He pinned her against the wall and growled, "You think you can just escape after bearing my child in secret?" Hanna was manipulated by her sister into marrying the hideous Kayce in her sister's place. But the alleged monster turned out to be the handsome and mysterious man she once rescued. He offered her billions if she agreed to divorce him after 100 days. It wasn't until she left that he realized he had fallen deeply in love with her. Parting ways had been simple enough, but getting her back was another thing. Thus began Kayce's journey to woo his ex-wife.
"Hanna, I've prepared a special birthday gift just for you. I really hope you love it."
As Brynn Murphy stood laughing boldly beside the bed, Hanna Murphy was unable to move at all.
She didn't know what substance Brynn had slipped into her drink. Though she was now awake, she could not move her lips or hands.
She lay still on the bed, as motionless as a fish on a cutting board.
Brynn turned off the lights as she left, plunging the room into complete darkness.
Time slipped by, though Hanna had no way of knowing how long it was.
Bang!
The door burst open, and a piercing cold swept through.
"Help me detox, and I will repay you."
A man's voice, affected by some drug, sounded deep and raspy, almost as if it came from another dimension.
With heavy steps, a tall figure staggered to the bedside.
At that moment, Hanna felt as if her breath had stopped.
"Save me."
In the darkness, Hanna could not see the man's face, only his eyes, which appeared profound yet icy, carrying an eerie and dignified presence.
Hanna was still trying to understand what was happening when she passed out.
The following morning.
A middle-aged woman in a formal suit approached a Bugatti parked by the roadside and tapped on the car door.
After being allowed in, she opened the door with care and entered, then reported respectfully, "Shadow Master, the girl who saved you last night is named Brynn Murphy."
"Are you sure?" the man, referred to as the Shadow Master by the woman, asked with a cold, deep voice.
"I'm completely sure of it. Miss Murphy has the ring you lost last night. I asked her myself, and she even confessed to having saved you."
In the dim light of the car, it was difficult to make out the man's face, yet his piercing, icy eyes radiated an eerie and dignified presence. "Send someone to propose to the Murphy family for me. I intend to marry her."
The usually calm and composed woman was visibly stunned by the man's abrupt decision. "Shadow Master, there are other ways to repay a debt. Moreover, last night, you weren't in your right mind. Your status is exceedingly high, and marriage is a serious matter that should be thought over..."
Under the man's serious look, she quickly stopped talking and reluctantly said, "Alright. I'll make the arrangements."
When Hanna woke up, it was already the afternoon of the following day.
She found herself not in the hotel but in a flowerbed beside the road, her clothes in disarray.
Upon inspecting herself, she discovered bruises all over her body, with each pore throbbing painfully.
Tears streamed down Hanna's cheeks.
She had never imagined losing her virginity on her twentieth birthday.
Upon reaching her home in the Serenity Villas by the sea, Hanna saw Brynn and Jessie Murphy on the living room sofa, drying their eyes as they talked.
Brynn, who had conspired against Hanna the day before, was her half-sister, sharing the same father.
And Jessie was Hanna's stepmother.
"Mom, look!"
"Hanna! You're finally here!" A moment ago, Jessie was filled with concern, yet now her face lit up with happiness.
"Where have you been? I've been calling you all day. Why didn't you answer?" Jessie asked.
Ignoring her, Hanna grabbed a vase from the windowsill and smashed it at Brynn's face.
But she missed.
The vase struck Brynn's chest with a heavy thud before crashing to the floor and breaking.
Despite her pain, Brynn clenched her teeth, her eyes brimming with anger. "You bitch, have you gone insane?"
"You're the one who's insane! You know very well what you've done. Today, I'll ruin that hypocritical face of yours and get my revenge!" The trauma and humiliation of losing her virginity had consumed Hanna. She seized a fruit knife and charged at Brynn.
She was done with all of this!
For fourteen years, she suffered abuse and endured a cruel life in this family. Brynn had always tormented her mercilessly. Today, she was determined to stand up for herself.
"Stop!" A thunderous voice filled the air.
Then, a stout middle-aged man rushed to Hanna's side.
Driven by a fierce need to protect Brynn, he grabbed Hanna by the hair and threw her to the floor.
He used all his might and Hanna hit the floor hard, her nose bleeding.
For a moment, Hanna couldn't get up, realizing the one who hit her was her own father, Cristian Murphy.
"Hanna, look at yourself! As the elder sister, how can you stoop to fighting with Brynn like a thug? Brynn merely played a prank on you naughtily. You're making too much of it."
Cristian glared at Hanna, whose face was smeared with blood, his eyes full of disgust.
"Merely... played a prank?"
Even though Hanna was in excruciating pain at this moment, she sarcastically laughed.
"If our roles were reversed and I had played a trick on Brynn as she did to me last night, you wouldn't call it a prank. You'd have punished me severely, wouldn't you?"
"You..." Cristian, feeling the sting of guilt, was at a loss for words.
In that moment, Brynn kicked Hanna fiercely in the back.
With her hands still pressed against the floor, Hanna was knocked down once more, coughing up blood and feeling as though her back had been torn apart.
However, she pressed her lips together tightly, determined not to let a single tear fall.
Cristian was Hanna's biological father.
When Hanna was just a little girl, Cristian had treated her kindly.
Fourteen years earlier, after Jessie drove Hanna's biological mother to madness and moved into this house with her and Cristian's illegitimate daughter Brynn, Cristian's demeanor changed drastically.
He adored Jessie and Brynn, treating them like precious jewels, while Hanna was subjected to routine domestic abuse.
From that moment on, Cristian was dead to Hanna.
She resolved never to cry in front of him again.
"You pissed me off. You're my daughter too. Why must you be so troublesome?" Cristian was visibly angry.
Jessie positioned herself in front of Cristian.
"Cristian, it's clear Hanna has been rebellious for a while now. Please, calm down. Don't hit her again. If you end up killing her, who will marry into the Collins family in Brynn's place?"
As if a bucket of cold water had been poured over her, Hanna shivered deeply.
"Hanna, this morning, representatives from the Collins family came to propose. They specifically asked for Brynn to marry into their family. Your father and I did our best to persuade them to consider you instead of Brynn."
Jessie gazed down at Hanna with a smug grin.
"As you know, the Collins family is the most distinguished in Zreles. This marriage is an excellent opportunity. You will marry Kayce Collins in six days."
It finally clicked for Hanna.
Jessie wanted her out of the picture. In the past, Jessie wouldn't bother to call her, even if she vanished for a month...
But today, after waking up in the flowerbed, Hanna discovered over a dozen missed calls from Jessie on her phone.
Clearly, Jessie's recent interest was solely to have her step in for Brynn in the upcoming marriage!
Huh!
Everyone in Zreles knew that Kayce Collins was severely ill and could die at any moment.
It was more accurate to say that Jessie and Cristian were exploiting her to curry favor with the Collins family.
"Ms. Crawford, it’s time for you to divorce Mr. Larsen and come home. You're the only heiress the Master's waiting for.” ~•~ For the sake of love, Amara accepted the arranged marriage with Tobias William Larsen. She did everything to gain her husband’s heart but when his old love returned, she realized that all her effort was all for naught. Tobias demanded a divorce on the night of their wedding anniversary, even at the price of threatening her. Heartbroken, she finally dropped all her illusions about him and returned home to be the heiress. The next time she met Tobias, they were no longer couples but opponents. "Mr. Larsen, should I remind you again? We've divorced." "Amara, that's the stupidest mistake I've ever made. Please come back to me."
To outsiders, Aileen was the adopted daughter of the Jefferson family, dismissed and scorned by all. Yet, in the underground racing world, she thrived as the dark rose, savoring the thrill and speed of night races. But her life took a new turn when Derek returned home, leading to a passionate night that diverted Aileen from the Jefferson family's path. Derek, the ruthless heir to the Jefferson legacy, tactfully steered the family's ambitions. Despite his control, he found himself captivated by Aileen-his adopted sister, business partner, and an exceptional racer-drawn to her enigmatic allure.
"The entire wealthy circle in Seattle knew how much Stella Carlson loved Aaron Malone. People watched the childhood sweethearts grow from inexperience to maturity, finally getting married in a grand wedding ceremony. On the day of the wedding, despite the alliance between the Carlson and Malone families, the groom ran away. Stella knew that Aaron had rushed to L.A. to take care of his ex-girlfriend, who had attempted suicide. Unwilling to become the laughingstock of all Seattle, she gritted her teeth and dialed the number of her adversary, her tone almost commanding, "Ethan, come and marry me now. This is your only chance for revenge." On the other end, Ethan Powers raised an eyebrow as he gripped his phone, staring at the floor littered with cigarette butts. "Did the groom run away?" he asked. "My darling."
Maria took her sister’s place and was engaged to Anthony, a disabled man who had lost his status as the family heir. At first, they were just a nominal couple. However, things changed when things about Maria were gradually exposed. It turned out she was a professional hacker, a mysterious composer, and the sole successor to an international jade sculpting master… The more that was revealed about her, the less Anthony could rest easy. A famous singer, an award-winning actor, an heir of a rich family—so many excellent men were chasing after his fiancee, Maria. What should Anthony do?
After a passionate night, Verena left some money and wanted to leave, but was held by her companion. "Isn't it your turn to make me happy?" Verena, always disguising herself as ugly, slept with her fiance's uncle, Darren, in order to escape her engagement with her unfaithful fiance. Darren had respect and admiration. Word of his romantic escapades circulated, some saying they saw him kissing a lady against a wall and others calling it gossip. Who could ever tame Darren's heart? Then, shockingly, Darren was caught bending down to help Verena with her shoes, all to score a kiss from her!
"Never let anyone treat you like shit!" I learned that the hard way. For three years, I lived with my in-laws. They didn't treat me as their son-in-law but as a slave. I put up with everything because of my wife, Yolanda Lambert. She was the light of my life. Unfortunately, my whole world came crashing down the day I caught my wife cheating on me. I have never been so heartbroken. To have my revenge, I revealed my true identity. I was none other than Liam Hoffman—the heir of a family with trillions of dollars in assets! The Lamberts were utterly shocked after the big reveal. They realized what fools they had been for treating me like trash. My wife even knelt down and begged for my forgiveness. What do you think I did? Did I take her back or made her suffer? Find out!