The Tycoon's Muse: Canvas of hearts
Rosie Blackwood gave up everything to honor a promise: she left behind her name, her life, and her freedom to live as Jiang Meilin, the best friend who died to save her, Rosie has spent years navigating a dangerous world of power and shadows as a mafia heiress. Her goal was simple: to fulfill Jiang Meilin’s dreams as a final act of loyalty and gratitude. But everything changes when she crosses paths with Zhao Jingshen, a cold and ruthless enigmatic CEO with the power to unravel her resolve. Drawn into his world, Rosie finds herself fighting emotions she never thought she was capable of having. Zhao Jingshen makes her heart race in ways she never expected, threatening to expose the vulnerabilities she’s hidden beneath her icy exterior. Just when she began to believe in the happiness she thought she’d never have... Her world shatters again when she discovers the truth... Jiang Meilin was alive, and the threats endangering her family were related to her. Betrayed by the past and caught in a web of danger, Rosie must reconcile her love for Jaesun with the lies that brought them together. As love and danger collide, Rosie’s carefully constructed plans begin to crumble. Will she risk everything to follow her heart, or will her responsibility as the Blackwood heiress destroy the fragile bond she’s built with the one man who sees through her mask? A thrilling tale of love, loyalty, and sacrifice where passion burns brightest in the shadows. Excerpts from the story: "You know," he said after a while, "when you said you were going out to commit a crime, I half expected you to be robbing a bank or something." Meilin snorted. "Please. I have more finesse than that. Besides, why steal money when you can steal someone's peace of mind?" A chuckle escaped Meilin's lips despite herself. "You're waltzing into a hurricane, Zhao Jingshen." She was talking about being in a relationship with her. "Then be my eye of the storm," he challenged, swinging open his car door with theatrical flair. "Shall we embrace the tempest?" Meilin arched an eyebrow. "Who would believe the ice-cold CEO of Zhao Corporation could melt so thoroughly?" "Well!" Laughter danced in his voice. "What's a man to do when his wife decides to play runaway bride? I'd turn myself inside out if it meant keeping you in my orbit."
Chapter 15: Shadows
As the day wore on, Meilin drifted in and out of sleep, always waking to find Jingshen by her side. At one point, she caught him attempting to feed her Jell-O with the concentration of a man disarming a bomb.
"You know," she said, swallowing a laugh along with the wobbly dessert, "for a man who can negotiate multi-million dollar deals, you're surprisingly inept with a spoon."
Zhao Jingshen looked at the utensil as if it had personally offended him. "It's not the spoon," he grumbled. "It's this infernal jiggly substance. How can something be a solid and a liquid at the same time? It defies the laws of physics."
Meilin couldn't hold back her laughter this time, wincing slightly as the movement pulled at her stitches. Jingshen was immediately alert, his hand hovering over her worriedly.
"I'm fine," she assured him, catching his hand and giving it a squeeze. "Just don't make me laugh too hard, okay? At least not until these stitches are out."
Jingshen nodded solemnly, but there was a glimmer in his eye that hadn't been there before. "I make no promises," he said, the ghost of a smile playing on his lips. "Your laughter might be worth a few popped stitches."
As night fell, Meilin found herself fighting sleep, not wanting to miss a moment with this new, softer version of Zhao Jingshen. But her body's need for rest eventually won out.
"Sleep," Jingshen whispered, pressing a gentle kiss to her forehead. "I'll be right here when you wake up."
As Meilin drifted off, lulled by Jingshen's comforting presence, the scene shifted to a lavish mansion halfway across the world.
A man hurried down an opulent corridor, his footsteps echoing on the marble floor. He paused before an ornate door, taking a deep breath before knocking.
"Enter," came a voice from within, cold enough to freeze the very air.
The man stepped into a study that exuded power and wealth. Behind a massive desk sat a woman who could have been Jiang Meilin's older twin sipping tea. Her piercing eyes, the color of arctic ice, fixed on the man as he knelt before her.
"Report, Gerald," she commanded, her voice as sharp as a blade.
Gerald swallowed hard. "Matriarch, I regret to inform you that there's been an incident involving the young miss."
The woman's eyes narrowed dangerously. In one fluid motion, she hurled her teacup at Gerald's head. It shattered against his forehead, blood and tea mingling as they trickled down his face.
"My daughter was shot, had surgery, was unconscious for days, and I'm only hearing about it now?" Her voice was deceptively calm, but the room seemed to drop several degrees in temperature.
Gerald didn't dare move or look up. "I apologize, Matriarch. Seven assures us that the young miss is fine. She has awoken and... does not want us to interfere."
The Matriarch rose from her seat, her movements as graceful as they were menacing. She circled Gerald like a predator stalking its prey.
"And tell me, Gerald," she purred, her tone at odds with the fury in her eyes, "since when do we take orders from my wayward daughter?"
Gerald remained silent, knowing any response could seal his fate.
The Matriarch returned to her desk, her fingers tracing the edge of an ornate letter opener. "It seems I've been too lenient. Prepare the plane. It's time I paid my dear Rosie a visit."
As Gerald scrambled to obey, the Matriarch gazed out the window, her reflection a perfect mirror of the daughter she hadn't seen in over a year. A cold smile played on her lips as she contemplated the coming reunion.
Back in the hospital room, Meilin stirred in her sleep, a frown creasing her brow as if sensing the storm on the horizon. Zhao Jingshen, ever vigilant, squeezed her hand reassuringly, unaware of the forces now set in motion. As he watched Meilin sleep, he marveled at how this woman had managed to break through his carefully constructed walls in such a short time.
"What have you done to me, Jiang Meilin?" he whispered, a mix of wonder and trepidation in his voice. For the first time in his 32 years of existence, Zhao Jingshen found himself utterly, hopelessly in love – and he had absolutely no idea what to do about it. He knew that he could not go along with his grandfather's wishes anymore and he had to find a way to make Jiang Meilin his.
She had barged into his world and there would be no escape.