These Familiars Are Strange - Chapter 43: Cicada, mantis, oriole (1)

Jake Rivers was just another broke university student trying to survive—until an accident changes everything.After waking from surgery, Jake discovers a terrifying advantage: for one hour each day, he can see the gold market with impossible clarity. Every move, every trap, every surge becomes predictable. With no money and no safety net, he quietly turns this ability into profit, transforming small trades into growing wealth.What begins as a desperate attempt to pay debts soon becomes something far bigger. As Jake’s fortune rises, so does attention from powerful figures who notice a silent player dominating the financial world.To protect his edge and build something lasting, Jake must master discipline, secrecy, and ambition.Because getting rich is only the beginning.Jake Rivers is on his way to becoming a tycoon.___Just another newbie author here...Original novel...

Mature content[R-18+] NO RAPE~~What happens when a psychopath falls in love?~The infamous wallflower and sole heiress of the Falcone empire, Abigail Falcone, was a loner, shy, and reserved. She did not know how to socialize or even how to love until she met him.Desperate to escape her scheming relatives, Abby sought a favor from her late best friend’s fiancé—a marriage of convenience.No one would have ever paired the shy, stammering wallflower with the sinfully handsome mafia leader. However, it quickly becomes clear that Abby is a woman of hidden strength—and Remo Quinn finds his dead heart beating once again.Wary but tempted, she struggles to get through the arrangement without stripping herself of her morals and losing her heart to her husband—a man so beautiful and broken, he will hurt her as much as he will love her.While seeking revenge and amidst the sultry heat of their forbidden desires and secret fears, will Abigail find the love that will change her life forever? Or will she face the punishment of falling for her deceased best friend's fiancé?What happens when Remo finds out his little shy wallflower wife is a little sly fox?——————————————————————Excerpt ~“Beg me to use you, Abby,” he growled, his voice husky with desire.Abby's breath caught in her throat as she struggled to comply with his demand. With a mixture of arousal and trepidation, she managed to whisper, “Please ...Remo...”But Remo wasn't satisfied with just her words. He wanted to see her beg, to hear the desperation in her voice. With a wicked grin, he applied a bit more pressure to her thighs, a hint of pain mingling with pleasure.“Words, little sweet doll. Beg me,” he commanded, his tone leaving no room for disobedience.The sensation sent a jolt of arousal coursing through Abby's veins, her resolve crumbling under Remo's intoxicating dominance. With a whimper of surrender, she found herself uttering the words he desired, her voice trembling with need.“Please...use me,” she pleaded, her heart racing as she surrendered herself to the delicious torment of Remo's touch.Trigger warnings; Self-harm, mental illness, rough sexual acts etc.

“Fresh meat” Jiang Chi – to get closer to his unrequited love, an actor extraordinaire – did everything to join Ye Lan’s filming project, even if it meant he would not get paid.

Note:
影帝, literally means “movie king”. Used for famous and accomplished actors. The actress equivalent is 影后, meaning “movie queen”.

小鲜肉, literally means “young, fresh meat”. Used for young, rising actors with good looks (who often star in more commercial-oriented films.) The actress equivalent is 小花, meaning “fresh flower”

- Description from Novelupdates

THE LAST MARINE– Series SynopsisThe world ends not with a bang, but with a prayer and a shattered test tube. Marine Quinn Calloway, a man accustomed to the structured chaos of war, finds himself on leave in the deceptively peaceful mid-sized city of New Havenburg when the unthinkable happens. Dr. Lucian Kael, a brilliant and devoutly religious scientist at the prestigious Blackwood Research Institute, driven by a fervent desire to unlock humanity's “divine potential,” makes a catastrophic miscalculation. His experimental “Kael Strain” virus, designed for benign purposes, is accidentally unleashed, and its effects are swift, brutal, and biblical in their apocalyptic scope.