Enigmatic Smile

I was the perfect wife to billionaire tycoon, Lanc Arcony, until his cruelty knew no bounds. My husband, the richest man of his generation, thought he could replace me. He thought his money could erase his sins. He was a fool. Now, the woman he knew is gone, replaced by a stranger with a smile sharp enough to cut glass and a plan to match. I am a calculated risk, a seductive threat stitched into the fabric of his existence. He just doesn't realize how my every action is planned, each of word a weapon, and that everything is at stake—his company, his reputation, and his new life. But when the line between my actions and my wounded heart begins to blur, will I be the one to destroy him, or will his dark temptation consume me once more?

On our tenth wedding anniversary, my husband, Jaxon Wilde, walks through the door with his hundredth new mistress. From my neck, he snaps the necklace that was once our token of love and fastens it around hers. Amid the guests' jeers and mocking laughter, the lady tugs timidly at my gown and murmurs, "Mr. Wilde wants me to wear this dress tonight, Scarlett." It was a dress altered from my wedding gown ten years ago, and I wore it tonight like a fool, hoping he might remember. But now, he wants to strip his wife bare in public and give it to his mistress on the wedding anniversary. Under the weight of everyone's sneers, I look up at him and give him a genuine smile for the first time in a decade. "Let's get divorced, Jaxon."

They betrayed her, broke her, and left her to die. But fate had other plans. Lyriel gave everything for love. Her time. Her dreams. Her heart. She built his empire, raised the child he claimed was abandoned, and stood by him when no one else would. But behind every kiss was a lie. Behind every smile, betrayal. When the truth finally came to light, it shattered more than just her world—it cost her her life. Poisoned. Stabbed. Burned. But Lyriel's story didn’t end in the flames. She opened her eyes to a time before it all began—before the wedding, before the lies, before she handed her life away to those who would watch her burn. This time, she’s not here to love. She’s here to destroy.

The wedding's in half an hour, and my fiancé's assistant, this woman, just hands me this paper. Rule number one: No physical contact with him outside, not unless he explicitly permits it. Rule number two: Intimacy is to occur only when he initiates it. She is obligated to satisfy his desires at least once a month. Rule number three: He can demand his due at any time, any place, and she cannot refuse. ... After I finished reading this entire two-page contract, I had to fight to keep a smile on my face. Swallowing the fire in my gut, I called my fiancé. "Marcus, what the hell is this?" "What do you mean, 'If he fathers a child, she must raise it, no matter who the mother is'?"

My husband drives me out so I can meet my best friend for an afternoon tea session. That's when I discover a used condom and a stray earring wedged between the door and the front passenger seat. I'm distraught as I head to the restaurant. My best friend hugs me warmly, but the lone earring she wears pierces my heart. I don't expose them for their betrayal. Instead, I fall into bed with my husband's best friend that very night. Later, James Fullman roars and asks why I've done this to him. I smile faintly and lean into the embrace of the man beside me. "You're not the only one who can get hot and heavy in the front passenger seat, you know."

Will grew up in a reality where men were not allowed to cry, express their feelings, or do anything that was considered too feminine. The son of a wealthy Thai family, he was raised to be his father's successor in business, but Will wanted to go beyond that, and became an actor. Everything in his quiet world was fine, until he was invited to act in a Boyslove series, alongside Nate, the guy with the intimidating eyes. Nate wasn't very sociable, always very quiet, didn't like much physical contact, and wasn't romantic at all, all this before he met Will, the boy who made him smile and made his day happier. Wil and Nate's world is no longer the same, everything they believed in has disappeared, and now fiction seems to invade reality, feelings are not only those of their characters, and they can no longer disguise what they feel...

I wake up to a noise outside my room, my eyes widen to see my parents on their knees on the floor and a very tall man with a gun to his head. My dad had a pained expression on his face, he turns his face to the top of the stairs where our eyes meet. He quickly gave a smirk, it made me shiver. '' There!! '' My dad points at me making the man look at me. ''He can be the payment for your boss. He what? But there wasn't even time to think straight, the man grabbed my wrist and dragged me away. I look at my parents who smile, soon tears formed in my eyes. They... Are they selling me? I'm being sold to men I've never seen.

He marked her like property. Then completely turned on her. Cecelia was never meant to survive the bond, she was just meant to bleed for it. Chosen for her pack, used for an alignment, discarded when she became inconvenient. Zeke took everything from her: her freedom, her future, and something she never meant to give; her heart. But she didn’t die. She learned. Now she’s back, unrecognizable, with poison in her smile and vengeance stitched into her skin. His mark still burns on her body. But the girl he broke is gone. And the woman she’s become wants nothing to do with him. She doesn’t want his love. She wants him to break, And this time, she’ll make sure he stays broken.

"So, what do you think about my brilliant idea?" he continued this time, with a glimmering smile on his face. "My name is Ghino Frost, by the way. Just like you, I was betrayed and cheated by the ones I loved the most."     Ghino's proposal completely tempts me as it makes me realize the reason why I dream of someone impossible. Dylan is my best friend - the love of my life.     And it appears that my one-of-a-kind dream - holding his hands - kissing his lips - and making love with him forever stays in a dream. Dylan and I will never happen.     But I badly need anything that can distract me and survive for the night. Just for the night. "Fine," I finally spoke up after a few minutes of considering everything. "Let's do it. Let's have sex."

My son, Scott Gould, suddenly tells me that he has leukemia. Then, he goes on to say that his biggest wish is to see Ivanna Newman in a wedding dress. My husband, Theodore Gould, agrees with Scott. "I'll hold a wedding with Ivanna. Once Scott is done with his treatment, we'll get remarried." I gladly agree to the request and divorce Theodore. Not long after, I learn from Scott's social media that he's attending the wedding of Theodore and his childhood sweetheart, Ivanna. The caption he writes says, "I'm so happy for Dad. I can't help but shed tears for true love." I smile and turn off my phone. Holding the hand of the person next to me, I board a plane to Wismuth.