Lisi was in the kitchen doing the dishes.
Despite being the duke’s daughter, there was no one in front of Lisi to clear the dirty dishes.
Having lived like this since she was young, Lisi couldn’t even think that this was unfair.
Only in front of guests did she call the Duke and Duchess of Witlo, her mother and father.
And only in front of guests did she dress nicely and behave like a lady.
“Mommmm!”
From outside, the whining voice of Brittany could be heard.
“My necklace is gone!”
The moment she heard those words, she felt a chill run down her spine, followed by cold sweat.
Recently, Brittany had been introduced to a fun game by her maid, Eva.
It was a game of pretending something was stolen and then finding the culprit.
And often, Lisi was the culprit.
“Again? Where is Iris?”
Upon hearing the loud voice of Duchess Denis Witlo, Lisi felt suffocated.
Whether Denis believed Brittany’s constant claims of missing items, Lisi could not know. However, Denis never missed an opportunity to torment the child born of her husband’s affair.
The small, scrawny girl, frozen with fear, was roughly seized by a sturdy servant and dragged away.
Brittany stood smugly next to Denis, laughing.
But when she made eye contact with Lisi, she clung to Denis’s skirt, hiding behind her as if she was scared.
“She’s looking at me… I’m scared, mom.”
When Brittany whined, Denis hit Lisi’s head with the fan she was holding.
“How dare you steal and look us straight in the eye?”
Lisi was only seven years old, but she knew that there was no one on her side in this situation.
Even if Duke Witlo, the man who gave her half his blood, was present, she knew he would ignore Lisi.
“I didn’t steal anything.”
But still, Lisi protested.
There was still hope for Lisi.
She had the hope that if she said this, someday, someone would believe her.
There was still a glimmer of desperate hope left.
“I didn’t steal anything.”
Everyone watched as Lisi spoke, sobbing.
Among them, there were some who looked at her with sympathy, and some who seemed to enjoy the spectacle.
“Duchess Denis!”
At that moment, Brittany’s maid, Eva, ran up.
In Eva’s hand was the necklace.
“I found it.”
“Where did you find it?”
Lisi knew the answer.
“It was in Iris’s room. It was hidden inside a pillow.”
Lisi had never seen the necklace before.
“I’ve never seen it before.”
Knowing her protest would not be heard, Lisi shouted anyway.
“I didn’t steal it.”
The small, emaciated girl’s voice reached no one’s ears.
Lisi was locked up in a dark storeroom where not a speck of light entered. Overcome by hunger more than the terrifying darkness, she sobbed and was only released three days later.
.
.
“Huh!”
Lisi gasped and opened her eyes.
The musty smell mixed with the smell of rot in the warehouse. The sound of small animals rustling. The hunger from not eating for several days.
All these vivid senses overwhelmed Lisi.
It was a terrifying night.
Being locked up in a warehouse where not a speck of light entered, crying for the door to be opened, begging for forgiveness for a crime she did not commit, all in vain as there was not a single person who would listen to her.
It was a very terrifying time for a child to endure.
She wanted to curl up as if she had gone back to that time, but she couldn’t.
Only then did she realize that strong arms were holding her and her face was buried in someone’s chest.
The foul smell that had followed her from her dream disappeared, replaced by a familiar scent that tickled Lisi’s nose.
The smell of the forest and the field, the night sky and the starlight.
The smell of Kevrant Green.
Her heart that had been pounding in fear found its place again. The warmth returned to her cold fingertips.
But it was still cold, so Lisi burrowed deeper into his arms.
In his sleep, he cradled Lisi in his arms and asked in a sleepy voice.
“Cold, Lisi?”
“A little.”
Strength flowed into his arms.
As if he would not let any part of Lisi be exposed, he wrapped her in his arms and strong thighs.
His warmth seeped into Lisi.
“It’s okay, Lisi.”
Kevrant whispered, stroking the back of Lisi’s head.
“It’s okay.”
Everything was fine. Without knowing anything.
But his whispering was soothing.
His hand that had been stroking Lisi’s head gradually slowed down and stopped.
Kevrant was once again deep in slumber, his breath steady and even, but Iris couldn’t fall asleep.
Listening to his breathing, melting into his body warmth, she spent the night like that.
Only when dawn light seeped through the curtains did Iris close her eyes. Not because she was sleepy, but because Kevrant seemed to stir in sleep, letting out a faint moan.
Iris didn’t want him to find out she couldn’t sleep because she was afraid of having another nightmare.
Kevrant held Iris silently for a moment, then pressed his lips to her forehead.
One kiss.
And after a brief moment, another kiss.
As if that wasn’t enough, this time, two more kisses.
Then he let out a “Hmm,” sounding somewhat unsatisfied.
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
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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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