Nightblade (Darkest night) - Chapter 26: Decision

The main protagonist Chen He often meets crazy people in his life, and all these people have very deep prejudices against him. They often do weird things.

(1)

Once, Chen He polished off a bunch of hired killers (who seemed to be after him?), and eventually found the mastermind.

Chen He: You and I are complete strangers, so why are you doing this to me?

Mastermind: You’re gonna kill me after ten years! Of course I’ve got to make a preemptive strike.

Chen He: …

(2)

Chen He: Sir, we have had no bad blood between us, and I have not done anything to offend you. Why are you being so threatening?

Taoist priest: Hmph! In the future, you’ll be offending me to no end. Haven’t you been looking down on me all your life?

Chen He: …but I still have my entire life ahead of me!

(3)

Antagonist A: Chen He! Because of your master, I was rejected by XX Sect, and so I was forced to become a demonic cultivator!

Chen He: Who…who are you?

Antagonist B: My future lover’s meridians and good looks were ruined by you, and I’m definitely not gonna let you do it this time!

Chen He could not help but think: There is definitely something wrong with my life!

- Description from Novelupdates

There are a lot of things wrong with Liv Brodbeck. She’s too small, for one thing. When she works in the castle kitchens with her mother, she can’t carry a sack of flour or roll a keg of ale. Baron Summerset’s chirurgeon says that she has brittle bones, so she isn’t allowed to wrestle or sword fight with the other children. Even sledding downhill in the winter brings the risk of breaking an arm or a leg if she falls. Everyone says that she ruined her mother’s life when she was born. Not when they think Liv is in the room, of course, but she overhears all the same. In the kitchen of a less kind lord, a cook bearing a bastard child would have been more than cause enough for both of them to be out on the street. No, a child like Liv doesn’t have much hope. But when she accidentally unleashes a surge of wild magic, she takes her first step on a journey which will lead her from the kitchens of Castle Whitehill, to the cold palaces of the Eld, and beyond, to the graves of gods... What to Expect: - MC starts off very weak, with a lot disadvantages - not just physically weak, but also vulnerable in a socio-economic sense. She has talents, but it is going to take time to develop them. I want to give this process room to breathe, so I hope you enjoy long-term progression. - The MC begins the story as a child. As she grows up, she will have relationships that I intend to be appropriate for her stages of life, BUT THERE WILL BE NO SEXUAL RELATIONSHIPS UNTIL SHE IS AN ADULT. Expect eventual teenage drama progressing into more adult relationships. - There is action, but it is not constant action, and it will again be appropriate for the MCs development. As a child, she will be challenged by child things, and as she grows into power the scale of threats will increase.

“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.

“Take off your panties, princess. I want to see the pussy that's been soaking the sheets and moaning my name in her sleep every night, while wearing my son's ring.”“Yes, daddy.”Reina thought marriage meant love.But for two long, aching years, all it gave her was cold nights and a husband who never touched her.She was starving.And Domenico Gravano—her devil father-in-law—was the only man who ever made her feel full.He's twice her age.Deadly.Filthy rich, and built like a god.The kind of man who doesn't ask. He takes.And when he sees the way she shivers under his stare, he doesn't hesitate.He gives her everything she's always wanted.It's forbidden.It's filthy.And it's about to become her obsession.But Domenico doesn't do soft.He doesn't do love.He does control.He does power.He does ownership.And Reina?She's about to find out what happens when a Gravano decides to make you moan... and never stop.He's her father-in-law.He's her first real pleasure.He's the man who will destroy them both… just to keep her.