Defiance of the Fall - Chapter 1240: Storm in a Bottle

[Warning: This book contains Strong Language and Mature Content]On her eighteenth birthday, Ravenna felt the weight of exile as she was outlawed from her home because she could not shift to a werewolf, a mark of shame in their world that revered power. Away from all the ridicules and hate, she had at least a more peaceful life, until a beautiful storm knocked at her door. Deceived by its enchanting waves, Ravenna welcomed it with open arms until she was swept away into the deepest depth of the ocean of love. Being a daughter of an alpha, that was not supposed to happen even if she was not living in the pack anymore. Falling in love with the king of darkness.Alaric! He is the epitome of danger. But then, she turned his life upside down. From a heartless man to an obsessive lover. All he wished was to keep her with him. Even if it meant chaining her to himself. Whether what he felt was infatuation, desire or... he just would never ever let her go. Let no man or beast separate him from what he had claimed and marked; else they would face his unceasing wrath.****************“Am of no use to you, why do you still insist on keeping me?” She just wanted to hear him say it. That he loved her as much as she did. She was becoming more desperate as days went by, maybe more than desperate to the extent of destroying herself in this love.Alaric paused and kept his laptop aside. He held her hand and brought her in front of him before pulling her to his lap.Silently, he sniffed her neck and licked it, then replied, “Because I want to.” He continued his actions, and his hands were already moving under her dress caressing her thighs.Ravenna took a deep breath trying to stop herself from diving into pleasure as always. “Will you ever say it?” Her voice came out as a low yearning plead and with his advanced hearing ability, Alaric did not miss a word.“Say what?” His hand reached her pant ready to tear it apart.“That you love me.” Her words made him pause abruptly before looking at her. As usual, his eyes were blank with no hint of emotions making Ravenna feel like she was just fooling herself. For howlong could she endure this?“Do I?” He asked not tearing his gaze away from her eyes that were already tearing up.

“Block him.”“He's technically still my boss.”“Then block him with dignity.”The call ended again.And then started again.I let out a sound somewhere between a growl and a sob, then finally answered with the enthusiasm of a snail crawling through salt.“Yes, Mr. Walton?”“Have you changed your mind yet?”I collapsed onto the towel and gazed at the sky as though it might consume me entirely if I pleaded sweetly enough.“Do you ever take a break?” I asked, shielding my eyes with one hand.“You're avoiding the question.”“Because it's a dumb question.”He exhaled, the sound sharp and irritated even over phone. “It's not a dumb question. It's a business offer.”“It's a weird offer-one that I already said no to.”There was a brief pause, and I could practically hear him clenching his jaw through the speaker.“You are acting unreasonably.”“ Unreasonable?” I sat up. “I'm not the one drafting fake girlfriend contracts like it's a normal Tuesday.”“Isabella-”“Certainly not, Mr. Walton.” I mimicked his tone perfectly. “I told you I'm not doing it. You need to find someone else to play pretend with.”SYNOPSISIsabella Miller thought saying no to her boss’s fake dating offer was the end of the story.But Adrien Walton doesn’t take no—especially not when he’s convinced she’s a gold digger.Suddenly, her student loans are piling up, her father’s vet clinic is on the brink of eviction and her brother is about to be kicked out of college. Coincidence? She thinks not.Adrien Walton is calm, calculating—and he's just pulled every string to corner Isabella into the perfect position.Now she’s stuck choosing between pride and survival.So she agrees to his offer: be his fake girlfriend.No feelings attached. No drama. Just business.Or so she thought.“Conference Room B. Fifteen minutes,” he said, passing by without a glance.The folder he pushed across the table landed with a thud.I opened it. The contract. All of it.---Enemies to lovers? Check.Slow burn? Hmmnyea.Banter so sharp it might file your nails? Yes.Delicious workplace tension? Of course.Tension that could melt steel?Absolutely.Smut?? Wanna find out?Welcome to corporate romance warfare. There’s no escaping this contract.

Shangjing Hospital’s intern, Xiao Yifei, stumbled upon some scandalous behavior from the chief doctor and subsequently faced the hostility of the chief, making his work life extremely difficult. Little did he know that shortly after, Xiao Yifei would inherit the legacy of the Jade Dragon Eye. X-ray vision, control, all within my sight. Lolis, beautiful women, all within my embrace. From then on, Xiao Yifei embarked on a life that was nothing short of spectacular!

Alex was just trying to escape his dead-end job and overbearing family. Then the System arrived, bringing with it magic, Rifts, and the chance for ordinary people to become extraordinary. Unfortunately for Alex, his stats started out as unimpressive as his old life. But when he gains the unique trait {Primordial Will}, which only allows him to put his free points into one stat, everything changes—though not necessarily for the better.Thrown into a dangerous Rift way above his pay grade, Alex quickly discovers that surviving the chaos isn't just about having powerful skills. He'll need every ounce of his Willpower and resourcefulness if he wants to make it out alive and bring home the rewards that could finally give him an edge.This series follows Alex as he begins to master the art of Mana Threads and creates a revolutionary new magic system with Spell Circles. He starts to realize that magic isn’t just a tool—it’s a path to power that few can fully grasp. But with the world’s governments struggling to contain the rising number of superhuman threats, Alex will have to navigate more than just monsters and Rifts. In a world where “might makes right,” who really calls the shots?