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Four lives, once intertwined in a humble orphanage, now collide in a tangled web of love, lies, and deceit. Celine, adopted by the wealthiest family in the US, is trapped in a suffocating marriage to Christian, a billionaire with a dark past. But Christian's motives for marrying Celine are far from loving - he's hiding her from the world, and using Gina, his first love, as a fake girlfriend to keep her safe. Nelix, a man consumed by his lifelong passion for Celine, re-emerges, determined to claim her as his own. As tensions rise, alliances are tested, and secrets begin to unravel. Will Celine find the courage to break free from Christian's grasp and follow her heart? Or will the shadows of their past forever define their destiny?

My name is Christian Thompson, and once upon a time, I was the best striker in European football. That was until he came along—Ashford Ryder, young and carefree, 10 years my junior and the new shining star. I hate him. At least that's what I tell myself. Not just because he's taken my spot, but because he's everything I've struggled all my life to be, and not to be. He's vibrant, he's happy, and the worst of all, he's openly gay. I'm not homophobic, quite the opposite—I've lived in the closet all my life. All my life, I've had to hide who I am to please the people around me. European football hasn't always been this accepting of gay men, and I'd squeezed myself into a box to fit in with what they wanted of me. It isn’t that hard when you think about my family who'd rather disown me than have an openly gay son. So imagine how I feel when the world decides to be more accommodating to people like Ashford Ryder when they shoved me in a box. It's not so easy to hate the happy-go-lucky striker, when he does everything to get close to me, despite my insistent hatred for him. He's like a thorn in my side—a hot, sexy, blonde, 5ft9 thorn I can't stop thinking about. But when one day I lose my cool around the popular striker and land myself in bad press, I end up needing his help. It's supposed to be easy. Spend some time with Ashford Ryder, and show our fans that we can work together—it's what I need to do to save my career. But no one tells you how hard it is to hate someone you spend every waking hour dreaming about.