The CEO Who Won't Let Me Go
I've always been the unwanted child-the invisible one. The rebel no one ever tried to understand.
And yet, I never resented my perfect, beloved sister. All I ever wanted was for her to be happy.
But one cruel twist of fate-and a devastating betrayal by someone I trusted-changed everything.
I woke up in a stranger's bed, losing the one thing I had guarded so carefully. Back then, I thought that was my greatest loss.
I was wrong.
Because not long after, my sister introduced me to her fiancé.
And the man standing in front of me... was the same stranger from that night.
Now he haunts me-day and night, in my dreams and in my waking hours. And just when I start to believe the nightmare might finally fade with the dawn, Alan walks back into my life.
This time, he has no intention of letting me forget.
Not the insult I dealt him.
...or that one unforgettable night.
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Chapter 3
The awful feeling finally started to fade, but a few drops of the spilled drink had stained my dress. They were barely visible, but I knew they were there. My hands hadn’t escaped either—they were still sticky in the most humiliating way.
Locked away in the ladies’ room, I tried to clean myself up, already knowing I wanted to go home. That rich asshole had looked at me like I was something disgusting stuck to the bottom of his shoe, then acted like I wasn’t even worth a response. Way to ruin an evening.
My phone rang inside my purse, and I grabbed it while still holding the hem of my dress under the hand dryer.
"Zoe, when are you coming home?" Valeri’s excited voice burst through the speaker.
I pulled the phone away for a second and glanced at the time. Yeah. I’d been here long enough.
"Soon, I think. Judging by your voice, meeting your fiancé went well?"
"Better than well! Zoe, he’s gorgeous. Seriously, you should’ve seen him. He’s so polite, so sweet... and the way he looked at me..." She let out a dreamy sigh. "It made me feel... I don’t know... something."
"Turned on?" I offered with a laugh.
"Zoe!" she gasped, scandalized.
I laughed again.
If my sister liked him that much, then he was probably a good guy. I already respected him a little, even though we hadn’t met.
"No, seriously," she rushed on. "I think I fell in love at first sight. Please come home soon. I’m literally going to explode if I don’t tell someone everything."
"Are Mom and Dad home?" I asked, mostly out of curiosity. I couldn’t help wondering if anyone besides Valeri had even noticed I was gone.
"No. They dropped me off, Mom changed, and then they left for some private event."
"Of course they did," I muttered.
Nothing ever changed. I was still invisible in my own house. Honestly, if it weren’t for the surgery when we were kids—when I had to donate stem cells and blood to Valeri—I probably would’ve convinced myself I was adopted. The only thing proving we were related was the cluster of birthmarks across my back, exactly like Mom’s and Valeri’s.
"I’ll be home soon, Valeri."
I ended the call, looked at myself in the mirror, and let out a quiet sigh. Was it really because of how I looked? The way I dressed? Why did they treat us so differently? Valeri was loved, adored, spoiled. I was just... there. An inconvenience nobody wanted.
I headed back into the club, planning to sneak out without anyone noticing, but basic manners won out. I should at least tell my friends I was leaving.
Kriss was sitting at the table with the two guys, and for once they weren’t laughing or causing chaos. Sergey waved me over, and before I could protest, I found myself trapped between two stubborn idiots who clearly had no intention of letting me leave.
Not that they got a vote.
Once I made up my mind, that was it. Kriss knew that better than anyone.
"Come on, Zoe, stay a little longer," she whined, grabbing my hand like I was about to make a run for it. "I ordered you a mojito. Maybe that’ll change your mind?"
She pushed a glass toward me. Mint leaves and lime slices floated in the pale green liquid. Usually it was one of my favorite drinks.
Usually.
"Sorry. I’m leaving. I’ll leave my card with you so security doesn’t give you any trouble," I said firmly, getting to my feet.
For a second, something dark flashed across Kriss’s face, but it disappeared just as quickly. She covered it with a wounded look, her eyes immediately going shiny.
Typical.
Kriss was a manipulator. If begging didn’t work, she’d move straight to guilt and tears.
Good thing she wasn’t looking directly at me. One glance at my face and she would’ve known exactly what I thought of that act.
Miron slid the glass back toward me and lifted his own, full of something I couldn’t even identify. I leaned closer and sniffed my mojito carefully. The three of them had tried to get me drunk before, but this time I couldn’t smell any alcohol besides what should’ve been there.
I took a long sip.
Cold, sweet, refreshing.
Despite myself, I smiled.
"Fine. Five minutes. But that’s it."
"Of course," Miron said, throwing an arm around my shoulders.
Kriss and Sergey grinned and went back to drinking like they were dying of thirst.
"I can walk you home later, Zoe," Miron added.
He switched into what he probably thought was his charming mode and took my hand.
My stupid, inexperienced heart had no idea what love was supposed to feel like, but I knew one thing for sure: when I did fall in love someday, it definitely wouldn’t be with either of them. I knew my friends too well for that.
The next few minutes dragged on forever.
Little by little, I stopped feeling like myself. A heavy drowsiness settled over me, pressing down on my eyelids. My eyes burned like I hadn’t slept in days. My body felt warm and heavy, and my thoughts started slipping through my fingers, slow and blurry.
Seriously?
Was I actually about to fall asleep in the middle of a club?
"I think I should go," I said, forcing myself to stand.
Only Kriss was still at the table. She was typing furiously on her phone, but when she noticed me, she got to her feet too, swaying slightly.
Yeah. We both needed to get home.
I managed to swallow the first yawn, but the next one hit me so hard my eyes watered.
"Are you okay, Zoe?" Kriss asked, slipping her arm through mine. "Maybe we should get you home."
"You don’t look so great either," I said, glancing down at her.
She was standing there in one shoe.
Kriss burst out laughing and ducked under the table to look for the other one.
"Maybe we should just go together," I said. "You’re drunk, and I can barely keep my eyes open."
"Yeah..." She shoved her shoe back on and grabbed my arm again. "But first let’s find the guys. I saw them go upstairs."
"Upstairs?" I frowned, looking toward the staircase.
The VIP area was up there, hidden behind the balcony level, but neither Sergey nor Miron were anywhere downstairs.
We couldn’t leave without saying goodbye... could we?
Step by step, we made our way upstairs. My head felt heavier with every second, and dragging myself up the stairs while Kriss leaned half her weight against me felt almost impossible.
"There," she said, pointing toward a door.
We stepped into a narrow hallway lit by dim golden lights.
"There’s nobody here," I muttered, staring at the closed doors lining the corridor.
The room spun.
I caught myself against the wall, breathing hard. What the hell was wrong with me? I could’ve curled up right there on the floor and gone to sleep without caring.
"Kriss, let’s go back. I don’t feel good."
Everything blurred.
The next thing I knew, I was in some unfamiliar room.
Maybe I was imagining it.
Or maybe I really was sitting on the edge of a huge bed.
Silky sheets brushed against my fingertips, soft and cool, and before I could stop myself, I leaned into them.
Warm light filled the room.
A door opened.
I wasn’t drunk. Not really. I was too aware for that. My head was foggy, but I still recognized the man standing in front of me immediately.
The same one I’d spilled my cocktail on.
"So the money wasn’t enough to pay for your jacket?" I snapped, glaring at him.
"Disgusting," he said coldly.
His eyes swept over me like he couldn’t stand the sight.
"I thought you agreed to this. You’ve got terrible friends, girl." His mouth twisted. "So tell me... what exactly am I supposed to do with you now?"
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7.2
In the roaring flames of the abandoned warehouse, my skin blistered and peeled.
Through the crackling fire, my sister Elara's malicious voice echoed. She told me my husband, Damien, was dead, and it was all my fault.
For years, I had treated Damien like a monster. I fought him, threw tantrums, and desperately tried to escape our marriage, all because I blindly followed Elara's advice.
"Remember, the harder you fight, the more disgusted he'll get."
She texted me things like that, telling me to smash vases over his head and run away, claiming she was protecting me.
In reality, she was poisoning my mind, stealing my valedictorian spot at university, and plotting to crawl into my billionaire husband's bed.
My foolish rebellion cost me everything, ultimately leading to Damien's tragic death and my own fiery end.
As the massive explosion tore my consciousness to shreds, I finally understood who truly loved me and who the real monster was.
I died suffocating on my own agonizing regret, wishing I could tear Elara apart.
Then, a rush of freezing air punched into my lungs.
I opened my eyes to the crisp scent of cedar and mint. I was back seven years ago, on the very night our marriage was supposed to go to hell.
This time, looking at Damien's flawless, unscarred face, I didn't push him away.
I wrapped my arms around his neck and made a silent vow: I would make every single person who ever hurt him bleed.
8.9
Betrayed by the people she trusted most, Ava Lin's perfect life shatters overnight. From losing her mother under mysterious circumstances to being tormented by her stepmother and stepsister, Ava learns early that love in her world comes at a price. But nothing prepares her for the ultimate betrayal,catching her fiancé in bed with her own sister just weeks before their wedding.
Humiliated and heartbroken, Ava makes a reckless decision that changes everything: a contract marriage to a stranger. What she doesn't know is that her new husband is Elias Ward,a powerful, cold-hearted billionaire with secrets of his own.
Thrown into a world of wealth, power, and hidden enemies, Ava finds herself entangled in a dangerous game of revenge, lies, and unexpected passion. As she rises from the ashes of betrayal, those who once destroyed her will stop at nothing to bring her down even if it means exposing deadly secrets buried in her past.
But when love begins to bloom in the most unexpected place, Ava must decide,will she continue fighting for revenge, or risk everything for a second chance at love?
In a story filled with scandal, heartbreak, and justice, one woman's pain becomes her greatest strength... and her ultimate weapon.
9.7
Clarissa rushed into a crowded nightclub for one simple reason: to save her wildly drunk best friend.
But her ruthless billionaire husband, Giovanny, was watching from the VIP room. After effortlessly ruining a man just for grabbing her wrist, Giovanny punished Clarissa for breaching their public image contract with an impossible curfew.
When she inevitably arrived back at his penthouse late, he didn't just yell. He forced her to her knees by his bathtub to wash his back, making her watch an explicit, humiliating video as punishment.
A sudden family medical emergency dragged them to his parents' estate. Still in her soaked, transparent dress and his misbuttoned shirt, Giovanny's mother caught them. She joyfully assumed they had been passionately intimate.
Instead of clearing her name, Giovanny pulled Clarissa close and lied to his mother's face.
"We are working very hard on the family's future, Mother."
He locked her in the guest suite, tossed a sheer silk nightgown on the bed, and literally shattered the tablet holding their "no-contact" prenuptial agreement. He then slapped a file against the window—he had secretly bought all her father's toxic debt.
Clarissa was terrified. They were supposed to be business allies bound by a strict contract. Why was he suddenly acting like a predator determined to own her body and soul?
"Give me an heir, or your father goes to federal prison," he whispered.
Stripped of all choices, Clarissa picked up the white silk. She would surrender tonight to save her family, but as his shadow swallowed her, she made a silent vow to survive this monster, and one day, tear his empire to the ground.
8.7
Five years ago, I was the invisible scholarship charity case at an elite Manhattan prep school, trying to survive in a sea of trust-fund babies.
Arlo Hammond, the untouchable billionaire heir, made sure to completely dismantle my soul.
When his wealthy friends asked if he noticed me, his mocking laughter echoed down the hallway.
"Are you out of your mind? You seriously think I'd be interested in a boring little nerd like her?"
But the moment we were alone, he would corner me in dark alleys, pinning my wrists against brick walls with terrifying, possessive jealousy if my phone even buzzed. He played his twisted games until I was left standing in the rain with my shattered dignity.
Now, I am an Assistant District Attorney. I spent years burying those memories under mountains of legal files.
But tonight, he returned.
When we crossed paths at an exclusive club, he looked at me with the cool detachment he'd give a piece of furniture. In front of a crowd of elites, he coldly declared:
"We have absolutely nothing to do with each other anymore."
Then he walked away to pick up a supermodel, leaving me trembling from the sheer humiliation.
I didn't understand. If I was so worthless to him, why did he still have my birthday tattooed in dark ink on his wrist? Why did he look at me with such raw, painful vulnerability in the shadows?
I stared at my pale reflection in the mirror and made a silent vow.
I am not that pathetic seventeen-year-old anymore, and I will prove to him that I am completely, entirely over him.
7.6
My father raised seven brilliant orphans to be my potential husbands. For years, I only had eyes for one of them, the cold and distant Damien Paul, believing his distance was a wall I just had to break through.
That belief shattered last night when I found him in the garden, kissing his foster sister, Eve—the fragile girl my family took in at his request, the one I had treated like my own sister.
But the true horror came when I overheard the other six Fellows talking in the library.
They weren't competing for me. They were working together, orchestrating "accidents" and mocking my "stupid, blind" devotion to keep me away from Damien.
Their loyalty wasn't to me, the heiress who held their futures in her hands. It was to Eve.
I wasn't a woman to be won. I was a foolish burden to be managed. The seven men I grew up with, the men who owed my family everything, were a cult, and she was their queen.
This morning, I walked into my father's study to make a decision that would burn their world to the ground. He smiled, asking if I'd finally won Damien over.
"No, Dad," I said, my voice firm. "I'm marrying Hunter Beach."
7.5
To survive a lethal genetic breakdown, Holden, a legendary mercenary known as "Ghost," was forced into an arranged marriage with the wealthy heiress Julia Ramsey.
But the moment he stepped into the lavish estate wearing an oil-stained jacket, he was treated like absolute garbage.
Julia accused him of being a perverted stalker, pulling a gun on him and demanding he be thrown out. Even after Holden used a forbidden kinetic strike to save her grandfather from a fatal heart attack, the family still looked at him with pure disgust. Julia confined him to a cramped guest room, warning him to stay out of her life. To make matters worse, his other estranged fiancée, an elite military commander, barged into the penthouse just to throw an annulment in his face.
"You are a pathetic, bottom-feeding parasite! You have no ambition. You hide in this woman's apartment like a stray dog. You are entirely beneath me."
She mocked him in front of Julia, completely blind to the fact that Holden had just effortlessly incapacitated her Tier-1 operative with a single strike. They all thought he was just a greedy, low-class thug clinging to their wealth. They had no idea they were mocking an apex predator who commanded the city's underground and hunted mutant monsters for sport.
When Julia forced him to attend a high-society yacht party as part of a trap to publicly humiliate him, Holden just smirked and took a sip of his cheap beer.
He was more than happy to play along, already calculating exactly how he was going to tear their arrogant little world apart.