Stairway of Desire

From dirt-poor village boy to corporate titan—but at what cost? Zhang Lei will sacrifice anything to claw his way out of poverty: his innocence, his first love, even his soul. At eighteen, he trades his body for a business foothold with Li Jie, a seductive restaurateur who becomes both mentor and captor. When her grip tightens, he orchestrates a daring escape to the provincial capital with his cousin Wang Fangfang. There, he meets Lin Xue—brilliant, fierce, and his equal in every way. Together they build an empire. But ambition is a ladder with no top rung, and every step up demands a piece of…