Deus Necros - Chapter 274: Into The Burning Fire

Ethan Blackwood wasn’t used to being defied. As the CEO of a global empire, he crushed obstacles with a single glance. But when Lily Anderson stood before him, her chin lifted in quiet defiance, and something in him snapped. “Sign the contract,” he said, his voice like ice. “30 days. You’ll obey every command. After that, you’re free.”She hesitated, her fingers trembling as she gripped the pen. “And if I refuse?”His smirk was cold, but his eyes burned. “Then you’ll spend the rest of your life paying off your father’s debts. Your choice.”Trapped, Lily signed. But she vowed one thing: she wouldn’t let him break her.From the first day, their clash was electric. He demanded perfection; she gave him rebellion. “You think you can control me?” she spat, after he criticized her for being late.Ethan stepped closer, his presence overwhelming. “I don’t just control you. Lily, I own you.”But as the days passed, the lines between them blurred. Late nights in his penthouse turned into whispered conversations. His cold demeanor cracked, revealing glimpses of a man haunted by his past. One night, after a heated argument, he pinned her against the wall, his breath hot against her ear. “Why do you fight me so much?”Her voice trembled. “Because I’m afraid if I stop, I’ll lose myself to you.”Their connection deepened, but danger loomed. Secrets from Ethan’s past resurfaced, threatening to destroy everything. When Lily discovered the truth behind his obsession with her, she confronted him. “Was I just a pawn in your game? A way to settle an old score?”His eyes darkened with pain. “You were never just a game, Lily. You’re the only thing that’s ever felt real.”As the final days of their contract approached, their bond was tested like never before. Enemies closed in, and trust hung by a thread. Could they overcome the shadows of their pasts, or would their love crumble under the weight of secrets and pride?

“I cannot come to you with my problems when you have the weight of the kingdom on your shoulders. I would rather suffer in silence so I do not bother the king-”“Your husband,” Tobias corrected Hazel, placing his hands on her shoulders to comfort her as her eyes filled with tears. It pained him that he had not noticed how much the palace had been slowly breaking her. “I am your husband first. Do not hide your sadness from me,” he said, wiping away a single tear that slipped away with his thumb.…Hazel Wallace never thought she would make it far when she was picked to enter the selection for the next queen. In a surprise turn of events, she finds herself tangled up with the future king, Tobias Castro.Hazel once thought she would be strong enough to survive living in the palace walls. As queen and with Tobias by her side, she had nothing to fear. That was until the crown was placed on her head. Soon she realised the dangers in the palace and how not even the queen was safe from scheming men and women.Each day she spent in the palace, Hazel felt like a piece of her was slowly breaking away. Eventually, Hazel wanted nothing more than to run out of the palace, but after betrayals from people she thought she could trust, Hazel sought to become the person she was before entering the palace and get revenge on those who sought to take away her crown.Tales of Castro Nobility story timeline order -The King’s Unbreakable WifeThe Knight’s Mysterious MaidThe Duke’s Masked Wife

Lawyer Tang Fangjing had finally made it through time-travel, only to discover that he was terminally ill, thank goodness for the systemBut he needed to achieve more than two hundred percent completion in order to ensure his own survivalAnd so, an extremely unorthodox lawyer emergedThinking you can just cut off an employee and provide severance pay?Come on, let's calculate the exorbitant overtime pay, including mobile communication after hours as overtime!Property management that does nothing but collect money, thinking about pulling out just like that?Gradually establish a resident's committee, backtrack twenty years of accounts, secure a huge compensation from property management without saying, and also send the property boss to jailWho's shirking responsibility for the unfinished building?Come at it with both administrative and civil lawsuits, make clear whose responsibility it is, whoever needs to go in must go inBeyond that, there are salary disputes, labour service scams...'When you encounter a problem, sending people to jail will naturally solve the problem' — Tang Fangjing

“Evil God of the Universe, You are in every space and time. Present in every dimension of reality and govern the darkness of our world.Oh, almighty Atticus! Hear our plea and grant us your presence tonight, awaken my Lord!”The rain had completely stopped and the strong gale had subsided into the fading raindrops. The night had turned eerily silent and only the sizzling and cackling of the fire entered their ears.Suddenly, they all felt like floating from their feet despite setting foot on the watery, hard ground, as if they were traversing into space. The darkness of the night gradually turned darker, enveloping them, morphing into everyone, like a void eating them slowly. Sequentially, their breathing turned oddly slower. Despite exaggeratedly inhaling air to breathe, it was to no avail, as if a higher entity was limiting them from breathing.Nolan felt his throat and tried to open his mouth to gasp more air but failed. Everyone but him was in a state of indignation and panic as they struggled to breathe to fill their lungs with air. Nolan tried to calm his heart. He closed his eyes and stopped inhaling air in pure panic, instead, he put his heartbeat and breathing into a rhythm. It was hard at first, but after a minute, he found his breathing gradually went stable.His whole being was in pure anticipation of what was going to happen next.After a couple more minutes, the storm completely subsided, the night turned to normal. Nolan remained standing, taking in his surroundings with his eyes closed. Everything turned silent. The eerie atmosphere and the crackling of the fire from the hay figure didn’t even enter his ears. Nolan waited for a couple more minutes, his breathing turning normal. He was reluctant to open his eyes, afraid he might ruin their ritual.“It’s alright now, Young Master. You can open your eyes now.”Nolan’s breathing hitched. He jolted on his feet as he fluttered his eyes open.“Atticus? W-why are you here?”The butler, standing in front of him, a raincoat hung on his arm, smiled. “I am everywhere, Young Master, in order to best serve you.”****Atticus, a demi-god from the underworld, was cast out of his parents' realm and banished to the human world. The reason? He had yet to give them any grandchildren.Disclaimer: This story is a work of fiction and is purely the product of my imagination. Any resemblance to real people, events, or beliefs is entirely coincidental. The intention is not to disrespect or diminish any faith or tradition, but rather to explore ideas within a fictional context. Reader discretion is advised.