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Lyana Solhart, a young woman from a cruel and manipulative family, is forced to marry a man she despises: a ruthless and domineering billionaire, Draven Blackthorn. Having grown up in a hostile environment where she was always underestimated and humiliated, Lyana has learned to hide her true strength and survive in the shadows. Draven, a man known for his immeasurable wealth, his icy charisma and his ruthless methods, agrees to this marriage for an obscure reason, but one thing is clear: he considers her insignificant. However, behind his cold and calculated exterior, he hides deep wounds and a dangerous secret. As Lyana is thrown into a world of dizzying luxury, family rivalries and power plays, she begins to discover that Draven is not the man he claims to be. Why did he really choose her, a woman everyone despises? What role does this mysterious contract play that he seems willing to do anything to protect? Gradually, the tension between them turns into a fierce attraction, but the shadows of Draven's past and the intrigues surrounding their marriage catch up with them. When Lyana uncovers a plot to destroy them both, she must decide: run away and protect her heart or stay and risk her life for a man who could be as much her salvation as her downfall. But is Draven really trustworthy? What truths does he hide behind his icy gaze and crooked smiles? Can Lyana survive in a world where every smile hides a dagger, and every ally could be a traitor?
The fading light of a winter afternoon streamed in through the large windows of the Solhart mansion, casting long shadows on the Persian rugs. Lyana stood straight in the main living room, her hands clenched on the armrests of the chair. Across from her, her mother, elegant but ruthless, observed her with a mixture of impatience and triumph. His father, stoic as always, absentmindedly adjusted his cufflinks. They had just dropped the news like a bomb, shattering the illusion of precarious peace in his already unstable daily life.
"You will marry Draven Blackthorn in two weeks. »
The silence that followed was almost deafening. Lyana felt her heart tighten, her mind desperately trying to grasp the meaning of those words.
" Pardon ? » she finally whispered, her voice trembling slightly despite her efforts to sound calm.
Her mother placed a glass of champagne on a coffee table and stood up, her heels clicking on the marbled floor. "Don't act ignorant, Lyana . This marriage is the best thing that could happen to our family. You should thank us. »
"Thank me? Do you want me to thank those who use me as a bargaining chip? » Lyana 's gaze darkened, her tone becoming sharp. "Why Draven Blackthorn ?" Why me? »
His father, until then silent, intervened with his deep and authoritative voice. " Draven is a powerful man, far more powerful than you or even this family. Their support is crucial to get us out of this financial impasse. You should be honored that he chose you. »
A joyless laugh escaped Lyana . "Chosen? Do you really think a man like him *chose* me? He only saw me as a pawn, a practical solution. Just like you. »
Her mother's face hardened, but she maintained a posture of icy superiority. "It's not about your feelings or what you think. This marriage is recorded. You are a Solhart , and your loyalty to this family comes first. »
Lyana felt a burning anger rise within her, but she refrained from responding, knowing that any resistance would be useless at the moment. However, deep inside her, a promise was born: she would not let herself be crushed so easily.
---
The next day, Lyana was taken to a large hotel in the city to meet Draven Blackthorn in person. She had heard of him: an enigmatic billionaire, renowned for his business genius, but also for his complete lack of scruples. As she got into the elevator that led to the luxurious suite where he was waiting for her, she couldn't help but feel a slight apprehension mixed with anger.
When she entered the room, the first thing that struck Lyana was the coldness emanating from the man sitting by the window. Tall, impeccably dressed in a tailored black suit, Draven seemed to be the epitome of elegance and power. His dark eyes turned towards her, scrutinizing her with an intensity that made Lyana shiver despite herself.
"Miss Solhart . » His voice was low, controlled, but with a hint of sarcasm that did not escape him. "Sit down. »
She hesitated for a moment before sitting down in the armchair opposite him, trying to maintain an air of indifference despite the tumult that was rumbling within her.
Draven stared at her for a moment in silence, as if weighing each word before speaking. "You know why you're here, I suppose." »
Lyana raised an eyebrow, crossing her arms. "Because my family sold their daughter to you to settle their debts? »
A slight smile appeared on Draven 's lips, but he failed to soften his icy expression. " Sold ? No. I would rather say that it is a mutually beneficial exchange. You gain my protection and a life of comfort. And me... I earn what I need. »
She felt her anger rising. "And what exactly do you get?" A compliant wife? »
Draven leaned forward slightly, his eyes darkening further. "Don't confuse this marriage with romance, Miss Solhart . This is an agreement. You will play the role I assign to you, nothing more. »
Lyana 's heart sank, but she refused to show any weakness. "What if I refuse? »
A tense silence ensued. Draven finally stood up, a cold smile on his lips. "You will not refuse. Because you know, just like me, that your parents won't give you a choice. And because, unlike them, I don't have the habit of failing. »
These words sounded like a threat, although no direct aggression came through in his tone. Lyana understood that she was facing a man used to getting what he wanted, no matter the cost.
---
Later that evening, Lyana was going through the marriage contract in her room. The pages were filled with complex legal terms, but one detail caught his eye: a mysterious clause mentioning a particular condition.
She frowned, rereading the cryptic lines. The clause stipulated that in the event of premature breakdown of the marriage, a colossal sum would be paid to an organization whose name was unknown to him. Why such a clause? And why would an outside organization be involved in their union?
She felt a cold sweat running down her neck. Something was wrong with all this.
A quiet knock on her door pulled her from her thoughts. She sat up, surprised, and opened it to find a maid holding a tray with an envelope on it.
"This is from Mr. Blackthorn , miss. He insisted that you read it before the night was over. »
Lyana took the envelope, a strange feeling knotting her stomach. When she opened it, she found a handwritten note, in elegant and firm handwriting:
"Don't try to understand yet. Everything will be explained to you in due time. In the meantime, respect your role and do what is expected of you. We both have a lot to lose. - Draven Blackthorn . »
She clutched the paper between her fingers, her eyes glistening with frustration. Did this man really think she would meekly comply with his demands?
No. If Draven Blackthorn wanted to play this game, she was ready. But she would play by her own rules.
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?
The day Raina gave birth should have been the happiest of her life. Instead, it became her worst nightmare. Moments after delivering their twins, Alexander shattered her heart-divorcing her and forcing her to sign away custody of their son, Liam. With nothing but betrayal and heartbreak to her name, Raina disappeared, raising their daughter, Ava, on her own.Years later, fate comes knocking when Liam falls gravely ill. Desperate to save his son, Alexander is forced to seek out the one person he once cast aside. Alexander finds himself face to face with the woman he underestimated, pleading for a second chance-not just for himself, but for their son. But Raina is no longer the same broken woman who once loved him.No longer the woman he left behind. She has carved out a new life-one built on strength, wealth, and a long-buried legacy she expected to uncover.Raina has spent years learning to live without him.The question is... Will she risk reopening old wounds to save the son she never got to love? or has Alexander lost her forever?
"I heard you're going to marry Marcelo. Is this perhaps your revenge against me? It's very laughable, Renee. That man can barely function." Her foster family, her cheating ex, everyone thought Renee was going to live in pure hell after getting married to a disabled and cruel man. She didn't know if anything good would ever come out of it after all, she had always thought it would be hard for anyone to love her but this cruel man with dark secrets is never going to grant her a divorce because she makes him forget how to breathe.
Lindsey's fiancé was the devil's first son. Not only did he lie to her but he also slept with her stepmother, conspired to take away her family fortune, and then set her up to have sex with a total stranger. To get her lick back, Lindsey decided to find a man to disrupt her engagement party and humiliate the cheating bastard. Never did she imagine that she would bump into a strikingly handsome stranger who was all that she was currently looking for. At the engagement party, he boldly declared that she was his woman. Lindsey thought he was just a broke man who wanted to leech off her. But once they began their fake relationship, she realized that good luck kept coming her way. She thought they would part ways after the engagement party, but this man kept to her side. "We gotta stick together, Lindsey. Remember, I'm now your fiancé. " "Domenic, you're with me because of my money, aren't you?" Lindsey asked, narrowing her eyes at him. Domenic was taken aback by that accusation. How could he, the heir of the Walsh family and CEO of Vitality Group, be with her for money? He controlled more than half of the city's economy. Money wasn't a problem for him! The two got closer and closer. One day, Lindsey finally realized that Domenic was actually the stranger she had slept with months ago. Would this realization change things between them? For the better or worse?
My boyfriend called, "Baby!" as he jumped out of bed and scrambled to pull his pants off the ground. "Please, I can explain my love." Shutting my eyes, I inhaled deeply and tried not to cry when I realized that my dream of the man not being my boyfriend had been dashed. "What?" I asked, "What do you want to explain?" How did you lie about having a business meeting while you were in bed enjoying yourself with my best friend, even though I told you I was in serious pain, is that it?" I stood there, my heart pounding, and tears streaming down my face...
Due to the plight of her family, Phoebe had no choice but to embark on the path of selling herself. In an accident, she had a tangled night with Alexander. Everything began to derail, and even if she fled to the ends of the earth, she would still be found by him and entangled... *** Phoebe screamed in frustration, "What do you want from me?" What was this supposed to be? He raised an eyebrow wickedly. "What do I want? You'll find out soon enough." With that, he hoisted her up and carried her back into the office. The door slammed shut with a kick, and he cleared the desk with a sweep of his arm before laying her down on it, his body pinning hers in place, completely trapping her in his grasp. Every cell in his body was telling him he wanted her. He wanted to claim her again. This time, there would be no escape for her-he wouldn't let her slip away. Never again. If he had suffered for five years, then this woman wouldn't get off easily either!
For ten years, Daniela showered her ex-husband with unwavering devotion, only to discover she was just his biggest joke. Feeling humiliated yet determined, she finally divorced him. Three months later, Daniela returned in grand style. She was now the hidden CEO of a leading brand, a sought-after designer, and a wealthy mining mogul—her success unveiled at her triumphant comeback. Her ex-husband’s entire family rushed over, desperate to beg for forgiveness and plead for another chance. Yet Daniela, now cherished by the famed Mr. Phillips, regarded them with icy disdain. "I’m out of your league."