Smiling Under Lanterns - Chapter 662 - 226 IOU_2

Warning : MATURE CONTENT“Do you suppose there is anywhere in this world and beyond that you can run to, anything you would ever do...that would free me from this torture you've instilled inside me,” Alastair Hawthorne growled, eyes blazing like an erupted Volcano.He took her hand and placed it over his chest, over his strong and beating heart.“Listen, Little Siren,” He bellowed her name softly, and she trembled upon his call and upon his touch, “You'll bear the burden of what you've done to me. Do I make myself clear?!”She shook her head at him, whispering with the heaviest of hearts, “I'm sorry...,”Aaliyah Manchester grew up in a dreadful Orphanage, away from the burning eyes of the world. She is maltreated and made a slave, but all that changes when the mystery lurking in the night opens its arms to her.A mystery in form of a man...with the pair of strangest eyes she's ever seen.Now, Aaliyah is given only Fourteen days to cure the growing hatred of the owner of those eyes...Alastair Hawthorne, the enigmatic man who lives alone in an old mansion far away from town. A walking terror during the day...and a lost soul at night.As Aaliyah tries to navigate her way through the mysteries surrounding this beautiful devil while fighting to hide deeper secrets of her own, a World of Allure begins to unfold itself!If she had known the whole thing was planned to lead to her demise, would she still had gone through with everything?And it all started...with a wedding. A wedding deep in the Night.######################Hello Dear Readers,I wrote every chapter of this book with my fingers trembling at how everything was slowly unfolding, and it got even worse when the characters took over the book and made it even more compelling to write.Everything unfolds carefully...and the secrets this book holds could kick you off your horse so hold on to your reignsAnd of course, I created it to be a lot more interesting than my other book ' His Majesty's Bride ' , so how about you give it a try?NB: Book cover does not belong to me and I would take it down immediately if requested!Encourage this Novel by supporting it with Powerstones, Golden Tickets and Gifts!!

Living a dual life, Lucas was a meek boy in school and a Wire Knight on the Internet at night. Surprisingly, he's asked out on a date by one of the most beautiful girls in school.

However, the date ends after a bizarre sequence of unfortunate events, he gets isekaid into another world.

Lucas received a rebellious system and some strange pills as rewards which released the dormant evil within him. He has to control the rooting darkness coming from the previous protagonist of that place and learn how to control his power.

The system promises to fulfil one wish if he will win the game he was sent to. This motivates him to help his sister to get better and become healthy again, he must obey the system and win the game to be granted that wish no matter what.

To form a team with another human, an elf and a so-called 'sex machine'. Lucas has to collect all the avatars and learn how to control them, wield the weapons that were given to him and win the tournament of the place by killing the black wizard.

Time is quickly ticking and there's a huge mess for him to reverse. Starting from his date who suddenly was transformed into a dragon!

When Evelyn’s loser fiance steals her company's secrets and elopes with her prostitute mother, she finds herself facing impending bankruptcy. But unexpected help comes in the form of an unusual offer from her business rival and ex-boyfriend, Alexander Langford.“Bear my children, Eve, and I’ll save this precious company of yours.”To everyone else, Alexander is the heir to a billion dollar fortune, and the acting industry’s handsome darling. But to Evelyn, he is nothing more than a cold-hearted, arrogant man she dumped for being a compulsive liar years ago - but unknown to her, he has never lied about his love.How could Alexander miss the golden chance to hit two birds with one stone? He gets his inheritance, and a family with the love of his life. Now, if only dear Evelyn would stop thinking the worst of him…[Strong female lead x doting male lead.][EXCERPT]“You’re out of your mind,” Eve snaps. “You could have any woman in this world, and you want ME to be the mother of your children?!”“Why not? You’re smart, savvy, and fucking hot,” Alex says as he takes a step forward, trapping her body between his muscular arms. His dark blue eyes gaze deep into hers with unbridled lust. “I want our children to have the best from both of us. Our children could take over the world.”“There is no ‘our’,” Eve says coldly, pushing him away. “I will be the surrogate for your children. This is nothing but a business deal. There is NO love in this contract. But in exchange, you need to do something else.”“And what is it?”“Help me take down my ex-fiance. That bastard deserves to die after fucking my mom and ruining my life.”Alex chuckles. “It’s a deal then, sweetheart.”It was nothing but a business deal at first. But what if the line between business, love, and hatred were getting blurry as they got entangled too far and too long?[Power couple, slow burn, getting back together.]

“Help me, please,” Bella pleaded, grasping his hands.His dark eyes, devoid of warmth, pierced through hers with an unsettling coldness. “Why should I mess with those goons to help you?” he asked callously.“I’ll do anything you say,” she said without thinking, desperate. “Just save me from them.”He demanded something that Bella had never anticipated even in her dreams.A contract marriage!~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~Bella Dawn was already in distress to pay her step father’s debts. To add her misery, her mother was diagnosed with liver disease and needed immediate transplant.Where would she get that much money?Then, like a cruel twist of fate, she accidentally encountered a handsome man, Theodore Reid, the enigmatic CEO of Ace Group.Rumors said that he was a ruthless businessman with a heart as cold as ice. Yet, to Bella, he was kind, rescuing her from the clutches of those who sought to exploit her.She was grateful to him until he demanded something weird, shattering her pervious assumptions. He wanted to marry her.NoHe wanted a contract marriage.In exchange, he would take care of her mother's treatment and compensate her generously at the end of their arrangement.For Theodore, it was a solution born out of necessity, a means to appease his grandfather's demands for an heir while he searched for the one who had once saved him, his angel.Bella’s appearance reminded him of his savior. So, he offered her a contract marriage. It was a temporary solution to his grandfather’s demand to get an heir until he found his angel.With no other options left, Bella reluctantly agreed to the terms of the contract. But little did she know it would test her resolve and resilience like never before.~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~“Remember one thing, never fall in love with me,” he said, cold and dangerous.Bella gulped, nervous. “What if I do?” A sliver of defiance, a foolish question escaped her lips. She was already attracted to his handsome appearance.He squeezed her jaw and hissed, “You will regret it.”“What if you started liking me?” she dared to ask.He leaned closer, his breath warm against her ear. “No chance,” he scoffed. “You're not my type.”Bella’s heart sank.