Mag-log inVivian Vance was the city’s top prosecutor until her charming husband, Julian, framed her for corruption to save his failing empire. Caged in a maximum-security prison, she is offered a lethal miracle by Julian’s billionaire rival, Silas: a flawless escape and a $100 million war chest to destroy the man who betrayed her. Returning to high society as a cold, platinum-blonde Swiss investor, Vivian forces Julian to grovel for her capital. But a red digital clock is ticking on her phone. She has exactly 100 days to bankrupt him completely or the asset that freed her becomes her own execution order. Yet, as the lines between revenge and reality blur, Vivian finds herself trapped in a new, far more dangerous web: the fierce, protective gaze of Silas Vance, a man who wants her target ruined, but wants her heart even more.
view moreInside my private dressing room, I finally let myself breathe. I stood before the vanity mirror and touched the heavy crystal Prosecutor of the Year award. At twenty-eight, I was the youngest chief prosecutor in the city’s history. I had just locked up the region's most dangerous crime boss, and I had done it all while looking completely flawless in an emerald evening gown.
A pair of strong arms wrapped around my waist from behind. Julian, my handsome husband, pressed a soft kiss to my neck. "Look at you," he whispered, his voice full of pride. "The brilliant Vivian Vance. You put away a cartel and didn't even break a sweat. I could see the terror in their eyes from the front row." I turned around in his arms and smiled. "I couldn't have done any of this without you holding down the fort at home, Julian. This award belongs to both of us." Julian smiled back and handed me a glass of champagne. We clinked our glasses together. "To your brilliant mind, my love," he said softly. "And to our future." I took a sip of the champagne. BAM! The heavy wooden doors burst open. Four Internal Affairs Bureau agents marched into the room. They were led by Agent Miller—a smug, ruthless man who had spent years trying to find dirt on my spotless record. I instantly stepped forward, my voice dropping to a freeze. "Agent Miller? You are interrupting a private celebration. Get out." "Hope you Enjoyed the celebration while it lasted, Counselor," Miller sneered, waving his men forward to surround me. "Vivian Vance, you are under arrest for grand corruption, bribery, and protecting the international syndicates." I froze. A sharp, breathless laugh escaped my throat. "Are you insane? I just spent twelve months putting those exact syndicate bosses behind bars!" "Which was the perfect way to eliminate your competitors, wasn't it?" Miller threw a heavy manila folder onto the vanity table. It fell open, scattering papers across the wood. "An offshore account under your legal name. Thirty million dollars wired into it over the last six months. And look at this—signed ledger entries that match your handwriting perfectly." I stared at the papers. My legal mind raced, trying to find a logical explanation. It was impossible. The signatures looked exactly like my own, but I had never seen these documents in my life. "This is a fabrication. This is a setup!" Desperate, I turned to my husband and grabbed his jacket. "Julian! Tell them! You manage our family assets. You know every account we own. Tell them this is a mistake!" Julian slowly reached down and pushed my hands off his chest. He took a step back, setting his champagne glass down on the table. When he looked at me, his face was filled with shock and heartbreak. "My God, Vivian..." Julian whispered, his voice cracking with emotion. "Stop lying already!” I staggered back as if he had struck me. "What? Julian, what are you saying?!" "I tried to stop her, Officer," Julian said, turning his back on me to look at Agent Miller. "I found an encrypted laptop in her study this morning. I didn't want to believe it. I love my wife, but I couldn't let my family name be dragged through the mud by a criminal." "Julian, you are lying!" I screamed, my chest heaving as terror flooded my veins. "You know I've never seen those accounts! Why are you doing this?!" Before I could reach him, two heavy hands grabbed my arms and forced them behind my back. The cold, metallic click-click of handcuffs echoed in the quiet room. My fate was sealed. Julian walked over to me. He pulled a silk handkerchief from his pocket and pretended to wipe a tear from his eye. Then, he leaned in close, his lips brushing against my ear. The heartbreak completely vanished from his face. A small, victorious smile touched his lips. "Your little crusade almost ruined my shipping company, darling," he whispered, his voice deadly quiet. "I needed thirty million to pay off my cartel debts, and I needed a perfect scapegoat to take the fall. Thanks for saving my empire. Enjoy prison." My eyes widened. The brutal truth hit me all at once. The man I loved, the man I trusted blindly, had used my entire career as a shield for his crimes. He hadn't been supporting my career; he had been setting me up from the very beginning. "Take her away," Julian commanded loudly, stepping back. "She's dead to me." "JULIAN!!!" I screamed as the agents dragged me down the corridor. My heels scraped against the floor. I fought against the cuffs, looking back one last time to see Julian calmly picking up his champagne glass, raising it to me with a smirk."Is he... is he here?" The words left my throat in a quick whisper. My eyes darted to the bedroom door, my heart beating fast.Silas looked down at his watch, then raised his eyes to meet mine. His face was completely calm. "Do you want him to be here?""No!" I said quickly, taking a step backward until my heel hit the edge of the glass table. I wrapped my arms over the towel tightly. "Of course I don't want him here. Why would you ask me that? If he walks through that door right now, the entire plan is ruined."Silas didn't answer immediately. He gave me a long, sharp look, as if measuring my panic. Without another word, he turned around and walked out of the room, leaving me alone in the penthouse.I didn't waste any time. The moment the door shut behind him, I put on my pajamas, slid into the large bed, and pulled the heavy duvet up to my chin. Holding the encrypted phone under the covers, I watched the red numbers countdown in the dark: **94:10:05:12**.Let the plan work fast, I t
The heavy oak door of the penthouse clicked shut, and with it, the suffocating opulence of the gala finally vanished. The moment I was entirely alone, the rigid posture of Baroness Veronica melted away. My shoulders sagged, and my breath came in ragged, uneven gasps. I reached into my gold clutch and pulled out the encrypted smartphone. The red digital numbers pulsed in the dimly lit foyer: 95:06:42:19. Every second felt like a drop of hot wax on my skin. Twelve million dollars. I had just pressured Julian into bleeding twelve million dollars of his company’s lifeblood for a piece of antique stone. It was a massive victory, but the phantom sensation of his fingers brushing against mine at the table made my skin crawl. I felt dirty, wrapped in the scent of his expensive cologne and the suffocating weight of his lies. Desperate to wash him off my skin, I walked into the master bathroom. I stripped off the midnight-blue blazer gown, letting the gold armor-like belt clatter agains
The VIP charity auction hall was a sea of glittering silk, high-end tuxedos, and quiet, immense wealth. White-gloved waiters drifted between the circular tables, filling crystal glasses with champagne that cost more than a prison guard’s monthly salary.I sat at the center table, the gold-plated belt of my midnight-blue gown catching the light. Julian sat directly to my right, leaning in close enough that I could smell his expensive cologne. To my left sat Silas Vance, his expression completely unreadable, radiating a cold, calm authority that made Julian visibly tense."The bidding tonight is for an excellent cause, Baroness," Julian said, his voice smooth and eager. He was trying hard to project the image of a generous, successful billionaire. "All proceeds go to the city's historical restoration fund. I always make it a point to give back to the community.""How touching," I replied, using my slow, aristocratic European accent. I didn't look at him; instead, I swirling the champagn
The grand entrance of the Vance estate was blinding. Crystal chandeliers hung from the vaulted ceilings, casting sharp light over the city’s wealthiest citizens. Women in diamond necklaces and men in tailored tuxedos glided across the polished marble floor, laughing softly and sipping expensive champagne. I stood at the top of the grand staircase, smoothing down the front of my midnight-blue blazer gown. The gold-plated belt around my waist felt like a shield. I took a slow, deep breath, letting the cool air fill my lungs. Vivian Vance is dead, I reminded myself. She is rotting in a cell. You are Baroness Veronica Vance. I looked down at the encrypted phone tucked safely inside my gold clutch bag. The red countdown numbers burned into my mind: 97:20:15:34. The clock was ticking. I couldn't afford a single mistake. With a cold, practiced smile, I walked down the stairs. My sharp, platinum-blonde bob and icy grey-blue eyes drew attention immediately. People paused their conversati












Welcome to GoodNovel world of fiction. If you like this novel, or you are an idealist hoping to explore a perfect world, and also want to become an original novel author online to increase income, you can join our family to read or create various types of books, such as romance novel, epic reading, werewolf novel, fantasy novel, history novel and so on. If you are a reader, high quality novels can be selected here. If you are an author, you can obtain more inspiration from others to create more brilliant works, what's more, your works on our platform will catch more attention and win more admiration from readers.