Chapter 1

Lumina Walker, cool and untouchable ice queen.

At her height of obsession over her boyfriend Jackson Hunter, she secretly took out a loan worth millions to pay off his debts. No one knew—not even her family.

As part of the deal, she had to take a nude video as collateral. She even went so far as to perform stripteases at a bar for extra cash.

Late at night, Lumina stood before raucous men screaming for her name. Her eyes turned red as she slowly removed her clothes, her body swaying in a seductive dance.

When the performance ended, she was left with nothing but a few scraps of fabric.

As soon as she left the stage, Jackson, who had been waiting in the crowd, quickly wrapped his black trench coat around her. He led her into a cramped backstage room and pushed her against the door.

"Shush. Stay still. I want you." In the darkness, Jackson's rough hands skillfully pulled down her underwear and he went into her from behind.

Lumina gasped uncontrollably and looked back in terror. "You… Get out first... We're right next to the door…! People in the hallway might hear us."

Jackson leaned in and gently licked her earlobe. "Relax. The way you danced out there turned me on. I want to hear your voice."

His voice was both teasing and commanding, and Lumina's alluring figure quickly went weak. She was pressed against the door powerlessly, moaning softly as he guided her. They went at it twice before Jackson finally let her go, planting a kiss on her cheek with lingering affection.

"I still have another hour before clocking out, Lumi. You should head home and rest first."

After the redness faded from her face, Lumina got dressed and headed out.

Maybe she was still dazed by what had just happened, but she lost her way and accidentally walked into the VIP lounge area where staff weren't allowed.

Just as she was about to leave, she suddenly heard her own moans coming from one of the private rooms at the end of the hall.

"She sounds so wild!"

"You've really fallen head over heels for Celia, Jackson. You picked dare over truth just because you didn't want to say Celia's measurements out loud. You've even recorded Lumina's moans for us!"

"Speaking of which… If Lumina found out you that actually like her nemesis Celia, I wonder if she'll just drop dead from anger?"

Lumina froze—her body went rigid, and her mind blanked for a few seconds. Chills ran down her spine.

"Serves her right for pushing Celia off the roof and turning her into a vegetable!" Jackson snarled.

"You're ruthless even to yourself! Just to get back at Lumina, you pretended to be a bartender for three years, tricked her into taking out a loan for you, and used her nude video as collateral. You even got her to strip at your bar! If she ever found out that you're the loan shark and own the bar she stripped at… She'd probably be so furious, she'd die right there and then!"

"What you did was even worse than what they said online—make a woman pay for you, sleep with you, and sell herself for you!"

Those words hit Lumina like a truck; her head buzzed, and her blood ran cold.

"Oh, right, didn't you keep that video she used for the loan? You know, the one where she's holding her ID, fully nude? I heard it's in high definition? Share it with us already!"

"That's hot! Show it to us as a treat!"

Inside the room, Jackson lounged on the sofa, bearing not a trace of the affection he had shown Lumina earlier. His lips curled into a cold smile.

"What's the rush? Celia just woke up. Her birthday is in seven days. I'll persuade Lumina to have a wedding that day. Then, I'll reveal to her the truth about Celia's fall and release the videos of her in the nude and doing stripteases. Celia will be ecstatic, and I can confess to her."

"Genius! Good luck in advance, bro!"

"Cheers!"

The room erupted in cheers.

Lumina couldn't take it anymore. She ran out of the bar, her eyes red. She wiped her tears all the way home, the conversation she had overheard echoing in her mind again and again.

So, her whole relationship with Jackson had been a lie from the very beginning!

After losing both her parents six years ago, Lumina stayed in Arriva City against her uncle and aunt's wishes, just because it had the nation's top agricultural university.

She had always loved researching crops. She was obsessed with it.

She never expected Celia to pick the same university.

Celia had been Lumina's tormentor from their middle school days, a downright monster. For nine whole years, she made Lumina's life miserable. She had gone so far as to shave Lumina bald and slapped Lumina for a whole month.

Lumina tried seeking help, but nothing ever came out of it.

All because Celia had a guardian angel—the heir of the Hunter family of Arriva City.

Rumor had it that he harbored a secret crush on Celia for years, but never dared confess. Instead, he helped her behind the scenes. He was a pure-hearted warrior among the wealthy.

In their junior year of college, Celia fell from the rooftop and ended up in a coma.

Everyone suspected that Lumina had pushed her.

Overwhelmed by the false accusations, Lumina drowned her sorrows at a bar, where she met Jackson, a bartender. They hit it off immediately, and after Jackson's intense pursuit, she agreed to date him.

For one year, Jackson treated her incredibly well.

That was, until a year and a half ago.

Gangsters showed up, demanding that Jackson repay his late father's massive debt. Seeing that he had no way to pay and was about to lose both hands, Lumina caved. Under their manipulation, she gritted her teeth and took out nearly a million dollars for him. To pay off the loan faster, she later quit her dream job at the Agricultural Institute and became a stripper.

Lumina used to fantasize that once the loan was paid off, she would take Jackson to her parents' graves and tell them she had found true love.

But now, looking back, she felt like a fool.

She had no idea how long she wandered in the night, until her phone suddenly rang.

It was her Uncle Howard from Crown City, the country's capital.

"Lumina, we found your late father's belongings. If you agree to marry that mute from the Morgan family, I'll give them to you. Otherwise, for the rest of your life, you—"

Before Howard could finish his threat, Lumina coldly cut him off.

"I'll marry him."