Gilded Lies Exposed

In Gilded Lies Exposed, a daughter of the elite Thornton family hides her immense wealth to spare her husband, Drake Murrell, from feeling inferior. During a New Year visit to his hometown, she presents her mother-in-law with pure gold bangles, only to overhear the woman mocking the gift as a cheap online fake to the neighbors. Infuriated by the blatant disrespect, the hidden heiress decides to cancel her million-dollar surprise and finally expose her true identity.

Chapters

Chapter 3

After several rounds of drinks, Rosalie’s face flushed slightly, and her confidence grew bolder.

From the corner of my eye, I caught a glimpse under the table. Drake’s foot was deliberately brushing against Rosalie’s calf.

"Drake, back when we played house as kids, I always said I’d marry you when we grew up." Rosalie, emboldened by alcohol, stared at him with a hazy gaze. "Too bad I was young and foolish back then. I left to chase opportunities in another city and made you suffer all those years."

Drake’s eyes softened as he let out a sentimental sigh. "Yeah. If you hadn’t left back then, I wouldn’t have…" He shot me a glance, his eyes filled with disdain. "…ended up marrying a washed-up woman."

I lowered my head and continued eating, pretending not to hear, but inside, I let out a cold laugh.

"It’s fine! It’s not too late now!" Rosalie suddenly slammed her hand on the table. "Once the New Year’s over and I join Halcyon Group, I’ll be making hundreds of thousands a year to start! I’ll buy a big house and bring you over to enjoy life with me!"

"Really, Rosalie?" Diana’s eyes widened. "Your aunt really has that kind of influence?"

"Of course!" Rosalie proudly pulled out her phone and flipped to a photo. "See this? That’s my Aunt Zara! General Manager of the Project Division at Halcyon Group! A real executive, handling projects worth hundreds of millions. Even the top bosses in our city have to bow their heads when they see her."

I glanced up at the photo.

A slightly overweight middle-aged woman stood in front of an Audi, flashing a peace sign.

It was indeed Zara.

I set down my chopsticks, pulled out a napkin, and wiped my mouth. "Oh? Zara Finn is your aunt? Then I really should thank her properly."

"What, you don’t believe me?" Rosalie let out a scornful laugh. "Let me tell you something, you’re not even worthy of saying my aunt’s name. At Halcyon Group, aside from the mysterious big boss, my aunt calls the shots!"

"Is that so?" I smiled faintly, my gaze steady. "I hope she’s still that confident when the time comes."

Drake rolled his eyes at me. "Liana, cut the sarcasm. Rosalie was kind enough to offer you a job. If you don’t appreciate it, fine, but don’t put on airs. Finish eating and clean up the table. Stop making yourself an eyesore."

I stood up without arguing.

Back in the bedroom, I left the door slightly ajar, just enough to hear the living room.

The sounds of clinking glasses gradually faded, replaced by hushed whispers.

"Mom, I can’t stand another day with her. I want a divorce." Drake’s voice carried a hint of drunkenness, but more than that, undisguised disgust.

"Really?" Diana’s voice shot up before she quickly lowered it again. "Then, what about Liana? She might be spineless, but she’s stubborn. What if she refuses to leave?"

At that, I held my breath.

Drake let out a cold snort. "Refuses to leave? That’s not up to her. Mom, didn’t we already plan this? In a bit, I’ll tell her my cousin needs money to buy a house and ask her for $100,000. We’ll get the money first."

My heart sank.

"Yes, yes!" Diana agreed eagerly. "Get the money first. Then we’ll pick a fight and force her to sign the divorce papers."

"What about those gold bangles?" Rosalie suddenly asked. "From the look of them, even if you said they’re fake, what if they’re real? Should we get them checked?"

"Checked for what?" Diana scoffed. "With how poor she looks, could she afford the real thing? I already looked. The clasp is worn. Definitely gold-plated junk. Keeping them is just taking up space. When the divorce happens, we’ll toss them back to her as bus fare so she can’t say we took advantage of her."

"Hahaha, Aunt Diana, that’s brilliant!" Rosalie laughed crudely. "By then, she’ll lose both her money and everything else, crying as she gets kicked out!"

"Rosalie, you have to treat me well then," Drake said in a syrupy voice. "For you, I’m willing to ruin my reputation."

"Don’t worry, baby. Tonight…" Rosalie’s voice turned suggestive, trailing off. "Tonight we’ll…"

I stood in the dim bedroom, fists clenched, my nails digging deep into my palms until they drew blood.

I took out my phone and sent a message to my assistant, Caleb Rhodes: "Notify HR. Terminate Zara Finn immediately for abuse of authority."

Continue to next part

Averie spent hours preparing a perfect third-anniversary dinner for her billionaire husband, Jarett Sharp. Instead of celebrating, she received an anonymous photo of him intimately holding another woman. When Jarett finally arrived, he didn't even look guilty. "Candida. It's okay. Don't be scared. I'm on my way." He simply took a call from his mistress, shoved Averie aside, and walked right back out the door. That same night, Averie's father suffered a massive heart attack. The hospital demanded a half-million-dollar deposit before they would operate. But when Averie frantically tried to use the emergency medical trust card Jarett had given her, it was declined. Jarett had deliberately frozen her access to the funds just hours earlier. While she begged his assistant on the phone, Jarett refused to be disturbed, busy wrapping his expensive coat around his mistress in the hospital garden. Averie collapsed in the hallway, realizing the man she loved was deliberately letting her father die. In the end, a childhood friend stepped in to pay the bill and save her father's life, while her billionaire husband later pinned her to their bed, throwing a check at her and reminding her he had bought her for three million dollars. Averie didn't shed a single tear. She slowly ripped his check into pieces, left her massive diamond ring on the dresser, and walked out into the cold New York night with nothing but her old suitcase. She pulled out her phone and dialed her old ballet professor. She wasn't just going to leave Jarett Sharp. She was going to destroy him.

Billionaire Modern Romance

9.2

His Other Son, My Dying Wish

9.2

After seven years of marriage, Ivan Vaughn abandoned his family for his mistress, Ingrid. When their three-year-old son Liam suffered a fatal asthma attack, Ivan ignored his wife's desperate calls to stay in bed with his lover. To honor Liam's dying wish, she forgave Ivan at the funeral. Yet, four years later, a viral video exposes Ivan's ultimate betrayal: he has built a secret new life, celebrating with Ingrid and their own three-year-old son as the happiest family on earth.

Billionaire Modern Romance

7.8

I Went Back and Set Him Free

7.8

After Russ Williams dies saving her from a fire, his final words reveal a decade of hidden hatred. He blames her for a past tragedy involving his childhood sweetheart’s exile. When his family’s grief turns into vitriol, she ends her life, only to wake up on the day he first proposed. Given a second chance, she resolves to honor his dying wish. By refusing his hand, she intends to prevent their miserable future and release them from a cycle of regret and blame.

Billionaire Modern Mystery Romance

8.3

My Husband Sold My Family Heirlooms to His Mistress

8.3

After years of devotion, a loyal wife discovers her billionaire husband has betrayed her in the most unforgivable way. Not only has he taken a mistress, but he has also secretly sold her precious family heirlooms to fund his lover's lifestyle. Devastated by his cold-hearted theft and infidelity, she decides to stop playing the victim. This is the story of her reclaiming her dignity and seeking justice against the man she once loved.

Billionaire Modern Romance

7.2

Reborn Heiress: Revenge On My Ruthless Ex

7.2

I was dying in a rusted warehouse, paralyzed in a wheelchair while the man I loved and my own stepsister watched with smiles on their faces. The air smelled of old oil and damp concrete, and my vision was fading into a milky haze. Dillon, the man I’d sacrificed everything for, smoothed his custom suit and pulled out a syringe filled with a clear, lethal neurotoxin. Beside him, my stepsister Bianca toyed with my mother’s sapphire ring—the one they’d just pried off my hand while I was too weak to even make a fist. She leaned in and whispered that my father’s trust fund was already offshore and that they’d sent my husband, Kade, to the wrong coordinates to ensure he’d only find my corpse. Dillon slid the needle into my vein with the chilling efficiency of a man who had done this before. "This will stop your heart in thirty seconds," he said, sounding as bored as if he were explaining a tax form. Ice flooded my chest, and my lungs seized, fighting for oxygen that wasn't there. As the warehouse lights blurred into white streaks, an explosion echoed in the distance. Kade had come for me, but he was too late. I died staring at the ceiling, my heart giving one last violent kick of pure, unadulterated hatred. I had been such a fool, believing Dillon’s lies and running away from the only man who actually cared for me. I died with a single thought: if I ever get another chance, I will drag you both to hell with me. Then, there was nothing. And then, there was air. I sat up gasping, my silk pajamas drenched in cold sweat. The rusted beams were gone, replaced by a vaulted ceiling and the glittering Manhattan skyline. I grabbed the digital clock on the nightstand—it was five years ago, the exact night I first tried to run away with Dillon. The bedroom door slammed against the wall, and Kade Mullen stood in the doorway, looking dangerous, furious, and very much alive. I looked at my shaking hands, then at the man I had once hated. This time, I wasn't going to run. I was going to make sure Dillon and Bianca lost everything.

Action Billionaire Fantasy

7.9

Revenge Is Best Served Post-reincarnation

7.9

After Chase Shannon is pushed into traffic by Evonne, the woman he spent his life and fortune supporting, he wakes up back in the past. Having used his family's wealth to build her career and reputation, Chase was repaid with betrayal and death as Evonne conspired with her secret lover, Angelo. Now reincarnated to the day of her first demand, Chase abandons his devotion. He chooses to expose her greed and reclaim his legacy, ensuring his former crush loses everything she once stole from him.

Action Billionaire Fantasy Modern Romance Young Adult

Gilded Lies Exposed

Chapter 3

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