The Return Of The Exiled Villain - Chapter 22: The Three Virtues Of A Knight (IV)

“Block him.”“He's technically still my boss.”“Then block him with dignity.”The call ended again.And then started again.I let out a sound somewhere between a growl and a sob, then finally answered with the enthusiasm of a snail crawling through salt.“Yes, Mr. Walton?”“Have you changed your mind yet?”I collapsed onto the towel and gazed at the sky as though it might consume me entirely if I pleaded sweetly enough.“Do you ever take a break?” I asked, shielding my eyes with one hand.“You're avoiding the question.”“Because it's a dumb question.”He exhaled, the sound sharp and irritated even over phone. “It's not a dumb question. It's a business offer.”“It's a weird offer-one that I already said no to.”There was a brief pause, and I could practically hear him clenching his jaw through the speaker.“You are acting unreasonably.”“ Unreasonable?” I sat up. “I'm not the one drafting fake girlfriend contracts like it's a normal Tuesday.”“Isabella-”“Certainly not, Mr. Walton.” I mimicked his tone perfectly. “I told you I'm not doing it. You need to find someone else to play pretend with.”SYNOPSISIsabella Miller thought saying no to her boss’s fake dating offer was the end of the story.But Adrien Walton doesn’t take no—especially not when he’s convinced she’s a gold digger.Suddenly, her student loans are piling up, her father’s vet clinic is on the brink of eviction and her brother is about to be kicked out of college. Coincidence? She thinks not.Adrien Walton is calm, calculating—and he's just pulled every string to corner Isabella into the perfect position.Now she’s stuck choosing between pride and survival.So she agrees to his offer: be his fake girlfriend.No feelings attached. No drama. Just business.Or so she thought.“Conference Room B. Fifteen minutes,” he said, passing by without a glance.The folder he pushed across the table landed with a thud.I opened it. The contract. All of it.---Enemies to lovers? Check.Slow burn? Hmmnyea.Banter so sharp it might file your nails? Yes.Delicious workplace tension? Of course.Tension that could melt steel?Absolutely.Smut?? Wanna find out?Welcome to corporate romance warfare. There’s no escaping this contract.

The woman who lost everything and the man who can have anything he wants… united by revenge.Anna Hyde was a devoted wife, willing to do anything to make her husband happy—except give him a child. When he decides she is no longer useful, he demands a divorce while his family humiliates her and casts her out of their estate. To make matters worse, the only family she has left—her own aunt—disowns her, leaving her with absolutely nothing.Anna believes things can’t possibly get worse, but when it rains, it pours. Marienne, her husband’s mistress, tries to blind and kill her. But this time, luck is on Anna’s side. On the verge of death, she is saved by William Stark, a returning billionaire who offers her a new identity and the chance to take back everything that was stolen from her.With a new face and a new name, Anna is reborn as Chloe Dumas, ready to make those who wronged her pay.

After being killed, Xu Turan was given a system and got pulled into a certain thriller romance novel. There, she became the crucial female supporting role who seeks death. However, on the first day of transmigrating, her system was urgently recalled for repair as it was aging.

As their farewell was imminent, the system was worried about its new host so it repeatedly reminded Xu Turan: [Your role is to be a supporting character who is always seeking death. You do know what that means, right?]

Xu Turan recalled her rich experience of doing just that in her previous life and she replied affirmatively with absolute confidence.

So the system withdrew with its mind at ease.

After a few days, the system that had been away for repair finally returned. When it looked at the situation, it almost malfunctioned: [What are you doing?!!]

Xu Turan, who was busy arguing with the Evil God, answered without thinking, “I’m doing what you asked me to do – trying to find ways to die.]

System: […?!]

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