MTL - I Was an Abbot in Ancient Times - Chapter 36

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?

When Ares wakes up, he finds himself in a familiar world but in an unfamiliar body. It was a world he'd read about in a novel he discovered among the belongings of his late girlfriend.

But when he ended up in a novel that he had just finished reading before dying, his life changed for the better or the worse.

Why are all women crazy about me? Why are they pursuing me while ignoring the main character?

Join Ares on his journey through the novel to solve the mystery of his death and learn the truth about the world he ended up in.

“What does it feel like to be a shadow?”People say it's bondage — the absence of light, of freedom. But what is freedom, really?The ability to choose whatever you want?Or... just a beautiful illusion masking the void?Strange question, I know.But you'll understand soon enough.Because my lives?They've always been a little... enlightening.— Kaiser

I transmigrated as the hidden mastermind who betrays everyone at the story’s end.Since I wasn’t particularly interested in the destruction of the world, I was just leisurely waiting for the ending…“You are the only one who has ever seen my drawing of a boa constrictor properly.”“When I make plans to meet you at 4, my heart starts racing from 3… Is this what it means to be tamed?”For some reason, the heroines keep showing interest in me.