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The Art of Ruining Him Married for revenge. Falling for the devil. Elara Lim had it all-until the Wu empire reduced her world to ashes. Her father was framed, her family's name destroyed, and the people she trusted turned into traitors. Now, she's back. Cunning, calculated, and ready to burn the Wus from the inside. Step one: marry Zayden Wu, the arrogant, irresistible heir to their empire and make him her greatest pawn. But Zayden is far from predictable. He's colder than she imagined... and far more tempting than she's prepared for. Every move he makes feels like a game, and she's not sure who's really playing who anymore. Worse, as her revenge tightens around the Wus, betrayal brews closer than she ever anticipated-from an ally who was supposed to help her rise. Torn between vengeance and the growing storm in her heart, Elara must navigate power, secrets, and seduction in a world where trust is a weapon. She was brought to her knees once. This time, she's ready to take everyone down with her. But when love threatens to blur her path, and betrayal cuts deeper than before... Will she still have the strength to ruin him or will she end up destroying herself instead?
CHAPTER ONE
You know that feeling when the whole room is watching, but no one says a word?
Yeah. That.
Zayden's hand had just left mine. He went off to speak with some investor from Dubai or somewhere just as posh, and I was left standing there in the centre of the ballroom, heels sinking slightly into the plush carpet, smile still plastered on my face like some pretty little doll.
Then I heard her voice.
"Wah, Elara. You really can act, ah?"
I turned. Clarisse. Red dress, slit so high it was practically illegal, standing there like she owned the night. She was holding a champagne flute like it was her best friend and cocking her head like she'd been waiting to ruin someone.
Unfortunately, that someone was me.
"Clarisse," I said, trying to keep my tone flat. "You look... dramatic."
She grinned. "Only way to look, babe."
Then she stepped closer. Too close. I could see the wicked glint in her eye before she even opened her mouth again. And when she did? Wah. She didn't just talk. She performed.
"Everybody ah! I've got a story to tell," she said loudly, raising her glass.
Heads turned. Conversations died. The string quartet didn't even miss a beat, but every ear in the room leaned in.
"Let me tell you all about true love." She placed a hand on her chest like she was about to sing national anthem. "It's when a man marries you not because he loves you, but because he needs you."
My stomach dropped.
She smirked. "Right, Elara?"
The whispers began immediately. I could feel them crawl up my spine.
"She's bluffing," I said through gritted teeth.
Clarisse didn't flinch. "Oh? Then maybe you want to explain to all your atas friends here why Zayden's lawyers were at your house two weeks before the wedding with a merger contract?"
I blinked.
She did not just say that out loud.
The crowd shifted. I could see someone in the back already pulling out their phone. Great. Tomorrow, I'd be all over TattleSG. "Heiress Elara Lim: Bought, Sealed, Delivered."
Clarisse leaned in. "You married him to save your father's failing company. Don't play saint here, lah."
I wanted to scream. To slap her. To vanish. But most of all, I wanted Zayden to be beside me-to shut her up like only he could.
"Clarisse, shut up."
She tilted her head, eyes fake-wide. "Why? Truth hurts, issit?"
"Why are you doing this?" I hissed. "What do you want?"
"Recognition," she said smoothly. "Because while you were busy playing Mrs CEO, I was the one he used to call at 2 a.m. You think you're special? Girl, please."
The room gasped. I swear I heard someone whisper "Aiyo, scandalous!"
My hands were shaking. My vision blurred at the edges.
I felt stripped.
This was supposed to be my night. Our night. The gala Zayden and I hosted to show we were the perfect match. High society's golden couple.
Now? I felt like gold spray paint on plastic.
Just then, I heard the familiar click of polished shoes behind me. My heart leapt-Zayden.
"Clarisse," his voice cut through the tension like glass. "You've said enough."
She turned, ever so slowly. "Oh look, the groom arrives. Should I curtsy?"
He ignored her. His eyes met mine, unreadable. "You okay?" he asked me, quietly.
Was I?
No.
I was humiliated. My marriage-our business-was now gossip for an entire room of elites.
But I nodded.
Then Clarisse laughed. "Wah, so touching. But Zayden, don't act lah. She's your deal, your strategy. Not your love. Or have you forgotten what you told me the night before your wedding?"
My breath caught. The crowd held theirs too.
Zayden didn't respond.
Clarisse turned to me, eyes gleaming with one last blow. "He told me... even if he married you, I'd always be the one he wanted in his bed."
The silence was deafening.
I felt like the ground beneath my feet just opened and swallowed me whole.
I stepped back. I could feel the burn of humiliation on my skin. I turned to leave, because what else was left?
But then her voice rang out, one final knife. "Walk out, Elara, and you walk away from everything. The title, the deals, the life. Let's see how long your pride feeds you."
I froze.
My fists clenched. My pulse was roaring in my ears.
Slowly, I turned back.
And with the calmest voice I could muster, I said, "Better to starve on truth than feast on your filth."
Then I walked.
Not because I was weak.
But because if I stayed a second longer, I was going to show them all what real scandal looked like.
"You're a creepy bastard." His eyes smolder me and his answering grin is nothing short of beautiful. Deadly. "Yet you hunger for me. Tell me, this appetite of yours, does it always tend toward 'creepy bastards'?" **** Widower and ex-boss to the Mafia, Zefiro Della Rocca, has an unhealthy fixation on the woman nextdoor. It began as a coincidence, growing into mere curiosity, and soon, it was an itch he couldn't ignore, like a quick fix of crack for an addict. He didn't know her name, but he knew every inch of her skin, how it flushed when she climaxed, her favourite novel and that every night she contemplated suicide. He didn't want to care, despising his rapt fascination of the woman. She was in love with her abusive husband. She was married, bound by a contract to the Bratva's hitman. She was off-limits. But when Zefiro wanted something, it was with an intensity that bordered on madness. He obsessed, possessed, owned. There'd be bloodshed if he touched her, but the sight of blood always did fascinate him. * When Susanna flees from her husband, she stumbles right into the arms of her devilishly handsome neighbour with a brooding glare. He couldn't stand her, but she needed him, if she was ever going to escape her husband who now wanted her dead. Better the devil you know than the angel you don't. She should have recalled that before hopping into Zefiro's car and letting him whisk her away to Italy. Maybe then, she wouldn't have started an affair with him. He was the only man who touched her right, and the crazy man took no small pains in ensuring he would be the last.
"Love is blind!" Lucinda abandoned her beautiful and comfortable life because of a man. She married him and slaved off for him for three long years. One day, the scales finally fell off her eyes. She realized that all her efforts were in vain. Her husband, Nathaniel still treated her like shit. All he cared about was his lover. "Enough is enough! I quit wasting my years with an ungrateful man!" Lucinda's heart was shattered into many pieces, but she summoned up the courage to ask for a divorce. The news caused a stir online! A filthy rich young woman recently got divorced? She was a good catch! Countless CEOs and handsome young men immediately swarmed to her like bees to honey! Nathaniel couldn't take it anymore. He held a press conference and begged with teary eyes, "I love you, Lucinda. I can't live without you. Please come back to me." Would Lucinda give him a second chance? Read to find out!
Charlee was left at the altar and became a laughingstock. She tried to keep her head high, but ultimately lost it when she received a sex tape of her fiance and her half-sister. Devastated, she ended up spending a wild night with a hot stranger. It was supposed to be one-time thing, but he kept popping up, helping her with projects and revenge, all while flirting with her constantly. Charlee soon realized that it was nice having him around, until her ex suddenly appeared at her door, begging for another chance. Her tycoon lover asked, “Who will you choose? Think carefully before you answer.”
"You were about to cum in me." I said and sat up. That's when I felt a stinging pain across my ear as my hand caressed my face, then the realization hit me- he had slapped me, Lee had just slapped me. #Sex. Lies. Money. Power. *** Jessie, after finding out her fiance had married another woman, decides to have a one-night stand with his uncle, only to find herself married to him. But despite being married to his uncle, she was still attracted to him, so she started secretly seeing him. Well, the uncle wasn't willing to give her up now, not after he vowed to always be by her side; now she had two men fighting for her. And the woman her ex-fiance married wasn't just going to give up on him. Will Jessie realize old flames can never be and live a peaceful life with her new billionaire husband, or will Jade succeed in winning her back?
There was only one man in Raegan's heart, and it was Mitchel. In the second year of her marriage to him, she got pregnant. Raegan's joy knew no bounds. But before she could break the news to her husband, he served her divorce papers because he wanted to marry his first love. After an accident, Raegan lay in the pool of her own blood and called out to Mitchel for help. Unfortunately, he left with his first love in his arms. Raegan escaped death by the whiskers. Afterward, she decided to get her life back on track. Her name was everywhere years later. Mitchel became very uncomfortable. For some reason, he began to miss her. His heart ached when he saw her all smiles with another man. He crashed her wedding and fell to his knees while she was at the altar. With bloodshot eyes, he queried, "I thought you said your love for me is unbreakable? How come you are getting married to someone else? Come back to me!"
Life was a bed of roses for Debra, the daughter of Alpha. That was until she had a one-night stand with Caleb. She was sure he was her mate as determined by Moon Goddess. But this hateful man refused to accept her. Weeks passed before Debra discovered that she was pregnant. Her pregnancy brought shame to her and everyone she loved. Not only was she driven out, but her father was also hunted down by usurpers. Fortunately, she survived with the help of the mysterious Thorn Edge Pack. Five years passed and Debra didn't hear anything from Caleb. One day, their paths crossed again. They were both on the same mission—carrying out secret investigations in the dangerous Roz Town for the safety and posterity of their respective packs. Caleb was still cold toward her. But as time went on, he fell head over heels in love with her. He tried to make up for abandoning her, but Debra wasn't having any of it. She was hell-bent on hiding her daughter from him and also making a clean break. What did the future hold for the two as they journeyed in Roz Town? What kind of secrets would they find? Would Caleb win Debra's heart and get to know his lovely daughter? Find out!