Death After Death - Chapter 227: A Murder

Someone once saw me at the end of the world and respectfully called me the serpent that coils around the world—Jörmungandr.Someone once gazed upon my form at the edge of the Underworld and called me an ancient serpent—Satan.I was also feared by the gods and was called the hundred-headed dragon—Typhon.I have had many names—the serpent of creation, the serpent of sacrifice, the serpent of ceremony, the serpent of the world...But I have wandered through the chaos and arrived at the wilderness. There is only one divine name—the Primordial Ancient Serpent, the origin of everything.

Sophia Alcott, the daughter of Earl Alcott, lives a lonely life as a maligned and infamous shut in, with nothing to do but to work on her skills as a budding apothecary in the dusty storeroom she’s forced to call home.That is until she suddenly wakes up one day and finds herself in the body of an even more infamous villainess (one who actually earned her reputation) locked up in a tower.Although the only clue she has about how this happened is a cryptic note, instead of despairing about her new situation, she’s in awe at just how luxurious the treatment she’s receiving in this ‘prison’ is compared to how she had to live before.Meanwhile, back at Earl Alcott’s mansion, all hell is about to break loose.That’s because…

Cassidy Calista never begged for love.Not even from Ezekiel Salvador, the cold, enigmatic heir to the world’s largest pharmaceutical empire.Their marriage was built on power, not passion. Four years of shared silence and a single rule: Fall for someone else, and walk away.So when Cassidy caught Zeke with another woman, she didn’t wait for an explanation. She filed for divorce.And vanished.What Zeke didn’t know? She left pregnant.Now, after four long years, she’s back. And she’s not alone.By her side walks a little girl. Bright, curious, with the same defiant spark in her eyes as Cassidy once had.Zeke watches, frozen. His world tilts.Zeke had spent every year trying and failing to forget her. But the moment he sees her again, something inside him snaps. The fire he buried returns…And then he sees him.A man. Tall. Steady. Standing too close. Speaking to Cassidy in a voice only intimacy can shape. The little girl runs to him, laughing, and he catches her like he’s done it a thousand times.She says nothing. Offers no explanations. And suddenly, Zeke is no longer the man with all the power.Because now, he wants answers.Whose child is she?Has Cassidy moved on?Is she married to another man?And the most terrifying question of all, Is he already too late?

Jake had spent his entire life buried in textbooks, chasing one exam after another — until he finally graduated from one of the world's top universities as a nuclear engineer. He thought the hard part was over. It wasn't.On the very first day of his new job, a speeding truck ended it all.But fate had other plans.Jake woke up in the arms of a stunning goddess who offered him a second chance — along with one extraordinary skill of his choosing.[Hypnosis (SSS-Rank): The power to control minds and issue irresistible commands.]Reborn as the bastard son of a noble house in a fantasy world, Jake quickly realized he held a power that could change everything.“Lady Aria,” Jake said, his voice low and calm, “you'll find yourself wanting to obey me more than anything else.”The cold, dignified head maid stiffened, her eyes clouding with confusion — then softening into eager submission.“Stepmother,” Jake smiled lazily, “you've been working too hard. You need to let me take care of you... personally.”The once-proud woman faltered, her cheeks flushing as she nodded without hesitation.“Miss Evelynn, heir of House Marlow,” Jake said casually to the visiting noble, “you'll trust me more than anyone else in the world.”With every whispered command, Jake planted a seed deep inside their minds — seeds that would soon blossom into absolute devotion.***Check out my discord for character illustrations: https://discord.gg/Z9pY9tE9e8(No Yuri/No NTR)