Before The First Word - Chapter 17: Ch-: The Presence that Outshone the Sun

Yuzuki thought it was just another pastime from his casework, proofreading a half-finished fantasy webnovel. But when he woke up the next day, he was no longer in his world. He was inside the story… as a disposable extra.The world he now walks is beautiful, brutal, and broken. Its plot is incomplete. And looming over it all is a calamity so catastrophic that even the protagonist would have failed to stop it. Driven only by his cunning and spite towards this twisted fate, his only choice is to stake his existence in a world on the verge of collapse. But how long can a nameless extra outwit the fate of an unfinished novel? How is he going to survive in this ruined world?If the story dies, so does he.“Well, curse the protagonist. Why would I gamble my life on some self-righteous fool who’s just doomed to fall anyway?”#Academy#WeakToStrongMCNo Harem!

[Mature Content] [Dark Themes]Catherine Lane had the perfect job in Midnight City, secretary to Ares King, the impenetrable billionaire bachelor, infamously known as the devil CEO.To the outside world, Catherine's life was nothing short of flawless, but in reality, she struggles with debts on the verge of ruining her life. To avoid harassment, she decides to quit and get the cut that comes with it.As if that wasn't enough, her long-term boyfriend cheated on her, claiming she's a wreck with no future, and he's better off without her.Heartbroken and devastated, Catherine is grasping at the last straws when her boss, Ares King, proposes a contract out of the blue.“Become my wife for one year.”“Why me, Mr. King?”“Because we work, Ms. Lane.”The last thing she wanted was to make a deal with the devil. But this offer is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity.Sell your soul to the devil for one year. How hard can that be?*****“I think that's all...” My heart throbbed as I grabbed my pen. Here comes the hard part.“You're forgetting something, Ms Lane.”“Hmm?”“We haven't looked over the special clauses.”Special Clauses? Shit! I forgot about that.“The next page.”I flipped the paper.Number one: The wife should under no circumstances fall for the husband. Should the wife breach this clause, all compensation shall be nullified and revoked.“Unfortunately, changes can't be made to that clause.”I scoffed. Does he actually think I'd fall for him?“Understood. Emotional attachments should be prohibited.”“This, Ms. Lane, is why I said we work.”A/N: This is a work of fiction. All names, characters, places, and incidents are either the product of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, or real events is purely coincidental.

After dying alone in a mental institution, Fang Junrong discovered that she was the evil mother-in-law in a prominent family doting novel. Her daughter-in-law was the female lead who was loved by all.

In the novel, the female lead was kind and nice, and the male lead loved her so much that he’d die for her in a heartbeat.

Her future father-in-law doted on her and treated her better than his own daughter.

Fang Junrong, the evil mother-in-law, was the only one who didn’t care for her. She had gotten the evil character’s script and wanted to set the female lead up every chance that she got and finally landed herself in the mental institution.

After she was rebirthed and facing her son who wanted her blessings, Fang Junrong tore up the script. Whoever wanted the role of the evil mother-in-law could have it! She was going to get a divorce and take half of the money, then she’d figure out where she wanted to go from there!

She gave up her dream of shining on the ballerina stage —for him.She sacrificed her self-respect —for him.She forgot her true identity —for him.But even after all that, she couldn’t compare to the woman who held Ryan’s heart.Arwen Quinn, heiress of prestigious Quinn family, realized too late that no matter what she did, she would never win Ryan’s love. The future that awaited her was a life trapped in endless misery of a loveless marriage.So, decisively, she ends their relationship and walks away. What she didn’t expect was that in breaking free from Ryan, she had opened the door for Aiden to enter her life — a chance that he had been waiting for.Aiden Winslow, an enigmatic CEO isn’t just mysterious —he is determined, and won’t allow to take Arwen away from him again.____Excerpt:Aiden narrowed his eyes, “Are you sure about this?”“If I wasn’t sure, I wouldn’t have asked,” Arwen replied coolly. “Stop dawdling. If you’re unwilling, I’ll find someone else who can get the marriage certificates today.”His expression darkened as he pulled her close. “Once offered to me, it’s mine alone.”Unfazed, Arwen asked, “So, do you accept? If yes, we’ll get the certificates now.”“On one condition,” he said. “I don’t do contract marriages. The woman I marry will be the woman I share my bed with. If you agree, then we’ll—”“Not a problem. Let’s go,” Arwen said without letting him finish, pulling him into the Civil Marriage Bureau.