The Insider System - Chapter 36: Alchemy

The daughter of a duke, the stuttering Maximilian, married a knight of lowly status at her father’s coercion.

After their first night, her husband departed for an expedition without another word.

He comes back three years later, this time as a famous knight in the whole continent.

How would Maximilian face him on his return?

Evelyn Walters was the perfect heiress, until one reckless night with her father’s greatest enemy ruined everything.Pregnant, disgraced, and cast out of the Walters family, she left with nothing but her unborn child.Years later, she's survived. But as a single mother, the life she built was fragile until the man from her past discovered the truth.Now he wants her and his son.But how can Evelyn trust the father of her child... when he's also the enemy of the man who raised her?****Excerpt:“B-Boss... the woman you slept with that night... she wasn't the supermodel the company just signed,” Dylan stammered, his voice trembling.Axel's brow furrowed even further. He tried digging through the hazy, alcohol-soaked memories of that night. Of course, he remembered the party.He remembered the whiskey.But the woman?Nope. His brain served up a blank slate.“Who was she?”Dylan swallowed. “The first daughter of William Walters.”“Cough! Cough!”Axel coughed violently, his face turning red and eyes wide with shock. He never thought that woman would end up in his bed. ---Curiosity won, as always.Evelyn grabbed the remote and hit the power button.The screen lit up, and her jaw dropped. Her eyes went wide, as if the Grim Reaper himself had just stepped out of the TV to ask for her phone number.“What the…? Why does my personal source of misery pop up the second I turn this thing on?”Because there he was, Axel Knight, gliding out of his luxury car like some corporate deity on his way to a business banquet.Evelyn scrambled for the remote to turn it off, but of course, fate had other plans.Axel turned to the camera and gave a casual wave, acknowledging the paparazzi vultures lined up outside.She hated to admit it, but the man looked sinfully good in his signature black suit and high turtleneck, his sleek black hair framing a face that could stop traffic and quite possibly her breathing.Then, suddenly, her stomach clenched. Her hand instinctively rubbed her flat belly.“Little tenant, did you just say you recognize him?”

Novie entered the confession cubicle and kneel down, she wanted to tell someone about her feelings, the pain and confusion that’s been tormenting her heart.
Minutes later, the opposite cubicle opened and Novie saw a man in a priest clothing sat down and folded his hands.
“Father I am here to confess my sin” she started and lowered her head.
“What is your sin?” The priest asked.
Novie sighed, “Five years ago, I hurt a man, I left him the next day he proposed” her voice cracked down, remembering the past
“Whoa! That was harsh!” the priest murmured silently, but she heard it.
Before the priest could give his response, she speaks up.
“I was also hurt but I know that if I stay with him, my family will suffer, so I left. For five years Father I carried the guilt of leaving and hurting him. I mean what I did was right, right? it’s for my family” she blurted out without letting the priest talk.
“I think -”
“It’s not like I have a choice or anything” she continued and interrupted him.
“We all have a choice, I don’t know your reason for leaving him but there must be a reason why after five years you decided to come and confess”
Novie gulped by his words, unsure of what to say next.
“Well?” the priest asked, waiting for her answer.
“What made you confess now, you said you left him five years ago, why now?”
Novie’s eyes went round while her heart palpitate.
“Because...” she shut her eyes and exhaled.
“Hmm?” the priest waited for her response.
“Because my ex-fiance is moving next door, and I don’t know what to do!, my parents didn’t know that I was engaged to him before”
“Are you here to confess your sin or to ask for advice?” the priest asked.
Novie, with her eyes closed, twitched her lips.
“What’s the difference, father?”
The priest cleared his throat and replied.
“Well, relationship coach get paid per hour while us, we accept donation” Novie’s face flattened by his response.
She wanted to continue, but the priest stood up and opens the door.
“states some prayer and I will pray for you. Good luck!” the priest said and closed the door.
Novie was speechless. “I need to donate?” she widened her eyes when she thought of the priest. “What did just happened?” she asked herself with disbelief.
Novie has decided to leave, she’s still confused and nervous. She took her umbrella and walks to the door. She was about to open her umbrella when she saw Ken waving at her.
Seeing his smile, she remembered the dinner last night.

After a young lonely orphan boy died on earth, He was reborn as the Prince of the Everhart Kingdom in Melux. And in this life, he got everything he ever longed for: Luxuries that he didn't have, magic that he only read and fantasized about, different types of sweets that he didn't even know about but most importantly, he finally had a family!He was pleased with his new life as he had parents who despite being the King and Queen of a Kingdom always managed to spend time with him and His maid who would do anything at his words. He could experience the joy of sharing a dinner with family, getting angry over silly things, and then apologizing while bawling his eyes out. He finally felt like he was not alone in this universe anymore and he also had people who cared and loved him dearly. His second life was seemingly perfect in his eyes until that horrifying and gut-wrenching night that flipped his entire world......