Short, Light, Free - Chapter 97: Smoke and Business III

WARNING[R18]“I’m already engaged to him,” she blurted, her voice trembling but resolute.Her eyes shot toward the silver-haired man, the figure who had been watching her all along. Her heart pounded in her ears as she raised her hand, pointing directly across the room. The gesture felt foreign, like it wasn’t even her own body making the movement. But there he was, sitting quietly in the VVIP section, and she had to do something. Anything.All eyes turned toward her, and the room fell into stunned silence. The weight of a thousand gazes bore down on her, and the only sound was the frantic beat of her own heart as she waited for his response.***************Lilia’s life is turned upside down at a lavish masquerade party when an unexpected announcement claims she is engaged to Lowell, a man she has never agreed to marry. Caught between the overwhelming pressure of her parents’ expectations and the confusion surrounding her emotions, Lilia finds herself trapped in a web of deception. But when a silver-haired stranger named Zethan steals the spotlight, Lilia’s impulsive declaration sends shockwaves through the room. With her parents and Lowell thrown into chaos, Lilia is left questioning whether she has just freed herself—or unwittingly stepped into a more dangerous game of fate and manipulation.Who would have thought their futures had already been sealed? This vampire had been obsessed with her long before she ever knew he existed.

Seemingly as if they were waking up from deep slumber, billions of people transmigrated to the Divine Tree Realm.

They now had to plant Divine Trees and produce divine fruits to awaken their supernatural abilities? So that they could fend against the Netherworld invasion!?

Every Divine Tree Master would randomly choose three talents.

Enoch discovered that he could see hidden talent information.

[Hundred Times Amplification (Class: SSS)]: Sunlight Absorption x100, Growth Speed x100, Production Speed x100...

[Fruit of 10,000 Worlds (Class: SSS)]: Your trees could bear Demon Fruits, Cultivation Method Fruits, Life Fruits...

[Spring Rejuvenation (Class: SSS)]: When you produce fruits, you can bury them to grow additional fruit trees. The fruit harvest during the spring season of the following year will be x100!

Choose three ultimate SSS-class talents, and start from zero to grow little saplings into the trees of the world!

Devour the fruits of the world, and become the Supreme Overlord! Command an army of millions and conquer the entire Netherworld!

Everyone would soon realize that Enoch seemed to be playing a different game from them!

“You are offering me a marriage of convenience, but princess… there's nothing convenient about me.”

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Izabelle had underestimated the fire she thought she was going to play with tonight. But how could she ever have foreseen that the man she had happened to come across with does not play with just a small fire, but a whole inferno?

___

Excerpt:

“You going through this marriage with me might as well be like you digging your own grave. Because the moment you start to want more from me, I will divorce you. And the moment you break your promise and try to fight me… I will ruin you and break you apart completely. Mercilessly. You will regret ever meeting this devil tonight.” His threat was given in the same soft but cold voice.

But Elle did not even flinch. Her gaze never faltered either. This man was ruthless, and she knew that clearly. His eyes that moment promised nightmares and darkness without any promise of respite.

But no matter what he says now, it would still not change her decision. She truly had no other choice.

“I understand now…” she said quietly, steeling herself. “Since you don't trust that I will keep my word, how about we do this? You prepare the divorce documents beforehand now and I'll sign it. That way, once you decide to divorce me in the future, the papers would already have been signed and there would be no way I can trouble you about it. You would just need to send it to the lawyers and have it notarized.”

A heavy silence reigned before his quiet disbelieving laugh broke the silence.

“I'm at a loss for words, Princess Izabelle.” He looked wickedly amused. But then he started nodding in approval. “Fine, princess. I will marry you.”

Lan Xi made a mistake during her interstellar travel and landed on Earth.

As the princess of Planet Moyi, she decided to save herself. First, solve the money problem.

So she took out the “Guide to Conquering Earthlings 2003 Edition” that experts from Planet Moyi had carefully compiled years ago –

“Chapter 1 How to Elegantly Make Money”:

“Beginner’s Guide: Find a high-end building, take a broken bowl, and sit there for a day to elegantly make enough money to spend for one day.”

However, after sitting bitterly for a day, Lan Xi didn’t make a penny and was driven away by security guards –

“Don’t sit here begging, President Xie already criticized us for negligence! Besides, it’s not that era anymore, beggars use QR codes now!”

No problem, there’s still –

“Intermediate Guide: Find a luxury car, pretend to be hit by it, lie on the ground paralyzed, and you can elegantly make enough money to spend for three months.”

However, before Lan Xi could lie down, a driver got out of the car –

“We have dash cams installed! Move away quickly, President Xie is in a hurry. I’ll sue you if you try this scam again!”

This tactic also failed. But no worries, there’s still –

“Ultimate Guide: Find a rich Earthling, conquer him, marry him, and you can elegantly make enough money to spend for a lifetime.”

Very well, might as well go all out and get it done once and for all!

Lan Xi already had a perfect candidate in mind, the boss of the company she begged at on the first day, the owner of the luxury car – Xie Cheng!

Xie Cheng met a strange beautiful woman.

On the first day, she begged at the door of his company;

On the second day, she staged a car accident scam on him;

On the third day, she blocked him in an alley, with a face of great mercy –

“I really like your money, I hope it becomes mine.”

“So I’ve decided to marry you.”

She coughed –

“Are you going to voluntarily be conquered by me, or be forcibly conquered by me?”

[Story background is Earth in 2023 AD]