

In the fog-choked steam city of Verlock, Chloe Ashborne survives a brutal family massacre and hides herself as a disfigured, mute maid sneaking into the obsidian Clock Tower Manor—the stronghold of the cold and powerful Duke Liam. Covered in wax scars and pretending to be timid and clumsy, she hides her true identity as the last heir of the Ashborne mechanical clan, a master toxic healer, top gear decoder, and deadly combat fighter. Her only goal is to retrieve the sealed case files that record the truth of her family's murder from the manor's confidential machine room. As she lurks in the shadows, she repeatedly arouses Liam's suspicion and curiosity. She narrowly escapes frame-up and fatal traps set by the jealous captain of the female guards, saves Liam from fatal steam poison and assassin attacks, and secretly controls the manor's defense gear system in crisis. While the line between hatred and attraction blurs, Chloe's layered disguises are gradually stripped away one by one. When she finally breaks into the secret chamber to obtain the files, she falls into a carefully laid trap, and her true face and identity are completely exposed to Liam. The two fall into misunderstanding and confrontation, until the real murderer behind the massacre launches a full-scale attack on Clock Tower. Standing amid fire, gunsmoke and collapsing steam machinery, Chloe and Liam lay down their hatred, fight side by side to defeat the evil guild, uncover the buried truth, and turn a revenge disguise into a fated love bonded by gears, steam and redemption.

One month before her wedding, Rowan Hale discovers her fiancé Victor’s cruel plan—he intends to use her as a surrogate for another woman’s child. Devastated, Rowan disappears without a trace.Three years later, Rowan returns as the renowned surgeon “Dr. V” and has found true love with Atticus Blackthorne, the richest man in the country.But on the day of her wedding, Victor appears. What will he beg for? And what will Rowan choose?

Rachel and Ethan were trapped in a war zone. While trying to save Ethan, Rachel was left with a disfiguring scar on her face. They fell in love and got married, but there was only one evacuation spot. Rachel gave it to the injured Ethan, andEthan promised he would come back for her—unaware that Rachel later discoveredshe was pregnant.Six years later, Rachel returns to the country to save her daughter, Sophie, only to find that Ethan had already married the hospital director ’ sdaughter and started a new family after his return. To protect his reputation andstatus, Ethan even slandered Rachel and Sophie. At this critical moment, Rachel’slong-lost father finds her and reveals that she is actually the daughter of thechairman of the Harrington Medical Group. In the end, the scumbag doctor loseseverything and suffers the consequences of his own actions, while Rachel goes onto live a happy life with her daughter.

Anna Poole had faced hardships since childhood. While trying to resolve a company crisis with her good friend, Serene Cox, Anna was drugged and sold to Mr. King. After Anna injured Mr. King and escaped, she ended up in the room of another man, Zach Howl, who was also under the influence of an aphrodisiac. As a result, they unexpectedly became intimate. As soon as Anna regained consciousness, she decided to confront Serene and accidentally overheard a conspiracy between Serene and the supposedly deceased Bryan Lane. Outraged, Anna confronted Serene, who injured her and caused a fire to start. In a life-threatening situation, Anna was saved by Waver Taylor, who had just returned to the country. Ten months later, she gave birth to twins, and one of them was taken away by the Browns. Along with a doctor, the Brown mother and daughter falsely claimed that the child died to suffocation.

Emergency physician Charli Spencer dies suddenly from overwork and wakes up in the body of her namesake in the Republican era.There, she shares a night of unexpected passion with Stephen Dawson, the formidable Warlord of the capital. But fate soon pulls them apart. While Stephen becomes obsessed with finding her again, Charli discovers she is pregnant and chooses to raise their son,Kevin alone.Five years later, Stephen finally uncovers the truth about Kevin. Determined not to lose them again, he proposes to Charli and begs her to enter the Marshal's Mansion as his wife...

The doctor said I only had three days left to live. Acute liver failure. My only hope was an experimental clinical trial. It was extremely risky, but had the faintest sliver of a chance to survive. But my husband, David, gave the last available spot... to my adopted sister, Emma, also my daughter’s godmother. Her condition was still in its early stages. He said it was the "right decision," because she “deserved to live more.” I signed the papers to forgo treatment and took the high-dose painkillers prescribed by the doctor. The cost? My organs would shut down, and I would die. When I handed over the jewelry company I’d poured my heart into, along with all my designs, to Emma, my parents praised me, saying, “Now that’s what a good big sister should do.” When I agreed to divorce David so he could marry Emma, he said, “You’ve finally learned to be understanding.” When I told my daughter to call Emma ‘Mom,’ she clapped her hands and said, “Emma is such a gentle and kind mother!” When I gave all my assets to Emma, everyone in the family thought it was only natural. No one noticed anything was wrong with me. I’m just curious. Will they still be able to smile when they find out I'm dead?

After my fiance’s childhood friend found out I was born with a heart condition, she secretly poured a high-dose energy drink into my champagne. The moment I drank it, my heart started racing, and stabbing pain spread through my chest. In a panic, I tore open my only emergency medication, but the water I used to take it had been swapped with strong lemon water. As soon as I drank it, my face went pale. I lost all strength and collapsed to the ground. “Lemon water’s full of vitamin C. It helps with hangovers and keeps you healthy.” Charlotte Whitmore laughed so hard she nearly doubled over. With her arms crossed, she looked at my fiance, Ethan Cross, the boss of the Rolling Stones. “Ethan, your fiancee’s acting is incredible! “I’ve been a doctor for years, and I’ve never seen anyone react like this to a little champagne and lemon water.” I bit my lip until I tasted blood. The pain made my eyes sting, and I clutched Ethan’s leg. “Honey, please, call an ambulance! I can’t take it anymore…” For a moment, his expression wavered, but the guests quickly cut in. “Come on, stop pretending! Nobody dies from a bit of champagne and lemon water.” “Yeah, you’re just jealous Charlotte got promoted and didn’t want to toast to her.” Ethan’s face turned cold again. He yanked my hand off and stepped away. “Charlotte’s a doctor. You’ll be fine with her here.” I stopped begging and texted my father asking for help

Fabian Lynch has been framed, and his entire family was wiped out by a mysterious person. In his darkest hour, a young woman pulled him from the brink. Five years later, he makes a grand comeback as the Northern King, excelling in both medicine and martial arts. He not only seeks his savior to repay the favor but also strikes back fiercely at his enemies. He vows to exact revenge for what has happened to him in the past. However, things aren't as simple as they seem to be...

The doctor told me I had 72 hours left, unless I got access to the newest experimental treatment. However, there was only one slot available, and my husband Bowen Liddell gave it to my sister Yvonne Lawson instead. "Her kidney failure is more critical," he said. I nodded and swallowed the white pills that would only speed up my death. In the time I had left, I got a lot done. The lawyer's hand trembled as he passed me the documents. "Are you sure you want to transfer the two billion dollars in shares?" I replied, "Yes. Give them to Yvonne." My daughter, Candice Liddell, was giggling in Yvonne's arms. "Mommy Yvonne bought me a new dress!" I said, "It looks beautiful. Make sure you always listen to Mommy Yvonne, okay?" The art gallery I built from the ground up now had Yvonne's name on the sign. "You're too kind, Kathy," she said, crying. I told her, "You'll run it even better than I ever did." I even signed all my parents' trust fund away. That was when Bowen finally gave me his first genuine smile in years. "Kathleen, you've changed. You're not so aggressive anymore... You're beautiful like this." Indeed. This dying version of me finally became the 'perfect Kathleen Sullivan' in their eyes—obedient, generous, and no longer argumentative. The 72-hour countdown had already begun, and I couldn't help but wonder what they would remember when my heart stopped for good. The good wife who 'finally learned to let go', or the woman who completed her revenge by dying?
![[ENG DUB] The Kiss Was Just the First Step](https://acfs3.goodshort.com/dist/src/assets/images/pc/common/f901131c-default-book-cover.png)
Serena Rivers spends three years in prison for a crime she didn't commit and uses every single day of it. She trains under four of the most formidable masters the underworld has ever produced and walks out as something entirely different from the woman who walked in. On her first day of freedom she corners the cold prison warden Xavier Stone against the water dungeon wall and kisses him without apology. He is her insurance policy and she knows it. Outside, the fake heiress has stolen her shares, her younger brother demands she kneel, and her former fiance has already moved on with a new bride. She tears up the rejection notice on the spot. Moments later, the Stone family motorcade arrives, the warden reveals himself as the family patriarch, and he shows up with a hundred billion in betrothal gifts and absolutely no intention of letting anyone touch her again. Together, they dismantle every person who had a hand in her three lost years.

Serena Rivers spends three years in prison for a crime she didn't commit and uses every single day of it. She trains under four of the most formidable masters the underworld has ever produced and walks out as something entirely different from the woman who walked in. On her first day of freedom she corners the cold prison warden Xavier Stone against the water dungeon wall and kisses him without apology. He is her insurance policy and she knows it.Outside, the fake heiress has stolen her shares, her younger brother demands she kneel, and her former fiance has already moved on with a new bride. She tears up the rejection notice on the spot. Moments later, the Stone family motorcade arrives, the warden reveals himself as the family patriarch, and he shows up with a hundred billion in betrothal gifts and absolutely no intention of letting anyone touch her again. Together, they dismantle every person who had a hand in her three lost years.

I am diagnosed with severe systemic lupus erythematosus, and I only have three days left to live. When my husband rejects my 188th plea for help, I take my test results and enter the hospice care center. "Hello, I'd like to schedule my own cremation process and apply for government aid." Ten minutes later, they arrive. Before I can speak, my lawyer husband, Jasper Horton, coldly slaps me across the face. "You're faking a terminal illness just to steal attention from Janice?" My doctor brother, Casey Carter, snatches the medical report from my hand and scoffs at it. "Lupus? If you're going to fake being sick, at least make it believable. Only one in a million people gets this." I endure the pain in my body, return to the counter, and hand in the application form and my medical records once more. The staff member sees the butterfly-shaped rash on my wrist and sympathizes with me. "I have no family left," I say. "I'm requesting cremation in three days, location doesn't matter. I just don't want my death to burden anyone."

Serena, heiress to the Klein family, married Nathaniel after six years together—unaware their perfect love was his revenge scheme. Years ago, Serena's father Victor stole Nathaniel's father's drug formula, killed him, and built his empire. Nathaniel faked deep affection to get close, plotting his revenge. Serena's world collapsed: her father imprisoned, her mother dead from the shock. On her mother's funeral day, Nathaniel attended an awards ceremony with actress Vanessa. He seized Klein Biotech, served Serena divorce papers, confessed all his lies, and left her with nothing—destroying her faith in love. With friend Sophie's support, Serena rebuilt her life. She worked from the bottom at Sophie's studio while connecting with her mother's lawyer, Alex, determined to uncover the truth and clear her father's name. She faced Vanessa's humiliation but struck back calmly, partnered with veteran journalist Lee, used media pressure against Nathaniel, and hunted for evidence proving her father's frame-up. Nathaniel planned his engagement to Vanessa, but Serena exposed her secrets—turning the celebration into a farce. Desperate, Nathaniel used his power to crush everyone around her. But with help from an old servant, Serena found her mother's clues and located key witness Old John, learning the truth: while Victor had his faults, Nathaniel's father had also stolen Klein's core technology—and Nathaniel's conviction evidence was forged. Armed with proof, Serena launched her final counterattack. Together with Alex, Lee, and Victor's former allies, she exposed Nathaniel's fabricated evidence and illegal financial dealings. Nathaniel landed in prison, Victor's sentence was dramatically reduced. Serena reclaimed Klein Group, became CEO, reformed the company, helped Sophie rebuild her studio, rose from the ashes, and stepped into her own future—free at last.

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?

When Hespera's elder legitimate sister Rachel gets pregnant, Hespera is sent to be Rachel’s husband's concubine. But Rachel's delivery day becomes Hespera's death day. Reborn, Hespera plays her cards carefully: she wraps Rachel's powerful father-in-law around her finger, marries him, reclaims her legitimate daughter status, and takes revenge on all.

Yale enters a piano competition to raise money for his mother-in-law's surgery. He wins first place, not only securing the medical funds but also receiving an invitation from a renowned orchestra.However,his wife, Quinn, misled by a toxic friend, becomes convinced he's having an affair. Provoked by the friend, she disrupts the competition, ruing Yale's performance without realizing that she's also destroying her mother's last chance for treatment. One mistake leads to another. Under her friend's manipulation, Quinn even breaks Yale's fingers, crushing his dream of becoming a top pianist. Just as she believes she's done the right thing, she receives a call from a detective, proving that the evidence of Yale's infidelity, provided by her toxic friend, was completely false.

Nicole's daughter clung to life as husband Zack chose Yolanda's child over hers. After learning of Zack's deceptions, Nicole sought justice, leading to a public fallout with Yolanda. Amidst grief and Zack's infidelities, Nicole fought for her daughter's legacy. Zack's realization of his mistakes came too late, ending in his tragic demise. Nicole found new purpose in charity and love with Harrison.

Sarah died in hatred after being deceived by her husband's fake death. Getting a second chance, she decided to take revenge. She exposed her husband's scheme, stood up to her mother-in-law's and Yolanda's torment, and ruined her enemies' plans. After she got pregnant with the Emperor's child, Sarah used the Emperor's power to improve her strength and collected the evidence against her husband. In the end, Sarah made her husband pay the price and became the Empress.