Industrial Strength Magic - Chapter 21: Tide’s In

Ethan Blackwood wasn’t used to being defied. As the CEO of a global empire, he crushed obstacles with a single glance. But when Lily Anderson stood before him, her chin lifted in quiet defiance, and something in him snapped. “Sign the contract,” he said, his voice like ice. “30 days. You’ll obey every command. After that, you’re free.”She hesitated, her fingers trembling as she gripped the pen. “And if I refuse?”His smirk was cold, but his eyes burned. “Then you’ll spend the rest of your life paying off your father’s debts. Your choice.”Trapped, Lily signed. But she vowed one thing: she wouldn’t let him break her.From the first day, their clash was electric. He demanded perfection; she gave him rebellion. “You think you can control me?” she spat, after he criticized her for being late.Ethan stepped closer, his presence overwhelming. “I don’t just control you. Lily, I own you.”But as the days passed, the lines between them blurred. Late nights in his penthouse turned into whispered conversations. His cold demeanor cracked, revealing glimpses of a man haunted by his past. One night, after a heated argument, he pinned her against the wall, his breath hot against her ear. “Why do you fight me so much?”Her voice trembled. “Because I’m afraid if I stop, I’ll lose myself to you.”Their connection deepened, but danger loomed. Secrets from Ethan’s past resurfaced, threatening to destroy everything. When Lily discovered the truth behind his obsession with her, she confronted him. “Was I just a pawn in your game? A way to settle an old score?”His eyes darkened with pain. “You were never just a game, Lily. You’re the only thing that’s ever felt real.”As the final days of their contract approached, their bond was tested like never before. Enemies closed in, and trust hung by a thread. Could they overcome the shadows of their pasts, or would their love crumble under the weight of secrets and pride?

The paramount existences among daemons are known as ‘Great Sages’.

A young man leaves the mountain village and wanders the world, entering the legends step by step, becoming a part of mythology itself.

Transmigrated, Qi Huan became the daughter of an exiled criminal.With only a thatched cottage at the start, it collapsed before long…Fortunately, she was bound to a powerful express delivery system.As long as she did good deeds and accumulated points, she could achieve free delivery!More surprisingly, her neighbor, the waste prince, turned out to be a point farming bug —Helping others +1 point.Helping the waste prince +100 points.From then on, she treated the waste prince as a point farming tool.…But became the waste prince’s one and only intimate person.Once abolished, falling from the clouds into the mud, people avoided him like snakes and scorpions.Only Qi’s little girl always had a bright smile as she sidled up to him.Offering free help without reason, she must be up to no good!At first, Li Shuchen maintained full vigilance.…Later, he gave all his tenderness to her.She opened restaurants and taverns, and he silently protected her;As her chain stores and industry expanded, he became her strong backup;When she donated supplies and did good deeds, he accompanied her.When she came of marriageable age, he proposed with betrothal gifts and a phoenix coronet, welcoming her in full ceremonial attire.From then on, the inner palace had no concubines, only doting on the one.

Having a rough life growing up, Wang Tong had numerous dreams of living a better life. However, his alcoholic foster father sells him off as a space settler of the distant planet Norton for some pocket change. Soon after his arrival, the Zergs overran the planet and obliterated its defenses in a matter of minutes. What awaited Tong on Norton was more than just an unbearable environment – its gravity alone was five-times stronger than earth – there were also swarms of bugs, constant hunger, thirst, and desolation.

While he lives a year of total carnage and survival, humanity’s Confederation eventually overcomes the Zergs on Norton and the powerful survivor Wang Tong is given a recommendation to a once famous, but now dying military academy where he begins his life anew.

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