FAZER LOGINReborn from a desolate post-apocalyptic world into the marginalized middle daughter of Solstice City’s powerful Laurent family, Helene wants only one thing: peace. But when her younger sister refuses to marry her now-disabled fiancé—the very engagement she once stole from Helene—Helene is chosen to take her place. Determined to sever ties with the family she'd never quite fitted into, Helene agrees to the marriage—on one condition: the day she marries into the Blackthorne family is the day she seizes to be part of the Laurent family. ★ ★ ★ To Lucien Blackthorne, marriage is nothing more than a transaction. It doesn’t matter who stands beside him at the altar. Until he meets her. A woman who looks at him without pity. Who accepts him without hesitation. Who walks into his life with quiet defiance, and begins dismantling the walls he built around himself. What begins as a calculated exchange soon spirals into something neither of them anticipated. And when emotions become the most dangerous variable of all… Who will be the first to fall?
Ver maisHELENEMorning sunlight filtered through the curtains and spilled across the bed.Feeling the warmth brushing against my skin, I cracked my eyes open and glanced at the baby-pink alarm clock resting on the bedside table.6:09 AM.Still early.With no pressing obligations weighing on my mind, I closed my eyes again, reluctant to leave the comfort of the blankets.A heartbeat later, they suddenly flew open.My plants!Summer had arrived: the soil dried quickly at this time of year.The thought of them sitting in the heat, thirsty and waiting, swept away the last traces of sleep. I pushed myself upright, threw off the covers, and hurried downstairs.—Three years ago, after I graduated from college, my maternal grandparents left this house in the old university district to me before moving to the countryside to run a small farm.They had retired from their professorships long ago—during my first year of high school—and should have left then. But worried about how I'd fare at the Laurent
LUCIEN“I plan to skip the engagement ceremony and move directly to your marriage with Noemie.”My mother, Vivienne Blackthorne, delivered the decision out of the blue as we ate dinner at my place.My hands paused briefly over the steak knife—only for a fraction of a second—before I resumed cutting as if nothing had happened. Then I took a bite, chewed slowly, then hummed in acknowledgment.Perhaps my reaction was too mild, because she set her cutlery down and leaned forward, studying my face.“Are you upset,” she asked carefully, “that I made this decision without consulting you?”I looked up and met her gaze, a faint sense of helplessness rising in my chest.After swallowing, I picked up my glass and took a sip of water before answering.“I’m not upset, Mom,” I said flatly. “This marriage was bound to happen sooner or later. Pushing it forward doesn’t make much difference to me.”I paused, a fleeting trace of self-mockery passing through my eyes.“I’m just not sure whether the Laur
HELENE Rather than being stumped by my questions, Camille smiled.“I’ll answer your questions one by one,” she said calmly. “First—Lucien.”“You don’t want to marry him? But Helene, at the very least, you’re familiar with him. He’s cold, yes, but he’s also known to be a gentleman.”She tilted her head slightly. “If you wait for our parents to arrange another match for you, can you guarantee the next man will be even half as decent?”“I—”She waved me off.“I know what you want to say,” she continued. “That you’re your own person. That they can’t force you to marry someone you dislike.”Her tone sharpened, but just a little.“But that thinking is nothing short of naïve, Helene.”“The moment you were born a Laurent, your fate was already sealed. The family has to ‘recoup' the cost of raising you.”“And for a woman,” she added evenly, “that cost is repaid through marriage to a suitable match, chosen by them.”“There’s no escape,” she said, her voice calm and matter-of-factly, “unless yo
HELENEOutside the house, I reached into my bag for my car keys and headed toward the garage.A fleet of flashy, expensive cars sat neatly parked beneath the lights—their sleek silhouettes polished to perfection. Among them, one stood out like a sore thumb—a gray Toyota Camry.Mine.I’d bought it with my own money not long after graduating from college. It wasn’t luxurious, but it was functional and sturdy. And it was the only thing here that truly belonged to me.Without sparing the others a glance, I made a beeline for it.Just as my fingers brushed the driver’s door handle, a voice called out from behind me.“Helene.”I turned, arching a brow when I saw Camille.I tossed my bag into the car, shut the door, then leaned back against it, arms crossed, meeting her gaze head-on.“Are you here to convince me to cooperate?” I asked flatly. “To consider the ‘big picture’?”To my surprise, she chuckled. Amusement—and something that almost resembled fondness—flickered briefly in her eyes.“A


















Welcome to GoodNovel world of fiction. If you like this novel, or you are an idealist hoping to explore a perfect world, and also want to become an original novel author online to increase income, you can join our family to read or create various types of books, such as romance novel, epic reading, werewolf novel, fantasy novel, history novel and so on. If you are a reader, high quality novels can be selected here. If you are an author, you can obtain more inspiration from others to create more brilliant works, what's more, your works on our platform will catch more attention and win more admiration from readers.