Chapter 1
In a meeting room, a client representative passed a contract to Madeleine Emerson and said, “Now that you’ve signed the contract, Ms. Emerson, everything’s in order. As per the terms, we will be helping you fake your death in seventeen days.”
Madeleine took the contract and skimmed it before confirming with the representative, “Will the corpse look like me?”
“Rest assured, Ms. Emerson. The body will be picked out based on your exact measurements. No one will suspect a thing,” the representative confidently replied.
His promise put Madeleine’s mind at ease. She took out her credit card and readily settled the fee before leaving. Outside, she was greeted by a luxurious Lincoln limousine.
Jerry Ingram, her driver, who had been waiting, quickly opened the door for her.
“Ms. Emerson,” Jerry greeted respectfully.
Madeleine nodded before getting into the back seat. After closing the door, Jerry got into the driver’s seat and drove off. The ride went without a hitch, and soon, the car pulled up outside a villa in Ivory Heights. This was the house Madeleine bought specifically to live with Sullivan Carter.
Not long after she returned, Sullivan entered. Dressed in a white shirt and a black suit that fitted his broad-shouldered physique, he looked every bit a handsome gentleman, save for his icy demeanor.
Sullivan slowly undid his cuffs before marching to Madeleine. Scooping her up in his arms, he started carrying her toward the bedroom.
“No. Stop, Sullivan!” Madeleine immediately protested, struggling.
Sullivan eyed her with his dark, cold eyes. “You’re asking me to stop? Didn’t you make having sex with you every day one of the conditions when you proposed this arrangement?”
Lowering her head, Madeleine mumbled, “Well, now… for the time being, you don’t need to. My period came early this month.”
Sullivan responded curtly, “I’ll carry on with my work, then.” He had been rather busy lately. The business project he was working on had reached its most crucial stage.
Madeleine nodded, permitting Sullivan to leave. She assumed he would be busy working all night. However, he soon received a call and hurried out of his study.
When Sullivan spotted her in the living room, he stopped abruptly. “Since you don’t need my services tonight, I’m going out. I’ve got an important matter to attend to.”
Seeing the concern clouding his usually aloof expression, Madeleine figured out the truth: his “important matter” involved Isabel Koch. Nevertheless, she nodded without saying anything.
Having gotten her permission, Sullivan rushed toward the door. He was just about to leave when she called out, “Sullivan, from now on, you don’t need to…”
Sullivan paused and frowned, but when he saw the impatient look in his eyes, she trailed off. Instead of saying what she intended, she simply said, “Go ahead.”
Once he disappeared, she completed her sentence, muttering, “From now on, you don’t need to do this anymore. I’ll be leaving soon enough.”
Madeleine was a wealthy heiress. Having both money and good looks, she had done her share of ridiculous things—but the most outrageous happened during her first year of college, when she paid Sullivan to become her boyfriend.
Sullivan was famous for being the campus heartthrob at Grant University. Countless women flocked to write him love letters; his admirers could form a mile-long queue. Alas, he had a cold, reserved personality and refused everyone, keeping himself busy with classes and his part-time job.
Madeleine had fallen in love with Sullivan at first sight and wanted to make him hers. She learned that both his parents were deceased and that he grew up with his grandmother, Naomi Stewart, who had fallen ill in recent years. Thus, when she learned he was working tirelessly to pay for Naomi’s treatment, she approached him with a deal: she would pay for Naomi’s medical fees in exchange for him becoming her boyfriend, coming over daily and sleeping with her as stipulated in the agreement, until she grew tired of him.
At the time, Naomi’s condition was dire, and Sullivan urgently needed money. Therefore, he agreed, effectively becoming Madeleine’s sugar baby.
Five years had passed. Both Madeleine and Sullivan had graduated and started working, but their relationship remained the same. Naomi was still ill, and since Madeleine hadn’t grown tired of Sullivan, he was still living in the villa with her. His attitude remained unchanged—cold and indifferent.
Until recently, the status quo didn’t discourage Madeleine. She believed she could win his heart. That changed several days ago when she accidentally fell down the stairs and bumped her head. Only then did she realize she was in the world of a novel.
Sullivan was the male protagonist, and Isabel, his childhood friend, the female protagonist. Madeleine was the female antagonist.
In the novel, Sullivan’s project would succeed in seventeen days, greatly elevating his standing in the business world—the start of his rise to become an industry giant. The moment he achieved success, he would return Madeleine a significant sum of money before asking to end their relationship. She would refuse and badger him relentlessly. Seeing Sullivan and Isabel grow more intimate, she would grow jealous and do things to hurt Isabel, drawing Sullivan’s ire and detestation, ultimately leading to her tragic death.
Madeleine didn’t want to believe such a ludicrous thing could be true, or that she would be that stupid. Yet, everything that happened matched the novel exactly. After seeing Sullivan leave for Isabel too many times, she was forced to accept the protagonists were meant to be together.
Following a week of torment, Madeleine came to her senses. She couldn’t risk her life. To escape the plot and change her outcome, she decided she couldn’t be involved with Sullivan anymore. She needed to fake her death and get away—get away from Sullivan!