JACKAL AMONG SNAKES - Chapter 396: Descent Into Mockery

Delia's life was a cruel reality: the neglected and abused illegitimate daughter of a noble family, the Ellington family, she yearned for the love of her stepmother, Baroness Augusta, and younger sister, Lady Anne, who relentlessly mistreated her.Her world crumbled when she discovered a double betrayal: her beloved husband, Lord George had secretly pined for Anne, marrying Delia only to be near her sister. Simultaneously, her step mother framed her for a crime Anne committed.Overwhelmed and heartbroken, Delia's attempt to escape a death sentence led to a fatal carriage accident.But death was not the end. Delia awoke one year in the past, finding herself still engaged to George. This was her second chance, and the naive girl was gone, replaced by a woman consumed by a burning desire for revenge. Her first target: Duke Eric Carson, the powerful and wealthy man her sister Anne desperately pursued.Delia boldly approached Eric with a proposition for a contract marriage. To her surprise, Eric agreed, but with a condition: their fake marriage would become real and they can go their separate way after a year, hiding his own secret agenda. Now, armed with Eric's unexpected devotion and his willingness to lay down his life for her, Delia meticulously begins to dismantle her family's world. With Eric's help, she exposes the secrets they hide, manipulates their desires, and turns them against each other, orchestrating George’s demotion, Anne's downfall and seizing everything her sister coveted, including Duke Eric love and obsession.Will Delia and Eric be able to conquer all odds to get what they want? What happens when Eric doesn’t want their contract marriage to end? What happens when the last petal of that indicates her second chance falls?———————EXCPRET“I can’t return your feelings, your grace,” Delia whispered, her back against the cool wall.“But I can,” Eric murmured, stepping closer.Delia’s voice trembled. “It’s not the same.” She choked out. “ No one can love me without hurting me.”“Then teach me,” he said, his breath warm on her cheek. “Teach me how to love you the way you deserve to be loved. I’m a quick study.”When she stayed silent, he sighed contentedly, a soft smile playing on his lips.“It’s alright. Just… use me. Anything you need. if you want money, ask the treasury, take as much money that’s needed. if you want power, use my name. if you want security and love, use my body.”His breath warmed her skin, his chest rose and fell with hers. “As long as it's from you, I'm happy.”

In a world of countless enemies, the right talent is all it takes to thrive. Freddy Stern, a twenty-one-year-old cashier, has lived a plain, albeit harsh life. Having been orphaned—twice—he’s spent the last ten years working and staying out of trouble. His only aspiration is to save enough money to become an archhuman. His dream gets the jump on him when he barely survives a near-death encounter and finds himself with 1% Lifesteal, a bizarre talent with numerous contradictions and just as many uses. With every dead enemy, he becomes a bit stronger, a little wiser, and a lot more ruthless. And no matter how much damage he takes, he can always put himself back together. Physically, at least. But on his path to power, after having to look at the rotting guts of archhuman society again and again, can his talent keep his mind and soul as pristine as his body? Or will that part of him simply remain broken?

“You slut! You cheated on me! I want a divorce!”

“Do it willingly, or I will expose your shameless acts to the public!”

“How could you sleep with another man, Shen Yin? How could you betray your husband?”

Caught cheating by her husband, best friend, and mother-in-law, Shen Yin wanted to explain herself but could not.

She had never expected that her surprise for her husband would go so wrong.

However, when she returned home to find her husband and her best friend in bed, she realized that it was just their ploy!

Signing the divorce papers, Shen Yin left with resolve, and made a grand return five years later as a beautiful forensic doctor with a son, here to torture scum and to woo new lovers! One day, her child whistled at a man with a Maserati, saying, “You don’t have to wait for my mom, sir. She’s gone to register her marriage!”

The man alighted and picked him up, growling, “I’m your father. Address me as such!”

However, the man was jealous…

Who was Shen Yin marrying when her baby daddy was right here?!

Gritting his teeth and dashing to the civil office, he scooped Shen Yin and threw her over his shoulder as he carried her away, smacking her painfully on the butt as he did.

“You’ve gotten bold… but don’t think you can marry anyone else behind my back! I’ll straighten you out tonight, in bed!”

In her previous life, Yun Qin was set up by her stepmother and stepsister, dying a horrible death. After getting reincarnated, she held onto her pregnancy test report and held her waist as she approached the most powerful family in the capital—the Song family. Ninth Master Song, the eldest legitimate grandson of the Song family, was rumored to be cold-blooded and arrogant. He was temperamental and ruthless. However, he agreed to marry the woman who approached him and demanded him to take responsibility by presenting her pregnancy test report. When the news came out, the entire capital exploded in shock. No one believed that Ninth Master Song would truly love an illegitimate daughter with a lowly status. It was harder to believe that a crude illegitimate daughter with low intelligence would be able to secure the position as the Song family’s matriarch for long. Therefore, the entire country was waiting for their divorce and waiting to see Yun Qin make a fool of herself. However, after Yun Qin married into the Song family, she set up a stall on the street to provide fortune-telling services to anyone who wanted to find out about their fortunes or misfortunes, romantic fates, and future undertakings... Eventually, her fortune-telling that never missed stirred up discord among the influential families in the Capital City! The wealthy nearly broke through the Song family’s door just to seek out Yun Qin’s fortune-telling services. Simultaneously, the Song family’s fourth-generation grandchild crawled out from Yun Qin’s abdomen. Yun Qin’s real identity slowly unraveled—nobody dared to belittle her anymore. With each passing year, Ninth Master Song not only maintained the marriage with Yun Qin but both of them fell deeper in love with each other. Everyone started smashing their figurative bowls, saying, “We’re so done chowing on this bowl of dog food!”

Epilogue:

Yun Qin, “Hey, handsome man, I’m afraid you’ll be in a life-threatening situation today. Do you want to exchange some money for safety?” The famous surgeon in Capital City looked at her in disdain, turned around, and left. That night, the surgeon kneeled before Yun Qin, begging her, “Ms. Yun, please save me!”

Yun Qin, “Sir, darkness enshrouds your forehead. I’m afraid you’ve been entangled with bad luck and will soon lose your life. Do you want to exchange some money for safety?” The financial bigshot flipped over Yun Qin’s stall with a single kick. That night, the bigshot kneeled before Yun Qin, begging her, “O’wise one, save me, please!”

Male lead persona: Arrogant, cold, ruthless, and decisive

Female lead persona: After her reincarnation, she was smart and calm. She could see spirits.