A Stepmother's Marchen - Chapter 17

“What are you doing, Logan?”Jean’s voice was sharp, but her body betrayed her leaning into the warmth of his breath as his lips traced a sinful path down her neck.“You promised me a kiss every day, remember?” Logan murmured, his smirk curling against her skin.“Or should I read the contract to you again?”She should pull away. She knows this is wrong.But resisting Logan Kingsley?That was never in the plan.------------------------------------------------------Jean Adams has spent her entire life under the suffocating control of her powerful family, molded into the perfect daughter, the flawless businesswoman, and the untouchable heiress. But when her parents cross the final line, demanding she marry the very man who once shattered her, she refuses to be their pawn any longer. If they want a marriage, she’ll give them one. But on her terms.Logan Kingsley, her sworn enemy. A self-made billionaire with a reputation for winning, Logan has spent years battling Jean in boardrooms and beyond. They have never seen eye to eye, their hatred simmering since childhood. But when Jean offers him a deal, a contract marriage that benefits them both, he doesn’t hesitate.For Logan, marrying Jean is a strategic move. For Jean, it’s her ultimate revenge. Tying herself to Logan is the perfect way to break free from her family’s grip, humiliate them, and destroy the future they tried to force upon her. But as their fake marriage plays out under the public eye, their carefully crafted plan starts to unravel.Old wounds resurface. The line between pretense and reality blurs. And the one thing Jean swore she’d never risk, her heart, may become the biggest casualty of all.In a game of power, betrayal, and unexpected passion, Jean and Logan must decide: Is their marriage just a weapon for revenge, or has it become something far more dangerous?

The ordinary 18-year-old Edo, during a nighttime walk, finds himself in a fantasy world where he gains a mysterious power that could shape his destiny.

“201th, 202nd…”Zhou Can, an Intern of Tu Ya Hospital, a Grade A Provincial Tertiary Hospital, would silently count every stitch he finished.His target today was to complete 300 stitches and fight for a place in the House Officer recruitment two days later.[Congratulations on completing your 100,000th suture and triggering the EXP system. Medical skills and surgery practice can be obtained.]Zhou Can shook his head hard.What the hell is this?Something even more magical happened as he thought about it.An interface appeared in front of him.[Zhou Can, Intern.][Pathology Diagnosis, Level Two. Current EXP: 89.5/100. Outstanding House Officer-level diagnosis ability.]A surgical legend was in the making.

Step 1: Inherit a creepy old mansion.Step 2: Unlock a cursed system that makes girls fall dangerously in love with you… just by saying “hi.”Step 3: Learn that if you don’t reject them within 10 texts, something terrible happens.My name’s Ren.And apparently, I’m the “Catalyst for Affection-Based Catastrophes.”(Yeah. That’s literally what it said.)My peaceful new life? Over.Now I’m stuck in a house full of magically unstable girls:A sword-swinging elf.A fire mage with zero personal boundaries.A strict class rep who faints if I so much as look at her.And a witch who cursed the bathroom mirror to spy on me.They’re beautiful.They’re powerful.They’re dangerously obsessed.And if I mess this up, someone’s going to get hurt—maybe me.Reject them too late? Game over.Fall for one of them? Even worse.This isn’t a dating sim.It’s survival of the cutest.Welcome to my life. It's not just a harem. It's a hostage situation.