I Gave Up Being Stronger - Chapter 76

“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.

A hundred-year-old ghost who had been haunting the world had become the real daughter of the Stephens family who had some mental problems.As soon as she returned to her family from the village, her fiancé immediately came to break off the engagement and chose her cousin instead.Even his cousin who was adopted to be her parents’ son had also mocked her, “I’m sorry that I have taken your place. In the Stephens family, anyone that cannot contribute will be discarded.”Just when all the other rich families were waiting for the jokes that she would make, those who were perceptive realized that she had changed.She had risen from the bottom of her class to become the top student.Anything she said would become real. Even great scientists, merchants, and martial artists chose to become her follower.Leaders of all the fields: If she’s garbage, then I’m less than garbage. Have you ever seen anyone as good as her ending up as garbage? The Si family must be blind!While she was afraid of being alone, the CEO that loved her introduced her as he stood next to her, “This is my one true love.”

#Rated 18-Mature ThemesViolet’s life was never her own—her father’s crushing debt made sure of that. But when the debt collector kidnaps her as payment, she takes a desperate deal: become a servant and spy on the mysterious and tyrannical Lord Cain, the ruler of her Werewolf district.There’s just one catch: Lord Cain only permits male servants in his house.Disguised as a boy, Violet cuts her hair, flattens her chest, and dons a voice-altering band to pull off the deception. Everything goes according to plan—until Cain, a man known for his cold personality starts to take a peculiar interest in her.Violet’s disguise becomes a prison as she battles her own growing attraction to him. But this is no love story. Cain’s obsession to her is dangerous. Beneath his icy gaze lies a mind fractured by years of affliction by a curse.A curse made by Violet's biological mother: A powerful witch.*************“TAKE IT OFF!”Violet’s knees nearly buckled at the thunderous command, her chest tightening with panic. The raw anger in Cain’s voice was as sharp as a blade.“My lord! I-I’m a man!” she stammered, gripping her shirt tightly, her fingers trembling as they clung to the fabric.“I don't like other men!” she cried, a desperate plea in her voice since the second she took her shirt off and he discovered that she was a woman was the moment she died. Painfully.Cain’s glare was unyielding, his voice dropping into a growl. “Don’t insult me, You think I do. You kissed me!”Her breath hitched as he stepped closer, his presence suffocating. “If you don’t take it off,” he said, his tone low and dangerous, “I’ll rip it off myself.”Violet’s mind raced, panic threatening to overwhelm her. She couldn’t let him find out—he’d kill her. Painfully.Glancing away to avoid his gaze when she caught the undeniable bulge in his trousers. Heat flushed her face, her thoughts spinning in desperation at the only idea she could think of to make him back off.'This has to work. It has to!'

With just three sentences, you convinced the Paladin to spend five thousand Gold Coins for you.You truly are a master of the Undead who thoroughly understands human nature!…“Respected Master Amberser, after our review by the editors at 'Legendary Spells' Publishing, we regret to inform you that your paper 'Research on the Non-Humanoid Form Modification of Undead Creatures' is unsuitable for publication in our monthly magazine. We suggest that you submit your work to a magical academic journal with less stringent review requirements.”A burst of ghostly blue flame erupted from the tips of fingers, reducing the rejection letter.“Damn it! You bastards are purely discriminating against liches, discriminating against undead magic!!!”“Drop dead!”