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Sophia had grown up with tales and legends about the day she would meet the man who would change her life, the one she could call her soul mate. Raised in a wealthy and influential family, she believed in the power of love, the one that had united her parents in a strong and passionate marriage. But when fate confronted her with **Gabriel Blackwell**, the heir to a colossal industrial empire, reality took a very different turn. Gabriel, destined to lead **Blackwell Enterprises**, rejected her without a moment's hesitation. He saw Sophia as a young woman too quiet, without ambition, an insignificant figure incapable of understanding the sacrifices necessary to survive in his ruthless world. **Why would he be interested in a woman he deemed so far removed from his standards?** But what Gabriel didn't know was that Sophia was hiding a secret that could upend everything he thought he knew about her. Beneath her simple exterior lay an heiress to a long-forgotten fortune, a financial powerhouse to rival the Blackwells themselves. Sophia possessed a **unique talent**, a strategic mind inherited from generations of visionaries. Was she destined to overthrow the Blackwell empire or transform it alongside Gabriel? After Gabriel's betrayal, Sophia remained in the shadows of her family's powerful economic network. She carved out a discreet niche for herself by focusing on charities and investing in causes the Blackwells despised. **Was this her way of protecting herself or plotting revenge?** Fate, however, had not forgotten her. When she meets **Alexander Ford**, an enigmatic billionaire who leads the **Ford Innovations** empire, everything changes. Alexander, known for his mysterious past and connections in the most exclusive circles, seeks a woman who can understand his outsized ambitions and relentless quest for power. But can she trust him? Is **Alexander an ally in her quest for justice against Gabriel, or a man with his own hidden motives?** Gabriel, meanwhile, begins to realize that his decision to reject Sophia may be the biggest mistake of his life. He wages a silent war to win her back, using any means possible to regain her trust. But is **Gabriel sincere or is he simply acting to preserve his empire from the threats that Alexander poses?** Sophia finds herself at the center of a complex triangle of power, desire, and manipulation. **Should she follow her heart or use her mind to navigate a world where loyalty is an empty word? Can she truly find a love that isn't tainted by hidden agendas?**
Sophia stood in the shadows of the vast reception hall, her gaze lost in the tumult of guests weaving between tables, laughter and murmurs. The warm, subdued light fell on silk dresses and dark suits, creating a hushed and elegant atmosphere. She was not one of them, or at least, she was not yet. Beside her, her parents chatted with familiar faces, influential members of high society, those they believed would shape Sophia's future. Those who would see in her the heiress to an empire, the perfect woman to bind their worlds of business and power together.
Her heart beat faster with every moment. Not because of the anticipation of an important meeting, but because she knew what was coming. Her parents had long had the idea that she would meet a powerful man tonight, a man who would mark the beginning of her own ascension. Gabriel Blackwell, the heir to the industrial colossus Blackwell Enterprises. Everything was calculated: the reception, the alliances, the perfectly orchestrated conversations. Sophia was just a prop in her parents' grand game of ambition. A puppet they hoped would shine in this stifling world of pretense and well-kept secrets.
The Blackwells were no different. They were used to these parties, men and women in search of power, their eyes meeting without ever touching. And Gabriel... Gabriel Blackwell was the alpha, the one who, fresh out of the economic war, dragged behind him the weight of an empire whose roots sank deep into the most solid strata of the country. He was handsome, cold and icy, a man who seemed as inaccessible as the walls of his ancestors' castle.
Finally, the moment she had been dreading arrived. Her parents gently pushed her toward the center of the room where Gabriel was conversing with a group of investors. She felt an icy shiver run down her spine as she approached the man, his gaze determined, but his heart light, almost carefree. She didn't know why it seemed to her that this moment would have a weight that would mark her future. Perhaps this feeling that she was not ready for the life her parents had reserved for her.
Gabriel turned to her as she introduced herself. His face was impassive, as if the evening was a mere formality in a succession of events he controlled with an iron fist. He greeted her with a nod, without warmth or emotion. "Sophia Blackwell, I presume?" he said, his voice calm but devoid of genuine interest.
"No. Sophia. By Ravel." The correction was instinctive. She didn't like the fact that her name was systematically reduced to another. But he didn't mention it. He barely raised his eyebrows, as if to show his disinterest. He took a glass of champagne from one of the passing waiters and handed it to Sophia without really looking at her. She took the glass, aware that this was all just a game, a diversion for him. And for her, a carefully staged meeting, a moment when she had to live up to expectations.
Her parents smiled, watching the scene with tacit pleasure. They knew that this meeting was crucial for the future of their family. They had prepared her, had forged her for this kind of moment. But she... Sophia felt like a stranger in this world of pretense. She was not like those other women who presented themselves as objects of desire, trophies to be exhibited at parties. No, she was something else, but what? She herself had no idea.
"So, Mademoiselle de Ravel, how is your entry into the business world going?" Gabriel asked with a slight smirk. He seemed to be mocking her, as if her question was just a formality. But he probably didn't expect a real answer.
She felt the acidity of the question seep into her. "Well, let's just say I'm still learning," she replied, false confidence in her voice. "But I'm determined to learn."
He stared at her for a moment, his icy eyes searching her face. "Determination alone isn't enough, you know. You have to be willing to make sacrifices. To understand what's really at stake." He held up a hand to interrupt a question she hadn't asked yet. "Business, miss, isn't about talent or ambition. It's about survival."
She felt her heart tighten, a dull anger stirring inside her. How dare he judge her ability to understand the stakes of a world he embodied? But she didn't answer. Not yet. Not in front of him. Not in this world of high walls and fake smiles. She just smiled. A tight smile, but it had no effect on him.
Gabriel turned away from her as he went back to chatting with his business partners, ignoring her almost instantly. She stood there alone, like a shadow in the shadows, her body frozen in a stillness that felt more like humiliation than simple indifference. The glass of champagne in her hand seemed to grow heavier by the second.
Was that it? Was that the man she had been promised? The man who would change her life, the one who would make her an influential woman, an instrument in a world where she had no place?
She turned away, looking for a door, a way to escape from this room that seemed to be becoming stifling. She found a small balcony, there, apart, under a sky of icy blackness. She let herself fall into an armchair, the glass of champagne forgotten in her hand, her gaze lost in the darkness of the night.
The noise of the party seemed to fade into the distance, as if the reception belonged to another world. Sophia felt alone, more alone than ever. In this golden world, there were only moving parts, alliances formed and deformed according to interests, desires and needs. What she had just experienced with Gabriel... It was a door he had just closed, a door he had not even let her pass through.
She sighed, extinguishing the anger that still burned in her veins. She had no intention of letting a meaningless encounter dictated by power games and appearances define her future. She was barely getting up, but she already knew that, either way, she would be the one deciding her own path.
Under the gaze of a fallen mafia, Elvie, a young woman with a troubled past and victim of a brutal ex, seeks to rebuild her life. Working as an assistant in the villa of the Corleone, an influential crime family, she tries to avoid conflict with the three Corleone brothers, all as dangerous as each other. But everything changes when Adriano, the eldest brother and heir, breaks his arranged engagement to embrace the war between enemy families and must quickly remarry. Cold and calculating, he sees Elvie as a simple piece in his game. For her, he is just another nightmare to flee. But as they interact, appearances crumble and unexpected bonds are forged. As her ex resurfaces, Elvie will have to choose between her new life, her secrets and the growing violence that threatens everything she has rebuilt.
Alice's life has been devastated by the betrayal of those she believed to be her allies. Five years ago, her fiancé, in the grip of a professional failure, convinced her to sacrifice her dreams to help him get back on his feet. But her best friend, hungry for glory and power, made a decision that would change their friendship forever, by secretly becoming a surrogate mother. When Alice's fiancé, now at the top of his career, left her, claiming that she no longer met his expectations, Alice, broken, accepted the proposal of the mysterious billionaire, Gabriel Hartman. Known for his coldness and indifference, Gabriel seemed to offer Alice an escape. What she didn't know was that he was the one who had orchestrated her best friend's request for maternity... But what if everything she thought she knew was just a decoy? What if, deep down, the price of her redemption is much higher than she imagined? Can the truth really mend broken hearts, or will secrets destroy everything in their path?
Zoe's dreams of marriage are shattered when she catches her fiance in a compromising situation with his best friend. Devastated, she seeks to recover what she has lost. That's when an enigmatic man, a warm billionaire named Maxime Delacroix, offers her an unexpected solution: a loveless marriage, a contractual alliance with the aim of destroying his ex's career. Although reluctant, Zoe accepts, ready to do anything to get revenge. But as their relationship grows, Zoe realizes that the stakes are more complex than she imagined. Between revenge and a budding passion for this distant man, she finds herself torn between her desire for justice and her budding feelings. How far will she be willing to go to get revenge without losing everything in the process?
Lily thought she had a simple life, surrounded by her adoptive parents in a small town. But everything changed the day she learned that her real parents were industrial tycoons and that she had a twin brother, heir to a family empire. Welcomed into a world of luxury, she found herself facing a reality very different from the one she knew. Her brother, a cold and ambitious man, had always hated her. "You're just an intruder, Lily," he told her. But another secret resurfaced: a mysterious businessman claimed that Lily was the rightful heir to a huge hidden fortune. "It's time you knew the truth," he told her. Between betrayals and revelations, Lily must choose between wealth and family loyalty.
Lara Sanders and Ethan Cole had been together for five years, but Lara had never been his priority. Ethan, obsessed with his work, did not see the soul of the woman he had married. Lara had tried to rekindle the flame, but in vain. She had had enough. One day, she left everything: the house, the promises, and Ethan. Years later, Lara reappears. She has become a successful entrepreneur, an icon of the business world, and no one recognizes her anymore as the fragile young woman she once was. Far from the shy and discreet Lara, she is now a queen of industry, admired and respected. At a public event, a journalist asks her: "Lara, you are the most influential businesswoman of the moment. What is the key to your success?" Lara, with a mysterious smile, answers: "Never let a man define you. Take charge of your life. » The next day, to everyone's surprise, Ethan appears at Lara's door. The man she thought had been forgotten, who had let her go without a glance, returns with a surprising proposition: "Lara, I made a mistake. Can we start all over again... Together?"
Luca Moretti, an influential businessman, is forced to marry Amélie Lefevre, a woman he considers a simple family obligation. Already in love with another, he vows to make Amélie's life hell so that she will ask for a divorce. However, he does not know that Amélie is hiding a secret that could change his life forever. Behind her calm facade, Amélie is much more determined and intelligent than he thinks. What will happen when Luca finds himself caught in his own game? Will he succeed in breaking their union or will he succumb to the hidden truth?
Natalie used to think she could melt Connor’s icy heart, but she was sorely mistaken. When at last she decided to leave, she discovered that she was pregnant. Even so, she chose to quietly leave his world, prompting Connor to mobilize all of his resources and expand his business to a global scale—all in a bid to find her. But there was no trace of Natalie. Connor slowly spiraled into madness, turning the city upside down and leaving chaos in his wake. Natalie finally surfaced years later, with wealth and power of her own, only to find herself entangled with Connor once again.
"I, Riccardo Saviano, future Alpha of the Grey Shadow Moon Pack, reject you, Artemisia Guerrieri, Daughter of Alpha Franco of the Blood Moon Pack, as my mate and future Luna." One single sentence. One stupid single sentence was all it took to disintegrate my life. And the day of my birthday, on which this sentence was audaciously uttered to me, I lost the love of my life, my future mate, and my wolf, all at once. As I'm still assembling the pieces of my shattered heart years later, there they come. Like lightning out of a crystal blue sky. My Mates. But wait... If I am mated to triplets, how come I'm about to be mated to 5 gorgeous men? *** TW: explicit and foul language; spicy content; explicit sex scenes ***
Rumors claimed that Fernanda, newly back with her family, was nothing more than a violent country bumpkin. Fernanda just flashed a casual, dismissive grin in response. Another rumor suggested that the usually rational Cristian had lost all sense, madly in love with Fernanda. This frustrated her. She could tolerate gossip about herself, but slander against her beloved crossed the line! Gradually, as Fernanda's multiple identities as a celebrated designer, a savvy gamer, an acclaimed painter, and a successful business magnate came to light, everyone realized they were the ones who had been fooled.
As a simple assistant, messaging the CEO in the dead of night to request shares of adult films was a bold move. Bethany, unsurprisingly, didn't receive any films. However, the CEO responded that, while he had no films to share, he could offer a live demonstration. After a night filled with passion, Bethany was certain she'd lose her job. But instead, her boss proposed, "Marry me. Please consider it." "Mr. Bates, you're kidding me, right?"
For three years, Shane and Yvonne were wed, sharing heated nights, while his devotion clung to his ex. Yvonne strove to be a dutiful wife, yet their marriage felt hollow, built on desire rather than real warmth. All changed when she became pregnant, only for Shane to thrust her onto the operating table, warning, “Either you or the baby survives!” Broken by his cruelty, she vanished in grief and later returned, radiantly accomplished, leaving everyone awestruck. Haunted by remorse, Shane begged for another chance, but Yvonne only smiled and replied, “I’m sorry, men no longer interest me.”
"You're my wife in name only, on paper only. My heart and love will never be yours." Edward made it clear to Daisy that she was nothing to him. They were both victims of family greed -- the marriage was arranged for them. Six years passed. She remained quiet, gaining a reputation in the army as a tough-as-nails colonel. When she walked into his life again, Edward fell in love with this woman, unlike any he had known. She surprised and delighted him. But will Daisy take him back? Can their son keep them together? Can the rift between them be healed? Pick this one up and find out!