Hollow Ascension - Chapter 55: Shadows of Consequence

Sara Falcone, the eldest daughter of the prestigious Falcone family, has always been bright, ambitious, and determined. Groomed to take over her father’s empire, she quickly rose to prominence as the company’s CEO, earning respect in the business world.But when Falcone Industries teeters on the brink of bankruptcy, her world begins to crumble.Desperate to save her family’s legacy, Sara turns to the last person she ever thought she would, her greatest rival, and once, her secret crush: Luca De Augustino.Cold, calculating, and infuriatingly powerful, Luca offers her a way out, but at a cost. In exchange for rescuing her company, she must agree to a contract marriage with him.Luca De Augustino, heir and CEO of the mighty Augustino Group, was raised to lead without compromise and to never bow to anyone. Yet there was one person who always challenged him, Sara. Years ago, when she confessed her feelings, he shattered her heart with cruel rejection.Seven long years have passed since that day, but fate brings them back together. Now, bound by a one-year contract marriage, Sara must navigate a dangerous game of pride, power, and unresolved emotions while Luca sees this as his chance to finally claim the one woman who once loved him.~~~~~“You think I'll help you just because you pathetically kneel in front of me!” Luca chuckled. “What happened to the woman who always held her head high in pride?”“If you don't want to help me, then just say so!” Sara raised her voice. Standing up, she turned to leave when Luca grasped her hand, thus making her turn to him.“Fine, I'll help you. But there's a condition,” Luca pronounced.“And what's this condition?” asked Sara.“Become Mrs. De Augustino. In short, marry me, Sara Falcone.”~~~~~*All the names and places used in the story have nothing to do with the reality. It's a fiction.*

Aria Vale Ashford, a famous author, is suddenly trapped inside her own abandoned apocalypse story.With a powerful Manager System demanding she finish what she started or be forgotten forever, she’s handed a useless-looking Train Stationmaster System as her only golden finger.Can she survive ruthless zombies, mutated monsters, and a world on the brink of collapse?Or will her unfinished tale become her eternal prison?

I am the master of a certain dark guild.

Including me, there are only 10 other consistent members in this guild. However, all of them are like daughters to me… is what I think.

Since this is a dark guild, we act without standing out too much. However, it seems like everyone has been acting a bit too weird recently.

They’re acting really weird… eh? What? [Presenting me the whole world]?

Betrayed and left for dead, Richard Blackwood—formerly known as the world renowned hero Astralis—awakens a decade later to find the world has moved on, and an imposter now wears his mantle. Disguised as a rookie in the Mage Guild, he quietly hunts for answers.'If my little sister is levelled above me, then what about everyone else? How much stronger have the bastards who betrayed me grown while I was dead?'Richard must grow stronger once again, and rise much higher than the S-Rank.'What the fuck? I almost die, and I get a power up?'Not harem.