hell and high water true story

On Christmas Eve, James Halper visits his wife's family, only to be treated with disdain. Little do they know, he is the new Chairman of Empyrean Group, one of the world's leading companies.

To save her father's life, Alicia Bennett is forced into a dangerous game of deception, swapping places with Sabrina Knight to "pretend" to be intimate with Sabrina's powerful husband, Ethan Clark. What begins as a desperate bargain to secure money for surgery soon spirals into a deadly web of secrets and manipulation, with Alicia trapped as a pawn in the ruthless Knight family's control. By day, she's Ethan's dutiful assistant; by night, she's a "stranger" in his bed, caught in a whirlwind of passion, power, and betrayal. As their complex, forbidden connection deepens, Alicia is drawn into a world where nothing is as it seems—until the shocking truth is finally exposed… Will Alicia escape the tangled web she's been caught in, or will the Knight family's plans destroy everything she's fought for?

Joseph, the heir to the Prosperous Group, was separated from his family as a child and adopted by a kind-hearted farmer. In order to protect his adoptive sister, he was beaten into a fool. Years later, Joseph and his adoptive mother attend his sister's wedding, only to be humiliated and coldly rejected by the ungrateful sister, who refuses to acknowledge them. What she doesn't know is that the fiancé she's so eager to marry is none other than Joseph's biological brother—and in the end, she gets a rude awakening.

Mia's world turned upside down when her first love, Logan Henry, re-entered her life with his young daughter, Jade Henry. As Jade became a constant presence in the family, Mia's relationship with her own daughter, Molly Justin, grew increasingly strained. Feeling overshadowed and repeatedly pushed aside, Molly slowly closed off her heart until one day, she left with her father, Mason Justin. Only after their departure did Mia awaken to the pain she'd caused. The weight of her indifference and the void left by her daughter's love began to consume her, plunging her into a spiral of irreparable remorse.

Jessica and Jason were married through a family arrangement, but their relationship remained distant after the wedding. A sudden car accident leaves Jason with amnesia,his memory frozen four years in the past. Seizing the chance for revenge, Jessica lies to him, claiming his family has gone bankrupt and making him work as a servant in her home.As they spend time together, unexpected feelings begin to blossom between them. Just as their bond deepens, Jessica’s ex-boyfriend Alex reappears, stirring emotional turmoil. The story takes a thrilling turn with kidnappings, false accusations, and workplace crises testing their trust.In the end, Jason regains his memory, the misunderstandings are cleared, and the two reconcile. They find true happiness together and welcome adorable twins into their lives, beginning a sweet new chapter.

Leola Dawson returns home from abroad for her brother Tyrone's proposal to Helen Miller. At the proposal, Helen mistakes Leola for "the other woman." Helen and her family mistreat Leola based on this misunderstanding. Tyrone, influenced by Helen's family, turns against his sister. Finally, Leola and her parents clear up the situation, and she becomes the heiress to Dawson Group.

When Melody Lowe was young, she saved Michael Pond, leaving a scar on her face. Hoping he would recognize her, she was heartbroken when he mistook Sharon Bright for his savior. Despite her love for him, she was misunderstood, but they eventually married—only because she offered him financial support during his lowest point. Melody devotes herself to their marriage, but their relationship remains cold. After being diagnosed with cancer, she passes away shortly after—only to be reborn. Determined to fight back, she seeks revenge against Michael and his mistress. Just when she thinks she can find happiness with her child, she discovers that it is her daughter who saved her life. Overwhelmed by loss, she finds solace in someone who truly loves her, while a little kid begins to cultivate on a distant mountain.

After losing her husband in a car accident, Imelda Tobin shoulders the burden of raising their two children alone. She works tirelessly to secure their future, eventually building the Frey Corp—but at the cost of her health, ultimately leading to late-stage stomach cancer. She loves both of her children deeply, but her strictness with her stubborn son, Joshua Frey, often makes it seem like she favors her daughter, Jade Frey. Under the influence of her husband, Chad Archer, Jade begins to feel excluded from the family's future and fuels tensions between her mother and Joshua, deepening their rift.

Kimberly Harmon sacrifices herself to save her sister, Jennifer Harmon, and is rescued by Old Mr. Chapman, who adopts her as Ellie Chapman. Twenty years later, now CEO of Chapman Group, she discovers through a pendant that Todd Harmon is her father. Initially abandoning her father to marry into wealth, Jennifer ultimately regrets her actions and saves their father, leading to a joyful family reunion.

Naomi who was born with a silver spoon in her mouth ended up poor because she was secretly swapped at birth by a backstabber. However, she still grew up to be an independent and strong woman under perpetual abuse and contempt. Since the moment she saved the heir who was being hunted, Destiny has set its wheels in motion. Six year later, they met each other again, fell in love but were torn apart by a family feud after Naomi found out the true circumstances of her birth... A love story full of ups and downs unfolds...

Stella Hart, once a wealthy heiress, is lost and taken in by her foster mother, Serena Cook, who arranges a betrothal between her and her son, Jason Vale. After Jason suffers an accident, Stella sells herself to a childless couple to save him. However, once the couple adopts her, they later have twins and decide to abandon her. Stella’s grandmother, unable to bear her suffering, takes her in and cares for her with great love, leading a life of mutual dependence. Meanwhile, Jason and his mother work tirelessly to find Stella, and eventually, Jason becomes the president of a publicly listed company. On the other hand, Stella faces a series of misfortunes, including betrayal and mistreatment by a man she thought she loved. When Jason finally finds Stella, the person he has cherished since childhood, he vows to make up for all her suffering. As their story unfolds, Stella’s true identity gradually reveals itself, and they eventually reunite, with true love prevailing in the end.

Jeremy Wilson's sister, Sophia Wilson, returned to her homeland to attend her brother's engagement ceremony. However, Daisy Rogers, Jeremy's fiancée, mistook Sophia for a mistress and subjected her to public humiliation and assault. After the truth was revealed, not only was Daisy's misconduct exposed, but it also came to light that her pregnancy was a fabrication, and she was conspiring with Jeremy's best friend, Zane Grey, to eliminate Jeremy and seize control of the corporation. In the end, Zane was handed over to the police, Daisy's family faced punishment, and Jeremy and Sophia gained a profound insight into the significance of integrity when sizing up others.

Joanie Sadler and Laurent Goff met and grew up together as children in an orphanage. After leaving the orphanage, Laurent set out to build a career and promised to one day give Joanie a home. Joanie was later adopted by Peggy Boswell and Benjamin Francis, a couple who had lost their own daughter. Peggy sees Joanie as a replacement for her lost child, and when Joanie's birth parents later come to claim her, the Francis couple forges false paternity test results to keep Joanie. Years later, the Francises' real daughter Joanna is found, causing the couple to immediately turn against Joanie and send her back to her birth parents. Joanna also resents Joanie for living the life that should have been hers. At this time, Laurent, through a paternity test from years ago, locates Joanie and arrives at the Francis household, bringing a billion-dollar investment project. However, due to a series of misunderstandings, Laurent mistakenly believes Joanna is his childhood friend Joanie.

Dustin Jason used to give his all to his adopted family, but what he got in return was his wife and daughter suffering and himself being abandoned when he was seriously sick. After being reborn, he stopped being blindly filial and strived to change his fate. He protected his wife and daughter during repeated conflicts with the rest of the family, and eventually, he completely broke with the Jason family. In the end, Dustin achieved great success in his career, while the Jason family were deceived due to greed and got their retribution.

After losing her father, Nora Smith moves with her mother into the Lowe family, where she suffers constant bullying from her stepbrothers and relentless humiliation. Her mother urges her to remain silent, but everything changes when she discovers her stepfather's plan to marry her off to her lazy stepbrother, Xavier Lowe. Refusing to accept this fate, Nora hides her acceptance to a top university and escapes, taking on odd jobs to support herself while secretly pursuing her studies. Years later, her exceptional talent catches the attention of Rivelle's leading company, Grant Corp, which funds her studies abroad. Now, at 27, Nora returns as a powerful and influential figure, determined to reclaim her life.

Twenty-three years ago, Jane Potter swapped her newborn daughter for a baby boy to secure her place in the wealthy Stark family. She branded a family emblem on her daughter's shoulder, hoping they would reunite one day. Now, that boy—Matt Stark—has inherited the Stark empire, while the rightful heiress, Willow Kent, has struggled to survive. Desperate to save her ailing adoptive mother, she works at a nightclub, where fate takes an unexpected turn. She mistakes Matt for a criminal and unintentionally leaves him injured. From that moment, their lives become intertwined in ways neither could have imagined.

Janet Driscoll, once the cherished darling of the family, was devastated to discover that she was not her parents' biological daughter. After their real daughter, Jaime, was welcomed home, her once-loving parents and brother began to trust Jaime blindly, hanging on her every word.When Janet was falsely accused of pushing her grandma down the stairs, the Driscoll family, without hesitation, sent her to a harsh reform school. There, she endured three years of inhumane torment that left her with permanent, life-altering disabilities.Three years later, when the family finally brought her home, they were shocked to find that the bright, cheerful Janet they once knew had vanished. In her place stood a cold, distant young woman who had shut them all out.

The richest woman in the world, Sarah, returns to the US to attend the wedding ceremony of her only son, Teddy But she‘s mistaken by Teddy's fiancée Lucinda as Teddy’s mistress, so Lucinda brutalizes Sarah, insults her, and takes indecent photos of her. Until Teddy arrives and furiously yells：Sarah is my mom!