Mr. CEO's Substitute Bride - Chapter 223 - 219, For it, I sold out appearances and charm.

Ethan's head throbbed violently as he opened his eyes, his vision hazy and unfocused. A dull ringing filled his ears, drowning out his thoughts.“What’s happening…?” he thought, his mind sluggish, struggling to catch up with reality. One moment, he was asleep—or at least, he thought he was—and the next, searing pain forced him awake.His vision swam, shapes blurring together in a disorienting mess. But then, muffled noises filtered through the haze—frantic, panicked sounds. Someone was trying to scream, their voice smothered, choked by something.A cold shiver ran down his spine.As his sight gradually sharpened, Ethan's breath hitched.He was on all fours, looming over someone. A girl.Her body twisted and writhed beneath him, ropes biting into her wrists and ankles. Her mouth was gagged, muffling her cries. Her wide brown eyes, brimming with fear and fury, glared up at him.Ethan's body locked in place, his blood running cold.“What the…?” His mind reeled, thoughts slamming into each other in chaotic disarray. “What kind of bizarre dream is this?”Panic clawed at his chest. His breath came in ragged, uneven gasps as he scrambled backward, only to realize his limbs felt sluggish, uncooperative, like they didn’t belong to him.“Is this… is this some kind of twisted fantasy I never knew I had?” A sickening thought slithered through his mind, making his stomach churn.The girl's frantic squirming slowed for a moment, her gaze flickering with confusion as she took in his expression—his trembling hands, his wide, horrified eyes. But the fear returned just as quickly. She struggled harder, her body arching, her muffled screams rising in pitch.Ethan wanted to speak, to say something, anything, but before he could force out a word, a glowing blue window materialized before his eyes.His breath caught.A translucent, hovering screen?“What…?”Lines of glowing text scrolled across its surface.---[System Activated…][Host Confirmed.][Simulating Previous Data…]Ethan awakens in a mysterious world, shackled by a curse that clouds his judgment and drives him toward choices he never wished to make. Burdened by guilt and responsibility, he must navigate the fallout of his actions while unraveling the truth behind the curse—and his place in this enigmatic new reality.

It’s a dark room. The man was tall and awe-inspiring, like an emperor. Every time their flesh met, it was as if he was carrying out a merciless punishment.

They had a passionate night of sex, and their souls and bodies felt connected.

Luna did not remember who the man was; she only had vague recollections of his extraordinary body and the long howl at the end of their love-making.

It had sounded like a fierce wolf who had managed to let its soul free. Later on, the ugly and plump Luna discovered that she was pregnant on the eve of her wedding.

Her fiancé, who had always regarded her with disgust, coerced her to break off the engagement, while her family regarded her as their shame. Luna agreed to break off the engagement so that she could give birth to the baby.

However, her firstborn baby boy was taken away by her stepmother and sold at a high price to the rich Julie, who was in urgent need of a baby.

Luna risked her life to give birth to two other daughters. With her brother’s help, she fled the hospital with her daughters.

At that moment, Alpha, the heir of the richest financial group in Europe and who was rumored to be cruel, was in the hospital’s lounge.

He was waiting for the birth of his first child. Ten months ago, Alpha was set up, and he had sex with a woman after he was drugged. He did not remember who the woman was, but Alpha knew that they were soulmates ever since that night. Hence, he wanted to find that woman!

Just then, the daughter of a tycoon, Julie, approached him and said that she was pregnant. It was only then that he learned that he was going to be a father, but what puzzled him was that he did not feel anything with Julie. Five years later, when Luna brought her daughters back, they met. Not only did Luna regain her health and beauty after giving birth, she even gained superhuman strength. Right then, Luna only wanted to find her son and expose her stepmother’s scheme. But Alpha could not stop his heart from racing when he saw her.

He could not stop himself from getting closer to Luna nor stop himself from doing the things he did around her.

Even a simple smile from Luna was a sweet temptation for him. When someone hatched a scheme to kidnap Alpha’s precious son, Luna saved him. But before she could see his face clearly, Alpha took his son away.

With wary eyes, he warned her, “Don’t even think about using the boy to seduce me.”

Luna thought that he must be sick in the head. Sometime later, during a banquet, Alpha grabbed Luna’s arm and spoke gently to her, “I… My son likes you quite a lot. I mean… I like you too.”

Luna stared at his red ears and smiled coquettishly, “Don’t even think about using your son to seduce me.”

Zhou Mu finds himself remaining in a single-player VR game despite having decided to quit after platinum-ing the entire game. However, he realizes that the world has completely changed. Realizing life in the game is better, he continues on with his in-game name, William Kane.

“Why is the world united under my name? And what’s with the religion that honors me as their god? The royals are claiming to be my descendants? Was there ever such a function in the game? What have they done for the past 1000 years when I was gone?”

Zhou Mu was completely lost.

“Are you calling me a traitor? Aren’t you guys the ones who have been doing evil deeds in my name? Behold, for you shall witness this lost forbidden spell!”

Due to unfortunate circumstances, “Ari” Ariel Matisse lived in the slums of Los Angeles, also known as Skid Row.One night, on his way home, he was killed while witnessing an old man getting beaten.When he woke up, he had been thrown into a dumpster, and a strange screen flashed across his eyes, and no matter how he looked at it, it reminded him of a status window in a game.[System Integration Complete!][Become a Global Music Superstar!]For some reason, he gained a system that wanted him to join a survival show and become a globally famous idol.If he refused to complete his given tasks, he would die.But if he succeeded, he would have the money and power to change his life as well as get revenge against the person who killed him.P.s. this story is kind of a love letter to LA and the amazing blend of cultures (American, Asian, Hispanic, African, etc) that can be found there. I hope you all fall in love with the area as much as I love it.