The Phantom's Gambit - Chapter 31: Fractured beginnings

When Yu Yao opens her eyes, she realizes that she has transmigrated into a book that she had once read. It’s a book containing a typical story about a real daughter and a fake daughter.

The real daughter was framed, and the fake daughter was pampered by everyone. Her biological brothers had only been doting on her fake younger sister—who had been switched at birth—and hated Yu Yao tremendously. They even believed her fake sister’s lies and sent Yu Yao to a mental hospital.

Yu Yao is in the mental hospital being tortured by a perverted director when the story begins…

Our protagonist has transmigrated into the body of the pitiful real daughter, Yu Yao. She is racked with helplessness at having to endure this living hell...

What bothers her the most was that this was only the beginning. She’s aware that even if she escapes the hospital, her fake two-faced sister would not let her off so easily. Her elder brothers, who do not recognize her as family, would also help this deceptive snake in dealing with her. In the future, there would be constant trouble, and living a peaceful life would be far out of her reach. Just as she perks up and prepare for battle, there seems to be a shift in plot...

The Second Brother, who had always been the meanest to her, rescues her from the mental hospital hastily and starts showing her concern. He is tender and affection is written in his eyes.

Meanwhile, her most ruthless Eldest Brother, who had never considered her to be his younger sister, starts treasure her. He begins listening to her every demand whilst cold-shouldering her two-faced fake sister.

Yu Yao is confused. What’s going on here? This isn’t in the script! Why was she, who was supposed to be shunned by all and constantly the target of their bullying, suddenly being pampered by so many people?!

It was only after a long time that Yu Yao realizes what had happened—her elder brothers are all transmigrators too!

Originally, the book ends with a tragedy befalling the family. The two-faced fake sister betrayed them all and sent them to a tragic end. It was Yu Yao who rescued them and died in the process. After Yu Yao’s elder brothers transmigrated, they swore to protect Yu Yao with all their might as they worked endlessly to win her favor.

Marauders shot Yuan in the head and buried him in a ditch. They thought it would be enough to put him down. They were wrong.Rising from the dead by the will of the Gun, demigod of revenge and firearms, Yuan only has one goal in mind: track down his murderers across the Unmade World and slaughter every last one of them. With the bullet-core stuck in his skull marking him as a Gunsoul, he can finally teach these arrogant cultivators a lesson they’ll never forget.But revenge isn’t so easy to claim. To carve out a path through the wasteland, Yuan will have to face power-hungry sects, nuclear cultivators, and weapon-gods. Let them come. No one will bury him again.He’ll give them all a taste of Bullet Hell.

Then there’s James Bellini. His nickname? The Angel of Death.The man everyone fears. The man they all whisper about in dark corners. They say he’s merciless, that he has killed more people than anyone in the Circle. No one dares cross him. But there’s a secret, one that no one knows.James Bellini has never killed anyone. Not once.The rumors started because of a misunderstanding, a mistake so deep that even he couldn’t fix it. Now, the entire underworld fears him. Even the other bosses treat him like an equal, like he’s one of them. But the truth? The truth is something only God himself could untangle. And James? He’s just a man caught in the middle of it all.

“You are offering me a marriage of convenience, but princess… there's nothing convenient about me.”

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Izabelle had underestimated the fire she thought she was going to play with tonight. But how could she ever have foreseen that the man she had happened to come across with does not play with just a small fire, but a whole inferno?

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Excerpt:

“You going through this marriage with me might as well be like you digging your own grave. Because the moment you start to want more from me, I will divorce you. And the moment you break your promise and try to fight me… I will ruin you and break you apart completely. Mercilessly. You will regret ever meeting this devil tonight.” His threat was given in the same soft but cold voice.

But Elle did not even flinch. Her gaze never faltered either. This man was ruthless, and she knew that clearly. His eyes that moment promised nightmares and darkness without any promise of respite.

But no matter what he says now, it would still not change her decision. She truly had no other choice.

“I understand now…” she said quietly, steeling herself. “Since you don't trust that I will keep my word, how about we do this? You prepare the divorce documents beforehand now and I'll sign it. That way, once you decide to divorce me in the future, the papers would already have been signed and there would be no way I can trouble you about it. You would just need to send it to the lawyers and have it notarized.”

A heavy silence reigned before his quiet disbelieving laugh broke the silence.

“I'm at a loss for words, Princess Izabelle.” He looked wickedly amused. But then he started nodding in approval. “Fine, princess. I will marry you.”