I Made a Bet to Win Over the Cold CEO “You’re too rich. Being with you makes me feel insecure.” Later, I heard that Alexander Stone locked himself at home for a week, drinking himself into oblivion. After he sobered up, he forbade everyone in the company from mentioning my name. My friends warned me to be careful, saying Alexander must hate me now. Until we met again at a party, he coldly pinned me against the wall: “I didn’t know the daughter of the richest man in the city could feel insecure about money. Was I really that easy to fool?” When my best friend Emma Sullivan came to pick me up, she was fully disguised. Mask on, hat pulled low. As if she was terrified someone might recognize her. I found it ridiculous. As soon as I got in the car, I couldn’t hold back anymore. I slapped her on the back. “What’s wrong with you? Are you a celebrity or am I? Who are you hiding from?” Emma yanked off her mask and slapped me back. “Idiot, Alexander Stone hates your guts now. I have to be careful not to get caught in the crossfire,” she muttered. “I don’t want to get into trouble because of you.” Me: … I leaned back in my seat, trying to look cool. But inside, I was nervous. “It can’t be that bad, right?” “He must have forgotten about me by now.” Emma’s eyes widened. “What are you thinking?” “The day you broke up with Alexander, he got drunk out of his mind. Then he locked himself at home for a week. No one could get him to come out.” “Think about it – a workaholic like him, staying home for a whole week? He must have been truly heartbroken.” I shifted uncomfortably. “What happened after that?” “After he finally came out, he forbade anyone from mentioning your name. No one dares to bring you up now.” Emma tried to reason with me. “I know your parents’ company is expanding to New York and you’ll have to live in the same city as him, but I advise you not to come.” “I’m worried you’ll get into trouble.” I fell silent. Alexander Stone. Does he really hate me that much? Surely not. I said weakly, “It’s been three months. He’s probably forgotten about me by now.” Emma laughed. “Even if you turned to ashes, he wouldn’t forget you.”
Of course Alexander wouldn’t forget me. Because I got together with him for a bet. At the time, I was in New York for a magazine photo shoot and met up with my best friend Emma for dinner. That night, she took me to a party. There, I ran into an old friend I hadn’t seen in ages – Jack Harrison. He teased me for being single. I joked that he was an empty nester. Jack stomped his foot in annoyance and pointed to a man at the center of the party, surrounded by layers of people. “I’m not an empty nester, he is!” Then he grinned mischievously. “If you can win him over, I’ll give you $100 million, straight up.” My eyes lit up. Money handed to me on a silver platter? I’d be a fool not to take it. “Deal.” I happened to need some funds to open my own studio. And here was an easy target. It took me three weeks. Relentless pursuit. I finally got him. Once the money was in place, I made up some excuse and broke up with him. Alexander was in the kitchen warming up milk for me. I stood at the door with my suitcase and left him with these words: “You’re too rich.” “Being with you makes me feel insecure.” Before Alexander could turn around, I was already at the front door, closing it behind me. By the time he realized what was happening and came after me, I was already in the car, ready to fly to Europe for a film shoot. That shoot lasted three months. Three months. I was sure he would have forgotten about me by then.
I always felt that Alexander didn’t love me that much. He was always so indifferent. Everything he did was with a sense of detachment. It seemed like nothing was a big deal to him. Even when I asked if we could kiss, He just gave me a faint “Mm.” Mm? That’s it? Our first kiss was initiated by me too. The key is, I was a complete novice. I had no experience at all. I just rubbed against his lips for a while, not knowing how to proceed. When I was about to give up and pull away, Alexander finally grabbed the back of my head. “Kiss like this.” Even when kissing, he showed no emotional fluctuations. He was always so indifferent. Even in bed. It was always the same boring position. Like an old prude. Not only was there no passion, He was also incredibly old-fashioned. He would lecture me for half an hour if I wore something too revealing for a photo shoot. In the end, he made me put on a shawl. Sitting in the passenger seat, I told Emma about all my experiences over the years. After hearing it all, she was so surprised her mouth hung open. “What? He doesn’t move in bed?” “Then why don’t you move?” Me: … She sure has a way of understanding things. Emma was like an innocent, curious child. “I’m just saying, maybe you should teach him some stuff in that department. After all, you’ve watched tons of movies.” Me: … Where did that rumor come from?
The second night after I returned from Europe, I finally got over my jet lag. Not long after I woke up, I was dragged to attend a party. They said I was there to make up the numbers. But as soon as I stepped in with my left foot, someone pulled me backstage. I couldn’t even see the person’s face clearly before being dragged to a corner backstage. “Mr. Security Guard, I just happened to step in with my left foot. You don’t have to lock me up just because of that, right?” “Mr. Security Guard…” I had barely finished speaking when I saw the person’s face clearly. Alexander Stone pointed at his own face and laughed sarcastically. “Me, a security guard?” I immediately laughed it off. “Oh no, handsome stranger, who are you?” Alexander smirked. The next second, his face turned cold as he pinned me against the wall. “I really had no idea that the daughter of the richest man in Los Angeles would feel insecure about money.” “Lily James, was I really that easy to fool?” I had imagined hundreds of possible scenarios for our reunion. But I never imagined it would be like this. I blurted out the first thing that came to mind. “Handsome stranger, who are you?”
Alexander laughed angrily. He was truly laughing out of anger. I could even hear the sound of his teeth grinding. “Lily, do you really think I’m that easy to fool?” My back went cold, but I stubbornly kept up the act. “Handsome stranger, if you want an autograph, I can go outside and sign one for you?” “How about a personalized one?” Alexander wasn’t buying it and didn’t play along. He stepped closer to me, backing me into a corner. My dress for tonight had a large open back, and I didn’t want to touch the cold wall, so I stopped moving. At the same time, Alexander’s large hand landed on my waist. He gently caressed it, and I suddenly realized. This was the move he most often did when we were flirting. My waist is a very sensitive spot. I wanted to dodge, but his other hand trapped me. “Lily, still saying you don’t know me?” I stubbornly insisted. It was the kind of stubborn that would make even a rock give up. My ears were burning red, and my legs felt weak. “I really don’t know you.” “Handsome stranger, you’re crossing a line here.” Alexander lightly pinched the soft flesh at my waist. “Want to see how red your face is, hmm?” Alexander clearly had no intention of letting me go. The scorching heat on my waist was impossible to ignore. “This is a public place, what are you trying to do?!” He lowered his head, his thin lips approaching. “What do you think?”
I felt that the Alexander in front of me wasn’t like the Alexander I knew. He was too smooth. So smooth that I could barely handle it. Back when I was relentlessly pursuing him and finally got him, Any physical contact only happened if I initiated it first. Kisses, hugs, and such – if I didn’t make the first move, he wouldn’t budge. At first, I wanted to say he was too conservative when I broke up with him. But thinking it might hurt his self-esteem, I made up that random excuse about feeling insecure instead. I never thought he’d remember it until now! And even corner me at a party hall three months later. … I pointed behind Alexander and said, “Oh, Mrs. Stone, what are you doing here?” Seizing the opportunity, I pushed Alexander away and prepared to escape. But to my surprise, Alexander didn’t even turn around. He caught me and pulled me back. “Hasn’t anyone told you that trick is outdated?” “Did you go to Europe and fall behind the times?” Alexander teased me mercilessly. I lowered my head in defeat. The next second, I was lifted off the ground, my feet dangling in the air. Me: … How could anyone attack with their armpit?! I never imagined Alexander would suddenly tuck me under his arm and walk out of the party. How could someone in a suit just carry a beautiful girl out like this, tucked under his arm?! I covered my face with both hands. Trying not to let people recognize me. But I still heard some comments. “Wow, carrying a woman under his arm, that’s a first for me.” “I have to say, it looks pretty cool.” I went from covering my face with my hands to covering it with my arms. Wishing I could shrink myself. Not letting anyone see me. In my heart, I cursed Alexander to high heaven. Alexander carried me quickly all the way. He rushed straight to the entrance. The moment he put me down, I finally took a deep breath. I had never felt any path was so long before. As soon as my feet touched the ground, my mouth started running. “Alexander Stone, are you crazy? Would it kill you to carry me like a princess? You’ve done it plenty of times before, why did you have to use that method today of all days?!” “Alexander Stone, I’ve lost all face!” I was so angry I was jumping up and down. Alexander just smiled without saying a word. After I finished ranting, he slowly said, “What’s our relationship? I never carry strange women.” I was at a loss for words. Damn it. In a moment of excitement, I forgot I was still acting. My toes curled. Suddenly, things got awkward. The next second, it got even more awkward. “Yo! Lily, I’ve been looking for you everywhere, and here you are flirting with a handsome guy…” Emma came running towards me, but as soon as she saw Alexander’s face clearly, she did a 180-degree turn on the spot. “Sorry, I mistook you for someone else. Who are you guys?” Her retreating back was full of cold indifference. The corner of my mouth twitched. What’s the meaning of this? Afraid Alexander would give me trouble, and not wanting to get involved! Alexander laughed coldly, “You’ve done a good job keeping it secret, haven’t you? Handsome guy?” “I heard there was a bet involved, is that right?” He approached step by step, and I retreated step by step. I waved my hands in denial, “Not much, really not much.” Alexander knew exactly what was going on. “$100 million? Opened a studio? You calculated it all so well. After being together for two months, you broke up without any consideration for my feelings.” My eyes darted around, not daring to look at him. Alexander was still approaching me. “The money they gave you, I’ll double it…” Before he could finish, my eyes lit up. “Okay!”
Alexander left, furious with me. Just because I interrupted him And said “okay” without even thinking. He said I was something else. I thought so too. No one can resist money. Even the daughter of the richest man. Two hundred million dollars. That would make my dad overjoyed. But tonight’s Alexander was a bit unforgettable. Three months later, he’s still so handsome. Tonight, his aggressive approach really made my heart race. I almost couldn’t keep it together. Is this relationship really so hard for him to forget? I covered my unusually fast-beating heart, forcing myself to sleep.
My agent got me an endorsement deal for a luxury jewelry brand. She kept going on about how lucky I was on the way there. “Two hundred million dollars! This endorsement fee is like a gift from heaven!” “You haven’t had any endorsements for so long, and now you get a big one. Your beauty will be on the big screens now!” “When the investor arrives later, you need to smile more. Cheer up for me!” I was still drowsy, not fully awake yet. I had no idea what she was talking about. Endorsement? Just do it, I thought. But soon, I didn’t think that way anymore. When Alexander Stone stood in front of me, I was completely dumbfounded. He walked towards me step by step. “Two hundred million, is that enough?” I couldn’t smile. No wonder my agent was so excited this morning. Turns out someone had sent her money. Two hundred million. This guy just handed it over like that? My agent’s eyes kept darting between Alexander and me. “Do you two… know each other?” Neither Alexander nor I answered. After we started shooting, I thought everything would be fine once we entered the studio. But then I saw Alexander holding a camera. I really wanted to jump up and down in frustration. Alexander just familiarized himself with the camera, then looked at me with a slight raise of his eyebrow. “I’ll photograph you. The photography fee is separate.” “It’s a good deal for you.” Me: … This is all your territory, how can I refuse? Now I understood what it meant to be on a sinking ship. Alexander asked all the staff in the studio to leave. Leaving only him and me. All the hair on my body stood on end, and I entered a state of alert. He tucked my stray hair behind my ear. “Cooperate a bit.” “Lily.”
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