MTL - Heart of Empire - Chapter 257 Dead eyes

Zephany Draven is a shy, clumsy celebrity journalist who is constantly ridiculed for not getting the big scoops. She is soft-spoken and easily intimidated, so she looks weak. However, behind closed doors, she's Eclipse, an altogether tougher, loud-mouthed agent and quite ruthless and efficient.Kendrick Montclair is a gentle, positive artist who loves his family and remains optimistic despite his struggles. His gentle nature makes him easy to take advantage of. But secretly, he's Obscura, a cold, ruthless agent who is efficient and silent.Both work as partners in a secret organization that preserves hidden truths erased by governments, yet they remain completely unaware of each other's true identities.Their goal is to reach the highest level of clearance to access classified information. But just when they're on the verge of success, they fail.Then, a mysterious man appears with an offer—a contract marriage in exchange for the information they desperately seek. Trapped with no alternative, they sign the deal.But neither expected what would happen next.-------------Kendrick and Zephany sat by the glass wall, waiting for their food when a car suddenly crashed through. Kendrick pulled Zephany to safety just in time, but both got small cuts from the broken glass.“Are you okay?” they asked, checking each other.To their astonishment, the cuts healed before their eyes.Their minds raced. “Beside me, the only person I know who has that ability is.”“No! She can't be that loud, short-tempered woman!”“No! He can't be that silent, obnoxious man!”“Did I marry my secret partner in crime?” They both shuddered at the thought.

Content Warning:This novel contains mature themes, including explicit sexual content, strong language, and adult situations. It is intended for readers 18+ only. Reader discretion is advised.______________________________________________________________________Haruki thought marriage would bring him happiness. He had been in love with Satomi since high school, and after years of struggling together, they finally built a stable life. But stability came with a price.Satomi was always busy. Work became her priority, and Haruki… was left behind. The warmth of their relationship faded, and intimacy became a distant memory. Nights felt colder, the bed emptier—even when she was right beside him.Loneliness gnawed at him.Then everything changed when Satomi’s family invited him to stay at their luxurious home.That was the first time he truly saw her mother.Kyouko.Beautiful. Elegant. Younger-looking than her own daughter. And for the first time in years, Haruki felt something awaken inside him—something dangerous, something forbidden.Living under the same roof, two lonely souls cross paths. And as Haruki struggles with his emotions, one question lingers in his mind:What happens when the one who understands you most… is the one you should never desire?

Deceived into marriage, exploited for a lifetime as a nanny without pay, and finally beaten to death by her adoptive mother in front of her adoptive father's sickbed, Shen Mianmian's miserable life came to an end.When she opened her eyes again, she found herself back at fifteen. Shen Mianmian vowed to escape her past fate, punish her malicious cousin and adoptive mother, but accidentally shone too brightly in the process.The third-to-last student in school suddenly rose to the top, becoming the candidate fought over by prestigious universities, causing a sensation among all the teachers and students...While others were busy studying, Shen Mianmian was busy starting small businesses to make money...While others were preparing for the college entrance exams, Shen Mianmian purchased the two most notorious haunted houses in Beijing in one go... becoming an oddity in everyone's eyes, they mocked her that even if she had the fortune to buy them, she might not have the life to live in them.While others graduated and were busy looking for jobs, the haunted properties purchased by Shen Mianmian were requisitioned by the government, earning her a considerable amount of demolition compensation.Those who had mocked her couldn't help but slap themselves twice... inquiring everywhere where there might be haunted houses for sale.Shen Mianmian, originally needing to borrow money for tuition fees, used the demolition funds and leveraged her rebirth advantage to buy a suitable plot of land and built a rental building, transforming into a Beijing's wealthiest and most prosperous landlady...One day, Shen Mianmian, carrying a bag of keys and having just collected the rent, was dragged to the Civil Affairs Bureau.“Shen Mianmian, it's time for you to pay back what you owe me.”

The system: We must take the plot seriously!

Mo Fan: Ok.

The system: We cannot be OOC!

Mo Fan: Yes.

The system: We have to be cold. We must be ruthless. We cannot lose ourselves in this imaginary world.

Mo Fan: …no problem.

Not long after…

Mo Fan: System, can we talk? Hold my gong and take him away.

System: ……

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