LOGINSelena Jesus, a sharp-mouthed Gen Z baddie, only cares about one thing: securing the bag for her luxe girls’ round trip with her rich Instagram crew in one month. She signs a one-year contract marriage with cold billionaire Matthew Kingland — no feelings, just money. The second she meets Matthew’s cousin (and rival) Alexander, she’s instantly crushing hard. She plays it cool without making it obvious, but the spark is real. Open-minded and quick with conversation, she chats with Matthew in that fun, teasing way to the extent he secretly starts loving… even though she couldn’t care less about him romantically. Matthew begins emotionally unavailable and cold. But when he clocks that his “contract wife” doesn’t chase him at all and has clear eyes for his enemy cousin, his possessiveness kicks in. He starts actively trying to win her over and pull her away from Alexander. What follows is obsession, savage banter, betrayal, and a man fighting dirty to make the one woman who didn’t want him fall for him instead. Selena levels up, stays focused on the money and her feelings for Alexander, which forces Matthew into the ultimate grovel. Will she choose the money, the crush, or the man who finally learned how to fight for her?
View MoreJI-HOON POVHer pulse jumps against my fingers like a trapped bird.I watch the exact moment the fiery anger drains out of Lysandra’s face, replaced by raw, freezing panic. She tries to pull her wrist away, but I hold on. Not to hurt her, but to keep her from doing something that will get us both killed.She doesn't belong here. For weeks, I have watched her in the training halls, faking her way through casting by using clever hand tricks and stolen smoke bombs. I knew she was an imposter. What I didn't know was that she was Elara’s sister, or that she had found the one piece of evidence I have been tearing this glacier apart to find.My pocket watch. The one my uncle stole from me the night Elara was murdered."How—" Lysandra starts, her voice shaking.Crunch.Heavy boots step onto the ice bridge just outside the morgue.The sound cuts through the freezing room like a knife. My shadow—the parasitic Silhouette that lives tied to my soul twitches on the floor. It smells the danger."Qu
LYSANDRA POV My sister’s shadow died three days before she did.I didn't know it at the time. I just thought Elara was tired. When she hugged me goodbye at the train station last month, her eyes, usually the bright, clear blue of an unthawed lake, were dull. Hollow. She told me the Conservatory was draining her. I thought it was just the brutal classes.Now, standing in the freezing center of her empty dormitory, I know the truth. The masters called it a tragic accident. A slip on the glacial bridges. But Elara would have never slipped. I know how she walked. I know how she survived. And her Silhouette, the tether of dark magic every mage at this wretched academy wields, is completely gone.The masters will be here in ten minutes to incinerate her belongings. Protocol, they say, to prevent shadow-rot from spreading.Cover-up, I call it.I drop to my knees, ignoring the sharp sting of the ice floor seeping through my thin uniform trousers. I press my bare hands against the frost-cove
JI-HOON POV The wood of the door splinters under the weight of a heavy fist.Adrenaline floods my veins. Lysandra’s pulse jumps against my fingers like a trapped bird. She tries to pull her wrist away, but I hold on. She doesn’t belong here, and she has no idea what these masters will do to her if they find her holding that watch."Quiet," I breathe, pulling her hard against my chest. I drag us backward into the narrow, pitch-black space between the frozen wall and Elara's heavy wooden wardrobe. The cold bites through my uniform, but it is nothing compared to the chill of the shadow magic rising to answer my call.Hide us, I command the Silhouette.The magic does not work for free. It never does. The darkness slithers up my legs, wrapping around us like a thick, suffocating blanket. It masks our breathing, our body heat, and our physical forms. But the shadow demands payment.A sharp, tearing pain spikes behind my eyes. I close them, bracing for the loss. Take it.I feel a memory sl
LYSANDRA POV The Sub-Glacial Training Caverns smell like a cracked stone and sweat.Vesper stands across the sparring ring. Her shadow twists over the frost. Her eyes lock on mine. She steps into the light. I step into the trap."Let's see what you have, Lysandra," she calls out. Her voice rings off the high ice walls. Dozens of elite students stop their drills to watch.I keep my hands loose at my sides. My heart thumps in my chest. I have no magic to draw from. If I don't block her attack, she will break my bones. If I don't fake a shadow-strike, the masters will execute me for being a fraud.Vesper flicks her wrist. A thick whip of darkness lashes toward my chest.I drop low. My boots slide on the slick floor. I flick my own right wrist hard. A hidden, spring-loaded dagger shoots from my sleeve. It strikes the ice. A tiny glass vial on the hilt shatters instantly. Compressed frost-powder and blinding fire blasts outward.A thick, blinding cloud of white smoke erupts between us. It
The Grand Kingsland Hotel ballroom glittered like a den of wolves wearing diamonds. Crystal chandeliers cast golden light over hundreds of the city’s elite — businessmen, politicians, socialites — all circling each other with fake smiles and real knives. Selena stayed close to Matthew’s side, pai
Selena had been in the mansion for two days when Victoria showed up. She was in the library, going through design books—mostly to keep her mind occupied—when Margaret came in with an apologetic expression. "Miss Victoria is here to see Mr. Kingland," Margaret said carefully. Selena looked up from
Selena's mother was in the private room at Royal Crest Hospital, looking stronger than she had in weeks. The upgrade had already happened. The surgery was already scheduled for tomorrow. Selena sat beside her mother's bed, smoothing down the expensive blanket, not quite ready to explain where the
The smell of disinfectant and despair clung to everything in the hospital corridor. Selena Jesus sat on the cold plastic chair, elbows digging into her thighs, staring at the faded white floor tiles like they held answers. “The cancer has spread to her liver,” Dr. Patel said gently. “Without surg












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.
reviewsMore