CEO's Runaway Lover: My Cold Ex Begs For My Love Again
Four years ago, Madelynn accepted money from Caiden's family and vanished. She thought it was for the best-he would remain the untouchable heir while she faced her tough life alone.
When they met again, Caiden humiliated her in public, yet appeared when she was cornered by a difficult client, pulling her back into his life.
He forced her to stay as his lover, using her mother's medical bills as leverage, whispering, "What you owe me... you'll repay the same way."
Madelynn believed he despised her. Only after the accident, when he ran toward her before the explosion, did she understand-he never let go.
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Chapter 4
As expected, Caiden never caused trouble for Madelynn again.
At Infinity Entertainment, the earlier incident involving Louis was also quietly brushed aside, as if nothing had ever happened.
On the surface, everything returned to its usual rhythm. The partnership between Infinity Entertainment and the Dawson Group continued without interruption. Since Abby had taken over the project, Madelynn had to accept one of Abby's projects.
The moment Madelynn opened the project files, however, she understood immediately—Abby had deliberately set her up.
The client was Randy Wallace, in his forties, divorced three times, and infamous in the industry for his inappropriate behavior toward female producers. Abby clearly didn't want to deal with him herself, so she pushed the responsibility onto her instead.
Yet refusing was not an option.
After the previous project fallout, Madelynn knew Danny would not tolerate her rejecting another assignment.
So, despite everything, she agreed to meet Randy over a meal.
Randy chose the time himself, seven in the evening.
The place was an upscale restaurant with elegantly named private rooms. The one they were assigned was called "Pattering Rain."
Within ten minutes of sitting down, Madelynn already knew—Randy wasn't here to discuss business.
Randy leaned back comfortably as he poured her a drink, his gaze lingering on her longer than appropriate.
"Miss Douglas, you really are impressive for your age," he said smoothly. "No wonder Infinity Entertainment is doing so well with someone like you around."
"Thank you," Madelynn replied evenly, gently sliding the glass aside. "But I can't drink much. Let me just have something nonalcoholic."
Randy's smile thinned slightly. "Not drinking is the same as refusing my respect."
"Then I'll pour some drink for you instead," she said calmly, "as my way of showing you my respect."
For a brief moment, Randy's expression hardened before he put a smile back onto his face. "Alright. You've got quite the personality. I like that."
For the next forty minutes, Madelynn maintained a polished, professional smile as well as she could.
Whenever Randy attempted to shift the conversation into something more personal, she smoothly redirected it back to the project.
In the end, the contract stayed unsigned, with Randy saying he still needed time to "think it over."
By the time Madelynn stepped out of the restaurant, it was already twenty past ten.
She could still catch the last subway if she hurried.
Randy quickly followed her out. "Miss Douglas," he said, "let me give you a ride."
"No need for that," Madelynn replied. "I'll take a taxi back."
"At this hour?" Randy chuckled. "You'll have a hard time getting a taxi. I'm heading in your direction anyway."
Before she could refuse again, he had already opened the passenger door of his car. "Or is it that you think my car isn't good enough for you?" he asked teasingly.
Madelynn's eyes briefly landed on the black Mercedes.
For a moment, an image surfaced in her mind—that night, the black luxury car, and the man who had once felt close yet now so distant.
Madelynn exhaled softly and eventually got inside the car.
"Thank you, Mr. Wallace."
Ten minutes into the drive, something felt wrong. The route was unfamiliar.
"This isn't the way to Infinity Entertainment," Madelynn said.
"I'm taking you somewhere nice," Randy replied with an easy laugh. "Relax."
Madelynn's grip tightened on her phone. "I have an early meeting tomorrow. I need to get back soon."
"Meetings can wait," Randy said, turning the car toward a narrow side street. The road ahead grew darker and quieter, far from the main traffic. "You're still young," he continued casually. "There's no need to bury yourself in work all the time. Life has far more enjoyable things to offer."
Soon after, the vehicle came to a stop in front of an abandoned industrial building. Randy killed the engine, and the silence that followed felt heavy.
Madelynn immediately reached for the door handle. But it didn't move. It was locked.
"What are you doing, Mr. Wallace?" Her voice turned sharp.
Randy didn't respond right away. Instead, he unbuckled his seatbelt and slowly turned toward her.
The dim interior light washed over his face, stripping away the polished image he had maintained and exposing something far less civilized underneath.
"When Danny handed this project to you, you should've understood what kind of arrangement this is," he said flatly, leaning closer. "In this industry, nothing comes free. If you want opportunities, you have to be willing to pay for them."
Madelynn moved back slightly, her back pressed against the car door, keeping some distance between them.
"You've misunderstood me. I'm not that kind of person."
Randy let out a cold laugh. "Please. I've worked with enough people like you to know better. Stop putting on an act. Or are you trying to negotiate for something more from me?"
Before she could reply, his hand landed on her knee.
For a split second, Madelynn's mind went completely blank.
She then shoved him away and reached for the door lock.
The sudden force knocked Randy off balance, and his expression twisted in anger. He grabbed her hair and yanked her back violently.
"You're asking for trouble!" he spat.
His hand then swung toward her face, trying to hit her.
Madelynn dodged at the last second, but his nails still scraped across her cheek.
Cursing under his breath, Randy grabbed her collar and slammed her head against the window.
Pain exploded through her head.
Her hand instinctively reached for the door switch.
With a click, it unlocked, and she fell out of the car, hitting the ground hard. Her elbow scraped painfully against the rough surface.
Randy stepped out after her. She fumbled on the ground, found a brick, and raised her arm.
But then, before she could act, her wrist was caught mid-air. The grip was firm yet steady, the hand warm and unmistakably familiar.
"It's me," a voice said quietly.
Madelynn's breath caught instantly. Tears blurred her vision, making everything indistinct.
She couldn't see the person's face clearly in the dark, only a shadow standing between her and danger.
But she knew that voice.
Caiden pulled her to her feet, took the brick from her hand without a word, and tossed it aside.
He didn't look at her. His attention stayed fixed entirely on Randy.
Randy's face went pale the instant he recognized Caiden.
"Mr... Mr. Dawson..."
Caiden didn't respond.
He remained where he was, one hand still steadying Madelynn by the arm. In the dim light, his expression was hard to read, but his silence alone was enough to suffocate any courage Randy had left.
"You've got three seconds," he said coldly. "Get lost."
Randy didn't hesitate. He scrambled back into his car in panic. The engine started violently, and the black vehicle soon sped off down the alley. Its taillights disappeared completely into the night.
The space fell into heavy silence.
Only then did Caiden let go of Madelynn's wrist.
Madelynn leaned against the wall, head lowered, trying to steady her breathing. Pain throbbed through her elbow, where blood had already begun to run down her skin and drip onto the ground.
Caiden looked at her quietly.
He didn't ask anything.
Instead, he took out a dark gray handkerchief from his pocket, one she immediately recognized.
Even the scent brought back a memory she hadn't expected to surface.
It felt like nothing had changed.
Caiden pressed the cloth gently over the wound on her elbow.
Madelynn instinctively recoiled.
"Stay still," he said, his eyes lowered. His movements were controlled and careful.
The fabric darkened almost immediately as it soaked up blood. For a brief moment, his brows tightened.
Madelynn suddenly felt tears gathering in her eyes again.
"What are you doing here?" she asked.
Caiden replied, "I was just passing through."
"This route doesn't lead to downtown."
Caiden's hand paused slightly at that.
"I followed you here," he admitted after a beat. "I saw you leave the restaurant."
Madelynn went quiet.
After a few minutes of steady pressure, the bleeding slowed.
Caiden's gaze shifted to the bruise near her temple. His expression darkened slightly.
"Anywhere else hurt?" he asked.
"No."
Caiden didn't believe her.
His eyes lingered on her face for a few seconds longer before drifting to the edge of her coat, where a box of stomach medicine was partially visible.
"Have you eaten?"
"Yes."
"When?"
Madelynn didn't answer.
Caiden didn't push further. He lowered his eyes, refolded the handkerchief, now stained dark, and put it away.
"Can you walk?" he asked.
"Yeah."
With that, Madelynn tried to take a step, but her legs gave out beneath her.
Caiden caught her before she could hit the ground.
For a brief moment, he didn't move, as if weighing something unspoken. Then, he bent slightly, slid one arm behind her shoulders and the other beneath her knees, and lifted her cleanly off the ground.
"Caiden—"
"Don't move," he interjected.
He carried her toward the exit of the alley.
Madelynn stopped resisting.
She rested against him instead, the tension slowly leaving her body.
That familiar scent of his reached her again—pine, cool and crisp, like snow settling on a quiet winter morning.
Her eyes closed, and just for a moment, she let herself rest.
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9.7
Eliana Rivera is the firstborn daughter of business tycoon Cassian Rivera. When her father's company falls into debt, he marries her off to the arrogant and ruthless billionaire, Alexander Grayson, as part of a business contract and under the threat of blackmail.
Alexander, the billionaire CEO, never planned to marry, but the pressure of blackmail forces him into a union with a woman he barely knows. Although Eliana doesn't see Alexander as her ideal partner, she agrees to the marriage out of a sense of duty.
Once engaged, however, he barely acknowledges her presence and harbours disdain for her because of her father's actions and their relationship. But as they navigate their newfound relationship, the unexpected desire for each other's touch ignites-a twist neither of them planned, leading them toward an unforeseen love.
8.4
Kathern was forced out of her sister's home by her abusive brother-in-law, who violently demanded she pay half the rent or get out.
To protect her sister from his rage, Kathern agreed to a six-month paper marriage with a stranger—an old woman's grandson, Bronson—in exchange for a simple apartment.
But her new husband treated her like a scheming gold digger from the very first second.
He showed up to City Hall in a cheap suit, shoved a brutal prenup in her face, and dumped her in a completely empty, dust-filled apartment.
"Just don't cause any trouble," he warned coldly, before leaving her alone.
When Kathern politely texted him to ask if he was coming home for dinner, he immediately blocked her number.
Kathern was furious and baffled. She didn't want a dime of his money, nor did she care about his boring middle-management job.
She had only agreed to this marriage for a place to sleep, yet this arrogant man treated her like absolute garbage.
Refusing to swallow the insult, Kathern immediately dialed his grandmother to expose his behavior.
She was going to build her own independent life, completely unaware that her "cheap corporate loser" of a husband was actually the ruthless billionaire CEO of the Vaughan empire.
9.6
HIS Minnie Mouse
9.6
When Claire agrees to play her cold-hearted boss's girlfriend for a weekend, she never expects a fake romance to turn into a nine-month marriage contract worth millions. She becomes trapped in the world of the ultra wealthy and her abusive ex resurfaces to blackmail her with millions. She also falls in love with her cold-hearted boss, leading to an affair that gets her pregnant. But the reason for the contract marriage is no longer necessary. What happens now that Claire has no reason to stay married to her cold boss?
7.9
Valerie Ashford, a girl who had just turned twenty-one, was introduced by her father to his business associates at a grand party, where she met a frightening, cold-blooded man.
That man was none other than her father's business partner, the CEO of a major corporation. He was taken with Valerie and had wanted her from the moment he first laid eyes on her.
For Rovano Morvane, whatever he desired was absolute and he had to have it, even by the worst means possible.
That night Valerie vanished without a trace and Rovano became the prime suspect, yet the Ashford family could not prove their allegations.
"P-please, I don't want to die, sir..." Valerie whispered so softly that Rovano had to bend down even lower.
"Didn't you just say you didn't care whether you were kidnapped or not? So shut your mouth." Rovano ordered.
Cold, Valerie felt the other side of the folding knife pressed against her cheek.
Rovano was going to mark Valerie.
It felt like something was missing if Rovano didn't take out his psychopathic urges on someone.
And this time, for the first time, he wanted a girl: Valerie Ashford.
Would Valerie's life end here?
8.7
I woke up from a coma in the hospital, universally condemned as the vicious daughter who pushed the beloved fake heiress, Georgina, down the stairs.
My ruthless billionaire brother, Angelo, stood over my bed with cold eyes, ready to destroy me for hurting his precious sister.
But as I looked at him, a terrifying prophecy from my coma flooded my brain. Our entire family was doomed.
In the original timeline, Georgina would team up with corporate rivals to bankrupt the company, frame Angelo, and send him to federal prison, while our parents would abandon me to die miserably.
Lying there, I didn't dare speak. I just desperately cursed my idiot brother in my head.
"This stupid brother is still yelling at me for that fake heiress. He doesn't even know he's going to be framed and sent to prison next month!"
I just wanted to stay quiet, let them ruin themselves, and run away from this toxic family.
But strangely, Angelo didn't strangle me. Instead, his attitude took a shocking turn.
He abruptly fired the driver plotting to kill him, destroyed the abusive fiancé of a family ally, and publicly humiliated Georgina at a high-society gala.
He even shielded me from our abusive parents, declaring to the world that I was the only sister he would ever protect.
I was completely terrified and confused. Why was the tyrant brother suddenly acting like a protective beast?
It wasn't until he flawlessly crushed a massive corporate attack using the exact financial secrets I had just complained about in my mind that a horrifying realization hit me.
He could hear my inner thoughts!
7.4
For five years, Jodi was the perfect, compliant secret lover to billionaire CEO Armand Taylor.
Then, she woke up to a cold email and a seven-figure wire transfer. Armand was marrying European royalty. The money was a severance package to quietly warehouse her out of sight.
Refusing to be his dirty secret, Jodi invoked her contract's termination clause to leave for good. But Armand wouldn't let her go easily. He forced her to personally train her vicious new replacement, Selah.
Selah immediately tampered with a crucial financial file, framing Jodi for sabotaging Taylor Corp's multi-billion-dollar tech acquisition.
Without a second thought, Armand took the new girl's side. He cornered Jodi in the boardroom, his eyes dead and cold.
"You have three days to fix this. If you fail, I will personally see to it that you go to prison for corporate fraud."
He froze her bank accounts and stripped away her dignity, ready to destroy her life over a blatant lie.
He thought she was just a weak, discarded toy who would break under his threats.
What Armand didn't know was the terrifying secret Jodi had just discovered hidden at the bottom of her bathroom trash can.
Three positive pregnancy tests.
If the ruthless billionaire found out she was carrying his heir, he would never let her escape.
Wiping her tears, Jodi slipped into a severe black silk gown and crashed an exclusive Hamptons gala to intercept the tech CEO herself.
This time, she wasn't playing the obedient lover. She was going to clear her name and burn Armand's empire to the ground.