For five years of their contractual marriage, Serena couldn’t even catch a glimpse of her husband Alexander Vanderbilt who fled the country right after he signed the papers. She couldn’t even see him when his assistant came with divorce papers. Unbelievably, their first encounter unfolded as one night of intoxicated intimacy, with both failing to recognize one another. The next morning, she realized what had happened but when her husband still did not recognize her, she did not bother to inform him. Serena believed their paths would never cross again, only to discover that this was the commencement of their intertwined destinies. The next time Serena met with Xander, she used her middle name 'Ava' and her mother's maiden name 'Alvarez'. Recalling the virgin that had shared his bed the previous night, he almost mistook her as a prostitute until he saw her designs for his new house which, according to rumor, he bought for him and his soon-to-be bride and also his first love, Victoria. How ironic. Fate dictated otherwise and true love indeed saves the day as the more they interract, the more Xander started to feel something for Serena while Serena herself remain cool and composed, which only made him even more curious! If only he knows that she is still his wife...
View MoreMorning light poured through the sheer curtains, painting delicate shadows across the elegant hotel suite. A faint trace of last night’s champagne clung to the air, mingling with the expensive cologne lingering on silk sheets.
Alexander Vanderbilt stood rigidly by the window, the skyline reflecting in his cold, unreadable gaze. His broad shoulders cut a stark silhouette against the pale dawn.
On the edge of the bed sat Serena, her beauty impossible to ignore despite the stiffness in her posture. Her hair fell in soft, disheveled waves over her bare shoulders as she fastened the final buttons of her blouse with trembling fingers.
Alexander’s voice broke the silence, cool and biting.
“I’ll compensate you generously,” he said, each word clipped and precise. “But don’t expect anything beyond that. Last night changes nothing.”Serena’s hands froze mid-motion. His words were like a blade slicing through the fragile illusion of calm she’d tried to maintain.
He had always been in control — never careless, never reckless. Even when drinking, he held himself apart from others, refusing to yield to temptation. But last night had been different.
Serena, drawing a shaky breath, struggled to hold herself together.
She had known, since the moment their engagement had been arranged, that Alexander resented her. That he’d never asked for a wife, much less one chosen by the family.
After what happened last night, how could she convince him she hadn’t orchestrated it? That she hadn’t schemed to steal even a piece of his heart?
Guilt and frustration tangled in her chest.
She parted her lips to speak — “Actually, I—” — but before the words could form, a sudden vibration shattered the stillness.
Alexander’s phone buzzed against the nightstand. He turned to glance at it, his jaw tightening as he answered, switching to speakerphone with an air of bored disdain.
A breeze drifted in through the cracked balcony doors, carrying the faint perfume of rain-soaked city streets. Beyond the glass, the skyline shimmered in quiet shades of blue and gray, the river slicing a pale ribbon through the morning haze.
A crisp, clinical voice came through the speaker.
“Mr. Vanderbilt, we’ve arrived at Miss Morales’s apartment. She’s not there. Should we deliver the divorce papers to her family instead?”Alexander’s fingertips tapped rhythmically against the window frame, perfectly steady.
Three years. That was how long he’d been bound to Serena Morales — a wife he barely knew, a marriage born from family debt and legacy.Grandfather had insisted: She’s smart, polite, educated. She saved my life once.
But what did that matter? The Morales family had been saved, and the debt was paid.
His tone was devoid of any warmth as he answered,
“Keep trying. If she refuses, involve her family.”Serena flinched. Her hands clenched around her phone, her throat tightening. Divorce papers?
A chime of messages interrupted her thoughts.
---Alfonso: Serena, did you leave early last night? Araminta asked if Alexander drank the wine.
Serena: Dad, didn’t you prepare it?
Alfonso: No, Araminta did. If you have time, visit Valentina at the hospital. She misses you.
---Araminta.
A surge of anger lit up Serena’s eyes. So it was her.
She clenched her jaw, steadying her voice before replying.
Serena: I’ll visit Valentina later. Tell her I miss her too.Her gaze drifted back to Alexander. He stood by the window in a loosely tied white robe, towering and unapproachable, every inch the Vanderbilt heir — powerful, cold, unyielding.
It was as if last night had never happened, as if her presence meant nothing.
Serena took a slow, steadying breath. It’s over, she thought. They would divorce soon. No reason to stay and suffer further humiliation.
Quietly, she gathered her things. There was no point in prolonging this moment, no point in trying to talk to a man who’d already sealed his heart away.
By the time Alexander ended the call, the suite had fallen eerily silent.
He turned, expecting to see her. Instead, there were only rumpled sheets, the lingering scent of champagne, and the faint imprint of a woman who had already vanished.
His expression darkened, frustration simmering beneath the stoic surface.
He ran a hand across his face, recalling last night through a haze of disbelief. If not for the stain on the sheets, I’d think it was a bad dream.
A sharp knock on the door broke his thoughts.
Jonathan Potter, his trusted assistant, stepped inside, crisp and composed. He carried a freshly pressed suit draped over one arm, his eyes briefly scanning the disordered room before saying nothing.
Alexander wordlessly entered the bathroom, letting the cold water of the shower wash away the night, but something continued to gnaw at him.
Serena — the way she had left without so much as a glance backward — unsettled him in a way he couldn’t explain.
He emerged dressed and sharp once more, every inch the formidable Vanderbilt. As he reached the door, a thought struck him, freezing him mid-step.
His voice was clipped and dangerous.
“Jonathan. Who was the woman who left this morning?”Jonathan stiffened, quickly understanding. “I’ll investigate immediately.”
Alexander’s lips curved in a humorless smirk. She thinks I’ll chase after her? That I’ll fall into her games?
He dismissed Jonathan with a wave of his hand.
“Forget it. She’ll come back.”And in that moment, standing alone in the hushed, immaculate suite, Alexander made a silent vow:
If she thought she could slip away without consequences, she was gravely mistaken.
---Across the city, Serena stepped out of a steaming shower, water still clinging to her skin in delicate rivulets. Wrapping herself in a towel, she felt a faint sting across her shoulders, as if her skin itself was trying to scrub away the ghosts of last night. But no amount of heat or soap could cleanse what had been burned into her memory.
Exhaustion pressed against her bones as she collapsed onto the bed, her damp hair leaving dark stains on the crisp white sheets. She closed her eyes, desperate for rest, but the night refused to release its grip.
It came back to her in relentless flashes.
The feel of Alexander’s hands on her body, rough yet achingly familiar.
The intensity that burned in his eyes, as if trying to consume her entirely. The way her own resolve had crumbled, pleasure overwhelming the pain until she was left gasping, lost in the moment.Serena’s hand curled around a fistful of bedsheets, a bitterness rising hot in her throat. It wasn’t simply the loss of her virginity that made her ache.
It was his voice, low and ragged, carried on shallow breaths.
The name he had whispered, like a brand seared into her soul."Victoria."
Victoria Laurent.
The woman who owned Alexander’s heart.
The woman for whom he was willing to cast Serena aside.Serena turned onto her side, her chest tightening as if a heavy stone had been laid on it. She had been his wife for three long years, yet in all that time, she had been nothing more than a polite, beautiful placeholder.
Sleep was a cruel stranger. After minutes of futile tossing, she gave up, reaching over to the nightstand. Pulling open the drawer, she took out two pristine marriage certificates. Their crisp edges caught the lamplight, the embossed seals still proud and official, like a mocking reminder.
She traced a trembling finger over the bold print: Alexander Vanderbilt.
For three years, she thought, I have been Mrs. Vanderbilt in name alone.
But last night had changed everything.
She let out a sharp breath, slammed the drawer shut, and stared at the ceiling.
Everything had changed — and there was no going back.
Le Châteauesque Manor was shrouded in a tense silence, the kind that made the air itself feel heavy. Alexander sat motionless in his wheelchair, his expression carved from stone. Every second that ticked by gnawed at him, his knuckles whitening as his hand curled into a fist on the armrest. His eyes stayed fixed in the direction Serena had gone, as though he could drag her back with sheer force of will.Finally, after what felt like an eternity, he exhaled slowly. His voice came out low, devoid of warmth, each word cutting like ice.“Take her away.”The command sliced through the stillness.Maria Torres’s heart lurched. Layla? He meant Layla? Her stomach twisted. Rex was still lying in the clinic, suspended between life and death. The vet’s words—touch and go—rang in her ears. Serena had only left to see Rex, perhaps to hold him one last time. To Maria, anyone who had ever loved a pet would understand the devastation of that moment. And yet… Alexander was demanding that the culprit be
The hospital room was dim except for the glow of the surveillance monitor on Alexander’s bedside table. He had just received the footage from Manhattan Villa. At first, the file meant nothing—another routine update, he thought—until he pressed play.On the screen, grainy images flickered to life, and Alexander leaned forward, his jaw tightening.A servant’s voice crackled over the phone.“Mr. Vanderbilt, Rex is still in the hospital. He’s undergoing emergency treatment… It doesn’t look good.”Alexander’s chest sank like a stone in water. “And Layla?”The servant hesitated before answering. “Sir, you ordered us to throw her out… Ms. Black has already left.”A muscle in Alexander’s temple ticked. He immediately reached for his phone and dialed Serena. Jonathan had restored their phones that morning; she should have been reachable.But across town, Serena’s phone lay buried at the bottom of her handbag, muffled on silent. It vibrated once, then stilled, ignored as Serena dealt with Layla
Serena arrived at the pet hospital in a rush, her heels clicking sharply against the sterile white tiles. A cluster of servants was already gathered anxiously in the waiting area, their faces pale, their posture rigid with fear.Rex had been taken into the examination room, and the results were back—he was in critical condition, the vet and nurses working frantically to resuscitate him.The vet, a middle-aged man with sharp features and weariness in his eyes, stepped out, his expression grave. “This isn’t illness,” he said firmly, his voice edged with restrained anger. “Someone has been abusing this dog.”For a moment, Serena forgot to breathe. Her pulse thundered in her ears. “What are you saying?” she demanded, her voice raw, half disbelief, half fury.The vet adjusted his glasses, studying her with a steady gaze, as though confirming whether she was indeed Rex’s owner. “The injuries are consistent with repeated external force. Blows. Kicks, maybe. If you don’t find out who’s behind
At the gates of Manhattan Villa, Layla stood shivering in the late-summer wind, her hands resting protectively over her belly. The iron bars loomed before her, unyielding, and the two bodyguards stationed there refused to move aside.“Isn’t it the same if I wait for Mr. Vanderbilt inside?” she snapped, her voice edged with desperation. “I’m carrying his baby. If I faint out here, will you take responsibility?”Her words echoed with practiced indignation, but behind her bravado was a mounting fear. She had dodged the paternity test, feigned a hospital stay for a single day, and bolted the moment Cornelius returned to the Vanderbilt Villa. There was no turning back now—her greed had pushed her down a path she could no longer retreat from.The bodyguards exchanged uneasy glances. They knew Layla had been inside before, walking in Alexander’s shadow. He had never explicitly forbidden her entry, and technically, she had accompanied him in the past. Still, her sudden appearance and shrill p
Hugo entered quietly, a glass of water trembling in his hand as he approached the hospital bed. Alexander lay propped against the pillows, his skin pale against the stark white sheets. His lips were cracked, streaked faintly with blood, and his frame looked as though the weeks of unconsciousness had hollowed him out.“Still hung up on her, huh?” Hugo muttered, tipping the glass carefully toward Alexander’s mouth. His voice carried that blend of exasperation and pity only a longtime friend could muster. “You’ve been out cold for more than two weeks, and she hasn’t even bothered to visit.”Alexander’s brows knit together, his gaze unfocused at first, then sharpening as the words sank in. He accepted a small sip, then turned his head slightly toward the window. Morning light filtered through the blinds, painting him in a fragile glow that made his gauntness even more obvious.“Really?” His voice was hoarse, almost broken.He couldn’t wrap his head around it—Serena being so heartless.Hug
Serena couldn’t tell how much time had passed before the tight knot in her chest finally loosened. With trembling fingers, she bent to retrieve the crutch from the floor and hobbled back into the ward. The sterile smell of disinfectant clung to the air, sharp and suffocating.As soon as she lay down on the hospital bed, an ache unlike anything she had ever known pierced through her chest. It wasn’t physical—it was heavier, deeper, as though her heart itself had been crushed. Instinctively, she curled onto her side and pulled the thin blanket around her, cocooning herself as if it could shield her from the storm inside.Colton had only spoken in vague terms, but even so, she understood—Alexander’s injuries had been far more severe than anyone let on. The image of his tall figure dragging her to safety replayed in her mind, relentless.How could someone so broken have managed that?How much pain had he endured in silence to protect her?She didn’t dare to let the thought unravel further
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