“Walter?”
Inside the moving carriage, the dark-haired man turned his head at the call from across the seat.
His face, chiseled as if carved by a sculptor, softened as he looked toward his companion.
“Speak.”
“You’re not really angry, are you? I told you, it was just a coincidence that Louis was there.”
“Of course. What else can I say if you insist so? Though it’s very peculiar that he happened to be at the meeting place you said was rarely visited, I still trust you.”
“Just say you don’t trust me.”
Odette protested in a sharp voice.
Any other time, her complaint would have been adorable—according to Walter, at least—but Walter was not in a situation to easily strike up conversation with his fiancée.
Ever since he saw the scene of Louis and Odette arguing, he couldn’t shake off his disturbed emotions.
‘I should not have delayed.’
Originally, Walter had left the ballroom following Odette.
He had followed her as a matter of course.
However, along the way, he discovered a strange shadow following her.
‘It took time to chase after that.’
In the end, it wasn’t even clear if the shadow following Odette was the one he thought.
If Russell had been there, there would have been no delay. However, Walter had sent him ahead in the carriage, not wanting to miss precious time alone with Odette.
If it wasn’t for that, he would not have seen Odette with someone like Louis.
—Walter Ertman, that man is deceiving you! Please, just listen to me once—!
The moment Walter saw Louis’ desperate expression as he grabbed Odette, he had to suppress a murderous urge.
He wanted to cut off the hand that dared touch Odette’s arm, a woman he had always treated with extreme caution.
Each time he saw that insufferable face, voices from the past surfaced.
—Walter Ertman, you’re just an ordinary man, desiring another man’s wife. You had no reason to grab me by the collar if that wasn’t the case.
—No matter how much you rage, Odette is my wife. That won’t change.
The voice, jeering coldly at him, crossed his mind.
The voice that pushed Odette toward death must have had that same tone, that same color.
Thinking of that was unbearable.
Of course, underlying these twisted emotions was the anxiety over how much Louis had revealed.
Therefore, it would have been better to talk to Odette now and defuse the situation somewhat.
He knew that, but…
In the end, Walter clenched and unclenched his jaw tightly.
“…Odette, this isn’t the first time, is it?”
“What do you mean, ‘not the first time’?”
“Louis Clovis. You didn’t seem particularly surprised when he grabbed you. Are you accustomed to such situations?”
Ah.
Only then did Odette lightly rub her wrist.
She thought he hadn’t grabbed her tightly, but she felt a vague soreness as if a mark had been left.
Still, it felt strange upon hearing it.
‘I oddly felt familiar with it.’
She would be more likely to be slapped rather than grabbed.
Why didn’t she think of pulling away?
Was it because it wasn’t as threatening as when she was grabbed by Regis?
‘Rather…’
Her heart seemed to sink.
Because of Louis Clovis? Or, as Walter said, because she was subconsciously accustomed to such situations?
She couldn’t tell, but Odette lightly shook her head.
“It’s not a big deal. It didn’t hurt.”
“So… you just let it happen.”
“I know basic self-defense. I’m not so helpless that I can’t get out of such a situation.”
Walter furrowed his brow at Odette’s words, as if angry.
“Don’t trivialize it. Do you realize this is the second time something like this has happened to you?”
Clearly, the anger in the voice was palpable.
‘Come to think of it, Walter always valued his dignity.’
Odette recalled a past conversation where Walter had told her, ‘There’s no need to endure it.’
She had thought that merely avoiding physical confrontation would be enough, but on reflection, it probably also included this.
‘I was careless.’
She still didn’t know why it had never occurred to her to resist, but she would be more cautious in the future.
Odette nodded lightly.
“I understand. I’ll be more careful from now on.”
“I trust you will.”
“So lighten up.”
“I can’t. Haven’t I told you? When I see my wife paying attention to another man, I feel like giving him his own head as a holiday gift.”
At Walter’s words, suggesting that if he hadn’t trusted Odette, Louis would already be a corpse, Odette’s face turned pale.
“Was that not a joke?”
“Better realize now that your husband is not one for empty words.”
“I’ll just consider it as having saved someone.”
How did I end up marrying such a man?
Walter’s rough words still occasionally felt jarring to her.
Especially since Walter didn’t usually speak that way.
‘Usually he is a bit more polite…and gentle.’
By now, she knew.
That sort of tone from Walter only came out when he was in a bad mood.
Walter’s slightly furrowed face looked complicated. Angry, yet also somewhat sad.
‘Surely, I’m the one who got hurt.’
Why was he making such a face?
Just having heard such words left a corner of her heart unsettled.
Why are you by Odette’s side!
When male lead is the homewrecker
“I know she doesn’t love him.”
I’ve read the novel below twice already. Girls, I’m highly recommending it to you!
The female lead? Not a good person.
The second male lead? Not a good person.
The male lead? Willingly plays the third party, breaking up the female and second male lead’s relationship despite all the warnings from his friends—so yeah, he’s definitely not a good person either.
Basically, nobody in this novel is simple-minded or without scheming.
The female lead starts off as the male lead’s secretary, but don’t worry—later on, she takes over the company while the male lead steps back to support her. He won’t steal her spotlight, overshadow her, or dull her shine.
I love novels where men are out here snatching wigs, tearing each other down, and going to war just to win the female lead’s affection. And this is exactly that kind of novel. Most of Hai Dai Ran’s works have this dynamic. You’ll see the male characters’ emotions being pushed to the absolute extreme.
There’s even a scene where the second male lead exposes the male lead online for being a homewrecker. The brotherhood immediately gangs up on him, dragging him through the mud. I find it compelling —it completely flips reality on its head, where usually, women are the ones fighting over a man and getting torn apart by the sisterhood.
For me, female leads in the novels I read should only struggle in their careers, not in love. But if the brainless romantics in the story are all men? I have zero complaints.
I’ve pretty much read all of Hai Dai Ran’s novels and even translated all of them—her works are just my thing. I’ll slowly upload everything here. One day, when my website is official, I hope I can invite her to join as one of the star authors.
Here’s the story synopsis:
One-line summary: She is his lifelong obsession, to the point where he was willing to be a third wheel, scorned by society, just to wedge his way into her relationship with her fiancé.
Cold-hearted and indifferent female lead + Scheming and subservient CEO male lead
Intro 1:
“I know she doesn’t love him.”
With blood trickling from his clenched fist, Rong Xiu gazed at the woman before him, his eyes clouded with anguish. Hidden in the wardrobe, he had witnessed Fan Xia – the woman he desperately loved – in an intimate embrace with her fiancé. Yet his heart still yearned for her, defying all reason.
Fan Xia, the elegant and composed assistant, carried something mysterious in her eyes whenever she looked at her fiancé, Wen Lan Sheng. Strange occurrences began to surface – secret meetings with the young Gu Jin Yi, an unexplained withdrawal of 5,000 yuan… Then suddenly, her fiancé’s sister, Wen Jing, violently attacked her.
In this matriarchal society, Rong Xiu had risen to become the chairman of a powerful healthcare conglomerate, breaking through gender prejudices. But for the first time, he willingly stepped into the shadows as the other man, disregarding his friends’ warnings to become her secret lover.
Because he had discovered the truth – Fan Xia wasn’t the pure angel everyone believed her to be. And perhaps, he was the only one capable of helping her execute her mysterious plan…
Intro 2:
Rong Xiu’s biggest regret in life was missing out on Fan Xia.
He secretly loved Fan Xia for 7 years.
Watched her go public with her boyfriend.
Watched her kiss her boyfriend at their wedding.
Until that man blissfully nestled in Fan Xia’s arms, obtaining everything he could only dream of.
The crazy jealousy stripped away his hidden secret love, layer by layer, burning like wildfire.
Fan Xia, how can I have you!
【Reading and Trigger Warning Guide】
1. Female dominant, male submissive, male pregnancy
2. Male lead schemes his way to the top, male competition
_____
Please help me, I want to bring you the best possible things.
If you find any chapter or novel with poor translation and editing quality, let me know by commenting directly under that novel or chapter. I will retranslate it as soon as possible.
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