Republic Reborn: Against the Stars and Stripes - Chapter 34: La Flor de Manila

“Darling, you are the moon that gave light in my darkest times.”

Giving up to find a man who could make her heart skip a beat and fall in love, Hailey Hillson accepted her best friend’s marriage proposal, and then she relented after hearing from another woman saying she couldn’t please a man in bed.

When it was just a week away from their wedding day, Bryan got back together with his ex-girlfriend Eva Lan. Hailey broke up with Bryan and called off their wedding.

But then, she discovered an interesting fact about Eva Lan—she is married.

‘Didn’t her husband know she cheated on him?’

After her heartbreak, Hailey focused on completing her life project. To achieve it, she went abroad where she came across the CEO of Shen Group Construction Firm, Vincent Lopez Shen, who offered her a contract later to pretend as his mistress to get his wife's attention.

As she has also had an ulterior motive, she signed it without thinking twice.

But what will happen after she lives with Vincent on one roof when he is Eva’s husband—the woman who destroys her relationship with Bryan?

Will Vincent find out her secret regarding her true identity? Would she find out the secret Vincent keeps that is related to her?

EXCERPT:

“Miss Eva Lan, why won’t you sign the divorce papers if you are happy with someone’s fiancé’s bed?”

Glancing at her with disbelief, Bryan turned his head to the woman inside his arm; he asked, “What the hell is this, Eva?”

Hailey cut in. Her words are a bomb to Bryan. “Oh, you didn’t know Miss Lan is a married woman, my dear ex-fiance?”

“You shut up! Don’t believe her, Bryan! She is just jealous of me because you love me over her!”

Hailey scoffed, a playful smile playing on her lips; before she could spout another word, the woman in front of her paled like a ghost.

“Vincent, what are you doing here?” Horror, panic, and shock linger on her face to see her husband appear out of nowhere and his arms wrapped around the girl’s waist.

Vince shoots a cold glare at his wife, which he feels no familiarity in between them.

He withdrew his gaze from the two people before them. He turned his head to the woman standing next to him, he looked at her with tenderness in his eyes, and with a loving tone, he asked her, “Darling, who upsets you? Tell me, and I will remove them from your sight in an instant.”

As her eyes flickered, her cheeks were flushing scarlet red. Hailey lifted her chin, then whispered, “Honey, Miss Lan bullied me. She said I couldn’t satisfy a man in bed. She told me, I didn’t know how to… do that….”

He contorted the corners of his mouth, Vince beamed. “That’s interesting.”

“What do you mean by that?” she pouted.

“What I’m trying to say is… Honestly, you are a fast learner. All you need is the right partner.”

“I was born as a princess in the most powerful lineage in the world… but that lineage is now on the verge of collapse.”In a kingdom where strength is everything, royal blood has long ceased to produce true powerhouses. Sects and clans are just waiting for our family to show weakness so they can tear us apart.But this lineage is not dead yet.He is still here.A being feared even by the strongest cultivators.The only reason this kingdom still stands.And me?If I want to survive in a world where only power matters… I must become a monster feared by all.

The Xie Family all studied law, possessing the fine qualities expected of a scholarly family. Xie Shang too had them: elegance, deep learning, a Fragrance Connoisseur versed in classics, also skilled in zither, chess, calligraphy, and painting.But he was mad, capable of reciting the scriptures while holding a Buddha statue, as well as breaking people's hand and foot bones, very gentle, yet very cruel.Xie Shang didn't become a lawyer but opened a pawnshop instead, where you could pawn anything as long as the story was compelling.One day, someone came to the pawnshop and told a story:In Fragrant City, there was a family with the surname Wen, where daughters took their mother's surname. The daughters of that family could cast spells, the kind that bewitched men, leaving their lovers either buried with them or taking vows of celibacy; in short, either dead or destined for a lonely life.Xie Shang's uncle had died in Fragrant City, which is why he accepted this particular pawning business.Bewitched, confused, thrilled, deeply in love, but love unattained, and a pain so intense it made life unbearable. — This was the script Xie Shang had prepared for the deaf boy Wen Changling.In the end, it was Xie Shang who ended up with this romance-addled script.Wen Changling: Are you surprised, Mr. Xie Shang?(This isn't a book transmigration story, it's a contemporary sweet romance. The 'script' in the book title implies deliberate plotting.)

Renji Kurozawa was just another nobody—until he died and was reincarnated in a world of swords and magic. Summoned alongside other “Chosen Heroes,” he hoped for a second chance at life.But his gift was different. “Death Claim”—the power to steal abilities from those he kills.Betrayed by his allies and left for dead, Renji embraces his dark power. With every enemy he slays, he grows stronger, turning from a forgotten outcast into the most feared force in the kingdom.Now, hunted as a villain and pursued by gods, Renji must carve his own path—one kill at a time.If fate wants a monster, he’ll give them one.