Diana is the eldest granddaughter of the Winchester Family. She has lived her 22 years of life as her twin, Chantal's shadow. She thought she has become immune to the hurt caused by her own family until one revelation revealed in anger, turned her world upside down. Thinking that she has lost the piece of home, she was proven wrong when a helping hand, led her to discover an amorous side of her. Lucas is the 30-year-old President of Forrest Research Institute and a descendant of one of the 7 great families in the country of Great Blackhampton. He has always been good at reading people's personalities so when this beautiful goddess of a woman gave him a look asking for help, he didn't hesitate. Their first meeting, their first kiss. She thought it only ended there, until they met two months later. She had never imagined meeting one of the descendants of the great families, even more so meeting the heirs. Not only was she welcomed, they even became acquainted with her own friends. They never expected that Lucas and Diana's encounter was the beginning of love blooming for them as well.
Unwelcome.
This all too familiar feeling is creeping up on Diana once again, as she looks at Chantal's birthday invitation. Her sister will be turning 22 this year, and once again, will host a grand celebration as if every birthday is her debut. Weird enough, this should have also been her birthday celebration, and yet again, her name is absent in the invitation.
Chantal has always been the one who loves to throw parties, she's always been the one to show off their wealth. And Diana is quite the opposite. She is more practical, but a little rebellious. She does love to dress up just like any girl, but she prefers functionality more than fashion. Whereas, Chantal is just one Fashion diva, which is why their family supported her career as a Fashion Designer. For Diana, it's enough that she gets a College Degree, that way it won't be as embarrassing when introducing her to the public. With how different the two women are raised in the Winchester Family, nobody would assume that they were twins.
Winchester Family is a wealthy family in the country, Great Blackhampton. Vergil Winchester is the Patriarch and Regina Quentin-Winchester is the Matriarch of the family. They only have two offspring, their son, Osmond, who married Vanessa Carlton--also from a rich family who owns businesses in the entertainment industry. And Osmond's sister, Cassandra Winchester-Barnes, who married Winston Barnes, an owner of a famous restaurant overseas. Cassandra is a chef in Winston's restaurant, which is how they met. They live overseas with their son Harlan who is 20 years old and is studying Culinary.
Diana is the eldest daughter of Osmond and her sister Chantal is only younger by 15 seconds. But growing up, Chantal is the favored child in the family. Whatever Chantal does is right. Whatever Diana does is disappointing. Perhaps, in the beginning, Diana tried hard to be favored just like her younger sister. She tried to act cute and even would cry so the adults will pacify her the way they do with Chantal, but when it comes to her, they scold her for being an attention-seeker. As she grew older, she developed immunity against their criticisms.
She feels closer to Cassandra and her family at Maconia more than her grandparents, parents and sibling.
There were times when she doubted whether she was adopted instead. But that was impossible, since she was Chantal's twin. They may not look identical but they were born on the same day and from the same mother.
Now as she stares at the paper with Chantal's name, she knows what to expect. She is expected to attend and appear joyful on her sister's occasion. Presenting a unified Winchester family in front of strangers.
And like a psychic, she guessed that her phone would ring.
Vanessa is calling Diana which the latter picked up on the second ring. She decided not to let it ring for too long. She didn't want to suffer an hour of a rant from her today.
"Yes, mom," Diana answered.
"Hmph!" Vanessa sounded annoyed. "Where are you now?"
"I'm in my apartment." She responded briefly.
"Have you received the invitation?" Vanessa asked coolly.
"Yes. I have it here."
"Okay. Remember to come. Get rid of your miserable face, do you understand?" Vanessa reminded Diana. Her voice was laced with displeasure.
"Yes, mom," Diana answered, waiting for Vanessa to hang up. As she did, Diana leaned against the couch, closing her eyes. She looked miserable, causing her roommate Heather Bennett to worry.
"Di? Are you okay?" Heather asked her, giving her a cup of chamomile tea.
"Mmm--Same thing." Diana sighed as she showed Heather the invitation card.
Heather frowned at the print on the paper and snorted. She has always been unimpressed with Diana's relatives. Winchester Family may be rich but they are nothing compared to the Great 7 that dominate the major industries. But for the members of the Winchester Family, they're living as if everybody else is beneath them. Except for Diana. She has always lived as Chantal's shadow so she never got to feel like she is from one of the wealthy families.
Heather and Diana have gotten along well together since High School so they decided to share an apartment as they studied at Henhall University, one of the top universities in the country. They have studied different courses in College, Heather earned a Criminology degree and Diana earned a Medical Technology degree. They shared a few similar subjects back in College so they pretty much can understand each other's work lives. Heather knows all too well how the Winchester Family treats Diana, they treat her as not less than an orphan.
"Cheer up. Don't let yourself get affected by their nonsense. Since there will be a blast of a party, just enjoy it. Eat. Drink. Dance. Maybe hook up with a guy." Heather joked. Diana snorted at this.
"As if. All guests are Chantal's friends. And you know the kind of company she keeps. I'd rather get dried up than make a mistake by getting involved in one of those peacocks."
Heather plopped herself on the couch close to Diana and turned on the remote.
"You and me both." She smirked. "But don't forget to take some food, especially desserts."
Diana laughed at this. "That's the plan."
They've been best friends for a long time and yet not once was she able to invite Heather to a grand birthday celebration like Chantal can to her friends. Usually, they would just celebrate it whenever they have free time.
On TV, a news channel popped up, showing the news at a conference talking about the new vaccines. The camera showed the scientists from all over the world zooming in on the President of Forrest Research Institute, the leading research institute in Great Blackhampton.
Diana glanced at the powerful figure on the screen before reading her mailbox on her phone, not even sparing a thought whether the person on the screen is handsome or not. After all, she will never get a chance to meet him in person. Although the Winchester family is considered wealthy, they were nowhere near that person.
What use is there to dwell on such thoughts?
At the age of 22, Diana would never have imagined she would be thrown into a life of passion involving this man. She would never have expected that soon, her life without the feeling of belongingness that one could get from their family would possibly happen to her.
Charlee was left at the altar and became a laughingstock. She tried to keep her head high, but ultimately lost it when she received a sex tape of her fiance and her half-sister. Devastated, she ended up spending a wild night with a hot stranger. It was supposed to be one-time thing, but he kept popping up, helping her with projects and revenge, all while flirting with her constantly. Charlee soon realized that it was nice having him around, until her ex suddenly appeared at her door, begging for another chance. Her tycoon lover asked, “Who will you choose? Think carefully before you answer.”
A sudden twist of fate connected Helena to a prominent and influential person. To onlookers, she appeared as a naive bimbo. In truth, she was a top-tier specialist, shrouded in layers of hidden identities. Charlie declared, “She’s quite delicate and easily hurt. Cross her, and you’re crossing me.” The elite families, outwitted by Helena's prowess, kept these truths from him. Helena eventually broke free from Charlie, sending him on a frenzied worldwide hunt. To him, she was a bird with dazzling wings, and his goal was to help her reach new heights.
"Carroll Brown is dead! But you have to marry him in your sister's name." My mother said to me in a cold tone. My sister was engaged to the hottest billionaire. It should have been a perfect marriage. Unexpectedly, Carroll was dead in an accident. My sister didn't want to become a widow, so she forced me to marry her dead fiance. And I had no right to refuse her. Actually, I was the biological daughter of the Smith family. My sister was an adoptive one. My sister and I had been swapped at the hospital when we were just born. My parents had already had a deep relationship with her. So they chose to sacrifice me. On the wedding day, I was taken to the mourning hall. "Ma'am, please keep Master company and let him feel warm." The housekeeper said with a cold expression. I couldn't help but look up at the portrait above the coffin, and my heart skipped a beat at this glance. The man in the portrait was more handsome than the superstars in Hollywood. Carroll Brown? My dead husband? Wow, he was really handsome! I didn't know how long had passed when my stomach began to rebel. After one glance at the coffin, I swallowed my saliva and then begged with my fingers crossed. "Mr. Carroll, I'm starving! May I eat your pastries? You don't mind, do you?" "I do." "Ah!" Scared, I broke out in a cold sweat. My legs went limp, and I fell to the ground. I shouted, "Ghost!" Carroll curled his lips, leaned over, and touched the black coffin. "Mr. Carroll has risen from the dead. What do you think of this headline tomorrow?"
Lindsey's fiancé was the devil's first son. Not only did he lie to her but he also slept with her stepmother, conspired to take away her family fortune, and then set her up to have sex with a total stranger. To get her lick back, Lindsey decided to find a man to disrupt her engagement party and humiliate the cheating bastard. Never did she imagine that she would bump into a strikingly handsome stranger who was all that she was currently looking for. At the engagement party, he boldly declared that she was his woman. Lindsey thought he was just a broke man who wanted to leech off her. But once they began their fake relationship, she realized that good luck kept coming her way. She thought they would part ways after the engagement party, but this man kept to her side. "We gotta stick together, Lindsey. Remember, I'm now your fiancé. " "Domenic, you're with me because of my money, aren't you?" Lindsey asked, narrowing her eyes at him. Domenic was taken aback by that accusation. How could he, the heir of the Walsh family and CEO of Vitality Group, be with her for money? He controlled more than half of the city's economy. Money wasn't a problem for him! The two got closer and closer. One day, Lindsey finally realized that Domenic was actually the stranger she had slept with months ago. Would this realization change things between them? For the better or worse?
After being kicked out of her home, Harlee learned she wasn't the biological daughter of her family. Rumors had it that her impoverished biological family favored sons and planned to profit from her return. Unexpectedly, her real father was a zillionaire, catapulting her into immense wealth and making her the most cherished member of the family. While they anticipated her disgrace, Harlee secretly held design patents worth billions. Celebrated for her brilliance, she was invited to mentor in a national astronomy group, drew interest from wealthy suitors, and caught the eye of a mysterious figure, ascending to legendary status.
She thought she was the love of his life, and he became the love of her life that fateful day she had seen him at the pack's party. Selene Grace was only a replica of Alpha Leo's real mate, and when he spotted her, Leo immediately claimed her as his Luna in order to suppress the rumors of him being mateless. Being unable to conceive turns Selene's marriage into a nightmare, and as if that wasn't enough, Alpha Leo finally reunites with his long time lover and mate, rejecting a pregnant Selene as a result. 5 years later, Selene, a now successful doctor, receives an invitation to the moon shadow pack in order to rid the pack of a deadly disease which has struck it. Will Selene return back to the pack which had caused her so much pain, and what would she do when she realizes that she is mated to the Alpha who had betrayed her in the past?