Kaitlin fell in love with Alan at first sight, but failed to capture his heart even after three years of marriage. When her life was on the line, he was weeping at his beloved's grave. It was the last straw. "Let's get a divorce, Alan." Kaitlin thrived in her newfound freedom, gaining international acclaim as a designer. Her memory returned, and she reclaimed her rightful identity as the heiress to a jewelry empire, while embracing her new role as the mother to beautiful twin babies. Alan panicked as eager suitors flocked to her. "I screwed up. Please let me see our children!"
"Look at that face and body, tsk! Send her down to the red-light district, and she'll rake in a hundred grand a day, easy!"
Kaitlin Hewitt found herself restrained in a decrepit building, her forehead bleeding.
The men had been rough, her clothing torn and disheveled, revealing bruised shoulders and much of her chest-a testament to her futile resistance.
Two days prior, a mysterious call had pulled her into this nightmare. The caller claimed intimate knowledge of her biological parents and even mentioned specific details about her body that only she should know.
Lured to the city's fringes, she ended up in the clutches of these thugs.
"Let's not do anything hasty. I can pay you," Kaitlin asserted, her voice steady despite the blood trickling from her mouth's corner. "I'm Alan Hewitt's wife. Whatever ransom you're after, he can pay it."
"Alan Hewitt?!"
The revelation struck the men like a bolt, prompting bewildered looks among them. "Alan Hewitt is married? Never heard about it."
Alan was a powerhouse in Osewood, a man whose mere disapproval could send shockwaves through the city. If they indeed held his wife, Alan's wrath could obliterate them effortlessly.
Noticing the uncertainty on the men's expressions, Kaitlin steadied herself, and said, "I won't claim you kidnapped me. Just let me go, and I assure you, you'll receive your money safely!"
The group leader studied her, his eyes lingering on her expensive designer dress and striking features, appearing slightly influenced.
Clearly, her attire was costly, and she was attractive. Someone of Alan's stature taking her as his wife would certainly make sense.
After a brief, meaningful glance at his accomplices, he spoke in an icy tone. "Give me his phone number, and no tricks. If you try to deceive me, I'll sell you to a brothel around. You won't be able to walk away from the endless line of clients!"
Kaitlin, blood staining her mouth, weakly uttered a phone number.
The leader attempted the number, but the call was abruptly disconnected.
Frustrated, he shouted, "Damn it! Are you playing games with me? The call won't go through!"
His expression darkened, and he delivered a harsh kick to Kaitlin's lower back.
The blow drained the color from her face, her voice growing fainter. "He won't take a stranger's calls. Please... let me use my phone to call him."
"Typical rich people and their eccentricities!" the leader muttered. After a moment's hesitation, he handed her the phone, growling, "Tell him to send two hundred million! Or you'll be fucked until you break!"
Kaitlin's fingers quivered as she dialed, her heart racing.
Despite being married to Alan for three years, she felt the void of his affection.
Yet, he had always been generous with finances, which gave her a sliver of hope. Perhaps he would pay a ransom?
The phone seemed to ring endlessly, her knuckles paling as she clutched it tightly.
At last, a voice answered, but it wasn't Alan. It was a woman's. The caller was none other than the renowned designer Lilliana Willis, sister to Alan's beloved.
"Kaitlin? Alan and I are at Ashley's grave. What do you need?" Lilliana's voice carried through.
Tremors ran through Kaitlin's hand.
The irony wasn't lost on her. It was their third wedding anniversary, and she had been kidnapped. Two days had slipped by, and Alan was none the wiser, instead spending his time at the grave of his first love.
Pain surged in her chest.
Alan's reasons for marrying her were layered; his grandmother, Beth Hewitt, longed for great-grandchildren, and Kaitlin bore an unsettling resemblance to his deceased true love, Ashley Willis, who had perished in a landslide three years ago.
The realization that she was merely a stand-in twisted the knife deeper.
Yet, this was not the moment for heartache.
Kaitlin struggled to hold back her tears and the pain that was evident in her voice. "Miss Willis, it's urgent that I speak with Alan. Please, could you hand him the phone?"
Lilliana let out a light chuckle. "Oh, Kaitlin, you know how Alan is. Today marks the anniversary of Ashley's passing. He's really not in the mood to entertain your drama. Why don't you just tell me what's happening?"
Biting down on her frustration as she noticed the kidnappers' growing impatience, Kaitlin raised her voice and shouted into the phone, "I need to talk to Alan! Right now! I'm his wife, and you have no right to keep him from me!"
She dared not mention the kidnapping, fearing the kidnappers would panic and harm her.
Her assertive tone seemed to make an impact. She could hear footsteps in the background and then Alan's voice came through. "Who's that?"
Lilliana, feigning grievance, covered the receiver slightly and whispered, "It's Kaitlin. She's adamant about speaking with you. I mentioned we're visiting Ashley's grave, but she got quite upset and claimed her rights as your wife..."
Alan scoffed dismissively. "Wife? Does she even count as that? She's nothing but a stand-in. Just hang up. Speaking to her will only disrupt Ashley's tranquility."
With a chilling beep, the connection was severed, and Kaitlin felt her heart plummet.
Everyone was shocked to the bones when the news of Rupert Benton's engagement broke out. It was surprising because the lucky girl was said to be a plain Jane, who grew up in the countryside and had nothing to her name. One evening, she showed up at a banquet, stunning everyone present. "Wow, she's so beautiful!" All the men drooled, and the women got so jealous. What they didn't know was that this so-called country girl was actually an heiress to a billion-dollar empire. It wasn't long before her secrets came to light one after the other. The elites couldn't stop talking about her. "Holy smokes! So, her father is the richest man in the world?" "She's also that excellent, but mysterious designer who many people adore! Who would have guessed?" Nonetheless, people thought that Rupert didn't love her. But they were in for another surprise. Rupert released a statement, silencing all the naysayers. "I'm very much in love with my beautiful fiancee. We will be getting married soon." Two questions were on everyone's minds: "Why did she hide her identity? And why was Rupert in love with her all of a sudden?"
She was a world-renowned divine doctor, the CEO of a publicly traded company, the most formidable female mercenary, and a top-tier tech genius. Marissa, a titan with a plethora of secret identities, had hidden her true stature to marry a seemingly impoverished young man. However, on the eve of their wedding, her fiance, who was actually the lost heir to a wealthy dynasty, called off the engagement and subjected her to degradation and mockery. Upon the revelation of her concealed identities, her ex-fiance was left stunned and desperately pleaded for her forgiveness. Standing protectively before Marissa, an incredibly influential and fearsome magnate declared, "This is my wife. Who would dare try to claim her?"
The dream of everyone with regards to marriage is to be able to find that special someone and settle down with them. Even arranged marriages grant you an opportunity to meet your partner briefly before the wedding. How will you feel about waking up in the morning with someone sleeping next to you who is not just anyone but your legally married partner yet with no memory of how that had happened in just a few hours of going out the previous day? This is the story of Jason Haward and Julia Harrison, two strangers trapped in a marriage they never planned. The quest to find out why led to the unfolding of a mystery which made them realize they are both living a lie. To find out more, read this amazing story of love, betrayal, revenge and murder.
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!
In their three years of marriage, Chelsea had been a dutiful wife to Edmund. She used to think that her love and care would someday melt Edmund's cold heart, but she was wrong. Finally, she couldn't take the disappointment any longer and chose to end the marriage. Edmund had always thought that his wife was just boring and dull. So it was shocking when Chelsea suddenly threw divorce papers at his face in front of everyone at the Nelson Group's anniversary party. How humiliating! After that, everyone thought that the formerly-married couple would never see each other again, even Chelsea. Once again, she thought wrong. Sometime later, at an award ceremony, Chelsea went onstage to accept the award for best screenplay. Her ex-husband, Edmund, was the one presenting the award to her. As he handed her the trophy, he suddenly reached for her hand and pleaded humbly in front of the audience, "Chelsea, I'm sorry I didn't cherish you before. Could you please give me another chance?" Chelsea looked at him indifferently. "I'm sorry, Mr. Nelson. My only concern now is my business." Edmund's heart was shattered into a million pieces. "Chelsea, I really can't live without you." But his ex-wife just walked away. Wasn't it better for her to just concentrate on her career? Men would only distract her—especially her ex-husband.
For three years, Jessica endured a loveless marriage while her husband pretended to be impotent. His lies unraveled when a pregnant mistress surfaced. After six months of secretly collecting proof, Jessica threw him out and built her own billion-dollar empire. After the divorce, she transformed into an irresistible figure, attracting admirers. As she left her office one day, she met Kevan, her ex-husband's brother. He stepped in, confronting her. "Was I just a tool to you?" Jessica's lips curled into a calm smile. "How much compensation do you want?" Kevan's voice softened. "All I want is you."