/0/68781/coverbig.jpg?v=65d19d6cc8fd19ff0990ac7a6a74b941)
Alessia Ford, an ambitious young woman disillusioned by her family's betrayals, leaves everything to rebuild her life far from her past. She lands a job in the financial empire of Nathan Drake, a billionaire with an icy charm and a fearsome reputation. Alessia, with her sharp mind and natural audacity, intrigues Nathan from their first meeting. But why does this man, used to dominating the business world, seem troubled by a simple employee? While he proposes an arranged marriage for mysterious reasons, Alessia accepts, driven by the need to protect herself from her own family demons. However, as soon as she settles into the luxurious Drake villa, she realizes that Nathan hides much more than a simple financial interest behind this contract. What is he trying to escape or protect? Why do menacing glances fall on her at every gala? Between corporate secrets, all-consuming jealousies and a budding love, Alessia will have to discover the truth before the stakes of this contract become completely beyond her control.
The pouring rain hammered against the coach windows, a monotonous cadence that seemed to underline the tumult in Alessia 's mind. She stared at the landscape passing by behind the fog formed on the window, a mixture of gray and green under a threatening sky. She had left her hometown in the early morning, leaving behind her familiar streets and now foreign faces. His decision, although carefully considered, carried the bitter taste of bitterness and betrayal.
The argument with his family a few hours before still resonated in his head, each word, each accusation, like a blade that sank a little deeper.
"You are selfish, Alessia , totally ungrateful! » his mother had shouted, her face red with anger.
"Maybe, but at least I won't spend my life trying to meet your impossible expectations anymore," she retorted, her voice trembling with suppressed rage.
His father, sitting in his worn leather chair, said nothing. As always. Her silence, this weapon so subtle and yet so brutal, weighed heavier than all of her mother's invectives. It was this silence that had widened the gap between them over the years, a chasm that no words could bridge.
When she slammed the door of the family home, her heart beat wildly, not from fear, but from a strange exaltation mixed with anguish. She had just burned the bridges, and yet, a wind of freedom was already blowing in her mind. She was no longer Alessia Ford, the docile girl always ready to bend. She was becoming something else, someone else.
His arrival in the city took place in torrential rain, like a chaotic baptism into this new chapter of his life. She had taken refuge in a small cafe to look through the documents for her interview scheduled for the next day. Nathan Drake's financial empire. Just the name commanded a certain respect. Nathan Drake, the icy charming tycoon, whose reputation as a business shark made even the most daring people shiver. She had never seen a single photo of him in the media; he was as discreet as he was influential. This mystery intrigued him as much as it intimidated him.
She had landed this interview thanks to her impeccable record, but also, she knew, thanks to a mixture of luck and nerve. There were many applications for a position at this company, and rumors had it that Nathan Drake chose the finalists himself. Why had he withheld her name? A question that would remain unanswered, at least for the moment.
The next day, dressed in her carefully pressed gray suit, Alessia entered the lobby of the Drake Building. Everything about this place exuded wealth and power. The immaculate marble columns, the sparkling chandeliers, the employees in perfectly tailored suits... She suddenly felt very small, like an intruder in a world that was not hers.
At reception, a coldly beautiful woman guided her to an elevator, barely giving her a glance. Alessia felt her sweaty hands against her briefcase, but she raised her head, determined not to show any weakness.
The elevator doors opened on the 37th floor, and she was immediately greeted by an assistant who asked her to wait in a meeting room. The minutes passed, each second making the already tense atmosphere a little heavier. Then the door opened, and he entered.
Nathan Drake.
He was not at all what she had imagined. She had expected an older man, perhaps slightly paunchy, with the kind of smugness that those with too much power often display. But Nathan Drake was the complete opposite. Tall, slender, dressed in a perfectly fitted black suit, he gave off an almost oppressive aura. His gray eyes pierced like a blade, cold and calculating, but gleaming with formidable intelligence. His face, although severe, had a beauty that could have belonged to an ancient sculpture.
He sat down opposite her without a word, opening a file which he looked over quickly. The silence that followed was almost unbearable, but Alessia refused to look away.
"Miss Ford," he said finally, his deep voice echoing through the room like the whisper of a storm.
She nodded slightly, unable to say a word.
"Your record is impressive," he continued, finally raising his eyes to meet hers. "But this raises a question. Why you? Why here? »
His tone was neutral, almost disinterested, but there was a hint of challenge in his gaze.
Alessia took a deep breath, trying to control the frantic beating of her heart.
"Because I can," she replied, her voice surprisingly firm despite the tension.
A fleeting smile appeared on Nathan's lips, a smile that didn't reach his eyes.
"Able, you say? » he whispered, leaning forward slightly.
The conversation continued, each word a subtle duel, each question a test that Alessia was trying to pass. But there was something else, something she couldn't name. An electric tension, a current that seemed to flow between them, invisible but undeniable.
At one point, Nathan suddenly stood up, walking around the table to approach her.
"Do you know what it means to work for me, Miss Ford? he asked, his tone low and almost intimidating.
Alessia sat up instinctively, refusing to buckle under the pressure.
"That means I'll have to be better than everyone else," she replied, her gaze boring into his.
He stared at her for what seemed like an eternity, then nodded slowly.
"You start Monday. Don't be late. »
And just as abruptly as he had entered, he left the room, leaving her alone with her thoughts.
As he exited the building, Alessia felt a strange mix of triumph and apprehension. She had gotten the job, but at what cost? Nathan Drake was no ordinary man, and working under him would be anything but an ordinary experience.
The rain had stopped, but the sky remained heavy with dark clouds, an omen of what awaited. And yet, despite everything, she couldn't help but feel a certain excitement. A new start, a new challenge. The jungle was waiting for her, and she was ready to fight.
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?
Madisyn was stunned to discover that she was not her parents' biological child. Due to the real daughter's scheming, she was kicked out and became a laughingstock. Thought to be born to peasants, Madisyn was shocked to find that her real father was the richest man in the city, and her brothers were renowned figures in their respective fields. They showered her with love, only to learn that Madisyn had a thriving business of her own. "Stop pestering me!" said her ex-boyfriend. "My heart only belongs to Jenna." "How dare you think that my woman has feelings for you?" claimed a mysterious bigwig.
When Corynn mustered up the courage to tell Elliot about her pregnancy, she unexpectedly found him gallantly helping another woman from his car. Her heart sank as three years of effort to secure his love crumbled before her eyes, compelling her to leave him behind. Three years later, life had taken Corynn down a new path with someone else, while Elliot was left grappling with regret. Seizing a moment of vulnerability, he pleaded, "Corynn, let's get married." Shaking her head with a faint smile, Corynn gently replied, "Sorry, I'm already engaged."
Yelena discovered that she wasn't her parents' biological child. After seeing through their ploy to trade her as a pawn in a business deal, she was sent away to her barren birthplace. There, she stumbled upon her true origins—a lineage of historic opulence. Her real family showered her with love and adoration. In the face of her so-called sister's envy, Yelena conquered every adversity and took her revenge, all while showcasing her talents. She soon caught the attention of the city's most eligible bachelor. He cornered Yelena and pinned her against the wall. “It's time to reveal your true identity, darling.”
Betrayed by her mate and sister on the eve of her wedding, Makenna was handed to the ruthless Lycan Princes as a lover, her indifferent father ignoring her plight. Determined to escape and seek revenge, she captured the interest of the three Lycan princes, who desired her exclusively amid many admirers. This complicated her plans, trapping her and making her a rival to the future Lycan queen. Entwined in jealousy and vindictiveness, could Makenna achieve her vengeance in the intricate dance with the three princes?
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 whispers said that out of bitter jealousy, Hadley shoved Eric's beloved down the stairs, robbing the unborn child of life. To avenge, Eric forced Hadley abroad and completely cut her off. Years later, she reemerged, and they felt like strangers. When they met again, she was the nightclub's star, with men ready to pay fortunes just to glimpse her elusive performance. Unable to contain himself, Eric blocked her path, asking, "Is this truly how you earn a living now? Why not come back to me?" Hadley's lips curved faintly. "If you’re eager to see me, you’d better join the queue, darling."