My Bonus for Her Ring? Watch Me Board This Flight.

When I mentioned I was feeling under the weather, Andrew drove through a snowstorm just to see me. From then on, except when it was a matter of principle, this gesture became his ticket to forgiveness. That was until I accidentally discovered his chat records. "The other day, I had a physical need. She was cleaner than the usual ones I hang out with." "Women are always touched by little gestures. Act more emotional and they'll stick with you." *** As I reached for the fruit on the table, Andrew subtly angled his phone away from my view. My gut instinct immediately screamed he was cheating. I realized I hadn't checked Andrew’s phone in ages. When we first got together, I was filled with insecurity and often asked to see his phone to ensure he wasn’t seeing anyone else. Andrew never seemed bothered; he simply smiled and added my fingerprint to his access settings, letting me check it anytime.

I found myself as the stepmother to the future "New York Monk Prince." A troubled child who would grow up cold and unpredictable, sending his father to a mental institution and erasing my memories of him. He’d torment the girl who loved him, physically and mentally, only to realize too late and drown in the ocean, clutching her remains. The good news is that the Prince is still young—only seven years old—and hasn't turned into the whirlwind of emotions and mind games yet. The bad news is that I'm stuck with the wicked stepmother script, and it seems like his father might actually be unwell. I pinched his chubby cheeks and said sternly, "Done playing with those beads? Planning to start juggling already? You have to finish, as I intend to give them away." I added, "In the future, you'll be someone who holds a serious demeanor. I'll tell you a joke now, and you must keep a straight face." When I first entered this world, I had just married his father, Zechariah Ryan. Right after the wedding, Zechariah rushed to the airport, leaving for a three-month business trip, leaving me and young Moises Ryan staring at each other. He merely snorted, glanced at me indifferently, and began counting the beads of his rosary with precision.

When the Pollard family kicked Alyssa out into the freezing rain, Walter threw a ten-thousand-dollar check into a dirty puddle. "Take it and get out. Don't ever come back," he sneered. Her adoptive mother and stepsister stood on the mansion's porch, mocking her as a worthless country girl who tarnished their wealthy name. They laughed, claiming she wouldn't even be able to afford community college and would be begging on the streets in a week. They looked at her cheap clothes and worn backpack with absolute disgust. They were completely unaware that for the past five years, Alyssa was the secret mastermind who had built their failing gallery into a multi-million-dollar investment empire. Every key investment, every fortune they made, came from the anonymous notes she had slipped into their unread books. They genuinely believed they were business geniuses, while treating the true architect of their wealth like a stray dog. Looking at their smug, arrogant faces, Alyssa didn't feel a shred of sadness, only a cold, sharp irony. They actually believed they had raised her. She stepped close, whispered the master code to Walter's most secret offshore account, and watched the blood completely drain from his face. "I raised you," she said, turning her back on the mansion without hesitation. Walking into the storm, she pulled out a heavily encrypted phone and gave a single, cold order. "Initiate a full hostile takeover of the Pollard Group." It was time to end this little game and step into her true life—as the world's most elusive medical genius, and the long-lost billionaire heiress of the Summers dynasty.

BLURB; Griffin, a successful restaurant owner, and Lina, a talented food critic, never expected their lives to become entangled in such a dramatic way. In order to get their parents off their backs, Griffin and Lina decide to enter a contract marriage. The arrangement seems simple: marry, please their parents, and go their separate ways after a year. *But life is full of ups and downs* When Lina discovers that Griffin owns the restaurant she works at, she's shocked. And when Griffin finds out that Lina was the food critic who gave his restaurant a bad review, he's furious. The tension between them is palpable, and they become enemies. As tho things couldn't get more complicated, Nick enters the picture. Griffin's brother, Nick, is charming and charismatic. Lina finds herself drawn to him, and a love triangle forms. Griffin, however, is starting to develop feelings for Lina, despite their rocky start. But just as he's beginning to open up, his late ex-girlfriend returns, determined to win him back. As the relationships becomes tangled, Lina and Griffin must navigate their feelings, their contract marriage, and the secrets that threaten to tear them apart. Will they find a way to make their marriage work, or will the lies and secrets destroy everything? Will Lina choose between Griffin and Nick? And what will happen when Griffin's ex-girlfriend, Sophia refuses to give up? *Find out in this novel which will keep you at the edge of your seats*

Chapter 1 It was their seventh wedding anniversary. Carolyn found the divorce agreement in Roger’s nightstand. The pages were covered in scribbles and corrections, as if he’d agonized over them for years. *"If, during the marriage, I fall in love with another person, I voluntarily relinquish all assets and leave with nothing. Asset details as follows…"* His first impulse had been to walk away empty-handed. But the asset section told a different story—a mess of revisions. First, he’d crossed out the property he intended to give her. Then, the fifty million earmarked for her was scratched out and replaced with five hundred thousand. Finally, as if in penance, he had written a single line. *"Better to have Carolyn leave with nothing. No choice, Catherine is pregnant."* … Carolyn sank onto the bed, disbelief washing over her. On the agreement, Roger’s signature was clean and decisive, without a hint of hesitation. And the document had been drafted seven years ago—the very year they married. That year, Roger had been willing to give up everything for her. Yet every year after, he had crossed out another piece of their shared life. Now, seven years later, the one leaving with nothing would be her. Her phone buzzed abruptly. A message from Roger. *"Urgent business. Won't be back."* She called, only to find his phone already switched off. Another notification flashed—a screenshot from a friend. Catherine, the student she sponsored, had posted on social media. *"Wow, got praised! To commemorate my first period without a leak, the big boss said we should celebrate properly!"* In a nine-photo collage, Roger gazed at her, eyes crinkling with affection as he fastened a dazzling gemstone necklace around her neck. The post was tagged at a couples-themed hotel. Carolyn’s breath caught. He couldn’t remember seven years of marriage, of weathering storms together—but he could find the energy to celebrate Catherine’s… leak-free period. And that pendant… she’d seen it at an auction just last week. It was her mother’s lost heirloom. She’d been ready to bid when her bank card was frozen. She’d asked Roger why. A long time later, he finally texted back, telling her not to waste money on such impractical things. Clutching her bidding paddle, she’d sat helplessly in the auction hall. In the end, she resolved to sell one of her own designs to raise the funds. But someone on the phone swooped in with an unbeatable offer and took it. For weeks afterward, Carolyn hated herself—hated that she couldn’t protect her mother’s last keepsake. She never imagined the one who snatched it away was Roger. He knew exactly how much that pendant meant to her. Yet he gave it to Catherine. Even on their seventh anniversary, Roger had lied about being busy with work, while wining and dining the girl she’d sponsored. The anniversary gift he left her was a divorce agreement demanding she leave with nothing. Seven years of marriage. Seven years of infidelity. And Carolyn had known nothing. She’d even introduced the other woman to him herself. Catherine was the impoverished student Carolyn sponsored. The first time Catherine came to their home to give thanks, Roger found her intrusive and disliked her on sight. *"That girl has no manners. Tracked mud all over my cashmere rug."* *"If her grades aren’t up to par, cut the sponsorship."* Back then, Carolyn had teased him, saying not to be jealous—it was good the girl had a grateful heart. She never once suspected Roger and Catherine. For seven years, everyone in their circle believed Roger never played around. That he loved only Carolyn. But by their next meeting, Catherine had become Roger’s personal assistant. Roger explained, *"The girl’s had it tough. You’ve sponsored her for years. Giving her a job is just helping you out."* Carolyn had laughed it off. Now, hands trembling, she opened Catherine’s social media feed. Catherine had always hidden her posts from Carolyn. Now, she seemed desperate to flaunt everything. While Carolyn drank until her stomach bled to secure a deal for Roger, Catherine was using Roger’s card to buy her first Louis Vuitton. While Carolyn changed bedpans for Roger’s bedridden grandmother, Roger was taking Catherine to a perfume atelier for a blending class—calling it a business trip. Catherine had even complained online. *"Your wife is such a pampered princess. Can't handle the tiniest thing without you running back. Can she not live without a man?"* And Roger had replied beneath it. *"If she were half as independent as you, I’d have an easier life."* But that day… Carolyn’s mother had lost her battle with cancer. She’d cried until her heart felt shredded, scrambling to handle the arrangements. All the while, Roger kept checking his phone impatiently, eager to leave. Not for work, she realized now—but because he was desperate to get back to Catherine.

"Please have sex with me once, I want a baby." Seeing that time was running out, she urgently called out to him again, "Brother..." As Dashiell's sister-in-law, she shamelessly rode on his lap. Oddly enough, Dashiell was reacting at that moment. He even raised his eyebrows a few times imperceptibly. "In bed, obey me in every way." Liora's purpose was to get pregnant, and she nodded without objection, "Good." ****Liora makes secret deals with her husband brother Dashiell, this ruthless billionaire is like a beast in bed. But when she finally got pregnant, he refused to let her go. Warning: Include BDSM content