Beyond the Apocalypse - Chapter 396: First defeat

[ Caution: High Heat Advisory ]“Harper, stop undressing me with your eyes. The plot isn’t going that way… YET.”Harper McKenzie, a newbie web novel author, has a problem — she struggles with romance scenes. As someone with almost nonexistent real-life experience in the matter, she can’t get the intimate chemistry right, and those chapters always come out dry and cringy.Fortunately for her, Harper finds a freelance editor willing to workshop her writing. But the surprise? That editor turns out to be her childhood friend and the very first crush of her life.What happens now when he offers her personal lessons on how to write the hottest romance … and love scenes?--------------Note: this is a fun, cozy, sweet story with a low-drama plot. No love triangles, no misunderstandings, no memory loss / car accidents / terminal illnesses / etc.. Mature content abounds, starting out soft but heats up quickly. You’ve been warned!--------------Sneak Peek:He slid her bra over her shoulders and, with impossibly quick and skilled work, tied the lacy garment around her wrists. “Spread your legs wider,” he ordered.Harper’s already faltering heartbeat faltered some more. The command in his tone was foreign, but it crashed over her like a heat wave, and even though she could barely begin to picture how salacious she must look, with her hands bound and thighs spread wide like an offering to be ravished, she could feel the scorching need coiling hotter and hotter in her core. Her body obeyed eagerly on its own accord, bringing herself fully open just like she was told.Eli grinned. Moving between her legs, he trailed hot kisses along her inner thigh, leaving sizzling little fires crackling in its wake. “Good girl. Now, what should your character say next?” A finger glided over her wet and wanting flesh in a slippery stroke, making her heart slam to a hard stop as a moan tore free. “Write the next line for me, what should I say before I unravel you with my tongue and make you scream my name?”

He just wanted a quiet vacation and a good espresso... instead, he ended up seducing half the city.------Lux Vaelthorn wanted three things: a good coffee, peace and quiet, and zero responsibilities.What he got?A mansion, a system with the personality of a deadpan butler, and a bunch of heiresses fighting over who gets to be his first “investment.”As the heir of Greed and Lust, Lux was born to dominate markets, hearts, and boardrooms. But after centuries of cleaning up his parents’ messes in the underworld, he rage-quit Hell’s finance department and took a hundred-year vacation to the mortal realm.His problem?Even without trying, he’s too hot, too rich, and too damn magnetic.His Incubus Pheromones seduce emotionally unstable rich girls like clockwork.His Greed System scans bank accounts like X-rays.And thanks to a “minor” celestial bounty on his soul, some entities either want to marry him… or murder him.[Warning: 3 rich virgins detected within 15 meters. Incubus Pheromones activated.][Recommendation: Flee. Or flirt. Your call.]Lux just wanted caffeine.Now he’s got a mansion full of horny heiresses, a schedule full of power plays, and a city that thinks he’s a billionaire playboy CEO.Fine.If he can’t nap… he might as well rule.

Having spent her childhood confined in chains, Alice was a child who knew neither love nor joy. Scorned by her family while being tortured in the name of the greater good for years, she grew numb to all feeling and thought. That is, until one day, a man in black offered her a chance to escape.There were once rumours widespread of an endless hell, a land of glorious death and dreadful opportunity. Fools went in search of it, and the clever never ventured into it. Only when its baleful mysteries spilled unto the earth did all hear its name — the Abyss.A single drop of its blood could give someone the power to control shadows, move faster than sound, or strength greater than the strongest man. Yet, it all came at a cost; the blood would always make sure those who consumed it became part of the Abyss, with one exception — Alice. Cast away by her own blood, it was her destiny to rot in a gilded cage.But, that fateful day changed everything. Gifted a second chance at life, a chance to turn her life around and claim vengeance against her family, a chance to dive deep into the Abyss and gain the power to govern her own fate, Alice took his hand, unaware of the destiny unfolding before her.

Having dealt with malicious fans and sasaengs, promoted major celebrities, and brought down rival stars in her years in the entertainment industry, Mu Qianli accomplished a huge feat today.She, by complete accident, became involved in an indescribable relationship with the entertainment industry's rising star, Pei Jinxi.Pei Jinxi, who started acting at six, is the top cash cow under a rival company.Only 20 years old with countless fans.Mu Qianli could only cautiously and fearfully seek help online:Asking for advice on being forced to date a top trending idol, please respond (ps, fans are super fierce, and it'd be even worse if they knew I was from a rival agency)Much later, Mu Qianli accidentally posted and quickly deleted a photo of them holding hands from the wrong account.The fans immediately came for her: Here she comes, here she comes, she's back with her publicity stunts.“An agent so desperate to be famous is a first.”“If you want to debut, just say it, don't drag my brother into this.”“Is it that being an agent doesn't pay as much as being a star? Are you crazy for money?”......A certain company's chairman: I hope the fans drive her out of the entertainment industry, she's my daughter that stubbornly refuses to come back and inherit a fortune.A certain top star: I don't want to be famous, having one celebrity in the family is enough for us.Fans: ????