The Lazy King - Volume 2, Chapter 6: Irritum’s Vanagloria, Part 4: This is why Demons are…

Zong Shou woke up from a dream and realised that he had time traveled back ten thousand years, to an era before the God Emperor was had appeared in the world.

“No one looks at you. No one touches you. You’re a Whitehall now... And you’re mine.” Roman’s voice was a low, dangerous growl against her neck.She tilted her chin, meeting the predator in his eyes with her own cold fire. “I belong to no one, Roman, certainly not a beast in a jersey. If you want to claim me, you’ll have to do better than your father’s signature on a contract.”She spun her wheelchair to leave, but he was faster. His hand locked around her waist, dragging her back as his palm slammed against the wall beside her head.“Don’t you fucking dare me, Estelle.”—Estelle Rutledge was the Ice Queen of the Rutledge sports dynasty: national treasure, global brand, and the financial backbone of her family’s empire.Until one catastrophic crack on the ice shattered her career… and left her in a wheelchair.In the elite world of the one percent, a broken asset becomes a liability.With the Rutledge legacy collapsing under a mountain of debt, Estelle’s own mother did the unthinkable. She sold her daughter to the highest bidder, trading Estelle’s freedom for a check from Magnus Whitehall, the ruthless billionaire owner of a professional hockey empire.But Magnus didn’t buy Estelle for himself. He bought her to be his son’s leash.Roman Whitehall is the NHL’s most dangerous beast. A volatile heir with a scandal-soaked reputation and a temper that threatens the family’s billions. To the league’s board, he’s a loose cannon. To his father, he’s a problem that needs a wife to clean up his image.The command was simple: “Be the one thing he can’t avoid… or lose your legs.”Now Estelle is legally bound to a man who sees their marriage as a cage, and her as the bars holding him in. Roman believes she’s a fragile burden. Estelle thinks he’s a monster fueled by rage and secrets.But inside the Whitehall mansion, built on power, money, and lies, Estelle discovers a terrifying truth: she is not the first “Ice Queen” Magnus Whitehall has broken.Trapped in dynasty politics and a contract signed in blood, Estelle faces an impossible choice. Will she let the Whitehalls destroy what’s left of her… or join forces with the beast she hates most and burn their empire to the ground?Because even though she hates it, Roman Whitehall may be the only man who can help her stand again.Even if he has to break her first.

“Sarah, I promise to help you rise again, to bring back the light to your career and take down whoever shall stand in your way, but in exchange, be my wife” Mason whispered.“I... I appreciate your offer, Mason, but a contract marriage? Can we really keep it a secret?” Sarah returned reluctantly.In the aftermath of a heart-wrenching betrayal, Sarah Chen, the esteemed songstress of Wuhan, crosses paths with the Mason Liu. Heir to Asia's most influential dynasty, Mason, with promises of restoration and secrets, proposes a contract marriage to Sarah in exchange of helping her bounce back to her position as number one of Wuhan. As she hesitantly agrees, will Sarah find not only a path back to stardom but also an unexpected journey of love and self-discovery in Mason's perfect world?

Chen Zhao can summon demons and see Death.