A Mastermind? No, I'm just the Live-In Son-in-Law - Chapter 1: Crisis From the Start

Ethan Blackwood wasn’t used to being defied. As the CEO of a global empire, he crushed obstacles with a single glance. But when Lily Anderson stood before him, her chin lifted in quiet defiance, and something in him snapped. “Sign the contract,” he said, his voice like ice. “30 days. You’ll obey every command. After that, you’re free.”She hesitated, her fingers trembling as she gripped the pen. “And if I refuse?”His smirk was cold, but his eyes burned. “Then you’ll spend the rest of your life paying off your father’s debts. Your choice.”Trapped, Lily signed. But she vowed one thing: she wouldn’t let him break her.From the first day, their clash was electric. He demanded perfection; she gave him rebellion. “You think you can control me?” she spat, after he criticized her for being late.Ethan stepped closer, his presence overwhelming. “I don’t just control you. Lily, I own you.”But as the days passed, the lines between them blurred. Late nights in his penthouse turned into whispered conversations. His cold demeanor cracked, revealing glimpses of a man haunted by his past. One night, after a heated argument, he pinned her against the wall, his breath hot against her ear. “Why do you fight me so much?”Her voice trembled. “Because I’m afraid if I stop, I’ll lose myself to you.”Their connection deepened, but danger loomed. Secrets from Ethan’s past resurfaced, threatening to destroy everything. When Lily discovered the truth behind his obsession with her, she confronted him. “Was I just a pawn in your game? A way to settle an old score?”His eyes darkened with pain. “You were never just a game, Lily. You’re the only thing that’s ever felt real.”As the final days of their contract approached, their bond was tested like never before. Enemies closed in, and trust hung by a thread. Could they overcome the shadows of their pasts, or would their love crumble under the weight of secrets and pride?

On the day of her wedding to her childhood sweetheart, Natalie Ford received an unexpected gift: a marriage certificate. It stated that she was already married to a complete stranger—Aiden Handrix.While the wedding guests continued to mock and insult her, her lover Ivan decided to dump her, choosing to marry her half-sister Briena instead. To add insult to injury, she was thrown out of her home.To prove her innocence, Natalie Ford could only take one course of action - she had to find this mysterious Aiden Handrix and get to the bottom of this!The next day, there was news trending on the TV. Justin Harper, the heir of the richest family in the Bayford was returning home. Natalie’s eyes narrowed at the TV screen.‘Why does this man look exactly like the man in the picture of my wedding certificate?’In the quest of uncovering the mystery behind her said marriage, she decided to follow him and ask personally.“Are you married?”“No.”“Do you have a twin brother?”“No?”“By chance you heard the name Aiden Handrix?”“No.”“Then, who the hell are you?’“Your brother.”“Wait, what?”“Yes. Now pack your bags and come home with me.”First got a husband out of the blue and now a brother with the same face? Was god creating clones and offering them to her with different relationships?

In this world, there are Buddhas, Taos, demons, demons, and martial arts.

The martial arts system came from Buddhism, and there is a saying that all martial arts in the world came from Buddhism.

Meng Xing was a firewood chopping disciple of Zhenwu Sect of Xiuwu Sect.

After Hyundai Meng Xing crossed over, he started the road of system-assisted cultivation.

Since then, Meng Xing has become a god in the martial arts of the world.

……

Meng Xing met the leader of the Phoenix Fire Sect:

【1. Pretend not to see】

[Second, come forward to flatter, incarnate as a dog licking]

[Third, say to her, “Come here and serve your husband!”]

Meng Xing decisively chose the first option.

The other two are the rhythm of death.

- Description from novelbuddy

I, Ichinosuke, failed to get a job for 100 consecutive times. Furthermore, my record is still being updated as unemployed.

On my way to a job interview, I was involved in an accident with a truck and tragically passed away.

And then, a Goddess bestowed upon me the ability to grow at a speed 400 times faster than normal, before sending me to a game-like otherworld.

However, knowing that I would not become stronger even if I continued growing while jobless, I aimed to get a job, but I found out that it was my terrible fate to remain jobless.

As my Growth Cheat and Jobless Cheat existed side-by-side in this otherworld, an adventure record, no doubt certified by the job-placement agency as a harmful book, begins here.