Chapter 1
When you’re deeply in love, you do crazy things.
Liora Calden had always been the ice–cold, untouchable goddess type. But when her boyfriend was drowning in debt, she secretly took out a loan for nearly a million dollars–using nothing but her naked body as collateral–to bail him out.
She even stripped at nightclubs to make the payments.
Late at night, under flashing neon lights and the wild roars of drunken men, Liora blinked back tears as she peeled off her clothes piece by piece, dancing seductively with practiced allure.
By the end of her performance, she was left wearing only a sliver of lacy underwear.
*
As soon as she stepped offstage, Greg Alston, who’d been waiting for her, draped his black trench coat over her shoulders.
He took her hand and led her into the tiny backstage break room. Then, without a word, he pressed her back against the door.
“Good girl,” he said softly. “Bend over. I’ve been craving you.”
In the dark, his rough hands yanked down her clothes with practiced ease as he pressed against her.
Liora gasped, unable to hide her reaction. She turned her head away,
scared.
“Wait, stop. We’re right by the door. Someone in the hallway could hear
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Greg leaned down, whispering against her ear, his tongue brushing her earlobe.
“Let go a little,” he coaxed. “The way you danced up there, you’re driving me crazy. I want to hear those sounds from your lips.”
His voice was low and dangerous, laced with desire. Liora’s soft, delicate body quickly melted against him.
Her hand pressed weakly against the door, but under his touch, breathy moans slipped from her lips almost involuntarily.
They went at it–twice–before Greg finally let go of her. He kissed her cheek, still reluctant to part.
“Liora,” he murmured, “I’ve got another hour left on my shift. Go home and get some rest.”
Liora waited for the heat in her face to die down before getting dressed and leaving.
Maybe it was the emotional high she’d just been through, but she lost her bearings and wandered into the VIP section where staff weren’t allowed.
Just as she was about to leave, a familiar moan echoed from one of the private rooms.
“God, she sounds wild!”
“Greg really is whipped for Talia. Just to avoid spilling her measurements, he took a dare instead of telling the truth–and the dare was to record Liora’s moans for us.
“Imagine if Liora found out the guy she’s in love with is actually obsessed
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with her archenemy, Talia. She’d probably puke blood!”
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Liora froze. Her legs wouldn’t move. Her whole body went cold, like she’d plunged into an icy lake. For several seconds, her mind went completely blank.
“Well, she’s the one who pushed Talia off the rooftop and left her in a vegetative state.”
But Greg is savage. To get revenge on her, he pretended to be a bartender for three whole years–just to earn her trust, make her fall in love, and get her to take out those naked loans and strip for cash.
“If she ever finds out the guy who made her strip and took out the loan was Greg–and that Greg’s also the owner of the strip club? She’ll probably want to slam her head into a wall like some crazy drama character!”
Every word hit like thunder in her ears, each one louder than the last. Liora’s head rang. Her blood felt like it was rushing in reverse.
“Oh right–Greg, didn’t you record a full–nude video of Liora holding her ID when she took out that loan? I heard it’s in 4K. Come on, share it with us already!”
Inside, Greg was lounging on the sofa, cool as ever. Gone was the gentle look he gave Liora earlier. His lips curled into a cold smirk.
“No rush,” he said lazily. “Talia just woke up. Her birthday’s in seven days. I’ll convince Liora to hold the wedding that day.
“Then I’ll expose what really happened with Talia’s fall and play the
videos of Liora’s strip dances and loan recordings. It’ll be a birthday gift— and a public confession–to Talia.”
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“Damn, Greg! Respect! Hope she says yes!”
“Cheers, boys!”
The sound of clinking glasses and laughter filled the VIP room.
Liora couldn’t take it anymore. Eyes brimming with tears, she turned and ran out of the club.
She wiped her face as she ran, the words from that room playing on repeat in her head like a broken record.
So, the whole thing had been a setup from the start.
Six years ago, after losing both her parents, she’d chosen to stay in Davis -even though her relatives in New York had begged her to come back. Why? Because the best agricultural university was in Davis.
She’d loved studying crops since she was a kid. It was her passion–her obsession.
What she hadn’t expected was that Talia would choose the same school.
Talia had bullied her nonstop for nine years–ever since seventh grade.
She shaved Liora’s head once and slapped her across the face every day for a month.
Liora tried to get help, but no one ever did anything.
Why? Because Talia had someone powerful backing her–none other than the firstborn of the Alston family in Davis.
Rumor was that Mr. Alston had been secretly in love with Talia for years. Too scared to confess, he never even showed his face around her.
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Instead, he used his power behind the scenes to help her. Known as cold and ruthless, he was also a believer in “pure love“-a legend in the elite
social circles.
In junior year, Talia fell from the school rooftop, leaving her in a vegetative state.
Everyone believed Liora had pushed her.
Crushed by the rumors and false accusations, Liora drowned her sorrows
in alcohol at a bar where she met Greg, who pretended to be just a regular bartender.
They hit it off right away. Greg went all in–charming, attentive, sweet. Eventually, she agreed to be with him.
For a whole year, he treated her like a queen.
www
Then, a year and a half ago, gangsters came knocking, claiming his dad had left behind a massive debt before he died.
She watched as Greg nearly lost his hands because he couldn’t pay. Her heart broke.
So when the gangsters “offered” a solution, she gritted her teeth and agreed to take out a nude loan–close to a million dollars.
To pay it off faster, she gave up the scientific research she loved and started stripping.
She used to dream of bringing Greg to her parents‘ grave once the loan was finally paid, to tell them she’d found the man she wanted to spend her life with.
Looking back now, she felt like the biggest joke in the world.
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She didn’t know how long she had been walking until her phone suddenly
rang.
It was her uncle from New York–Gavin Calden.
“We found your father’s last belongings. If you agree to marry that mute from the Collen family, I’ll give them to you. Otherwise, don’t even think
“I agree.”
Liora cut him off coldly, her voice as sharp as ice.
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