from the table.
She walked barefoot to the kitchen, watching Helen busily working, and asked, "How's the job search going?"
Helen paused and shook her head. It was not going well. At 28, in today's age where youth is emphasized in all industries, coupled with the economic downturn, it was difficult to find a job. Should she not be looking for a job at 28 and start a business instead?
But she didn't have the capital to start a business.
Her boyfriend of eight years took her money to start a business, failed repeatedly, and finally took the remaining funds and ran away. Before leaving, he blamed Helen for being an extremely boring and unlucky woman, and claimed that she was the reason he couldn't make a fortune.
Helen was at a loss, unable to afford the rent, and was evicted by the landlord. She was walking on the street with her suitcase when she met Lydia.
Without hesitation, Lydia brought her back home.
Helen knew she had married a rich man, but she had no idea she had married well. The car drove into a luxurious estate, and in the distance, a magnificent European-style castle could be seen. The well-maintained pines and the rose garden surrounding the castle were adorned with a huge fountain, and the winding roads were lined with red roses.
This was the English Rose, the estate exuding a subtle sense of English elegance.
Helen couldn't help feeling inferior. Although they were college classmates, some people were born much better than her. She had thought of leaving after having coffee, but Lydia insisted on her staying, saying it wouldn't be too late to leave once she found a job.
Helen had nowhere else to go, so she stayed on despite her reluctance.
To salvage her remaining dignity, she took on the role of a housemaid voluntarily. She helped with the housekeeping, cooking, and laundry.
It's strange, such a large estate, but there aren't many servants. She only saw the butler, the chauffeur, and a few gardeners in the entire castle. Lydia said her husband doesn't like too many people around, so they only have cleaners come in on a schedule, but not many household staff.
Helen felt strange, especially the way the butler looked at her, always making her feel uncomfortable. He was a stern old man, with a long face, triangular eyes, and surprisingly gray-blue eyeballs. When he looked at you, even the most composed person couldn't help but feel nervous, fearing that they might do something wrong and be harshly reprimanded by him.
But she had never seen the butler lose his temper; he was always polite, courteous, and reliable. When Lydia said she wanted to stay on, he didn't ask many questions, just quietly arranged her accommodation.
Lydia said, "Just treat him like a robot. Give him tasks, and he'll do them well for you."
But Helen didn't dare, being just a temporary visitor, she wouldn't dare to boss her friend's butler.
After a few days of nervousness, seeing that the people here didn't look at her with strange eyes, Helen felt a little relieved.
The estate is very large, with reportedly hundreds of rooms. Helen couldn't understand how someone in City A could have such a large private estate.
Lydia told her that the Brown Family's ancestors went to Europe during World War II and married into the British nobility. After several generations of development, the family grew large. This is just one of their small holdings in America; even her husband holds the title of duke.
Lydia seemed proud as she said this. She was beautiful and had always skipped class to go on dates during her school days, meeting various rich second-generation men. Compared to Helen, who was plain-looking and only focused on studying, Lydia's life was undoubtedly more colorful.
People in the school used to look down on Lydia and gossip about her behind her back. Only Helen didn't get involved in these things; this was also why Lydia was willing to be friends with her.
In Lydia's words, Helen's heart was pure and clear, and she was worth befriending.
Thinking of this, Helen felt guilty. When she first saw this large estate, she felt a twinge of jealousy. Although very brief, she had indeed been jealous. She had thought maliciously that this woman's good looks were the only reason she had such a good life. But she quickly snapped out of it and laughed at her madness. What was the point of being jealous of someone else's fortune?
After living there for a while, Helen just wanted to find a job quickly and move out. Lydia once said that she wanted her husband to help arrange a position for Helen, but she refused. Her friend was different now, and if she kept clinging to her, she would inevitably be suspected of being opportunistic. She had a little bit of self-respect left and didn't want to be mocked and pushed around.
Seeing this, Lydia didn't force her and continued to live her own lively life every night.
Her husband was often away on business. And even after being here for nearly a month, Helen hadn't seen her friend's husband, and there wasn't even a single photo of him in the house. But Lydia seemed unconcerned, spending her days shopping and attending various parties and events.
She often came back drunk, pestering Helen to make her hangover soup.
Today Lydia came back early, and there was no smell of alcohol on her. She was nibbling on an apple and said, "Helen, if it's not working out, you can go to my husband's company. He happens to be back today, I'll talk to him, it's just a matter of a few words."
Helen lifted the lid, and her eyes were steamed by the hot vapor. After much deliberation, she realized that she couldn't survive on pride alone. She tugged at the corner of her lips and said, "Okay, I'll just brazen it out and accept it."
She couldn't stay here any longer. She needed a job first before leaving this place.
Lydia was overjoyed and rushed over to hug her, cooing, "You finally agreed! Don't worry, I will make sure my husband gives you a job with good pay and little work."
Helen made a few small dishes and a soup. When she came out, a man sitting at the table wearing a white shirt.
He had a mixed-race face, and handsome features, even more handsome than the world's number one male model according to Time magazine. The sleeves of his white shirt were rolled up to his elbows, and two of the buttons at the chest were unbuttoned, revealing attractive collarbones. He was lightly scrolling on a tablet, and when he heard a noise, he lifted his eyes. His deep blue eyes were unfathomable as he gazed at Helen.
Seeing Helen, he had a cold expression, seeming slightly displeased. Helen was scared by the silence and coldness emanating from him, and she stood frozen with the soup in hand, not daring to move for a while.
Lydia came down from upstairs, smiling as she rushed over and encircled the man from behind, saying, "Darling, why didn't you give me a call when you came back?"
Lydia changed into a pink nightgown, wearing it to combine the playful of a girl with the sensuality of a mature woman.
Richard Brown showed a hint of tenderness in response to her intimacy, but to Helen, this man was still keeping her at a distance. If it weren't for his handsome face, Helen wouldn't dare to take more glances at him.
Helen brought the soup to the table, and Richard glanced at her before looking at Lydia.
Lydia quickly introduced, "Darling, this is my college classmate who is currently looking for a house. Since our home is spacious, I thought she could temporarily stay here and keep me company. You wouldn't mind, would you?"
It was clearly a hint of coquetry, but Helen felt that something was not right. She looked at Richard who looked back, and her heart pounded uncontrollably. It was unclear whether it was because of his good looks or his unfathomable scrutiny.
Richard nodded and said, "As long as you're happy." His expression was indifferent, disregarding Helen as he lowered his head to continue scrolling on his tablet.
Lydia wanted to pull Helen to sit down and have a meal together, and Helen wanted to refuse, but she couldn't resist Lydia's coquetry.
Assuming the role of a good wife, Lydia actively served Richard rice and soup, "Darling, try it. This soup is made by Helen, it's delicious."
Upon hearing this, Richard put down his tablet and glanced at the bowl of soup in front of him, paused, then took a shallow sip with a spoon, and then stopped consuming it.
Lydia eagerly offered to pick up the vegetables for him again, "Don't you like it?"
Richard remained indifferent, took a few bites of the vegetables and lost interest. He stood up and rubbed Lydia's head, "I'm going to take a shower, you guys enjoy your meal."
His manner was polite yet distant, and his gaze was cold and distant.
Helen couldn't taste the food, and worriedly asked Lydia, "Is your husband upset about seeing me?"
Lydia chuckled, "How could it be, that's just his temperament. You'll get used to it."
Feeling uneasy, Helen returned to her room to continue sending out resumes. However, many of them seemed to have gone unanswered. She thought it would be better to visit the job market tomorrow.
Lillian had stayed by Conrad's side for three years, betting everything she had, only to end up losing it all. He mocked her, saying she had no sense of reality-who was she, a kept woman, to think she could be his wife? However, the night before his engagement, she vanished without a trace. No one could have predicted that the all-powerful Conrad would go completely off the deep end. He tore the world apart looking for her, swearing he'd find her if it took him to the ends of the earth. When they met again, she was someone else's fiancée. He used every trick he knew, pulled every string he could, and forced her back to him, trapping her in marriage. "Mr. Conrad, if you keep chasing me like this, I'll lose all respect for you." He replied, "I fell into hell because of you. Why should you get off so easily? In this life, we're together till death." He wanted her, even if it meant until death took them both. All he asked for was to hold her captive in his heart forever-even if it meant paying the highest price, he'd never let her go.
"You are the noble and stunning second female lead, married to the CEO of a multinational corporation. But you couldn't help but fall for the childhood sweetheart male lead, plotting against the innocent female lead. In the end, the male lead and female lead live happily ever after, while you are abandoned by your husband and family, dying miserably." After traveled into the angsty romance novel she was reading and became the same-named supporting character, Sarah didn't want to follow the original plot. She stayed away from the male and female leads and moved back to her husband's place, establishing her role as a married woman. She only knew that the multinational CEO Holden was a steady and mature business tycoon, with a stern and noble demeanor, ruthless and unscrupulous in his actions. Their marriage was purely a business arrangement, and he gave her a black card to spend freely, as long as she didn't bother him. To Sarah, Holden was her "sugar daddy", more important than anything, and she was terrified he might overwork himself to death one day. Ronald, the male lead, realized that the once-adoring Sarah no longer paid him any attention, he called to confess his feelings, but she refused to answer. Then one day, Holden pressed Sarah down on his lap, his voice low and husky, "If you keep loving Ronald, I'll make sure his entire family goes bankrupt."
She was one of the most renowned thieves in the world. She was the true racing queen of the black market. She was a woman like the wind, coming and going freely, living life to the fullest. He was the mafia king, the richest man in the country. He was ruthless and cold-blooded. Their fates got tangled up over a red ruby. Mutants in the forest, underground pyramids, deep-sea whirlpools... he brought her into his world. Aerial battles, sea battles, ground battles... she went through life and death with him, never leaving each other. Was it love, hate, or hurt? Everything was shrouded in mystery...
Sylvia was the adopted daughter of the Clark family. In her childhood, the Clark family would make her take various drugs that caused continuous pain. When she turned eighteen, the Clark family forced her to marry an elderly man. She resisted with all her might but failed to escape. Shortly after, the Clark family sent her to Ash Island--a slum. Sylvia vowed to take revenge on the Clark family Hiram was the CEO of the First Consortium, the richest and most influential man in the country. Hiram took Sylvia back to his home, and she pretended to be insane to bide her time. Because of his tragic childhood, Hiram indulged Sylvia. Their story of mutual redemption and plans for revenge gradually unfolded from there. "Sylvia is just an abandoned girl with mental issues, and she looks so poor." Then they saw Sylvia signing over dozens of mansion deeds, signing so much she started to nod off. "Sylvia has no backing at all. I don't know why she's so arrogant." Hiram, "As my wife, having me as her backing is more than enough. She doesn't need any other."
Claire knew from the start that Ethan was heartless. This marriage was a transaction where each got what they needed. It didn't matter that he didn't love her or that he allowed her to suffer abuse from his family. But cheating on her was crossing the line. After three years, she changed her approach and transformed into a fiery woman just to obtain a divorce agreement proposed by him. Once the dust settled, Ethan finally realized the true value of his unnoticed wife. She was the heir to the Black family. She was the mysterious poison expert and miracle doctor in the medical world. After careful consideration, Ethan said, "If you want to remarry me, I can consider giving you a chance." Claire, "??? Thanks, but no thanks."
A conspiracy by her best friend led to Shirley losing her first time to a strange man. The once-sweet relationship was ruthlessly destroyed by her boyfriend. "Since you are carrying my child, let's get married. It just happens that I don't love you, and you don't love me either," Mr. Billionaire said heartlessly. He threw a contract on the table, saying, "We are just contract spouses." They got secretly married. None of their colleagues knew that Shirley was the wife of their CEO, and they envied why Mr. Billionaire treated this little assistant so specially. Just as Shirley was about to relax, she unexpectedly found out that the man who signed the contract completely ignored her resistance and declared to the whole world that she belonged to him. "What are you trying to do?" "My dear wife, I love you! Let's have another child."
I am the most talented doctor, the genius artist, the most famous jeweler designer, and I am going to be the richest one, making Conor, the king of a super powerful family, lose his crown… Conor was hunt down me for six years because I raped him. No, because he raped me. It didn't matter anyway. Since be selling by my father, I was gonna be Conor's fake wife. The noble people thought I would be a disgrace to their family since I was the mentally handicapped. What fuck! When I was going to be gotten rid of as rubbish, a baby boy showed up and called me mom. Conor gaped at baby boy since the baby boy just looked like child version of him. Conor sheathed in my body, moaning, “Don’t hide from me. Tell me everything, sweetheart.” I blinked, grinning, “Our baby girl also misses her daddy.” Conor, "…"
For the sake of their company, Atasha Rae was forced to marry the known heartless billionaire, Lorcan Amadeus. But it only took her a week as his wife because later on, he suddenly wants a divorce immediately. So as he wished, she signed the divorce paper even after admitting to herself that she was somehow starting to fall inlove with him. Heart badly wounded, she ran away from his life. Until she discovers that she's pregnant with his child and as a result, she ends up with no choice but to keep it a secret. Out of Lorcan's awareness, she's keeping a secret that would lead him to an overflowing regret. Because for a week of their fallen marriage beyond repair, she's carrying the billionaire's heir.
Due to her father's untimely death, Elara Harrington, 24, was named CEO of Harrington Industries. She had no idea that the business was experiencing financial problems, which led to Ashford Industries, her rival, acquiring Harrington Industries. Sebastian Ashford, the CEO of Ashford Industries a 26-year-old playboy billionaire, is a self-centered, wicked person who believes that everything revolves around him. He is left to clean up Harrington Industries' mess and baggage after his company acquired the corporation. Elara used to be the CEO of her own company, but now she is a secretary to the most selfish and egotistical billionaire. Elara eventually starts to see the true him as they become closer and barriers fall away. Will she be able to get past the billionaire's secret once his dark secret is revealed, or will the damage be too great to undo? *18+ *Includes mature content, slightly graphic scenes, and cursing*
Eliza's life was destroyed by them: her boyfriend and her best friend. Five years ago, her boyfriend's career was at its lowest point and Eliza sacrificed everything to support him. However, her best friend fooled Eliza to be a surrogate mother. When her boyfriend led a successful career, he dumped Eliza because she had lost her virginity and had babies. It was just an excuse for the affair between the shameless couple. Losing all interest in life, she agreed to marry Mr. Valentine, a disfigured billionaire who likes to torture women in bed. It was said that his two exes died horribly in bed. Eliza didn't know that Mr. Valentine was the man she used to carry babies for. In this way, she got a handsome husband and a pair of adorable twins... """
Rejected by her mate, who had been her long-time crush, Jasmine felt utterly humiliated. Seeking solace, she headed to a party to drown her sorrows. But things took a turn for the worse when her friends issued a cruel dare: kiss a stranger or beg her mate for forgiveness. With no other choice, Jasmine approached a stranger and kissed him, thinking that would be the end of it. However, the stranger unexpectedly wrapped his arms around her waist and whispered in her ear, "You're mine!" He growled, his words sending shivers down her spine. And then, he offered her a solution that would change everything...
"Sign the divorce papers and get out!" Leanna got married to pay a debt, but she was betrayed by her husband and shunned by her in-laws. Seeing that her efforts were in vain, she agreed to divorce and claimed her half of the properties. With her purse plump from the settlement, Leanna enjoyed her newfound freedom. The constant harassment from her ex's mistress never fazed her. She took back her identities as top hacker, champion racer, medical professor, and renowned jewelry designer. Then someone discovered her secret. Matthew smiled. "Will you have me as your next husband?"