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...
Tick-tock, tick-tock, ding-dong, it was exactly nine in the morning. Along with the crisp ding-dong sound, a bulletproof glass case made a faint popping noise and slowly opened.
A delicate hand casually reached in and picked up the ruby from the open display pedestal. She held it up to the light, letting it shimmer, and said softly, "Such a vibrant color, you can see the brilliance like fireworks, with the facets reflecting a kaleidoscope of colors. This is indeed something precious."
"Is this thing really worth forty million dollars?" came a dismissive voice from the exhibition hall entrance.
The girl standing by the display pedestal smiled slightly, not turning around. She tossed the ruby she was holding toward the source of the voice and slowly turned, saying, "This kind of ruby is extremely rare and precious. What do you think?"
The girl not far away caught the ruby in mid-air, raising her eyebrows as she looked at the ruby in her hand.
The girl standing in front of the pedestal was dressed in white pants and top, with a light yellow scarf of the same brand around her neck. She wore a calm smile, her bright eyes and teeth shining, her eyebrows bright as stars. That faint smile made people feel like a spring breeze but also carried a hint of disregard. Her whole demeanor exuded a sense of freedom, elegance, and nonchalance, making people forget her beauty at first glance and only notice her unique presence.
"This thing is really valuable, even sold for a hundred million. But unfortunately, with us around, it's only worth thirty million." The woman at the door glanced at the ruby and casually put it in her pocket.
The girl in white chuckled, shook her index finger, and said seriously, "No, no, with us, it should be worth nothing. It's only worth as much as someone is willing to pay for it."
The girl standing at the hall entrance laughed at this. They were master thieves, stealing whatever they wanted. Why would they need money? No matter how valuable an item was, it was worth nothing to them because they never paid for anything they stole.
The girl in white glanced at the many treasures in the exhibition hall, shrugged, and said, "Luckily, we have professional ethics, so you're safe this time."
She always adhered to the rule of not touching items that were not on the list. Though the owners of these treasures might not be good people, it didn't mean others deserved to have them more.
In New York's most famous exhibition hall, all the items displayed were antique masterpieces, precious items from around the world. Their total value could probably buy a small impoverished city.
Because of this, the most advanced technology was used, with visible and hidden surveillance everywhere. But they seemed to forget that relying too much on technology made it the most vulnerable point, easily breached by experts.
And the girl in white was clearly an expert in this field.
A minute might be too short for others, but for her, it was long enough to leisurely take whatever she wanted.
High-tech defenses often had primitive countermeasures; an uncut diamond easily scratched through the nano-material glass, making it effortless to get the priceless ruby.
"Echo, you've got ten seconds left." The stunning girl standing at the entrance of the large exhibition hall glanced at her watch and raised an eyebrow at Echo Black, who was leisurely admiring the exhibits.
"Skye, ten seconds is too much." The girl named Echo smiled nonchalantly and walked unhurriedly toward the door.
The two of them, one dressed in white and the other in red, strolled out the door as if they were just out for a casual walk.
Echo glanced back at the now silent exhibition hall and smiled brightly. With a casual wave, she tapped the touch-sensitive wall in the hall, and immediately, a sharp alarm sounded. Chaos erupted as footsteps and shouts echoed, with people rushing toward the exhibition area.
Skye Black raised an eyebrow but said nothing, seemingly accustomed to Echo's actions. With a swift chop, she knocked out a guard standing nearby.
Echo elegantly brushed her hair back and laughed, "The esteemed guests are about to leave, and no one's here to see us off. How rude."
In an instant, New York's largest, supposedly most secure exhibition hall, equipped with the finest security, sprang into action. It was the shift change time, and the entire building buzzed with activity. High-end security measures were activated, and all side doors, back doors, upstairs, and rooftop accesses were monitored and sealed. But no one noticed the two stunning girls casually slipping out through the main entrance amid the chaos.
"Such a letdown. They call this top-notch security? We got what we wanted so easily, it's no fun at all." Sitting in a red Ferrari convertible, Skye looked at the ruby in her hand with satisfaction.
Echo had one hand on the car door and the other on the steering wheel, the breeze lifting her hair. She looked spirited and laughed happily, "Is there anything in this world we can't get our hands on?"
They called it top-notch, but with her hacking skills and theft expertise, and Skype, the martial arts master, what could possibly stop them? They breached their top-tier security in under a minute; it felt like walking into an empty house.
Skye burst out laughing and said, "Exactly, exactly! With our combined skills, not even the White House could stop us!"
After a while, the laughter died down. Skye, now serious, looked at Echo and asked, "Since we're planning to retire from being master thieves, what do you plan to do next?"
Echo smiled faintly and said, "Whatever I feel like doing."
Seeing Echo's carefree attitude, Skye chuckled, shoved the ruby into Echo's hands, and said, "Don't think you can slack off. You're handling the delivery this last time. After that, the world is our oyster." She stretched lazily and patted Echo on the shoulder.
Echo slowed the car down, and before it even came to a complete stop, Skye had flipped out of the door. Her wavy hair and stunning appearance drew countless whistles.
Snapping her fingers, she called back to Echo without looking, "I'll be in touch."
Echo nodded, parked the car, and got out, saying, "Take care of yourself."
Skye waved her hand and quickened her pace, disappearing into the crowd.
Echo watched as her partner of so many years left, leaning against the car door with a slight smile. The future world was wide open for them.
The breeze blew her long hair, making the yellow scarf around her neck flutter. A gust of wind blew by, and Echo felt a coolness on her neck. Turning around, she saw the yellow scarf floating in the air.
Across the street, a black Cadillac sped by against the wind. The yellow scarf floated right into the open car window. As the cars passed each other, Echo caught a glimpse of a pair of cold eyes that glanced at her before moving on.
Echo shrugged. It was just a scarf, no big deal. She got back in her car, hit the gas, and her sleek car and the black Cadillac sped off in opposite directions.
******
A few days later, in Rome, Italy, inside an old-fashioned castle, two middle-aged men were sitting in a study. They looked distinguished.
One of them, a man in his forties, was playing with an order slip and smiled, "Echo and Skye have never disappointed me. They're real gems."
The other man, who was slightly younger, nodded and smiled, "We trained them ourselves. Being ranked fifth in the world has earned us quite a bit."
"It was worth raising them," the older man chuckled. Both men laughed together.
"Sir, sir..."
The man in his forties frowned and said sternly, "What is it? Don't you know we're having a conversation?"
The man outside the door said nervously, "It's a package from Echo."
The tone inside the room immediately changed to a gentle one, "Come in."
The man in his forties smiled broadly as he opened the package, took out the ruby, and examined it closely. He nodded and smiled, "Not bad, not bad. This is the first time I've seen such rare ruby. Echo and Skye haven't let us down."
The younger man looked at the ruby from the other side and smiled, "I'm growing more fond of Echo. She's truly our treasure. If we want to keep her permanently, shouldn't we..."
The older man laughed heartily, "I was thinking the same thing. She is getting better and better, her wings are growing stronger. She'll be free of her sixty-million-dollar contract in a couple of years. I don't want to lose our hold on her. When she comes back, we'll proceed with our plan."
Lewd laughter filled the old-fashioned study, suggesting nothing good.
After a while, the man in his forties noticed there was a letter in the package. He smiled, "What's Echo up to now? Sending letters... Hey, what the...?! Fuck!"
His face turned livid in an instant, and he slammed his fist on the table, shattering a crystal wine glass on the floor.
The other man saw his sudden change in expression and quickly grabbed the letter, asking, "What's going on?" as he read it.
The letter didn't contain any extra words, just a 120-billion-dollar promissory note and a single sentence, "120 billion dollars from a Swiss bank, Echo and Skye. Here's the payment, we're done with you."
The man's face turned extremely grim upon reading it.
"Well, Echo, you think you can just fly away now that your wings are strong? Hmph, it's not that easy. This isn't a place where you come and go as you please." He crumpled the check in his hand, turned around, and stormed out the door, shouting, "Someone, get in here...."
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."
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."
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.
"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."
I ran after I died. The moon goddess gave me another chance to live. Married to a ruthless Lycan that was rumored to be cursed by the moon goddess herself. But I was killed by his minion... behind the bars of her torment... A new story began and he battled with his demons, in a world where truth was far fetched. I was his pawn, his toy, his game...until I discovered one night, when I was soaked in blood that I regretted the day I met him. I'd given up the Lycan beast, to marry a monster. I fled from the Alpha of Bloodmoon Park, the gruesome Lycan that every person feared, to be with this man that seemed soft at first glance. It made me wonder, what if I had stayed? The gruesome Lycan might be fearsome but I never heard him pierce a woman's heart with his claw. In a world where wolves howled at the moon and the lines between man and beast are blurred, danger lurked through the shadows, after the day I married the beast that visited my bed every night. Caught in a web of betrayal and deceit, the man I had fallen in love with had become the monster I wished I could flee from. A deadly threat to my life especially when I realized he was getting married to my step sister, the same girl that made my life hell when I was an omega. I wished I could get my revenge, but how could I, when I was lying in a pool of my own blood, dead? Will the goddess grant me another chance?
For two years, Ashton had poured his heart into his marriage, yet Emalee's heart remained cold. Despite his dedication, Emalee presented him with divorce papers. She bluntly stated she could not remain married to a man whose net worth was less than a million dollars. Ashton signed the papers, closing one chapter of his life and stepping into a new beginning. Then, Ashton revealed his secret identities: a music mogul, a medical expert, and a martial arts master—each persona impressive enough to stun the world. As Ashton’s true capabilities came to light, Emalee was overwhelmed with deep regret.
For seven years, Claudia allowed herself to live under Eddie's shadow. She thought that devoting herself to him would eventually win his heart, but it turned out to be nothing more than wishful thinking on her part. When they finally cut ties, Claudia did not argue or ask for any compensation. Instead, she chose her peace and left without looking back. She never imagined that Eddie would suddenly appear on her wedding day, furious and wild-eyed. He glared at her groom and declared, "I was here first!"
June Rivera was divorced by her husband after three years of marriage to be with her sister who was pregnant for him. Kicked to the curb with a divorce and rejected by her parents, she struggles to make ends meet and get a job until she saves Luis Ambrose from an accident - the only child of Rafael Ambrose, a widowed man and the CEO of Ambrose Corps. When little Luis asks to have her as a nanny, and Rafeal's mother pressures him to get married, they draw a contract. To be Luis's Nanny and his fake wife for one year in exchange for 50 million dollars!
Isabella woke up in the morning and felt the ache in a place that never hurt before. She took a glimpse at her body, and Her thoughts went blank. Isabella's eyes discovered a guy who was laying near her, asleep, and her thoughts brought back to all the bizarre things that transpired last night. My boyfriend of 2 years abandoned me, I was intoxicated and went to my hotel room alone. Someone climbed on me. To say that he was gorgeous is an understatement. If an angel could marry a Satan, then I'm convinced he was their offspring. But it was not the goal! He came to me and kissed me. One thing led to another.. God! This man snatched my virginity. And it was hardly the worst. Guess what! He was my new boss Gabriel Remington. I was his new executive assistant. To top it, my former lover accused my boss that he raped me. What should I do? Trust my former lover who just dumped me? Or.. Trust my new boss who took my virginity?