MTL - Mediterranean Hegemon of Ancient Greece - v2 Chapter 42 Dave's mind

At twenty-four, Ashley Flynn had endured more than most. From the tragic loss of her parents to the lose of her marriage–and now, the mysterious abduction of her daughter. Just when she thought life couldn’t get any crueler, her ex-boyfriend resurfaced. Rich, powerful, and more relentless than ever, Lorenzo Grey was determined to win back Ashley’s heart, no matter how much she hated him. Or how long it took him.When she turned to him for help finding her missing daughter, he saw the perfect opportunity he had long awaited.“You mentioned that you wanted to help me find my daughter,” Ashley said, her voice trembling slightly.“Yes, I did...” Lorenzo replied, watching her like a hawk. “...but it won't come without a price.”Ashley hated him even more for trying to exploit her desperation–but he knew this was the only tool he had left to reclaim what was once his. And now, Ashley must do what she felt was necessary, even if it meant breaking her own defenses and craving the very man who once shattered her heart. Because to her, a mother’s love knows no limits—and no sacrifice was too great.

Sun Wukong awoke to the Advice System at Magic Square Mountain, connecting his consciousness to Zhihu. As long as he took suggestions from netizens, he could obtain various rewards.At first, all he sought was immortality, but once a bunch of savvy netizens started offering a myriad of suggestions, his future began to warp.“I'm Sun Wukong, been at Magic Square Mountain for seven years, and the ancestral master still won't teach me the path to immortality—what should I do?”“I’m Qin Shi Huang himself. Hurry up and wire me some money.”“Thanks for the invite; I'm in the States, just got off the plane. I suggest you definitely learn all the Heavenly Guards and Earthly Fiends!”

“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.

While on a plane ride, Shuuta Fenton and his classmates are whisked away to a fantasy world by Holy Lord Meruria. She reveals to them that they are to be her Soul Warriors. Most of the students display extraordinary skills after opening their Soul Crystal, but Shuuta is the only one to not have any potential, being cursed with a 0-Star Soul.After a sham trial to decide whether or not he can be useful to her, in which his own sister argues for his sacrifice, Holy Lord Meruria banishes him to the void, an inescapable realm of unending torment, to recoup the Holy Mana she spent on summoning him.While his body was destroyed, Shuuta's desire for revenge keeps his soul intact long enough to gain the attention of an unknown entity. It alters his essence and turns him into a chimera, something viewed as a blasphemous abomination that grows stronger by consuming others.After his soul is summoned again, and this time by the imprisoned Dark Lord of Tyranny, Shuuta frees her and throws away his former identity to become Lyudmila Springfield, the future Transcendent Dark Lord that will spill the blood of her enemies.