Reborn with Steve Stand - Chapter 18 - 17

Enemies to lovers? ✔️Villainous and possessive ML?✔️Fiery spirited FL?✔️Dark Romance?✔️Excerpt:“Wife?” Lady Karina repeated, almost shouting as if she'd misheard him.“I would not marry you even if you were the last man in this world,” she remarked with sweet venom, a poison Van Merikh would gladly drink. “You are a murderer and a thief. I do not want you!”“But I want you,” Van Merikh stated firmly, his dual-coloured gaze leaving no room for argument. “And that is where this conversation shall end, Lady.”Van Merikh threw open the door and practically dragged her to the base of the stairs that led to the upper floors. When she refused to mount the steps, he easily lifted her onto the first step and spanked her soundly on the bottom.“Go to your chambers,” he ordered softly.“This is not over,” Lady Karina growled. “I will fight you with the last breath in my body against this…this madness.”“Go, or you shall feel my hand on your backside again.”**************Magic as the world of Ethuaria knew it came from the distinct markings specific to each bloodline and nation that a person may or may have not been born with.It would appear at birth on different parts of the child's body, bringing about unique abilities passed down in their bloodline from mother to child.And for eighteen-year-old Lady Karina Hyacinth Reinhardt, life had always been one of comfort and peace with the secret abilities of her bloodline.As the beloved, yet sheltered, heiress of Moonveil Keep on the borders of the Kingdom of Caelthywn, she spent her days managing her father's lands and overseeing the affairs of their people, never knowing true hardship.War as she knew it was a distant nightmare that would never touch her.That was until Orpheus Van Merikh, the most feared warlord across the lands, invaded her home and seized it for his claims.Known as the devil himself, Van Merikh does not simply claim Moonveil for its riches, but also for the rumoured beasts that the Reinhardt bloodline conceals from the world.He will stop at nothing to have them.Thrown into captivity, Lady Karina expects cruelty, and Van Merikh, being the brute that he is, proves her expectations to be true.As a calculating and disciplined man who kills without hesitation yet protects what he claims, when one of his knights speaks ill of her, Orpheus cuts him down without hesitation.Lady Karina is his prize, but he would not allow others to dishonour her.However, she is not as obedient as one might think. Thus, determined to reclaim her freedom, Lady Karina refuses to cower as she challenges the enemy at every opportunity.Her defiance amuses Van Merikh, who spares her life due to her efficiencies in managing Moonveil Keep.Along the way, as they battle to find common ground, Van Merikh faces a rebellion among his own knights, who reject his growing attachment to her.They would have her dead before she warmed his bed.And oddly enough, Lady Karina finds herself charmed by the other merciful half of Van Merikh, but when her father returns to Moonveil at her request, much changes henceforth.Conspiracies arise and she soon slips out of Van Merikh's hold when he leaves for yet another conquest away from Moonveil.All hell would break loose when the beast from the depths would return upon Moonveil only to find his angel is gone.

When Jasmine’s fated mate Elliot rejects her for the Lycan Chairman’s daughter, she is left broken, humiliated and alone. To make matters worse, her father gets arrested for embezzlement, and Jasmine needs to raise ten million to release him.Desperate to save her father from a wrongful conviction, Jasmine takes the only job she can find—tutoring the bratty daughter of a rich werewolf family.But she never expected her employer to be the Lycan chairman himself: Gareth Laken. He is ruthless, dominant… and her ex-mate’s future father-in-law.Gareth thinks she’s a threat. A bitter ex-girlfriend out for revenge, waiting to harm his own daughter. But the more he watches her, the more he sees a woman refusing to be shattered by the world that betrayed her. A woman he can’t stop wanting, despite the huge age difference.Now, Jasmine is caught between two powerful men—one who destroyed her, and one who might destroy everything she has left to protect.Excerpt“You’re playing a dangerous game,” Gareth said, voice low, his towering frame just inches from mine.“I didn’t come here to play,” I shot back, even as my heart pounded. “But you should be asking Elliot why he keeps showing up at my door. I’m not the one chasing ghosts.”His eyes darkened, his gaze dropping to my lips. “He’s not the only one haunted by you.”I froze.I should have walked away.Instead, I whispered, “Then why do you look at me like you want to hate me and kiss me at the same time?”He didn’t answer.But his silence spoke louder than any lie.

JAYDEForged in the crucible of Xi Corporation’s labs, Jayde—once known only as SN1098—is a genetically engineered super soldier, her body honed to a razor's edge through decades of fighting humanity’s brutal wars. Her rebellion against her creators sparked a desperate battle for her people’s survival, only to end in betrayal and a fiery death on Crypso 3Q3U, her sacrifice shattering the corporate chains binding thousands of GESS lives. Yet death is not her end. Jayde awakens, impossibly, in the tortured body of a young girl on a strange world untouched by the technology she knew—no starships, no replicators, no blasters, only the primal pulse of magic. Bound to an ancient artifact pulsing with secrets, she must navigate a realm of powerful mages, mythical creatures, and lurking monsters, her old instincts clashing with the arcane forces now at her command. Her soul, scarred by battle and betrayal, carries a darkness that threatens to consume or redeem her as she carves a new path.RENRen, the fierce demon king, stands as the last bulwark against his race’s extinction, his heart a furnace of primal fury. To save his people and halt the malevolent Zartonesh’s invasion of the realms, he must venture to the Lower Realm, where the Devil Wars first ignited. His fate entwines with a young woman—Jayde—whose soul, steeped in shadow, stirs the ancient beast within him. Her vast, untamed power could be the key to salvation or the doom of all he fights for, her presence a spark to his fire, a bond that could forge or shatter destinies.AN EPIC JOURNEY OF MAGIC AND REDEMPTIONJayde trades her blaster for a sword, stepping alone into a universe where magic hums like a Centauri war-chant, guided only by a mysterious artifact that whispers of forgotten truths. She journeys across dimensions, learning the art of spellcraft, forging alliances with unlikely companions, and facing enemies born of myth and nightmare. As she grapples with the darkness within her soul—a remnant of her past life’s pain and betrayal—she searches for her true-mate, a bond that could anchor or unravel her. Will she master the magic of this strange world and rise as its savior, or will the shadows she carries bring ruin to all she holds dear?WARNING: This tale unfolds as a slow-burning romance, weaving love and loss through a tapestry of magic, sacrifice, and defiance, as Jayde’s legacy burns brighter than any star.

[System] + [Cub] + [Gourmet] + [Supporting Female Character] + [Livestream]

Shen Wei bound herself to a super kindergarten system and returned to her villainous childhood period.

The future computer genius who would destroy the world was currently just a stubborn little darling suffering from domestic violence.

The future renowned autistic painter who would later commit su*cide had not yet been mol*sted by her stepfather.

The future highly intelligent criminal with an antisocial personality disorder was currently fighting dogs for a meal—everything could still be remedied.

Shen Wei found each of these children one by one and brought them back to the kindergarten, nurturing them with care.

After going live on the internet, the kindergarten became a hit!

“Which kindergarten teaches high-level math and calculus?”

“The kindergarten cafeteria serves a full imperial feast for lunch? It’s still early, let me sleep a little longer.”

“Did I see that right? The kindergarten’s game room has the most advanced games on the market. Um, are they accepting 300-month-old babies?”

Before long, everyone flocked to it like a craze.

The once most high-end bilingual kindergarten in the city, which was previously deserted, now left the principal tossing and turning all night: “She must be insane!”