The Artist Who Paints Dungeon - Chapter 59

Word went around that no one that had ever knocked on the esteemed Eleazar family’s doors seeking shelter were turned away.Fleeing the prince of Lustris no less, Arabella Sterling held out hope that those weren’t mere rumors as she crossed the border over to Umbraria, home to all creatures of the night. A land where noble blood like hers was a highly coveted delicacy.As such, she wasn’t turned away, but since the Eleazars ran no charity, Arabella was compelled to become the sole blood provider to the heir of the family in exchange for safety.Though never, in a million years, did she imagine that what had started as a simple trade off, could morph into a swirl of tangled passion when the cold and stoic vampire she served showed interest in the young woman beyond the crimson nectar coursing her veins.

Five years ago, Qiao Nian was schemed against by her sister, Qiao Xin. After spending a night with a stranger, Qiao Nian got pregnant. She did not know who the father of the child was, and eventually gave birth to a stillborn. Under the machinations of her mother and sister, Qiao Nian was stripped off of her shares in Qiao Group and sent to a mental hospital.Five years later, her younger sister, Qiao Xin, was going to be married off to the Second Young Master of the Gu family. He was rumored to be extremely ugly. On the day he was born, the doctor predicted that he would not live past twenty years old. Her mother could not bear to see Qiao Xin marry such a person and thought of Qiao Nian, who was still locked in the mental hospital. Overnight, Qiao Nian was taken out of the hospital to replace Qiao Xin in her marriage into the Gu family.Her mother said, “It's a good thing that Qiao Nian, this good-for-nothing, can replace Xin'er to be a living widow in the Gu family. If Xin'er were to marry into that family, I would be heartbroken.”Qiao Xin said, “Mom, don't say that about Sister. If it weren't for her, I wouldn't know what to do. I'm just worried that Sister wouldn't agree.”Her father said, “Xin'er, you're too kind. Have you forgotten how Qiao Nian slandered you five years ago? She has no self-restraint. She got pregnant before marriage and even gave birth to a stillborn child. We're treating her well enough by letting her marry someone from the prestigious Gu family! What right does she have to be picky?”Qiao Nian sneered. Back then, the scheme against her had only succeeded due to a freak combination of factors, causing her to suffer. She was going to get back at all of them! Everyone thought that her actions were borne from a combination of a loser's mentality and mental illness, but little did they know that this marriage would be a strong union as impactful as Mars crashing into Earth! Taking advantage of her brilliant skills in medicine, Qian Nian made various trashy people and scumbags eat their words. In the blink of an eye, her multiple identities shocked the world as each of them got exposed. It turned out that she was rich enough to rival a country!Later on, Second Young Master Gu placed a pair of Qiao Nian's miniature clones in front of her. Faced with these two children who resembled her and Gu Zhou, Qiao Nian blinked in shock. “When did I give birth to your children?”

When the First Wizarding War ended, and Lord Voldemort chased out Dumbledore from Hogwarts, he became the undisputed leader of the Wizarding World, cementing his rule as the new Minister of Magic. Yet everyone in power knew the war was far from over; it was now waged behind closed curtains and under the table. Behind the veil of secrecy, those still loyal to Dumbledore continued to fight, waging guerilla-like warfare against him and his forces, drawing in other countries' wizards and witches, opposing Voldemort and his plans to dominate all magic.The Anguine family, home of pure-blood wizards, part of Voldemort's new Ministry of Magic, were often tasked with confronting the Order of the Phoenix, raising their reputation year by year. Born into the Anguine family, Conrad just came to age, ready to attend Hogwarts to start his studies. He was excited to go to a school he had heard about from his father many times, but times have changed. It is not like in the old days. But who knows? One day, the school may return to what it was before the Era of Darkness.---- Author's Notes:Dear Readers! I'd like to welcome you to my first foray into writing fanfic and into doing a book from a first-person point of View. As to what to expect, let me give you more details so you won't be disappointed if it is not your cup of tea!- An alternate timeline: Voldemort killed the Potters and Harry as a baby. He never lost his body, thus winning the 1st Wizarding War.- Of course, a battle is still going on in the background, but that will only come later in the story.- Being in an alternate timeline, the dates may be a little bit off, but the story will mostly play out in the same time frame as the original.- Being an altered history, some main characters will not show up, and I mainly mean Harry, Ron, and Hermione. Or any of the Dumbledore supporting cast. (at least for a good portion of the story). For obvious reasons. If this is not what you want, please understand that I am going for a familiar yet different story than the original. I am taking inspiration from the original plot, but I am not planning mirroring it 1:1.- Of the returning characters, some may have altered personalities, although I will try my best to remain true to their book counterpart. But I will also think up ”what would they have done“ scenarios and modify their personality to match the alternative world we are in. I hope you will still enjoy it; that is my goal. To entertain you.- There is no transmigration, no isekai tropes, no reincarnation, no knowledge of in-lore events, none of that. The main character is someone who is born in-universe.

“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.