The Devouring Dragon - Chapter 20: A... Harem?

“When the old gods are forgotten, they do not die—they wait.”In the year 1025, the Viking Age wanes.Iceland bows to Christ. The Althing governs by law. And the gods of old fade to whispers.But in the far Westfjords, something stirs.Vetrulfr, a former Varangian captain and exile, returns from the East with foreign gold, forgotten warcraft, and a hunger no man can name.He comes not in peace, but to raise Ullrsfjörðr from ash and ice; building walls, carving runes, and waging war on behalf of a dying faith.From Reykjavík to Aachen, rumors spread: a ghost walks the North once more. Some call him the son of Ullr. Others, a wolf-cloaked demon.But all will know his name.and when the Valkyries call, he will answer.

In his old life, he was an assassin, invisible, efficient, and utterly alone.His only escape came from the pages of a fantasy novel, Crown of Thorns, and the character no one else seemed to understand: Lady Evelina D’Arclight, the proud and brilliant villainess fated to lose everything.After his death, he wakes up inside that very story, not as a hero, but as Cael Arden, a student at Eryndor Royal Academy. The world is just as he remembers it, right down to the woman destined to fall.But this time, he’s not a bystander.With a lifetime of deadly skills and the knowledge of what’s to come, Cael sets out to rewrite the story itself, to protect Evelina, rise through the academy’s ruthless hierarchy, and change a fate written in stone.As alliances form and secrets surface, the line between fiction and reality starts to blur.And in a world built on power and prophecy, he’ll prove that even a villainess deserves her happy ending.

She sold her body to save her mother’s life.She never expected the man she gave it to… would be her new boss. Or the father of her child.Isabella Howells had her future mapped out—until everything shattered in one day. Her mother was dying, her fiancé had stolen everything, and with nowhere left to turn, Isabella made a desperate decision that would haunt her forever.Five years later, she’s a single mother craving a fresh start in a quiet town. When she lands a dream job as executive assistant at StoneTech Solutions, it feels like fate is finally on her side—until she walks into her new boss’s office and comes face to face with Jake Stones, the man she thought she’d never see again.The one-night stand. The man who swore he couldn't have children but was somehow the father of her son, Timothy.Would she be able to do her job without thinking about the past? What happens when Jake Stones is bent on making Isabella his, unaware of his secret baby with her? Will she accept him?What happens when Jake's brother's schemes puts Timothy's life in danger and Isabella is forced to reveal the truth about Timothy's paternity?Will Jake accept this truth? Or will it break him and everything he'd ever come to know about Isabella Howells?Let's find out in this story of love, lies, betrayal, and a second chance that could cost everything.

Deceived into marriage, exploited for a lifetime as a nanny without pay, and finally beaten to death by her adoptive mother in front of her adoptive father's sickbed, Shen Mianmian's miserable life came to an end.When she opened her eyes again, she found herself back at fifteen. Shen Mianmian vowed to escape her past fate, punish her malicious cousin and adoptive mother, but accidentally shone too brightly in the process.The third-to-last student in school suddenly rose to the top, becoming the candidate fought over by prestigious universities, causing a sensation among all the teachers and students...While others were busy studying, Shen Mianmian was busy starting small businesses to make money...While others were preparing for the college entrance exams, Shen Mianmian purchased the two most notorious haunted houses in Beijing in one go... becoming an oddity in everyone's eyes, they mocked her that even if she had the fortune to buy them, she might not have the life to live in them.While others graduated and were busy looking for jobs, the haunted properties purchased by Shen Mianmian were requisitioned by the government, earning her a considerable amount of demolition compensation.Those who had mocked her couldn't help but slap themselves twice... inquiring everywhere where there might be haunted houses for sale.Shen Mianmian, originally needing to borrow money for tuition fees, used the demolition funds and leveraged her rebirth advantage to buy a suitable plot of land and built a rental building, transforming into a Beijing's wealthiest and most prosperous landlady...One day, Shen Mianmian, carrying a bag of keys and having just collected the rent, was dragged to the Civil Affairs Bureau.“Shen Mianmian, it's time for you to pay back what you owe me.”