The CEO's Substitute Ex-Wife - Chapter 490: Rose Garden

# COZY # OMNIPOTENT # CHIEFASSISTANT

In her past life, Mo Ruyue was a top-notch assassin. She was as indifferent as an abyss, and had killed more people than she had fingers to count. In her new life, she became the vicious stepmother of five munchkins in a remote mountain valley, and they were terrified of her. In this life, she decided to change the way she lived. She only had four bare walls for a house? Her children starved to the point they were just skin and bones? No problem. She could kill wild boars with her bare hands, so food wasn’t an issue. She was also proficient in multiplication tables, and her kids instantly became big fans of hers. It had been a difficult journey to change from a vicious stepmother to a warm one. Then, her supposedly dead husband suddenly returned, now the first minister of the dynasty.“Let’s divorce. Give me the children, and I’ll return the money to you.” “I don’t lack anything, just you and the children.”

Li Qingming: “Uncle Master, lend me your Purple Gold Eight Trigram Furnace to study alchemy!”Taishang Laojun: “...”Li Qingming: “Master, lend me your Pangu Banner!”Yuanshi Tianzun: “...”Li Qingming: “Uncle Master, lend me your Zhou Xian Sword Array for research!”Tongtian Jiaozhu: “...”Sanqing: “Qingmingzi, return my Eight Trigram Furnace (Pangu Banner, Zhou Xian Four Swords and Formation Diagram)...”Li Qingming: “Waga ga, let me study for a million years, then I'll return them to you!”

“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.

[Earthlings! You have been summoned to participate in the Universe's Armageddon...][The first batch of beta testers are now being issued!][A total of 10 million spots have been issued!][You have been selected!]“What the F***” Arthur, a teenager in the slums shouted as he heard the global announcement.[Talent Awakening!][System...Error!][SSS Talent: Primordial Summoner]I was meant to summon a powerful primordial beast that would carry me all the way.So... why?“I SUMMONED A CAT!” He shouted, looking at the cute cat in front of him.By the time the game had merged with reality, Arthur already has dozens of legendary summons to aid him against the forces of evil.[You have summoned the SSS-Level “Primordial Dragon”!][You have extracted the SSS-Level Skill “Berserk”!]