Smiling Under Lanterns - Chapter 695 - 235 Fragrance_2

Fiona thought losing her mother was the worst pain she would ever feel.But six years later, life proved her wrong.Her father’s new wife turned her home into a prison. Beaten, blamed, and silenced, Fiona lived as the unwanted daughter—her voice ignored, her tears unnoticed, her happiness stolen. Every day was a fight to survive under the watchful eyes of a stepmother who seemed to take pleasure in her suffering.One night, after another cruel punishment, Fiona finally breaks. She escapes through her bedroom window with only a small bag, some hidden cash, and a heart full of fear.The streets are harsh and unknown, but fate leads her to a kind elderly woman who offers shelter—and a grandson, Mason, who seems cold and indifferent. Fiona thinks she has found safety… but life has other plans.Soon, another man enters her world. Gentle, patient, and perceptive, he offers her a deal, for her to be his engaged girlfriend to get his wealthy family off his back.For the first time, Fiona experiences kindness, love, and acceptance. But the shadows of her past are never far behind. Will she be able to embrace this new life and the love she deserves, or will her family’s control pull her back?Fiona must fight for herself, for freedom, and for the life she was always meant to live.

In a far-flung future where humanity has colonised the stars, evolution has taken a new leap. Powers once thought to be myths now lie dormant within the genes of every human, waiting to be awakened.The cosmos is governed by powerful factions, alien empires, and bio-enhanced elites.Those awakeners with unique abilities that could shape the fate of the galactic empire were called Overlords.Hex, a seemingly ordinary orphan who was born with a special physique, was withheld from graduation after defeating elite students who had awakened powers.Just as he thought his fate was sealed, on an unexpected day, he awakened his power.It was the ability to copy any talent or genetic ability, which was looked down upon by everyone on the list of superpowers due to a glaring weakness.The copied power wasn’t permanent.However, Hex’s ability had overcome that weakness.From physical strengthening to psychic control, from elemental manipulation to spatial distortion and even powers beyond imagination, he could copy them all.But such a gift comes at a cost.Once his secret was known, he would be hunted by empires, feared by Overlords, and sought after by secret societies. Hex would unknowingly become the most wanted entity in the galaxy.Thrown into an interstellar war, Hex must navigate political treachery, ruthless bounty hunters, and ancient forces that lie beyond known space in order to survive, as he builds his strength by mastering the powers of others.

She had always thought that he was a devil in human flesh. She feared him and hated him for the sins he committed but after seeing how much he changed to be a better person for her, it took her a great amount of courage to forgive him since by the time she found out the truth about him, she had already loved him. From being the worst husband and father to the best husband and father one can ever have. Lu Yifeng was given a second chance to correct every wrong deed he did. He was the man who destroyed their family and it took death to make him realize his wrongdoings. . . . . "Meilin, come here." She turned to her husband and smiled, "Mr. Lu, we are at work, didn't we already agreed to behave while we're here?" "I want to have an affair with my secretary." Lu Yifeng said calmly. "Can I?" Xia Meilin narrowed her eyes, "No." He stood up and walked toward her which made Xia Meilin take a few steps backward away from him when she saw the dangerous look on Lu Yifeng's eyes. She stopped when she felt the cold wall against her back. Lu Yifeng ended up cornering her. "I'm the President of this company, I do whatever I want to do, including having an affair with my secretary." Xia Meilin refused to back down that's why she ended up glaring at him. "Do you want to get beat up by your wife?" The side of his lips curled up into a smirk, "Will she now?" He cupped her chin and bowed his head to place a soft kiss on her lips. "Then stop acting as my secretary. You're my wife, it's your job to watch over your husband. If you want to have a salary, then I can give you all my money." A faint blush appeared on Xia Meilin's cheeks after she has been kissed by him. She pouted and turned her head away, "I just want to try how it feels to work as your secretary."

Julian D’Aurelius was never meant to live.In this world, villains exist for one reason—to fall. They scheme, they rise, they steal the spotlight… and then they die. Betrayed. Abandoned. Erased so the hero can shine.Julian knows this.Because he remembers every timeline.Every backstab waiting in the dark.Every “loyal” ally destined to sell him out.Every romance scripted to end in blood.The moment he awakens inside the body of the story’s doomed antagonist, he’s bound to the hidden Tyrant System—a cold, calculating force that demands one thing:If villains always die… then become the kind of villain fate cannot kill.So Julian reshapes himself.Cruel when necessary.Charming when useful.Untouchable when it matters.He plays the monster perfectly—while secretly tearing apart the threads of destiny from the shadows.But here’s the problem.The more he tries to distance himself from the female leads…The more they drift toward him.The innocent campus beauty.The sharp-tongued heiress.The aloof genius meant to stand beside the hero.One by one, the women who were supposed to orbit the protagonist begin circling Julian instead.And there’s something even more dangerous— All of them can hear his inner voice.Every cold calculation.Every sarcastic thought.Every hidden plan.All heroines hears it all.But Julian has no idea.This is an urban-fantasy battlefield of ambition, romance, power games, and fate rewritten. The protagonist is trying to avoid the heroines. The heroines? They’re slowly falling anyway.And the more Julian resists destiny…The more destiny seems obsessed with him.