Short, Light, Free - Chapter 16: Mountain, Sea I: Forget-Me

Eira Hax, the daughter of a once-wealthy heiress, has spent her entire life in the shadows.Twenty-two years ago, her mother, a kind-hearted but naive woman, was deceived by her husband, a ruthless businessman. He stole her entire fortune and framed her for a crime, sending her to prison, unaware that she was pregnant and secretly battling terminal cancer.Eira’s mother died alone behind bars, but not before giving birth to Eira, entrusting her with a burning desire for revenge.Now, two decades later, Eira returns with one goal: to destroy the man who ruined her mother’s life—her own father.To do so, she strategically marries his most powerful rival, Callian Reed, a man as dangerous as he is influential. Together, they plot to destroy her father’s empire, piece by piece.But as Eira is pulled deeper into a world of business, power and revenge, she’s forced to confront her own problems and decide just how far she’s willing to go to avenge her mother.“I’m not your enemy, darling…you should know that by now.”“Callian, everything you do is not written in our contract. Why are you breaking it?”“The more I learn about you, the more I hate everyone who hurt you. So please, Eira, let me get rid of them for you.”

They called him the Shame of the Clan but before that, Vale Athrimir was born a prodigy, one of the rising stars expected to lead the next generation of the Clan. But on the day of his manifestation, he was awarded the Forbidden Mark Order, a power feared and loathed throughout the realm.In an instant, his world collapsed, his friends turned their backs, his father disowned him, and he was cast into prison. After three years of starvation and torment, he was thrown into the Borderlands, a labor camp where the forsaken dig rocks until they die.But Vale refused to break.With nothing but his rage and ambition, he clawed his way free and began to build. Starting with outcasts and exiles, he forged the foundations of something the world had never seen, an empire that would span nations, topple kingdoms, and unite the fractured lands under the Eternal Skies.The Forbidden Mark Order carried a terrible secret, and with an Ancient's Inheritance in his grasp, Vale discovered he possessed power beyond measure. Now, he would transform from prisoner to emperor, from outcast to conqueror.From the ashes of betrayal, the Universal Empire would rise.

After Bai Yin’s mother passed away, her father quickly brought his mistress and illegitimate daughter to the family home, while young Bai Yin was sent to live with her grandmother in the countryside.Years later, the family brought Bai Yin back home. Everyone assumed that she, having grown up in the countryside, would be unsophisticated and unable to fit in with high society.But no one expected the stunning woman who stepped out of the car, wearing a light blue qipao embroidered with exquisite su embroidery peonies, with long hair cascading down her shoulders. Her delicate features were like misty landscapes, and upon closer inspection, her eyes and brows were breathtakingly beautiful.She even outshone her half-sister, who had already gained some fame in the entertainment industry.

In the kingdom of Veridian, Prince Lucien Damon is known for his charm and charisma. But his kingdom is facing economic ruin, and his father, the king, in an effort to alleviate the economic strain on his kingdom has arranged a marriage between Lucian and Prince Alexander Silver of the neighboring kingdom of Avaloria.In the kingdom of Veridian, Prince Lucien Damon is known for his charm and charisma. But his kingdom is facing economic ruin, and his father, the king, in an effort to alleviate the economic strain on his kingdom has arranged a marriage between Lucian and Prince Alexander Silver of the neighboring kingdom of Avaloria.