The Billionaire's Neglected Wife Is A Genius

Ellyn woke to a news alert of her husband, billionaire Hardy Burnett, picking up his "mystery blonde" ex at a private terminal. Just hours earlier, he had been raw and consuming in their shared bed, but by morning, he was a cold stranger tossing a birth control pill at her. He reminded her with mechanical indifference that their marriage was a mere contract, and the Burnett family tolerated no accidental risks. The mystery woman was Izabella Macdonald, the one who got away. While Ellyn spent her mornings dabbing heavy concealer over the purple bruises Hardy left on her neck, the rest of the world was celebrating the return of the "rightful" Mrs. Burnett. To Hardy, Ellyn was a liability; to his family, she was a placeholder with a bankrupt bloodline. The humiliation peaked at a high-society gala when Hardy walked in with Izabella on his arm, leaving Ellyn to navigate the vultures alone. His mother mocked her as "cheap polyester," and socialites whispered about the penthouse Hardy was secretly buying for his mistress. Even as Hardy's jealousy flared when he saw Ellyn with his brother, his loyalty remained divided, his heart seemingly anchored to the woman in the white silk dress. The breaking point came in the pouring rain outside the venue. Hardy ordered Ellyn into the backseat of the car like common cargo so that Izabella could take the passenger seat-the seat of the partner. He expected Ellyn to sit in the shadows and watch his ex-girlfriend play wife in the front, treating her presence as a domestic inconvenience he could simply command. I stared at the man who owned my nights but despised my existence. The heavy thud of the pill I swallowed every morning felt like a lead weight, a bitter reminder that I was nothing more than a paid commodity in his eyes. He thought he knew everything about his destitute, dependent wife, from the temperature I needed the room to the way I took my tea. But Hardy didn't know about the encrypted ledgers or the offshore accounts. He didn't know that the "destitute" woman he relegated to the backseat was the secret mastermind behind Skim, the global fashion empire currently worth more than his latest merger. "I'm not getting in," I said, my voice eerily calm against the thunder. I slammed the door, turned my back on his roar of fury, and walked into the dark. It was time to stop being a ghost in his house and start being the woman who could buy his entire world.

Chapters

Chapter 3

The flashbulbs were blinding. Ellyn stepped onto the red carpet alone, the humidity of the evening making her dress cling uncomfortably to her skin.

"Where's Hardy?" a reporter shouted. "Trouble in paradise?"

Ellyn ignored them, keeping her chin high. She entered the ballroom, the heavy bass of the string quartet vibrating in the floorboards.

Sloane Burnett intercepted her near the champagne tower. Hardy's cousin was wearing a dress that cost more than Ellyn's childhood home.

"Bold choice," Sloane sneered, looking Ellyn up and down. "Wearing last season's cut. Is the allowance running low because your daddy gambled it all away?"

A few women nearby tittered behind their fans.

"It's vintage, Sloane," Ellyn said, her voice steady despite the rapid thudding of her heart. "Class doesn't have an expiration date. Unlike your trust fund, if you keep failing your board reviews."

Sloane's face flushed red. She opened her mouth to retort, but a hush fell over the room. The air shifted, sucked toward the grand entrance.

Hardy walked in.

He looked devastating in a tuxedo, his jawline sharp, his presence commanding. But he wasn't alone.

Tucked into the crook of his arm was a hand gloved in white silk.

Izabella Macdonald floated beside him. She wore white-pure, angelic white-looking for all the world like a bride.

Ellyn felt the blood drain from her face. Her legs went numb.

"Oh, this is delicious," Sloane whispered in her ear. "Look at them. The King and his true Queen. You should probably leave through the kitchen."

Hardy scanned the room. His eyes locked onto Ellyn. His expression was unreadable-a mask of stone. He didn't look guilty. He looked... resolved.

Izabella guided him toward Ellyn. The crowd parted like the Red Sea.

"Ellyn!" Izabella beamed, reaching out. She pulled Ellyn into a hug that felt like a constrictor snake wrapping around its prey.

"Ellyn, I am so terribly sorry about this," Izabella whispered, her lips brushing Ellyn's ear, her voice a perfect imitation of remorse. "My ankle is killing me, and he's just being a gentleman. Please don't be upset with him."

Ellyn stiffened. She smelled the perfume on Izabella-Santal 33. The same scent Hardy wore.

Cameras flashed maniacally. The headline was writing itself: The Wife, The Husband, and The Soulmate.

"Hardy," Ellyn said, looking at her husband. "What is this?"

Hardy didn't answer. He looked at Izabella, who was gazing up at him with wide, watery eyes.

"She twisted her ankle outside," Hardy said finally. "I helped her in."

"And the arm?" Ellyn asked.

Sloane laughed loudly. "Face it, honey. You're holding a place card."

Ellyn took a step back. The humiliation was a physical weight, pressing down on her chest. She turned to leave.

Hardy moved.

Continue to next part

Ivy’s life is shattered when her husband’s mistress causes a devastating accident that leaves her hospitalized. Instead of offering comfort, her husband demands she donate a kidney to save the very woman who ruined her. Trapped in a heartless marriage with a billionaire who prioritizes his lover over his wife, Ivy must face a cruel ultimatum. This emotional story follows her struggle for survival and dignity against a man who values her only as a donor.

Billionaire Modern Romance

9.5

After My Rebirth, I Married My Ex's Brother

9.5

Betrayed and murdered by her husband and sister, Elena is granted a second chance at life through rebirth. Consumed by a desire for justice, she seeks an unlikely ally: her ex-husband’s powerful and estranged brother. By marrying into the heart of the family that destroyed her, she initiates a calculated game of revenge. Elena must navigate dangerous billionaire secrets and her own shifting heart to ensure her enemies finally pay.

Billionaire Romance Werewolf

7.7

Lies, Betrayal, And The Baby I Hid Away

7.7

I stepped into our penthouse for my baby shower, caressing my eight-month bump, expecting balloons and laughter. But instead of joy, I found my husband, Michael, cradling a newborn that wasn't ours. Beside him sat his assistant, Serena, looking far too comfortable. Michael looked me dead in the eye, his expression cold and flat, and introduced the infant as his firstborn son. They didn't apologize. Instead, Serena mocked my high-risk pregnancy, calling me a mere "incubator" for the spare heir. When I demanded they leave, Serena shoved me. I hit the floor hard, screaming in agony as pain ripped through my belly. But Michael didn't help me. He stepped over my convulsing body to comfort her, accusing me of being dramatic. He walked out with his new family, leaving me bleeding alone on the nursery floor. Lying in the hospital later, I overheard Michael on the phone. He wasn't worried. He laughed, revealing his plan to use my family's connections for his IPO before divorcing me and taking full custody of my child. He didn't love me. He only wanted the heir. That was the moment the old Olivia died. I knew I had to deny him the only thing he truly wanted. I wiped my tears, touched my stomach where my son was still kicking, and made a decision that would sever us forever. I told my lawyer to deliver a simple message to Michael. "Tell him the baby didn't make it."

Billionaire Modern Romance

9.6

My Final Resignation

9.6

After a decade of building a tech empire alongside Julian, his fiancée realizes her devotion means nothing when he abandons her during a medical emergency to comfort his new PR director. Choosing dignity over heartbreak, she leaves her engagement ring behind and resigns. While Julian dismisses her exit as a petty display of jealousy, he remains ignorant of the truth: she has a terminal heart condition. With only six months to live, she is truly gone before he can even regret his betrayal.

Billionaire Romance

8.6

My Husband Ignored My Heart Attack for His Mistress

8.6

During a sudden, life-threatening heart attack, a woman desperately reaches out to her husband for help. Instead of coming to her aid, the billionaire ignores her pleas to stay by his mistress's side. After narrowly surviving the ordeal alone, she realizes her devotion was wasted on a man who abandoned her at her weakest moment. Now, she must navigate the fallout of his betrayal and find the strength to reclaim her life from his shadow.

Billionaire Modern Romance

9.2

Plaything Of The Enemy

9.2

He killed my brother. I swore I'd make him pay. But now I'm trapped in his penthouse... and I think I'm falling for him. As the youngest son of the Romano mafia, Luca swore vengeance on the man who killed his brother-Damian Moretti, the cold, ruthless billionaire don of the rival Moretti family. But when a failed assassination attempt leaves Luca at Damian's mercy, he's not tortured. He's... kept. And he says Luca belongs to him now.

Billionaire LGBT+Mafia Modern

The Billionaire's Neglected Wife Is A Genius

Chapter 3

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