playing dumb synonym

Gia O'Leary, the stripper who makes the crowd go wild, has spent years hiding behind the allure of the Black Swan mask. No man has ever touched her, no one has ever seen her true face. But when a ruthless Alpha sets his sights on her, all her carefully guarded secrets threaten to unravel. Now, Gia is left with two choices—submit to his dangerous desires or risk losing everything. Levi Edelman, the powerful yet cursed Alpha of the ClawVille Pack, has one mission: find the woman destined to break his curse. Time is running out, and playing fair is no longer an option. When destiny brings him to the defiant Omega who was never meant for him, he does what any Alpha would do—he takes. But what begins as a ruthless pursuit quickly sparks an uncontrollable desire in both of them.

Ethan Blake and Julian Cross are Hollywood’s favorite rivals—two A-list actors whose off-screen feud is as legendary as their on-screen performances. For years, the media has played up their animosity, feeding into the narrative of two stars who can’t stand each other. And Ethan is fine with that. Julian is arrogant, reckless, and far too good at getting under his skin. But when they are cast as romantic leads in a high-profile LGBTQ+ blockbuster, everything changes. Forced into close proximity, the lines between performance and reality begin to blur. Heated arguments behind the scenes turn into charged moments neither of them can ignore. A single off-script kiss during filming shatters their carefully constructed walls, sending both their careers—and emotions—into uncharted territory. The media explodes with speculation. Rumors spread like wildfire, and their public feud only adds fuel to the fire. A PR crisis forces them into damage control, but every interview, every staged moment, only makes it harder to deny the truth simmering beneath the surface. As industry backlash looms and personal stakes grow higher, Ethan finds himself at a crossroads. He has spent years playing it safe, hiding behind his carefully curated image. But Julian refuses to be another script he follows. He wants something real. In an industry built on illusion, can two men who were never meant to fall for each other survive the spotlight’s harsh glare? Or will fear and fame tear them apart before they even have a chance? Enemies on screen. Lovers behind the scenes. But can they survive the ultimate Hollywood scandal?

Loud music is playing, some students are dancing and other are chatting. The few one who are alone are dispersed observing the others. My eyes scan the room for Liam. Fortunately, I see him standing at the entrance with Lucas, Mateo, Levi and Mason. My legs drag me to their direction and he smiles as he sees me. His friends pushed him to me and he looks like he hesitates for a while before walking up to me. Without a word, he grabs my hand and pulled me away from the noise. Now we’re standing in the boys changing room. Before I speak, he gently cups my face. His forehead is touching mine as his eyes flash in the evening light. My heart races and I look away shyly but he lifts my chin up with his finger. I admire his beauty,drowning in the rush of love and awaiting a toe-curling kiss. I hear his words; “Don’t be silly. You’ll never be my type.” Followed by a chuckle. My blood runs cold as my brain draws a blank *************** Liam Hunter, the name that could make your knees turn jelly. He had it all the looks, money and everyone’s dream girl, Beatrice. He was the school’s basketball team captain. Every girl was dying to spend even a second with him, well except her. His charms didn’t work on her and she seemed oblivious to his existence. Everything changes for Liam when he is dared to date Zara for a month and then dump her. It all starts as game, a mind game for Liam. But what happens when the heart gets involved? What will Zara do after learning the truth? Will she get over her love for Liam and go back to herself?

He didn't expect to see her again, an encounter that ignited his love and desires for her; She didn't expect to meet him sooner —an encounter that ignited her hunger for revenge and a twisted desire. ****** He pushed me against the wall, "End the contract with my boss! You are playing with fire Victoria!" He roars. I remain unfazed; this is just the tip of the iceberg, and there is more to come. How I wish he could read the handwriting on the wall, he should be more scared of me, not his boss. "Dear ex-husband, are you jealous that I'm with your boss or is it something else?" I challenge him, a mysterious smile playing on the tip of my lips. His eyes blaze with fury, swiftly pinning me against the wall, his breath fanning my ear, sending shockwaves of pleasure despite the situation. "You know nothing; if you are aiming for revenge, then do it openly!" My gaze meets his, "You don't know what is coming for you, Brad; it is far more than you can fathom."I gave him a sinister smile which made him go crazy. "Fine, I admit I was wrong; I shouldn't have done that to you; I shouldn't have abandoned our love and made you sign those papers, but I did that for you!" Came his outburst. "I...I did that to protect you... because I love you... because I don't want to lose you." He cupped my face tenderly, his hands shaking against my skin; I stood still, dumbfounded. "protection from what?" I choked at my question because I knew whatever the reason may be, it might already be too late. This has gone beyond love—the thirst for revenge and duty is at stake now. Will love be given a chance again?

“A contract bound them together. A secret could tear them apart.” In the glamorous world of fame, betrayal is the sharpest weapon. Once Stardom Heights' golden girl, Scarlet Elle Sinclair had it all—until the people she trusted most shattered her career, her reputation, and her life. Left with nothing but a tarnished name, she’s offered an unexpected deal by a ruthless billionaire with secrets of his own. His terms? He will help her reclaim her career and exacting revenge— for a price. With Scarlet playing the game of power and deception, the line between ambition and obsession is blurred. And when forbidden desire ignites between her and Grayson, she’ll be forced to ask herself: Is revenge worth the price of love? When the truth is finally revealed, Scarlet will have to make the ultimate decision: redemption or destruction?

Scarlett never wanted this. A quiet life as a writer was all she dreamed of, but fate had other plans. When Liam DeLuca, a ruthless mafia leader, storms into her life, demanding the truth about a child she doesn’t remember, her world is turned upside down. His accusation is both chilling and impossible: that she drugged him, seduced him, and bore his child before vanishing. Scarlett doesn’t remember any of it. But Liam wouldn't take no for an answer. Liam isn’t just searching for answers; he’s playing a game of obsession and control. And Scarlett is the unwilling pawn. Caught between Liam's obsession and her lingering feelings for her first love—who no longer recognizes her— Scarlett realizes one thing: the truth might destroy her, but the lies will cost her everything. Can she fight her way out, or has she already lost everything?

Natalie Evans was the perfect wife—loyal, elegant, and devoted to her husband, Adrian Sinclair, the cold and untouchable CEO of Sinclair Enterprises. Everyone believed she was out of her league, merely a trophy wife, tolerated but never truly loved. When he paraded another woman into their home once more, she had enough. Without a scene, without a tear, she signed the divorce papers. The world assumed she was just playing hard to get, that she would come crawling back in days. Adrian believed it too. But when Natalie vanished from the social circles of the elite, only to return months later as a force to be reckoned with—brilliant, ruthless, and untouchable—she shattered every expectation. With an empire of her own, the once-mocked woman became a sensation. Those who belittled her scrambled for her favor, and her enemies found themselves falling one by one. When news spread that she was considering a new father for her daughter—something she had kept secret from the world—a storm of influential men stepped up. A genius scientist, a financial tycoon, and even a world-renowned actor vied for her attention. But Adrian wasn’t ready to let go. Cornering her at a gala, his voice was dark with suspicion. “Your child is mine, isn't it?” Natalie’s cold smile sent chills through him. “That’s none of your business. Ex-husband, step aside.” Now, Adrian would do whatever it took to reclaim what he lost, even if it meant bringing the world to its knees.

Love and hatred can't coexist ever, but love combined with generosity can leave a lasting impact, which are not easy to hide. My story, however, was a dark and unsavory tale that would make the world shun me even more than they already do. It's not a story suitable for innocent ears, a cautionary tale of how I dragged my princess charming into a toxic and bitter love. My love was genuine, yet I'm haunted by the guilt of my actions. When everything backfired, my Alpha introduced a new woman he claimed to love, and I was forced to accept it. But a life without love is a dumb, lifeless existence, a bleak and hopeless hues.

“Who dares to hurt my woman?” He asked with no warmth in his voice; his look was enough to tell that he could execute any that carried out such action. Sophia loved her life and always dreamed of a good life with her partner, but the dream remained in her memory when she got cheated on. She caught her fiance having with her stepsister on her wedding day. Sophia was heartbroken and decided to get revenge by playing their clip on the wedding day, but things didn't go her way when her sister took her place and walked down the aisle with her supposed groom. Heartbroken Sophia had a one-night stand to clear her head, but the man turned out to be one of the richest men in the city, and he refused to let her go and decided to help with her revenge. Will that be possible?

Kc Page is a man of law, a brilliant attorney, a trillionaire CEO, and a force to be reckoned with. He spent his entire life upholding justice, for no crime goes unpunished in his view. However, an accident steals away his pregnant fiancée and leaves him drowning in a sea of sorrow. In the aftermath, he lost faith in the law.Court calls it an accident; Kc calls it murder. The culprit? Valeria Jayne, the world's most coveted runway model, a woman with beauty so striking that it blinds the world to her supposed sins. But Kc refuses to be deceived. With his influence and power, he orchestrates her downfall, vowing to make her suffer the way he has. He hunts her, haunts her, ensuring that she will never know peace until something happens that neither of them sees coming. She gets pregnant with his baby. For Valeria, this is not love; it is a curse. But Kc is unstoppable. The minute he finds out that she's playing a game, anger has the best of him. She ran away with his child. She left him running. And now, there isn't any spot in this earth where she'd be able to hide that he wouldn't locate her. But as the layers of deception fall away, Kc finds himself staring into a shocking truth: Valeria is not the villain he had imagined her to be. Instead, there is someone else in the shadows, someone who has played them both like pawns in a ruthless game. Now, Kc is confronted with an impossible decision: to cling to his thirst for revenge or to save the woman whom he once promised to destroy, now that she carries his child? And what revelations will he find as truth finally comes to light?