
Hello Love, Goodbye Billionaire
Cradle Reads · Ongoing · 63.1k Words
Introduction
Eight years later, Stephanie Ruan returned to the country as the director of an internationally renowned publishing firm. Upon knowing that her family's car accident is related to the prestigious Zhong Family, her best bet is to get close to Javier Zhong to find out the truth and avenge her family members.
"I want to be your fiancé." With her new identity and strong character, she fearlessly plotted against the most powerful and ruthless man in the country, Javier Zhong. Unlike other women whose biggest dream is to marry him, Stephanie Ruan spat out those words with much unwillingness. Of course, to scheme against such a dangerous man, there would be risks and sacrifices involved. She could either be killed by him or... unexpectedly fall deeply in love with him?
Whichever the result is, Stephanie Ruan knows that once she enters this game, there is no turning back!
Chapter 1
In Country C, Shang Capital
Seated inside the first-class cabin of a renowned international airplane, Stephanie Ruan looked at the city through the window, with deep emotions in her eyes.
Up until today, her family's car accident which had happened 8 years ago remained vivid in her mind.
Just like the members of the public, she too wanted to believe that the tragic incident which had killed her parents and sibling was unintentional.
However, she remembered very clearly the words of a young man who seemed to be reporting to someone over the phone that day. "I've confirmed it, the Ruan family members are all dead."
The cold voice sent shivers down her spine. Though Stephanie Ruan did not dare to open her eyes back then, that particular voice would be etched on her memory forever.
The young man deliberately threw the phone towards her, which had accurately landed a few centimetres away from her face, just like how he had expected it to be.
He then walked towards the phone and immediately crushed it beneath his shoe, while staring at the uninjured girl who is stubbornly trying to keep her eyes shut.
Feeling the young man's face getting closer to hers, Stephanie Ruan could not help but become more nervous. "Oh no... Has he found out that I am still alive??!"
"..."
But what the young man subsequently said to her had shocked her the most! "Leave this country and don't ever come back!"
"!!..."
"So he knew... Back then he knew that I was alive!" Stephanie Ruan sat on her seat and subconsciously clasped her hands together.
Just then, a hand suddenly came over and tapped on her arm. She reflexively turned to the side and looked at the person with widened eyes.
Seeing her personal assistant's shocked expression, Stephanie Ruan calmed down a little and gave her a light smile. "I'm sorry, Mia. You were going to tell me something?"
Mia Xue did not know what had gotten into her boss. She noticed that Stephanie Ruan had not been herself ever since she had boarded the plane.
Nonetheless, she went on and reported to her respectfully. "Director Ruan, the plane has landed. We can alight now."
Stephanie Ruan nodded and elegantly put on her black sunglasses. "Okay, let's go."
The sound of her high heels had filled the entire corridor and attracted the attention of many passengers who had just alighted.
Her graceful and dignified demeanour, coupled with her beautiful facial features and figure had caused the people around her to be unable to shift their eyes away.
"Unbelievable!! Could anyone be prettier than her?!" The crowd started to break into their conversations while being mesmerised by her beauty.
Mia Xue, who is walking beside Stephanie Ruan, is already very used to this scene. Such an outstanding woman, it is no wonder that her boss would gain so much attention.
She really could not understand why Stephanie Ruan would not accept any of the suitors who have been actively pursuing her. To be honest, each of them is not lacking a single bit at all!
Mia Xue could not help but sigh silently in her heart. She really did not dare to imagine how great Stephanie Ruan's future husband would be...
As they exited the arrival hall, Mia Xue wasted no time and immediately reported their schedule for today.
"Director Ruan, you have a virtual internal department meeting at 11 am... Lunch would be at 1 pm and after which, you would prepare to head for an interview with a local media company... There would be an external stakeholders' meeting at 4 pm..."
In the past 6 years, Stephanie Ruan has single-handedly established a company of her own. At the young age of 26, she now owns Helix Publishing - a successful international publishing firm. They are known to always be the first to release the latest business news in the industry!
But of course, she wouldn't be where she is today without her best friend, Daniel Yan.
When Stephanie Ruan had fled from Country C, she was fortunate enough to have met Daniel Yan in Country A. His family is also very welcoming and has treated her as their own.
Though Daniel Yan comes from a very wealthy family, he hasn't been able to invest in her publishing firm as she refused to take a single cent from him. As such, he could only stay by her side and offer her the emotional support that she needed.
Stephanie Ruan's phone rang as soon as she entered the car. She instantly accepted the video call but before she could even say a word, a cheerful voice interrupted her.
"Miss Ruan! You have already reached the country and you didn't even give me a call! Have you forgotten about your best friend so quickly?"
She immediately rolled her eyes at Daniel Yan and teased him as well. "Mr Yan, if I knew earlier that I wouldn't even get a breather after my flight, I'd definitely choose to forget about this best friend of mine..."
"Wait wait... Hold up!! Why does it sound like it's my fault again??"
Looking at his wronged look, Stephanie Ruan could not help but let out a soft chuckle. "Alright alright... It's my fault, okay??"
"..."
Seeing that he is just staring quietly at her, she lifted her hand to touch her face. "What's wrong?? Is there something on my face?"
Daniel Yan shook his head and simply gave her a doting smile, "Take care of yourself alright? If you need anything, just call me. I'll even fly over to meet you if you want me to."
His words made her break into a smile, "Stop being ridiculous! You're way busier than I am, so just focus on your work!"
Though Stephanie Ruan is one of the most highly sought-after women, she is also known to have mercilessly rejected and stayed away from every single man who had confessed their heart to her.
She is simply not interested to be in a relationship at the moment and no one could change her strong mindset.
In fact, the only guy who could successfully stay by her side is none other than Daniel Yan.
Yes, he loves her. But he also loves her differently from the other men. If she is not ready to be in a relationship yet, then he would wait patiently for her to be ready.
He has already decided to wait for her no matter how much time it would take. To him, it would all be worth it!
...
Their light-hearted conversation quickly ended and soon, the car arrived in front of the grand hotel.
"Director Ruan, we are here." Mia Xue turned to face the back seat and succinctly reported.
"Mmm okay." Stephanie Ruan casually took the designer bag that is seated beside her and alighted from the car.
As soon as they had settled into their presidential suite, Mia Xue received an important phone call.
"Got it... Send the file to me. I'll let Director Ruan know."
Hearing her name, Stephanie Ruan who is busy reading through a document, looked up at Mia. "What's the matter?"
Mia Xue quickly opened the newly received file on her tablet and brought it over to her boss.
"The investigator said that these are all the information he has and he is unable to help you investigate any further. His cover has already been blown."
Stephanie Ruan read through the file and a cold glint flashed past her eyes. "Zhong Family?"
After so many years of investigation, she has finally managed to obtain some information about the people who were behind her family's car accident.
It is truly a pity that the investigation had to stop here. She still has not gotten hold of any concrete evidence to take legal actions against them.
And she is definitely not going to give up just like that!
She scrolled down towards the end of the file and saw a familiar face.
As the boss of a renowned publishing firm that is constantly producing the latest business updates, she definitely could recognise this man with just one glance!
Javier Zhong - the only grandchild of the prestigious Zhong Family. His family is so powerful in the country that even the government officials could not afford to offend them.
He has officially taken over his family's business - Zhong Holdings, which is actively involved in most of the industries around the world. Though he is just 2 years older than her, he has already accomplished ten times what she has done thus far.
Just within a year of him taking over, Zhong Holdings has grown to become the top three companies in the world and their profits are still steadily increasing every single month.
It is said that 'anything that he touches would become gold'. Indeed, he holds an unshakable position in the business field and is feared by many!
Furthermore, he is already listed as the richest billionaire in the country.
Would anyone refuse to bow down to him?
Well, perhaps, there could only be one person who dares to plot against him.
"Mia, ask the investigator to do me one last favour. Give me the current location of Javier Zhong."
Last Chapters
#50 Chapter 50 - Give Me The Gun
Last Updated: 1/10/2026#49 Chapter 49 - What's The Matter With Him?
Last Updated: 1/10/2026#48 Chapter 48 - He Was Shot!
Last Updated: 1/10/2026#47 Chapter 47 - Suspicious Building
Last Updated: 1/10/2026#46 Chapter 46 - I'll Go With You
Last Updated: 1/10/2026#45 Chapter 45 - Hide It From Her
Last Updated: 1/10/2026#44 Chapter 44 - Are You A Gangster?
Last Updated: 1/10/2026#43 Chapter 43 - Don't Talk To Me
Last Updated: 1/10/2026#42 Chapter 42 - When You Are Ready
Last Updated: 1/10/2026#41 Chapter 41 - I'm Not Afraid
Last Updated: 1/10/2026
You Might Like 😍
To protect what’s mine
A Queen Among Tides (Book 5 in the Gods' Saga)
Shocked to find he's been bound in more ways than one to Sebastian, the future King to the Kingdom of Atlesper, Lemuel resists Sebastian's advances at every turn, believing this may be one pairing Goddess Zarseti got wrong.
Lemuel will have to face his past in hopes of starting a new future, but an overly flirtatious King is the least of his worries when he learns Sebastian's parents are convinced that a conniving usurper disguised as a curvy blonde, is the future king's true soulmate.
A Queen Among Tides is the 5th book in the Queen Among Series/The Gods' Saga. This is an interconnected series. To see how it ends, I recommend reading the full series.
Books in the series order:
A Queen Among Alphas - Book 1
Bite-Size Luna - A Queen Among Alphas Prequel (available under book 1)
A Queen Among Snakes - Book 2
A Queen Among Blood - Book 3
A Queen Among Darkness - Book 4
Whole Again - A Queen Among Alpha's spin-off (available under book 1)
A Queen Among Tides - Book 5
Valor, Virtue, and Verve - Tides Prequel Spin-off (will be available under book 5)
A Queen Among Gods - Book 6
Runaway Empress - A Queen Among Snakes Prequel (will be available under book 2)
A Queen Among Tempests - Book 7
Dark Vocation - Darkness spin-off (will be available under book 4)
A Court of Arcane Souls Anthology (side character short stories exclusive to Ream)
Royal Shadow Series (Next Gen Coming Soon)
The Alpha's Stripper Mate
"What?" It was out of my mouth before I could stop it. I did not wait for him to answer me, I walked toward him.
"Dance on my lap."
My head screamed at me to turn around and run. But my whole body responded to his command.
"Yes, Alpha," I pulled my dress over my body, it dropped over my head and fell to the ground behind me. I was left in nothing but my matching bra and thong. My hands covered my chest on reflex.
"Let me see."
My hands dropped to my sides.
I lowered myself into his lap, facing him. His eyes peered into mine, and I could feel his hot breath fan my face. His dick responded to all my moves, hardening against my now-moist vagina. I swallowed hard, allowing my lips to part in a ragged breath. His hands trailed up to my waist.
"No touching."
At the tender age of eleven, JoJo Wyatt was forced to grow up far sooner than she should have. Born to a cruel father and a weak mother, she quickly realized she had to become the breadwinner for herself and her sister. Nothing else mattered to her, not even the hottest men. In fact, she despised them. After one horrific night, she swore never to have any contact with the male species again. That was, until she started working for him as his stripper.
Meanwhile, Alpha Lake Rush, thirty, was the most feared Alpha in the country. Burdened by his own share of life's struggles, he had learned only to be cruel and reckless, rejecting not one but two mates. But what happens when he discovers yet another mate, and she turns out to be his stripper?
Taking what she wants ( Love and Revenge )
Adrian : Her careless and don't give a fuck attitude bothered me. when it was confirmed she wasn't responsible for the accident , i let her go but truth be told she had gotten under my skin. When I saw the chance of having her i took it. i could help that I had fucked her sister months prior. her family wanted me to leave her and marry her sister but that wasn't happening and they weren't going to stop. Some of my family members decided they wanted the family business and thought they could use Rayna to get to me but little did they know , the woman I married was a fucking demon and she was out for blood, her family and mine.
I looked at her laying in my arms and couldn't help but smile. she was finally mine.
A pack of their own
The Dragon's Last Fae Queen
“Prince? Dickhead? Asshole? Or stalker?” A slow, dangerous smile curved his lips. “Maybe I should show you the one title I want you to use.” Before I could react, his hand closed around my chin, tilting my face up. His lips crashed into mine, hard, claiming, breath-stealing. When he finally pulled back, his voice was a rough whisper against my lips. “You could call me yours… because you are mine.”
His Empire, My Revenge
When Elena Cross wakes from a devastating car crash, she’s told her powerful husband, Adrian, never left her side. But as fragments of memory return, so does a darker truth—Adrian caused the crash that nearly killed her. Instead of exposing him, Elena hides her secret and slips back into his world with one goal: destroy him from within.
Every smile becomes a weapon, every kiss a step closer to his downfall. But Adrian isn’t the only Cross with something to hide. His younger brother, Julian, knows more than he admits—and the deeper Elena digs, the more she learns that revenge has its own price.
In a world of luxury, secrets, and betrayal, love can be the most dangerous lie of all.
Protectors Of Her Warrior's Heart
Rescued by men who call themselves Protectors—warriors from another realm who embody the legends of angels and vampires—she is thrust into a world she never knew existed. For the first time, she experiences freedom, safety, and the possibility of a future.
But freedom comes with a price.
Tali is forced to face the father she believed abandoned her and a powerful council determined to use her for their own ends. Stranger still are the abilities awakening within her—powers no one understands, yet everyone seems desperate to control.
As she learns to trust, she chooses the mates destined to stand beside her. In their arms she finds love, devotion, and a family worth fighting for. But not everyone wants their bond to survive.
When the council betrays the Protectors and attempts to steal her newborn son, it ignites a war that will shake every realm.
Now Tali stands at the center of a conflict far greater than herself. The answers to ancient mysteries, the fate of her child, and the future of countless worlds all rest on her shoulders.
Surrounded by mates who love her fiercely and refuse to leave her side, Tali will battle enemies old and new, forge powerful alliances, and discover just how strong she truly is.
Because this war won't be won for her.
It will be won with her.
And together, they will fight for their future, their family, and a love worth crossing realms to protect.
Falling for my boyfriend's Navy brother
"What is wrong with me?
Why does being near him make my skin feel too tight, like I’m wearing a sweater two sizes too small?
It’s just newness, I tell myself firmly.
He’s my boyfirend’s brother.
This is Tyler’s family.
I’m not going to let one cold stare undo that.
**
As a ballet dancer, My life looks perfect—scholarship, starring role, sweet boyfriend Tyler. Until Tyler shows his true colors and his older brother, Asher, comes home.
Asher is a Navy veteran with battle scars and zero patience. He calls me "princess" like it's an insult. I can't stand him.
When My ankle injury forces her to recover at the family lake house, I‘m stuck with both brothers. What starts as mutual hatred slowly turns into something forbidden.
I'm falling for my boyfriend's brother.
**
I hate girls like her.
Entitled.
Delicate.
And still—
Still.
The image of her standing in the doorway, clutching her cardigan tighter around her narrow shoulders, trying to smile through the awkwardness, won’t leave me.
Neither does the memory of Tyler. Leaving her here without a second thought.
I shouldn’t care.
I don’t care.
It’s not my problem if Tyler’s an idiot.
It’s not my business if some spoiled little princess has to walk home in the dark.
I’m not here to rescue anyone.
Especially not her.
Especially not someone like her.
She’s not my problem.
And I’ll make damn sure she never becomes one.
But when my eyes fell on her lips, I wanted her to be mine.
Omega Bound
Thane Knight is the alpha of the Midnight Pack of the La Plata Mountain Range, the largest wolf shifter pack in the world. He is an alpha by day and hunts the shifter trafficking ring with his group of mercenaries by night. His hunt for vengeance leads to one raid that changes his life.
Tropes:
Touch her and die/Slow burn romance/Fated Mates/Found family twist/Close circle betrayal/Cinnamon roll for only her/Traumatized heroine/Rare wolf/Hidden powers/Knotting/Nesting/Heats/Luna/Attempted assassination
Tempted By The Enemy
She escapes to Preston Island to attend the wedding without informing him only to collide with Lucas’s hot, fiery and arrogant brother, the twenty-three-year-old, Nicholas Donnelly. Sparks immediately fly between them but Alyssa refuses to acknowledge them fearing her brother's wrath.
The wedding is over and Alyssa tries hard to forget the mysterious Nicholas Donnelly but can he forget her? Can he ignore the attraction he feels for her, feelings that have resurfaced after ten years?
What will Allyssa do when she is stalked by the man who has been invading her dreams since the day she met him? What will she do when she is whisked away to a deserted island by the unpredictable Nicholas Donnelly? Can she tame her heart or surrender to sinful temptations? Read to find out!
Part of the Temptation Series. Can be read as a standalone.
From Sacrificed Slave to the Dragon King's Obsession
His fangs glinted as he gripped my chin, forcing me to meet his gaze. Dragon scales shimmered along his neck, breath scorching my skin.
"Your Majesty... I beg—" He shoved me onto the bed. Silk tore with a sharp rip, cold air rushing over my exposed body.
"Scared?" He smirked, palm sliding down my waist, fingers tracing slow, burning circles. "Yet you shiver... not from cold."
I lunged for the candlestick, but he caught my wrist, pinning it overhead. His knee forced my legs apart.
"When your father gave you to me," his lips brushed my ear, voice a dark rumble, "you were already mine."
On the eve of freedom after ten years of servitude, Lina Valeria stood one night away from reuniting with her betrothed. But Dragon King Augustus condemned her to the Abyss Mines on false charges—a trap forged from obsessive desire.
Augustus Ashenwing, Supreme Sovereign of Skyhold Citadel, is ruthless and feared by all races. His obsession stems from ancient grudges and dragonkind's most dangerous instinct: possessive desire. He demands her submission, binding her to his throne as his consort.
From prisoner to queen, Lina battles him through court intrigue and twisted passion—fighting for her mother, her freedom, her dignity.
Yet this cold-blooded tyrant reserves all tenderness for her alone. He indulges her temper, bends his pride, compromises without limit—anything to see her smile. Gradually, her heart wavers. But loving him means betraying Kain, who waited eleven years. Torn between duty and desire, she drowns in agonizing guilt.
Love and hatred intertwined—a forbidden dragon romance in a realm of oppression.












