The Card Apprentice - Chapter 66: The Investigation

“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.

Aiden Nightshade wakes up in a dark, unfamiliar forest with no memories of who he is or how he got there. The air is thick with danger, and monstrous creatures lurk in the shadows, watching him. Before he can even move, a glowing panel appears in front of him.[Welcome to the Ultimate Bond System.]A cold, synthetic female voice echoes in his mind. It tells him to tame the beasts, bond with them, and grow stronger together. But this system isn’t normal. When Aiden forms a bond with a beast, it doesn’t just become his companion—it transforms into a powerful humanoid woman, one who still has the instincts and memories of the creature she once was. They aren’t just allies. They feel his pain, share his power, and their devotion to him is absolute.As Aiden explores this strange world, he quickly realizes something—no one else can do what he does. Other tamers can control beasts, but they can’t make them evolve like he can. They do have a system but nothing like his.With his growing army of beast-women by his side, Aiden will carve his own path, breaking the rules of this world. And when he discovers that the deepest bonds unlock unimaginable strength, he understands one thing—this isn’t just about surviving.It’s about rising above everything. It’s about domination.In a world ruled by beasts, only one man will stand at the top.

Rude is a tank, known as the strongest in history. However, the Hero decided that his skills were worthless because he couldn’t do anything but take damage, and threw him out of the party. His cleric friend who trusted him followed him to the remote village that Rude was forced to return to.

Thousands of years ago, a small planet collided with Earth and destroyed the world. In five days, ninety percent of humans had been wiped out, leaving behind the last ten percent to earnestly struggle on death’s door.

Jinyu was one of those people who survived. Due to a special heredity trait, he could understand beast language. After the apocalyptic disasters, Jinyu had been living for a month with the few small beast brothers that he’d subdued. Previously, Jinyu had thought that he would live like that until he died. Yet, inexplicably, one day he opened his eyes to find that he was in a monstrous, lawless world that was full of vitality and life.

Jinyu’s transmigration into the future let him skip over almost one hundred thousand years. In the year 106825, beasts rule the galaxies and ‘pure’ humans are extinct. As the one and only ‘pure’ human left in the entire universe, Jinyu braves this new chaotic world to find a place for himself and thus begins to work at Beast Store number 138.

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