The Villain’s Mother - Chapter 9: Even a randomly selected pair of strangers would have a closer relationship than this married couple (3)

Avery Asteria was far from having anyone's dream job. Family circumstances had him drop out of school and flying around the expanse of space looking for treasure among the discarded trash in an old ship his father had been restoring. It was far from glamorous work, but it was all he could do to earn the money he needed.He was not the only one looking for fortune among the stars, though. One day a score that looked too good to be true led to a run in with a band of pirates. With some quick wits and a bit of luck, Avery managed to escape the worst, but he ended up missing out on collecting the valuable salvage he had his sights on.Having lost a large chunk of his gear in his flight from the pirates, Avery seemed to be truly at the end of his rope. However, a twist of fate led him to discovering an experimental vessel that had been lost to the far reaches of space.With this new ship in his possession, his prospects were looking up. It had everything and more than what any spacefarer could want. And Avery was going to use it to become the leader of the greatest band of mercenaries in the galaxy.

Kurt was born to a poor Baronetcy of Arnold. He was a genius pastry chef in the previous world.

The Great Norther Wall. The Dragon Knights. The Lords of the Winter Mountains. The Descendants of the Primordial Dragon. These are the various titles of the Grand Ducal Clan Ragnar, which boasted a rich, thousand year history. Theo Ragnar resolved himself to aiming for the throne of that very same clan. ‘These cursed chains weren’t something I could slip out of. They were meant to be broken with strength.’

“I DO” → “I DIE.”Hours after marrying her longtime crush—icy CEO Nathan Jang—heiress Vanessa Belmont is stabbed, kidnapped, and left to bleed out in a wrecked car. The final insult? Watching Nathan rescue his precious childhood sweetheart (*cough* Vanessa’s killer *cough*) instead of his actual wife. So yeah. Worst. Wedding. Night. EVER.FATE REWINDSReborn six months before her murder, Vanessa upgrades her life with new rules:* Ditch the doormat era. (Badass mode: activated.)* Live for herself. (And okay, fine—revenge.)* Avoid Nathan like he’s the reason she died. (Oh, wait…)TOO BAD NATHAN 2.0 IS OBSESSEDNow he’s everywhere—lingering touches, midnight texts, and panty-melting kisses. Not to mention his hungry gaze—like she’s an all-you-can-eat buffet and he's starving.VANESSA'S SECOND CHANCE PLAN1. Don’t die. (Again.)2. Don’t fall for Nathan. (Too late.)3. Eat more carbs. (Donuts!)As for Nathan? She’ll forgive him when hell freezes over. Or when he takes off his shirt. Whichever comes first.***|***|***|***|***ASH CITY BILLIONAIRESLove is the ultimate power play.***|***|***|***|***