Ripples

The Cold CEO's Unwanted Genius Wife

Meng Xinyu

I stood in the darkest corner of the Pierre Hotel’s ballroom, my cheap polyester dress itching against my skin while my wristband buzzed with a DARPA Priority Red alert. In front of the city’s elite, my fiancé Bryce Calloway took the stage, not to toast our future, but to publicly end our engagement and announce he was with my sister, Chloe. The room turned on me instantly, a hundred pairs of eyes pinning me down with pity and disgust as they physically backed away like I was contagious. When I returned home, my mother shattered a crystal vase at my feet, screaming that I was a humiliation and a "dropout" who didn't deserve a cent of the family fortune. Chloe and Bryce mocked me, laughing when I told them I had a mission with the National Security Agency, convinced I was either a pathological liar or a low-level criminal. They watched in horror as a black, unmarked military helicopter descended on our backyard to extract me, yet they still chose to believe I was being arrested for drug trafficking. They saw a pathetic girl who couldn't even parallel park, never realizing I was Dr. Nova Vance, the lead physicist behind the world's first successful fusion reactor. To secure funding for my research and gain a "fortress" of a name, I signed a thirty-day marriage contract with the arrogant billionaire Roman Knight. He treats me like a fraud, convinced I’m a gold-digger who failed out of college, while I quietly run global energy simulations from his guest bedroom. He has no idea that the "loser" he’s forced to live with is the same anonymous grandmaster who has been ruthlessly crushing him in online strategy games for months. "The contract is active," I told him, looking past his expensive suit. "But don't expect me to be your maid."

Modern Mystery

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Corrine Holland stood moments away from marrying Bruce Ashton, her dream finally within reach.

The wedding march echoed through the hall as she glided down the red carpet in her immaculate white gown, moving toward Bruce who awaited her at the altar.

Bathed in streams of golden light, his white suit seemed to shimmer, highlighting the refined features that had first captured her heart years ago.

Their relationship had weathered countless storms over three years, and now, despite her family's refusal to bless their union, her cherished dream approached reality.

As Bruce stepped forward to present her bouquet, tears of joy threatened to spill from her eyes.

The priest's kind eyes settled on the couple as he spoke. "Do you, Bruce Ashton, take this woman to be your wife? Will you love her, honor her, respect her, and accept her, in sickness and in health, for as long as you both shall live?"

Corrine's heart fluttered as she turned expectantly toward Bruce, awaiting his answer.

Instead of joy, however, his features twisted with uncertainty, an unsettling hesitation clouding his expression.

Suddenly, the doors burst open. Rita Ashton, Bruce's younger sister, stumbled in with tears streaming down her face. "Bruce, it's bad!" she cried, looking lost and desperate. "Leah... she... she..."

A cold wave of dread washed over Corrine. Her grip tightened around Bruce's hand as her heart hammered against her ribs.

The name awakened painful memories—Leah Burgess, the unreachable star in Bruce's firmament.

When the Ashton family had fallen from grace years ago, Leah had chosen opportunity abroad over love, prompting Bruce to sever ties and turn to Corrine.

Yet just a month ago, Leah had mysteriously reappeared.

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