MTL - Year of Herbs - Chapter 117 people who shouldn't exist

“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.

(WARNING: MATURE CONTENT AND DARK THEMES AHEAD)“Odessa...” His whisper brought me back to reality, causing me to flutter my eyelids as I brought my gaze back to his eyes. “Focus. Tell me to shove it in.”Argh, what's his fucking problem?We were having some fun and he's suddenly acting like he's all about consent?“Since when do you care about what I think?” I couldn't help but ask, arching an eyebrow.He stared at me for a good few seconds, forcing me to divert my gaze back to his dick.Yup... Still harder than a rock.“I don't.” He suddenly responded, causing me to clench my jaw as I brought my gaze back to his annoyingly attractive silver eyes. “If I wanted to, I'd simply tie you up without saying a thing and then fuck you until the entire pack hears you screaming my name. But...”He paused, his smirk turning into a grin as he brought his mouth to my ear and whispered. “... I want to see you beg for it. I want to see you grovel at my feet, pleading for the sweet release of me fucking you. The mate bond has heightened your sex drive, hon. And I'm the only one capable of taming it.”*****In a modern Earth torn by war between the werewolves and witches, the life of Odessa Pierce, the lowest ranking witch of her coven, is changed forever when her coven surrenders her to the Alpha King of the North American region himself to be his bride as a symbol of a “truce”.However, in a shocking twist, she discovers that she's mated to the ruthless Alpha King and now has to navigate her growing feelings for a man she thought she'd hate, while still trying to survive in a world that's out to eliminate her kind.As ancient prophecies and hidden agendas arise, will she be able to pierce through the dark veil clouding the Alpha King's heart and make him accept her? Or will their relationship ultimately crumble under the brunt of the hidden secrets and revelations that begin sprouting? And what will be her role in this never-ending war? Follow Odessa and Kaelos's story to find out.

In his first life as 'Caine Wilson', was the villain—ruthless, cunning, and very powerful.He played his part perfectly, crushing the so-called “protagonist” and parading his enemies, their families, and anyone who crossed him naked through the streets.He watched with glee as the “hero” lay broken, stripped of his dignity, before finally ending his pitiful existence.But just as Caine, thought he had finally won and secured his place at the top, 'Higher ups' intervened.A booming, ethereal voice—like the universe’s pissed-off judge—shook the skies:“You have violated the sacred code of villainy! The villain shall not win. The balance has been broken. Caine Wilson, the world hereby rejects you!”Before he could even enjoy his victory, his world blinked out, like a story whose writer just erased the last chapter in frustration.Everything went dark.And when he awoke, he wasn’t Caine Wilson anymore.He was 'Su Xiaobai', a nobody on 'White Cloud Star', a world of cultivation, martial arts, and endless struggle.But this time, things were different.He could feel it—he could see through the cracks of reality itself.He could break the fourth wall!He wasn’t just some reincarnated soul; he was a villain who had 'seen the system', who understood the game.And he was about to flip it upside down.

Growth cheats? Infinite magic power? The ability to utilize all archetypes? What’s the point if instant death ends everything with a single attack?

High school senior Yogiri Takatou was on a school field trip when he woke up to a dragon assaulting his sightseeing bus, with the only ones still on the bus being him and his female classmate, the panicking Tomochika Dannoura. Apparently the rest of his classmates had been given special powers by Sion, a woman who introduced herself as Sage, and escaped from the dragon, leaving those that hadn’t received any special powers behind as dragon bait.

And so Yogiri was thrown into a parallel universe full of danger, with no idea of what just happened. Likewise, Sion had no way of knowing just what kind of being she had summoned to her world.