The Broken Heiress And Her Possessive Tycoon

Ana had just woken up from surgery. She was worried that her boyfriend Giles might be concerned about her surgery, so she wanted to let him know she was fine.

However, the screen was lit up with notifications from a gossip site she followed for work. A headline screamed across the top.

"Billionaire Heir Giles Byers Gets Cozy in Aspen with a Mystery Blonde."

Her heart didn't just drop. It seized.

With a trembling finger, she tapped the link. A high-resolution video loaded instantly.

The scene was a snow-covered balcony at a luxury Aspen resort. Giles Byers was laughing. His arm was wrapped tightly around a woman.

The camera zoomed in.

The "mystery blonde" turned her head, smiling up at him.

Coleen Lewises, her sister, who has no blood relation to her.

Her boyfriend of three years has gone behind her back with her so-called sister.

Giles leaned in and kissed Coleen. It wasn't a friendly peck. It was a passionate, lingering kiss that left no room for misinterpretation. Coleen's hand was pressed intimately against his chest, her fingers splayed over the fabric of his expensive ski jacket.

Before she could even process the sting of betrayal, a new message buzzed on her screen—sender unknown. Her gut screamed at her to look away, but her thumb betrayed her, swiping open the file.

It was an audio recording. She pressed play.

The audio, crisp and clear, picked up their conversation. Coleen’s sickly sweet voice cooed, a sound Ana knew all too well.

"Oh, Giles… Are you sure you want to do this? I mean, poor Ana is still in the hospital. If she finds out about us, she’ll be devastated."

Giles scoffed. "She's just my assistant. Efficient, but boring."

"Besides, she's probably still passed out in a hospital bed. She'll get over it. She always does."

Then more—Coleen again, her tone laced with false innocence: "If you keep delaying her marriage like this, by the time she turns 25, she won’t be able to inherit her father’s estate then,she'll have nothing left. Isn't that too cruel of you?"

Giles’s reply was terrifyingly cold, as if he were stating a fact: “Hasn’t she already gotten enough from me? I’ve given her three years of my time. She should be satisfied with that. As for her father’s inheritance, perhaps you’re more worthy of it than she is.”

The words hit Ana harder than the surgical pain.

Every memory of their three years together flashed before her eyes, now tainted with this ugly truth.

In these three years, she took care of his schedule, ran errands and arranged his life. As a result, he joined forces with her stepsister to seize the inheritance left by her father.

All of it, a lie.

The beeping of the monitor faded into a dull hum. A single, cold thought cut through the haze of pain and betrayal.

Her 25th birthday is in three days.

Her father's will. The trust fund. The millions in assets and the controlling shares of his company, Gardner Innovations.

The clause.

The goddamn clause that stated she must be married by her 25th birthday to inherit.

If she failed, everything—her entire birthright—would go to her greedy mother, Eulalie Love. Eulalie, who had remarried in a blink after her father's death, would hand it all over to her new family. The Lewises.

Coleen's family.

The realization was a bucket of ice water poured directly over her heart. They didn't just betray her. They were actively trying to rob her. This wasn't just a fling; it was a coup.

The despair lasted for a single, shuddering breath.

Then it was gone.

Replaced by a cold, sharp fury that burned away the tears before they could form.

She would not let them win.

Just at that moment, Ana Gardner’s phone has been ringing ,her boyfriend 'Giles' flashed on the screen.

She ignored it and she quickly contacted a marriage agency and reported her interest in marriage. Before long, the agency sent her a pile of profiles of eligible men.

Ana browsed through a pile of photos and profiles that the matchmaking agency sent to her urgently just now at a frenetic speed.

She needs a husband. Someone who won't complicate things. Someone who doesn't want a real marriage.

These profiles include people from different industries. They are all rich. They are all looking for a contractual relationship without any emotional entanglements.

Her fingers stopped. A blurred photo taken from a distance, the man's face is half covered by shadows，not very clear, but his eyes were cold. It’s that cynical brown color.

A note in the internal system of the organization mentioned that he was a playboy who spent his days in bars. His homosexuality caused him a lot of trouble, so he desperately needed a nominal wife to cover up the truth.

It is this detail that makes him very suitable for her purpose.

She doesn't need to see his face clearly. All she needs is a piece of paper with his name on it.

She confirmed the candidate and sent the information to the matchmaking agency. Before long, they sent her an address: the location where she would meet with the man during the blind date.

With a surge of adrenaline that completely eclipsed the pain, Ana reached for the IV needle taped to the back of her hand.

She yanked it out.

The sting was sharp. A single droplet of blood welled up, bright red against her pale skin.

A nurse who happened to be on rounds happened to see this scene, her face a mask of alarm. "Ms. Gardner, what are you doing? You can't leave!"

Ana held up the torn magazine page, her knuckles white. Her voice was chillingly calm.

"I have an urgent appointment to attend right now."