Duality of Shadows - Chapter 1005: Unpredictable Variables

Melanie Collins was the perfect wife—caring, strong, and dependable. For the last few years, she had managed her husband’s messy family, and business alone while waiting for her husband to return from studying abroad. But when he finally came back, Melanie’s world fell apart—he wasn’t alone. Along with him was his 'best' friend.Broken and confused about the change in her husband, Melanie didn’t know where to turn. And then she stumbled into another cold reality. Everything she had believed was a lie.Seething with anger and humiliation, as she tried to come to terms with the betrayal, an unexpected person steps into the picture, intent on seducing her and conquering her.The only problem? The man was her ex brother in law...And against her better judgment, she is attracted to this bad boy...But as Melanie tried to make sense of the changes, she discovered there was more going on than she ever imagined. Had both brothers loved really fallen in love with her? Or was she just a pawn in a bigger game?excerptSince he had already been leaning against the table, he simply slid onto it, and with one swift motion, he hooked his boot around the leg of her chair and pulled it—pulled her—closer.The sudden movement made her jolt slightly, and when she looked up or rather when she looked ahead, she found herself staring directly at the zipper of his jeans... She looked up then and met his gaze.He caught her chin,“ Would you like to check if I am only pretending, sweet melon?”Melanie stiffened. And then pushed back her chair suddenly, so that Adam almost lost his balance, as she stood up.Before he could balance himself, she placed her hand on his shoulder, her fingers brushing against his neck. Adam stiffened, his eyes glittering as he waited to see what she would do next. And she, of course surprised him as her other hand, slowly settled on the inside of his thigh. And then, the hand on his shoulder started to move. Her fingers tracing the side of his neck before lifting as she shot a glance to the corner of his mouth. The little piece of metal glinting there. She flicked at it lightly, barely a touch, but Adam could feel the heat all over his body, as she leaned in close, her lips barely a few centimetres away...so that they could both feel each other's breaths…She smiled slowly then. “Careful, Adam,” she murmured, her voice playful, but carrying the unmistakable edge of a challenge. “Keep pushing, and I just might call your bluff.”

In this lifetime and every other, I promise to only be loyal to you. Even if I have to crawl back from Hell, I will do so gladly. Wow, you just broke all the cold CEO fantasies.

Like every romance novel, Yun Qian Meng faced the evil stepmother and negligent father. On top of that, she was arranged to marry a scum man who manipulated her, stole from her, and finally... killed her.

When she woke up, she found herself back at the top of the world. It was all a dream, she told herself and moved on... until the scum fiancé made an appearance.

Who was she? Yun Qian Meng. Twenty-five. Founder and CEO of a company worth billions of dollars. The world was at her feet. How dare this scum man think he was worth her?

“My fiancé wants to usurp my company? I’ll bury him alive.”

“My father wants to marry me off for his gain? I’ll find a husband he will never approve of.”

“Of course... He needs to meet my conditions first.”

Who would have known that her arch-nemesis, Mo Qingchen, would present himself in front of her as a potential suitor.

“Lunatic! I wouldn’t marry him even if he were the last man on Earth!”

Ants surrounded Mo Qingchen. He was twice as powerful as her. Twice as wealthy. And the conditions he was offering were top notch. He'd lit the fire and she swarmed to him like a moth to a flame.

“Well, a contract marriage never hurt anyone.”

She was looking for financial and social gain but she ended up on a path to finding herself and things she never knew she wanted.

The curtain rose. Shots were fired. The play began. The broken girl started her journey towards the woman she was destined to be.

All the world’s a stage. And a play is only entertaining when chaos ensues.

Adrien’s tale is a thunderous symphony of vengeance, mystery, and ascension. Awakened with no memory but wielding a shadow-forged blade, he traverses a fractured world where gods rule through fear and silence. His forgotten blood burns with the legacy of the Godslayers—beings once feared even by the divine. As he hunts corrupted gods and unearths shards of unimaginable power, Adrien evolves from a wandering enigma to a force capable of defying fate itself. Twisting through betrayal, hidden empires, and awakening legends, his journey is not just one of survival, but of reclaiming divinity to break the sky itself.