The Lone Wanderer - Chapter 353: Crush

Tigers beget tigers, and lions beget lions. But not in this case.Mao Jin, the only son of the Dust Valley Sect Master, became the laughingstock of the sect due to his trashy talent.At eighteen, he was still stuck in the Mortal Rank-1 realm, with no hope of breaking through to the next stage.Even his parents had given up on him as a cultivator, wishing only for him to live a mortal life.However, everything changed when Mao Jin earned his first income. That was when he realized—what he truly needed wasn’t talent, but money.With money comes unparalleled talents.From a nobody to a visionary, watch as Mao Jin transforms the Dust Valley Sect into a thriving business hub while rising to power!

CONTENT WARNING:/This novel contains mature themes, explicit sexual content, strong language, and adult situations. Reader discretion is advised./---She ran from the devil who raised her…And married the one who wore a crown.After her parents’ tragic death, Lydia Andreyevna’s life became a nightmare. Stripped of her name, inheritance, and freedom by her uncle—Lord Alexander—she was treated like property and promised to a Count four times her age.Desperate to escape, she fled into the cold night… and straight into blood.A stranger. Wounded. Beautiful. Terrifying.She should’ve left him.But she didn’t.She touched him once—and fate branded her forever.Her uncle caught her the next morning. Her escape failed. But when she begged Queen Olga for protection, the Queen offered her a deadly bargain:Marry the masked Grand Duke of Zolotaria.The king’s hunting dog. The butcher of the East. The devil in a crown.The man feared by kings.The heir to the throne.The same man she once saved.Ivan Romanov.They say he bathes in blood. That he kills without blinking. That he conquered kingdoms with a smile behind a mask. That no one sees his face—and lives.Some call him the devil. Others call him Death’s favorite son.But behind the mask is the same man she found dying in the dark.The same voice that haunted her dreams.The same hands she once held.Now, he’s her husband.Her jailer.Her obsession.She doesn’t know if she’s his prisoner, or his weakness.Cold and untouchable, Ivan doesn’t share his bed. Doesn’t share his secrets. But she sees it—the hunger in his eyes. The pain in his silence. The way he looks at her like she’s the only thing keeping his demons at bay.She should fear him.She should hate him.But the moment she dares to take off his mask… it’s already too late.Because Ivan wants her—her fire, her body, her heart.And in his world, what he wants, he keeps.Even if it means burning down the kingdom.She thought she was running from hell.She ended up in his bed.And the most dangerous thing of all?She doesn’t want to leave.

Sara Falcone, the eldest daughter of the prestigious Falcone family, has always been bright, ambitious, and determined. Groomed to take over her father’s empire, she quickly rose to prominence as the company’s CEO, earning respect in the business world.But when Falcone Industries teeters on the brink of bankruptcy, her world begins to crumble.Desperate to save her family’s legacy, Sara turns to the last person she ever thought she would, her greatest rival, and once, her secret crush: Luca De Augustino.Cold, calculating, and infuriatingly powerful, Luca offers her a way out, but at a cost. In exchange for rescuing her company, she must agree to a contract marriage with him.Luca De Augustino, heir and CEO of the mighty Augustino Group, was raised to lead without compromise and to never bow to anyone. Yet there was one person who always challenged him, Sara. Years ago, when she confessed her feelings, he shattered her heart with cruel rejection.Seven long years have passed since that day, but fate brings them back together. Now, bound by a one-year contract marriage, Sara must navigate a dangerous game of pride, power, and unresolved emotions while Luca sees this as his chance to finally claim the one woman who once loved him.~~~~~“You think I'll help you just because you pathetically kneel in front of me!” Luca chuckled. “What happened to the woman who always held her head high in pride?”“If you don't want to help me, then just say so!” Sara raised her voice. Standing up, she turned to leave when Luca grasped her hand, thus making her turn to him.“Fine, I'll help you. But there's a condition,” Luca pronounced.“And what's this condition?” asked Sara.“Become Mrs. De Augustino. In short, marry me, Sara Falcone.”~~~~~*All the names and places used in the story have nothing to do with the reality. It's a fiction.*

On the distant Tianxiu Planet, there exists a group of unusual and intelligent beings. They consist of neither children nor elders. They have neither birth nor real death. They are born into the world through an extremely special process and have managed to keep their fundamental memories of survival through their endless reincarnations.

They are the Tianxiu people.

For every Tianxiu person, if they find someone they like and want to bind as partners with each other — then they would have to go through a life or death Adult Ceremony. The winner of the ceremony will become the absolute dominant in this spousal relationship.

While the defeated one will be referred to as — Qizi.

- Description from Novelupdates