Guarding the River of Time - Chapter 22: He Is My Creditor

“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.

Ercella lived a glorious life everyone envied, but died of an illness at a young age.

Before her death, she regretted not having become a proper mother to her son.

But somehow, she went back three years ago.

Ercella is living her second life.

I promise to be a loving mother this time.

However, is it too late?

“Now that you’re doing this, you’re just making me feel uncomfortable.”

The son only pushes her away and she realises that her relationship with the husband, who she thought was fine before her regression, wasn’t actually…

Lin Yun's life is in shambles. As a widowed single father, he's struggling to connect with his teenage daughter, facing a midlife crisis, and battling a painful shoulder condition.But when he discovers his daughter is a magical girl - fighting monsters and saving the city in secret - he's forced to confront a whole new set of challenges.As he grapples with the dangers of her secret life, Lin Yun must also confront his own purpose and what truly matters to him.Will he be able to support his daughter while finding his own way forward in this heartwarming tale of family, love, and self-discovery?

In a world where everyone awakens a Trait to start their cultivation, Rhys's was considered a joke: he would never age.In a world that worships raw combat power, a Trait granting eternal youth was worthless. To his powerful family, Rhys was a talentless failure, a stain on their name. With disgust, they cast him out onto the streets, leaving him with nothing.Alone and powerless, Rhys's life was shattered when he was caught in the crossfire of a terrifying battle between two god-like cultivators.Mortally wounded and left to bleed out in an alley, he faced a lonely, pathetic end.But as Rhys's vision faded and his last breath drew near, a new power roared to life within him.[Lifespan Burning System Activated]Suddenly, his useless Trait became Rhys's greatest weapon. His infinite lifespan was now the ultimate fuel source.A divine martial art that takes a genius a hundred years to master?[Consume 100 years of lifespan. Skill comprehended to Maximum Level.]A fatal wound that no healer can mend?[Consume 10 years of lifespan. Body restored to peak condition.]An ancient, unreadable text holding the world's greatest secrets?[Consume 500 years of lifespan. All knowledge unlocked and understood.]From the brink of death, Rhys rises with a burning purpose.The world saw him as trash, but now he will trade his endless years for the strength to stand above all.(Posting this on RR under pen name Unnikuttan)