A Barbaric Proposal - Chapter 42: Prey and Poison

“THE NEW GATE”, an online game that trapped its players and turned into a death game, was now releasing the thousands of players that had been dragged into it, thanks to the efforts of Shin, one of the most powerful players. But after having defeated the last boss and freed everyone, he was swallowed up by a strange light and found himself inside the game world 500 years in the future and unable to leave.

After a tragic accident that claimed the lives of his parents and little sister, Leo, just 17 years old, found himself shouldering all responsibilities alone.By some miracle, he survived the past four months on his own—attending high school, juggling multiple part-time jobs, and enduring sympathetic gazes that pained him.The only respite he found was in books, which offered him an escape and some semblance of joy.One day, while engrossed in the book 'Path of Heroes: Battle Against the End,' his life took an unexpected turn.Halfway through the story, he inexplicably found himself transmigrated into the world of Path of Heroes, inhabiting the body of Azriel Crimson—a character never mentioned in the story's first half.An extra.Someone seemingly irrelevant to the plot.Unfortunately—or perhaps fortunately—fate had other plans, and Leo soon discovered that being a mere extra was not his destiny after all.

“I was scared!” she cried, interrupting him. “You're a married man, you have a wife now, and I didn't want to ruin that. I didn't know how you'd react. And I didn't want my children… our children… to be caught in the middle of more pain.”He looked at her in shock, breath caught in his throat. “You just said… our daughter earlier,” he said slowly.Yes,“ she answered. Jasmine and Hanith. They're yours.”Aaron's breath hitched, stumbled back a step, staring at her like he was seeing her for the first time again.“You told me they weren't mine,” he whispered.“I lied,” she admitted. “Because I was scared. I wanted to protect them. I thought if you knew, you'd take them away. And I also thought you wouldn't want them because you are married now.”“Five years,” he murmured, his voice barely audible. “I had children... and never knew.” He clenched his jaw, struggling to process everything.“They are your children,” she said softly. “And now your daughter needs you.”~**~A single mother, Katherine Prescott was the perfect definition of a B3 classy lady—beautiful, brainy, and brave. She worked her ass off to ensure her children never lacked, building a name for herself while running from the unwanted attachment of the past.But when the past she thought she'd left behind the day she fled with her babies came crashing against the walls she'd built—six years later—everything she buried resurfaced.What if the forgotten spark and desires kept pulling her back into the very past she wanted to forget? What if her babies wouldn't stop asking about their father? Can she really give him a second chance at love… and risk losing herself to passion again?Aaron Knight was a celebrity. He never believed he'd see her again. But there she was—still breathtaking, still beautiful as ever. He wasn't letting her go this time. He would get her back, by hook or by crook.Two problems: he was married… and she was already a mother.

Coming to my senses... I find myself a desperado.In the depths of azure, black sails flutter.Treasure gleams, blades ring out.Pillage, slaughter, irreverence towards the gods.Youth fades swiftly, all but meat and wine for pleasures.[Slice of Life][Romance Simulation][Business Simulation]