‘……Ah, my head.’
In a drunken haze, Riley, who had awakened from sleep, stopped as she looked around, grasping her throbbing head.
A strange room, a strange bed, strange bedding.
And next to her, a stranger. And not just a person, a man. Furthermore, nude.
The man’s muscular body, naked and without even undergarments, caught her eye. And the moment Riley, who had just woken up, faced the stranger’s sculpted nudity, her mind snapped awake.
‘Could it be…… Could it be.’
Scenes of the frank and unwanted nude situation flashed by like a panorama.
A face slightly flushed and damp with sweat.
‘More, do more. Just a little more.’
She’s gone mad!
Riley blinked in disbelief, stunned by the shocking situation. It took a little, or maybe a lot of time to fully grasp it with her mind.
‘Will you do it with me?’
‘Well, maybe.’
‘…….’
‘Want to?’
‘Yes.’
The memory comes back in bits and pieces. Memories fragmented like a puzzle, almost fitting together but not quite, confused her mind.
But there was one definite fact.
Alcohol. The drink she had at the reception caused her to get excessively drunk, leading to this unexpected accident.
A major disaster, this.
‘……I wouldn’t have done this crazy thing without borrowing the strength of alcohol. Even so, why, why did I say such a wretched thing?’
Riley sighed, looking to the side.
His face was buried in the pillow, and could not be seen clearly. All that was visible was his disheveled silver hair glistening.
He was drunk too, wasn’t he? Otherwise…… the situation wouldn’t have come to this.
Riley covered her face with both hands.
‘I really did it. Really…….’
The first deviation in life. And the shock brought about by the first night spent with a stranger was significant. Even though the entire situation had been meticulously planned from the start.
What to do. Reality had come crashing down, and the weight and pressure of it were much greater than she had anticipated.
It wasn’t the act of the previous night that was the problem.
The problem was the person with whom she had spent the night.
‘Let’s get out of here for now.’
She needed time to sort out her chaotic mind.
But that place was not here. She didn’t even want to think about the moment he would wake up. The mere thought was too embarrassing. Even if they met later to discuss the night’s events, not now.
First, she needed to clear her head.
Riley, picking up the scattered clothing from under the bed, cautiously stood up.
Though for a moment she thought of returning the dress provided by the hotel, instead of the one Claire had brought her, she hastily put it on and fled like she was escaping.
Why did she happen to spend the night with a stranger who just happened to be the youngest renowned wizard of Matop Horizon?
Why did she sleep with the wizard?
Why, of all people!
(This is a time divider.)
The dreadful beginning of this happening was because of a revolting, onesided arranged marriage.
“Miss, the Little Mistress is calling for you.”
She was called by her aunt. What could it possibly be? A bad premonition came to her.
And as always, that premonition was spot on.
“Congratulations on your marriage, Riley.”
At the announcement of Lady Ryan, Riley was unable to respond. Her forced smile trembled ever so slightly.
The bristling sensation of discomfort, the thumping, hot rush of blood. Anxiety hit her in the back of the head like a sledgehammer.
She heard the maids’ whispered conversations. So instinctively, she knew.
Something awful had happened.
“Next month, the wedding will proceed. All the costs will be borne by Count Ermeints. It’s an overwhelmingly favorable marriage for you. It went well, didn’t it? Where else can we find a marital connection like this for us? It’s a great opportunity. For you, and for our family.”
Ah, in the end.
With her vision fading, Riley let out a short breath, clenching her fist.
Lest the rough sound of her breath reach Uncle’s ears and disturb his mood, she tried her best to even out her ragged breathing.
If she inadvertently irritated him, she might be locked in her room again.
“I saw you when I came here for recuperation before. It seems you quite caught my eye.”
“…….”
“Count Ermeintz is a central noble of Prestige. He is an overly generous partner for you. Count Ermeintz has provided a generous amount of dowry. It’s an excessive amount, so much that you might wonder if it should just be accepted. With that kind of money, business expansion could be done, and there would still be leftover. A good opportunity has come, so maintain your decorum until the marriage is announced.”
“……Yes, Uncle.”
The marriage has been decided.
Uncle said it was an excessive marriage. The Aeadalin family, which is just a small lord in a remote area, is incomparable to the Ermeintz family, one of the powers of Prestige in the capital.
But this is nonsense only those who do not know the Ermeintz family would say.
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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