3.5
Comment(s)
1.9K
View
112
Chapters

In the glitzy world of fame and fortune, love is a dangerous game. Atticus Monroe, the world's biggest pop star, is used to living in the spotlight. His electrifying performances and heartthrob persona make him a global sensation, but behind the flashing cameras and screaming fans lies a broken heart longing for something real. Enter Ivan Laurent, a young billionaire with charm, power, and a mysterious past. Their connection is instant, a whirlwind romance that burns brighter than any spotlight, yet darker secrets loom in the shadows. As Atticus and Ivan's worlds collide, they discover that love at the top comes at a steep price. Beneath Ivan's cool exterior, lies betrayal-whispers of hidden agendas, jealousy, and a dangerous deal that threatens to unravel everything they've built together. Atticus struggles with the mounting pressure of his fame, while Ivan hides secrets that could destroy the fragile bond between them. Love becomes a battleground, where passion and pain blur the lines, and trust is a luxury neither can afford. Broken is a story of love tested by betrayal, where hearts are shattered and mended in the pursuit of something real in a world full of lies. As the pieces of their lives fall apart, Atticus and Ivan must decide if love is worth fighting for-or if some hearts are too broken to be healed.

Chapter 1 WORLDS APART

Atticus Monroe had grown used to the constant rhythm of life on the road. The flashing lights, the deafening roar of fans, the endless waves of applause-all of it fueled him, but it also left him feeling hollow. It was as if every scream added another layer between him and the rest of the world. His fame had come at a price-loneliness.

Tonight, he was backstage at the sold-out concert of his latest tour, the energy of the crowd vibrating through the walls. Atticus sat in his dressing room, staring at his reflection in the mirror. His deep brown eyes, lined with smudged eyeliner, looked tired, as though they carried the weight of the fame he could never escape.

His best friend and manager, Jaxon, burst through the door, grinning ear to ear. "Another one in the books, Atticus! That crowd was insane! You're unstoppable!"

Atticus forced a smile. Jaxon had been with him since the beginning, back when they were just two kids dreaming of making it big. Now, their friendship felt like the only thing that still kept him grounded.

"Yeah, insane," Atticus muttered, running a hand through his jet-black hair. "But you know, I'm starting to wonder if this is all there is."

Jaxon frowned and sat down beside him. "What are you talking about? You're living the dream! Every guy in the world wants to be you, and every girl-and guy-wants to be with you."

Atticus leaned back in his chair, closing his eyes. "Maybe that's the problem, Jaxon. I'm tired of people wanting the idea of me, the pop star. No one actually wants me."

Jaxon sighed, not knowing what to say. He wasn't the best when it came to emotional conversations, but he understood Atticus. "Look, you just need a break. After this tour, why don't we head to the coast? Take a vacation, get out of the spotlight for a while."

Atticus nodded, appreciating the thought, but deep down he knew that even a vacation couldn't fill the void. He wasn't sure what could.

---

Meanwhile, across the city, in a towering glass office that overlooked the skyline, Ivan Laurent was working late, as usual. The click of his keyboard echoed in the nearly empty office, illuminated only by the dim glow of his desk lamp. Ivan, the CEO of Laurent Enterprises, a global tech empire, was known for his ruthless business tactics and icy demeanor. His friends often teased him for being a machine, always calculating, always thinking ahead. But beneath his sharp suits and cold exterior, Ivan was hiding something no one knew about-a broken heart.

Ivan pushed his glasses up the bridge of his nose and rubbed his temples. He hadn't felt anything real in years. Sure, he had his circle of business partners and a handful of people he could call friends, but none of them knew him-the real him.

His phone buzzed, interrupting his thoughts. It was Aiden, his childhood friend and the only person who knew even a fraction of his secrets.

Come on, man. You've been locked in that office for days. Let's go out tonight. Just one drink.

Ivan considered ignoring it, but he knew Aiden would just keep texting. With a sigh, he texted back.

Fine. One drink.

---

Later that night, in a sleek downtown bar frequented by the city's elite, Ivan sat across from Aiden, nursing a glass of whiskey. The music was low, the atmosphere dim, with soft conversations buzzing around them.

Aiden, always the life of the party, leaned back in his chair, watching the crowd. "So, when are you going to stop pretending to be some emotionless CEO and actually live a little? You're rich, Ivan. Filthy rich. You could do anything, go anywhere, meet anyone-and yet here you are, sulking over a whiskey."

Ivan smirked, swirling the amber liquid in his glass. "And you think meeting someone is going to fix whatever you think is wrong with me?"

Aiden chuckled. "Maybe not, but you could at least try to enjoy yourself. When was the last time you felt anything? When was the last time you let anyone in?"

Ivan's gaze turned distant as he thought about it. He had built walls so high around himself that even he couldn't remember the last time he let anyone close. "I'm not interested in love, Aiden. People have ulterior motives. Trust me, I've seen it in business, and I've seen it in relationships. I'm fine the way I am."

Aiden sighed dramatically. "You're impossible. Anyway, there's this new artist in town-Atticus Monroe. Pop star. Huge right now. Apparently, everyone's obsessed with him. Maybe you've heard of him?"

Ivan shook his head. "I don't follow pop culture."

"Well, I do, and the guy's a total heartthrob. He's performing tomorrow night downtown. You should check it out. Who knows, maybe you'll feel something other than cold indifference for once."

Ivan gave a noncommittal shrug. "I'll pass."

But as fate would have it, Ivan and Atticus's worlds were about to collide in ways neither of them could have predicted.

---

The next night, Atticus stood on stage in front of a packed arena, the spotlight casting a warm glow over him. His eyes scanned the crowd, but for some reason, he felt a strange pull, as though something-or someone-was waiting for him beyond the sea of faces.

And miles away, Ivan sat alone in his office, unable to shake the feeling that his perfectly controlled world was about to change forever.

Continue Reading

Other books by joestassy

More

You'll also like

Marrying My Runaway Groom's Powerful Father

Marrying My Runaway Groom's Powerful Father

Temple Madison
4.5

I was sitting in the Presidential Suite of The Pierre, wearing a Vera Wang gown worth more than most people earn in a decade. It was supposed to be the wedding of the century, the final move to merge two of Manhattan's most powerful empires. Then my phone buzzed. It was an Instagram Story from my fiancé, Jameson. He was at Charles de Gaulle Airport in Paris with a caption that read: "Fuck the chains. Chasing freedom." He hadn't just gotten cold feet; he had abandoned me at the altar to run across the world. My father didn't come in to comfort me. He burst through the door roaring about a lost acquisition deal, telling me the Holland Group would strip our family for parts if the ceremony didn't happen by noon. My stepmother wailed about us becoming the laughingstock of the Upper East Side. The Holland PR director even suggested I fake a "panic attack" to make myself look weak and sympathetic to save their stock price. Then Jameson’s sleazy cousin, Pierce, walked in with a lopsided grin, offering to "step in" and marry me just to get his hands on my assets. I looked at them and realized I wasn't a daughter or a bride to anyone in that room. I was a failed asset, a bouncing check, a girl whose own father told her to go to Paris and "beg" the man who had just publicly humiliated her. The girl who wanted to be loved died in that mirror. I realized that if I was going to be sold to save a merger, I was going to sell myself to the one who actually controlled the money. I marched past my parents and walked straight into the VIP holding room. I looked the most powerful man in the room—Jameson’s cold, ruthless uncle, Fletcher Holland—dead in the eye and threw the iPad on the table. "Jameson is gone," I said, my voice as hard as stone. "Marry me instead."

The Curvy Ex-Wife's Revenge: The Divorce He Gave, The Regret He Earned

The Curvy Ex-Wife's Revenge: The Divorce He Gave, The Regret He Earned

Nieves Gómez
5.0

Nicole had entered marriage with Walter, a man who never returned her feelings, bound to him through an arrangement made by their families rather than by choice. Even so, she had held onto the quiet belief that time might soften his heart and that one day he would learn to love her. However, that day never came. Instead, he treated her with constant contempt, tearing her down with cruel words and dismissing her as fat and manipulative whenever it suited him. After two years of a cold and distant marriage, Walter demanded a divorce, delivering his decision in the most degrading manner he could manage. Stripped of her dignity and exhausted by the humiliation, Nicole agreed to her friend Brenda's plan to make him see what he had lost. The idea was simple but daring. She would use another man to prove that the woman Walter had mocked and insulted could still be desired by someone else. All they had to do was hire a gigolo. Patrick had endured one romantic disappointment after another. Every woman he had been involved with had been drawn not to him, but to his wealth. As one of the heirs to a powerful and influential family, he had long accepted that this pattern was almost unavoidable. What Patrick wanted was far more difficult to find. He longed to fall in love with a woman who cared for him as a person, not for the name he carried or the fortune attached to it. One night, while he was at a bar, an attractive stranger approached him. Because of his appearance and composed demeanor, she mistook him for a gigolo. She made an unconventional proposal, one that immediately caught his interest and proved impossible for him to refuse.

Reborn Heiress: The Wolf's Vengeance Deal

Reborn Heiress: The Wolf's Vengeance Deal

Sibeal Sallese
5.0

I lay paralyzed on stiff white sheets, a prisoner in my own skin, listening to the rain lash against the window like nails on a coffin. My father, Elmore Franco, didn't even look at my face as he checked his clipboard. He just listened to the steady, monotonous beep of the heart monitor-the only thing proving I was still alive. Without a hint of remorse, he pulled a pen from his pocket and signed the Do Not Resuscitate order. My stepmother, Ophelia, stepped out from behind him, wearing my favorite pearl necklace and smelling of cloying perfume. She leaned close to my ear to whisper the truth that turned my blood to ice. "It was the tea, darling. Just like your mother. A slow, tasteless poison." She chuckled as she revealed that my fiancé, Bryce, had a two-year-old son with my sister, Daniela. My inheritance had been funding their secret life for years, and now that the money was secure, I was an inconvenience they were finally scrubbing away. As my father yanked the power cord from the wall, the beeping died, and the darkness swallowed me whole. I was being murdered by my own flesh and blood, used as a bank account until I was no longer needed. I died in that sterile room, drowning in the realization that every person I ever loved was a monster who had been waiting for me to take my last breath. Then, I gasped. I woke up in a luxury hotel suite surrounded by silk sheets, five years in the past-the very morning of my wedding. Next to me lay Basile Delgado, the "Wolf of Wall Street" and my family's most dangerous enemy. In my first life, I ran from this room in a panic and lost everything. This time, I looked at the man who would eventually destroy my father's empire and decided to join him. "I'm not leaving, Basile. Marry me. Right now. Today."

Chapters
Read Now
Download Book
Who
1

Chapter 1 WORLDS APART

15/10/2024

2

Chapter 2 The first glimpse

15/10/2024

3

Chapter 3 The mask beneath

15/10/2024

4

Chapter 4 COLLIDING WORLDS

15/10/2024

5

Chapter 5 Breaking the rules

15/10/2024

6

Chapter 6 The tipping point

15/10/2024

7

Chapter 7 The fallout

15/10/2024

8

Chapter 8 The dangerous game

15/10/2024

9

Chapter 9 Going public

15/10/2024

10

Chapter 10 The fallout

15/10/2024

11

Chapter 11 The tensions rise

16/10/2024

12

Chapter 12 Behind closed doors

16/10/2024

13

Chapter 13 The calm before the storm

16/10/2024

14

Chapter 14 The storm breaks

16/10/2024

15

Chapter 15 Cracks in foundation

16/10/2024

16

Chapter 16 The edge of silence

16/10/2024

17

Chapter 17 The breaking point

16/10/2024

18

Chapter 18 The breaking of ties

16/10/2024

19

Chapter 19 Shattered bonds

16/10/2024

20

Chapter 20 Picking up

16/10/2024

21

Chapter 21 The echo of silence

16/10/2024

22

Chapter 22 Tension rising

16/10/2024

23

Chapter 23 The unraveling of secrets

16/10/2024

24

Chapter 24 The comeback

16/10/2024

25

Chapter 25 The night of victory

16/10/2024

26

Chapter 26 The unexpected collaboration

16/10/2024

27

Chapter 27 Tension and secret

16/10/2024

28

Chapter 28 Collaboration and complications

16/10/2024

29

Chapter 29 Rising tension

16/10/2024

30

Chapter 30 Rumors and heartbreak

16/10/2024

31

Chapter 31 The ripple effect

16/10/2024

32

Chapter 32 Clearing the air

16/10/2024

33

Chapter 33 The unexpected encounter

16/10/2024

34

Chapter 34 A new beginning

16/10/2024

35

Chapter 35 The grand finale

16/10/2024

36

Chapter 36 Message to my readers❤️❤️❤️

16/10/2024

37

Chapter 37 A new beginning

18/10/2024

38

Chapter 38 Shadows of the past

18/10/2024

39

Chapter 39 Under siege

18/10/2024

40

Chapter 40 Embracing the storm

18/10/2024