The Regressed Mercenary's Machinations - Chapter 2: This Contempt Feels Familiar ()

***Completed***“I'll marry you if you promise to kiss me every day.”On the harrowing day she lost her family, out of all the men she knew, Marcella didn't expect those words from “Sweet Baby” Tony. She thought he was not interested in her.She had to ask him for the marriage as she wanted to fulfil her sister's last wishes.She got married the day she suffered a horrifying loss.Don DeAngelo's youngest daughter became the wife of Antony Crawford.She didn't wait to think why he wanted to marry her when every men she knew wanted her for who her father was. She trusted him that much.But in a day, she learned that Tony was not so different from other men.What choice can she make?She can throw away the marriage and lose custody of her nephew, or...She chose to be married to him. Their marriage can be a deal. She needed him, he needed her. It's all fine.Except...What does Tony feel? Is their marriage all but a business transaction for him? What is the secret he is hiding? Why can't he reveal it to her?-----*Excerpt*“We are each our own devil, and we make this world our hell,” she said looking into his eyes. The alluring mystique behind those blue eyes made her heart skip a beat.How can she hate and love someone this much? She must be missing a part of her brain.In the silence of the dining room, the candle flickered. The curve of his lips widened and in the romantic ambiance, the thin lines around his eyes gave her a thrill.“Quoting Oscar Wilde?” he chuckled comfortably, leaning forward.“Isn't that true in our case?” she asked.She observed him, trying to digest every single expression on his face.He went silent. His lips pressed to a line. His pensive eyes never left hers except for the few seconds when he placed down his cutleries. She still couldn't guess what goes on in that smart brain of his.It is this, she thought. I am a decently adventurous person. He's an adventure. Maybe that's his allure!“Then, Birdie,” he stood up and walked to her.Marcella's back got stiff as she tried to figure out what he was going to do.Also, is that a pet name? Birdie? It's nice. But that came out of nowhere...She followed him with his eyes. He kneeled beside her and held her hand. Only when she felt the warmth of his big hand on hers did she realize that she had been holding her breath for a while.This man is going to be the end of her. It sucks when he does not feel even half of what she feels.“Let's be angels,” he kissed her hand. With a smooth smile that reached his eyes, he looked at her. “Let's be each other's angels, and let's make this world our heaven.”“You are...”Unable to find any words to say to him, she buried her face in her hand. Her chest was heaving as if she ran a marathon.This man surely is going to be the end of her.“What?” he chuckled while teasing her to show her face. “What am I?”“You're a brute, Mr. Crawford. That's what you are,” she said trying to hold her stoic expression to relay her “disapproval” of his methods. But in front of his goofy smile, she lost.She lost, and she didn't feel defeated.She felt delighted in his presence.“Mark my words, Birdie. I am taking you to the White House,” he said.Marcella opened her mouth to speak but no words came out. The determination shining in his eyes...He's not talking about a visit to the White House, is he?No way! No f*cking way!Her eyes widened. But he was smiling sweetly as always. He stood up and leaned to her ear.“Let's have today's kiss on the bed,” he said.Before she could form a resistance, he picked her up and walked up the stairs.Again, Marcell pondered the one question she's been asking a lot lately.Whom did I marry?

The youngest all-round best actress, Gu Zhi, has traveled through time and ended up in the body of the sweet and naive real heiress she was about to play.Originally, the owner of the body could have soared to new heights after reclaiming her position as the true heiress. However, she stubbornly turned herself into a green tea character hated by the entire internet, ending up alienated from her family with no one to collect her body after her death.On the parenting variety show, her family accompanies the fake heiress on the program but refuses to acknowledge her.Biological mother: I don't have a daughter like you, Yiyi is my daughter.Biological brother: Quit the entertainment industry, make way for Yiyi, and I'll let you come home.Gu Zhi: ...Who cares.I bring my labor-efficient adoptive parents and my adoptive brothers, who are potential stocks in various industries, onto the variety show. Isn't that lovely!!In this way, Gu Zhi and her entire family, who were almost forced out of the entertainment circle by criticism, suddenly became explosively popular.Fan 1: Damn! This woman Gu Zhi has such amazing acting skills! Her singing and dancing are top-notch! She's so skilled at gaming too, is there anything she can't do!!?Fan 2: Sob sob Zhi Zhi, what kind of fairy parents are these, unbelievable. It's another day of being moved to tears by the celestial parent-child relationship.Fan 3: Ahhhh, Zhi Zhi's big brother is so handsome! Second brother, I want to marry him too! Third brother, I could admire that body for a year! I wouldn't mind waiting for the fifth brother either /shy /shyWhen Gu Zhi stood on the industry's most prestigious award stage to receive her well-deserved Best Actress award, her suddenly awakened biological father and brothers blocked her way, asking for forgiveness.However, they were ruthlessly thrown out by the domineering CEO big brother: Zhi Zhi is a member of the Qin family, don't try to impersonate.That evening, the semi-retired Emperor Qi officially announced the female lead of his new movie and specifically tagged Gu Zhi: Sorry, she's already a member of the Qi family.The entire internet: !!!???

Noah Weaverheart was nothing but a poor boy with zero talent in Magic.Stuck at the Apprentice Magus rank for years, he was bullied and looked down upon by everyone in the academy.His pathetic life met an end at the hands of an arrogant noble, who decided to bury him and go about his day like nothing happened.However, as he drifted in between the space between life and afterlife, a set of notifications appeared before Noah.[Suitable Host Found!][Initializing The Supreme Magus System!][…][ERROR! ERROR! ERROR!]Before he could understand what was going on, he found himself jolted back to life, but the notifications wouldn’t stop flooding his vision.[A bug has been discovered in the system!][Trying to fix bug…][Fixing Bug…][…][ERROR! FIXING FAILED!][ERROR! SYSTEM FALLING APART!][…][ERROR! BUG UNABLE TO BE FIXED!][The system has been corroded by the bug. All parameters broken down. Required EXP for leveling up now fixed, limits on quests completely removed, Penalty on quests disabled.]At first, he thought it was a disaster.Then he realized—this bug wasn’t a curse, but a huge blessing in disguise!With no restrictions holding him back, Noah could now level up endlessly—faster and stronger than anyone alive.From worthless trash to an unstoppable force, he would rise above all… becoming the most powerful magus in existence!But the more he learns about his broken system… he realized the bug might be something far greater, and far more dangerous than he ever imagined.

I, the mighty Telepath Starlord, got banished into the mortal world. The days in the mortal world are much better than those in heaven! Everything is here — money, authority and most importantly stunning beauties! I am from a rich family. Yes, I am indeed wealthy now. The kind of wealth where you would not want to displease me. Domineering CEOs, military big shots, business geniuses, you name it — I know them all! I know everything you are thinking about. You can’t defeat me anyway, how are you going to go against me? A century in the mortal world is only equivalent to a hundred days in heaven.