I was a woman with everything that everyone wishes to have. Money, career, fame, perfect family and a perfect love partner. I was a woman who was about to get married in a perfect church wearing a perfect gown.

Now I'm just a woman who woke up with nothing left and no one can recognize me.

In the black, dreary night with little trickles of light beaming off of the buildings. In a pent house up above all the buildings in Shanghai City.
Ye Feng sat silently, holding a can of coffee, sipping it now and then while reading a gaming magazine 'Get In The Game'. Ye Feng felt a rush of joy and excitement as he flipped to the next page of the magazine.
He had been waiting for this particular moment for a while now. A time where a new MMORPG game would come out.
Ye Feng had ruled over and conquered many MMORPG games before. He commanded armies, fought in blood drenched wars, and had the world of the games in his hands. He was called the King Of MMORPG's; his name was feared throughout the world. Even more, he was the captain and founder of [Shield], one of the best gaming teams worldwide, with over five thousand members.
How did Ye Feng accomplish all of this?
Ten years of non-stop grinding.
Ten years of almost no sleep.
Ten years of non-stop blood shed.
The game was called Cultivation Online. Ye Feng had been looking forward to Cultivation Online for quite some time now. To be precise, almost two years after its teaser back in 2045. It was 2050 now. It had been a whole five years since the teaser, and now it was finally about to launch in just a few weeks.
Ye Feng skimmed through the magazine eagerly while planning world domination in his mind. He sucked in every drop of information, trying to find a way to become the best player with the little information the article gave.
Ye Fengs motives were simple.
1.) Become the highest level player quickly as possible.
2.) Maintain the highest level ranking.
3.) Form a guild with a lot of powerful people.
4.) Sabotage his guild and steal all of there items.
5.) Get rid of the items he doesn't need.
6.) Finally, take over the world of Cultivation Online!
This might have sounded easy in Ye Feng's head, but he knew it would take several years if not decades.
 At the bottom of the magazine a text read in bold letters "Demo available for students at Jìshù Tech University (J.T.U)." Ye Feng's eyes popped out of his sockets while his jaw dropped to the ground. J.T.U was the school Ye Feng went to. He could play the game before anybody else, gain a bunch of knowledge, take notes, have the advantage over people who hadn't tried the demo, then take over the world!
Ye Feng tapped his fingers together with a grin on his face.
"This is too good," Ye Feng cackled. He closed the magazine, still snickering, and went to lie in his California King Size Bed all to himself. He sank into the memory foam cushioning and dozed to sleep.
Early morning. As the sun was still rising.
Dingading! Dingading! Dingading! Dingading!
The alarm from his home assistant continuously rang.
Ye Feng grumbled, "Aerial, off!"
Ye Feng rose from his bed slowly. His hair was a mess and everything was blurry. He didn't have his glasses. He helplessly reached for his glasses on the nightstand next to his bed. He put on the glasses as everything slowly became more clear; the effects of yesterday's gaming still affected his eyesight.
Di! Di! Di!
"Ugh, what now?" Ye Feng grumbled as he snatched his phone off the nightstand without looking at who was calling him.
"Hello?"
"Yo, Ye Feng, its me, Yu Ya! Did you hear they are-" Ye Feng cut Yu Ya off.
"Letting students at J.T.U play the demo of Cultivation Online? Yeah, I heard."
"Then where are you? Don't you want to rule over Cultivation Online? The demo starts at eight o'clock sharp and there is already a huge line!"
Ye Feng's eyes widened in surprise.
"The demo starts that early?!"
"Yeah, you better get your butt over here!"
"Ok, ok, I'll get ready and head out."
"You havn't even gotten ready yet?! I'm slowly losing hope in you every day."
Ye Feng shot out of his bed and scavenged through his dresser for clothes.
"Don't worry, I'll be there ten minutes before, promise."
Ye Feng never kept his promises and was always late to everything, but when it came to games, he was always the first.
"Alright you better."
Beep!
Yu Ya cut the call before Ye Feng could say anything. He shook his head as he put some joggers on and ran over to his coat rack trying to pick out a coat while sliding his feet into his slip on's. Ye Feng darted out of his penthouse and was off.
As soon as Ye Feng arrived at the demoing tent set up right outside of the campus building. He saw a short and round figure standing in front of the tent. The dumpling like figure was pacing back and forth in nervousness; this person was Yu Ya. 
"Ye Feng, you are five minutes late. Fortunately, the sign up is still open, so lets hurry and sign up!" Yu Ya said anxiously pointing back at the tent after seeing Ye Feng.
Ye Feng nodded as they walked up to the registration booth tight next to the tent. Unfortunately, there was a long line for that too.
Yu Ya was Ye Feng's classmate that he had met in the 7th grade. She was shamed because of her weight, her clothing, how she lived in terrible circumstances, and last, her nerdiness, but Ye Feng saw something else in her rather than just some chubby nerd. They have been playing video games together for a long time and she was actually quit good at them. Thanks to her "nerdiness" she was a great ally with puzzles and dungeons and could keep everybody under their control, in line. She was considered to Ye Feng as a second-in-command leader in all they're games that they conquered together. Ye Feng would have not made it if it wasn't for her.
Ye Feng and Yu Ya finally got to the front of the booth and both signed the sheet.
Chapter 1 <Fin.>

"Would you say you are politically active? I am curious."

"No. No. I am a centrist and don't like to talk about politics. I sincerely don't know enough about it to have a concrete opinion. I would hate to have a misinformed opinion. Do you have an opinion on such things?" A fine example of a man with a good head on his shoulder. He didn't talk about things that he didn't know about. Katherine couldn't help but be secretly impressed by this new quality that had come out. Turns out, this conversation was far more productive than she had initially thought it was.

"I have my own ideas, but I think they are a little idealist and you will laugh at them. We'll have to revisit this topic on a later date when I have an opinion on this matter." In actuality, she wasn't as embarrassed about her ideas as she said she was. She knew that politics could spark discussions that led to fights and she didn't want any of that when it came to her beloved Ray. They might have different political beliefs but there was more to them than such fickle ideas about the world. "But I do like Obama as well. I know a lot of people give him slack for being so good at comedy, but I find the man extremely charming. I am now rethinking the answer I was about to give. I should invite him over and not the answer I am going to give." She was abashed.

"Now, now. Think about it. If we have two different answers, we could totally meet both the people we are going to invite over. Nothing is impossible." She threw her head back in laughter. 

"I love how you always assume that we will someday meet!" She joked.

"Honey, what's the use of falling in love if you don't meet?" he replied with an edge to his voice.

"I used to believe that one can't fall in love without meeting and that it takes a lot of time to fall," she sighed.

"But now you have been proved wrong, haven't you?" His voice was filled with amusement.

"Are you being cheeky, right now?" she asked, the same hint of humor in her voice. 

"Of course, love."

"Do you even want my answer?" she bit back.

"Give it to me."

"I want to invite Cage Cavanaugh to dinner." He sucked in a breath, but she didn't seem to notice the change in his behaviour. "I want to see my friends' faces when they see him enter. I am by far the most composed of them and am sure that I wouldn't react when I saw him but Lily is a nutjob. She would squeal. And Angelina? I am contemplating if I should tell you this story." And it was a tough one. She was in for sharing one of the most embarrassing stories about her friends that existed. She was conflicted about spewing such nonsense and scaring the man away, too. 

"Please do tell me. I would love to know." So, all three roommates were fans of his. Should he have been happy to hear that? Or scared?

"Mr. Cavanaugh did an interview during his promotion for 'Under the Stars' and Angelina inhaled the information. She found out that he plays some game that she does and searched high and low for him." He remembered that stupid game that was asking to make him the face of their brand, Detective Puzzles. "I think she found someone who unintentionally made her think that they were the actor and well… she now thinks she is in a secret online relationship with him." Cage started to cough and made no attempt to hide it. He couldn't even bring himself to laugh at the irony of the situation. One friend thought she was dating a star while the other remained oblivious that she was 'really' dating a star online. 

"I don't know whether I should laugh or cry, but I can tell that she won't listen to our warnings. She is set on what she wants." As are most women who confuse him for his characters.

"And you? Didn't you try to find your favorite actor?" he asked, his spidey senses flaring. What if she had tried to find him and had succeeded and now she was pretending like she didn't know? The horrifying thought left him with goosebumps.

"Did I tell you he was my favorite? Or did you assume?" She remained oblivious to his distress.

"You think he is the hottest man on the planet. How wouldn't I know that you like him the best?" He was testing her.

"That's not true. I like you the best," she said proudly. Within a second all his suspicions melted and he felt like he was turning into a pile of glue. How easy it was to convince him that she was the purest girl out there.

'No. No. She is my filthy little girl.' He thought proudly and grinned. 

"Now 'you' are being cheesy. Do you know that?" His voice was warm and fuzzy and she could hear it. She smiled as she answered.

"Yes. And no, I didn't try to search for him. It's not my place to invade his privacy. Moreover, I am not stupid enough to think that I would somehow find him among the barrages of people who tried. I don't think my luck would be that great."

He threw his head back in laughter. Oh, to think she would still not be able to figure it out and be so oblivious when he had let her hear his real voice. But he had to admit, his voice on the microphone was very different from what it sounded on television. He couldn't fault her for being a rational human being who knew the possibility of her finding a celebrity was close to zero percent. But she was… she was talking to him, dammit and he would soon have to reveal himself.

"And what would happen if you did find him on the internet? And you could speak to him?" He couldn't help but tease her a little.


[COMPLETED] [WARNING: MATURE CONTENT] "We could be louder," he whispered in a raspy voice. She shook with need and was about to turn when he clucked his tongue. "Ah, ah, ah, don't do that. I'll see you later, little girl." And with that, he vanished. 

- - - - 

Cage was at the top of the world: the emperor of the film industry. But it is truly lonely at the top. Surrounded by staff members who want him to work to his bones and no one to lean on, Cage turns to gaming. In such dire times, he stumbles across a mysterious female gamer who leaves him speechless and aroused at the same time. 

Graphic designer and fangirl extraordinaire, Katherine, finds a gamer who outshines her. In this world there was someone like this? All she can do is acknowledge his brilliance. [Take my bow, Senpai. You have eaten my gold.] But why does this message sound so… provocative? 

A series of lecherous conversations turn into something deeper, until one day the two fall irrevocably in love with each other. “Hey, let’s fall in love...” Follow them as they traverse through life and the hardships that are thrown at them. Who knows, maybe us single dogs can learn a thing or two. 

- - - - - 

"My little loli likes to watch? What a naughty little girl." She was embarrassed that she was caught and mortified by the voice of the man she recognized as ‘him’. What was he doing here? She started to turn around, but he grasped her shoulder so she couldn't move. 

"No, let's watch." His breath was at her ear, fire lapping at her nerves, singeing and burning her insides, making a pleasant feeling erupt in her stomach. His arm snaked around her shoulder and grabbed her hand while his other hand slid down to her sides until it rested on her hip. He was not pressing himself into her, but she felt completely engulfed by him. She knew she should scream, or stomp on his foot, but all she could do was listen to his breathing escalate as his thumb rubbed her shoulder, putting her in a stupor. 

She thought she heard him sniff her hair and his lips lightly grazed her ears as he whispered. "Don't miss the show because of me, little girl." 

Her eyes flickered back to the couple in the car, and she let out a whimper as she saw the man pull at the woman's hair, baring her beck to him, inviting his mouth to lick and suck. She felt ‘him’ close the gap between them, his hard body pressed up against hers, his arms tightly holding her. There was no mistaking what she felt on her lower back and she closed her eyes in delight.

- - - - -

Read my other works: 
1. Cornered by the CEO - Complete
2. Autopsy of a Mind - Complete
3. The Story of Blood and Roses - Complete 
4. Phoenix in the Moonlight - Hiatus

Story Discord: https://discord.gg/bG7YsaRRbs

Author Instagram: @sunscar9

"AH!"
Qiao Liang was taken aback. His eyes involuntarily looked at the black clothes that suddenly appeared but at the same time, the entire mirror broke with a loud bam—!
Qiao Liang was really scared this time. He even leaned back involuntarily and almost toppled onto the bed behind him with the chair.
The mirror inside was already broken when he looked at the screen again, revealing the darkness behind the mirror.
A line of numbers in bright blood-red appeared in the right corner. 10:00.
This line of words quickly became 9:59, which seemed to indicate that the game could only be played again in another 10 minutes.
Qiao Liang was slightly shocked, but he calmed down in no time.
"It seemed like this step is purely to test the psychological quality of a person. You must start at the center of the mirror without drifting away. Otherwise, you'll fail immediately…
"Alright, I'll train hard now and try to succeed in one shot 10 minutes later!"
Qiao Liang was full of motivation at that instant. He realized that all puzzles set by Boss Pei should be successfully solved as long as he passed this test!
… 
One hour later…
Qiao Liang stared at himself in the mirror, and a bloody ghost floating in the air had stretched out its bloody hand and was about to touch his neck…
Qiao Liang felt his heart thumping very loudly, but he still gritted his teeth and stared at his eyes in the mirror, using his will to force his eyes to remain motionless. 
That terrifying ghost, which was always wandering around the mirror, was constantly using all sorts of ways to attract Qiao Liang's attention.
Finally, it seemed to have completely lost his patience, came to the center of the screen, opened its huge mouth, and let out a shriek towards Qiao Liang!
Qiao Liang was pretty smart, he did not turn on the sound of the speaker so he could not hear the sound. However, the scene that appeared in front of him was enough to make his heart race like crazy!
However, a whirlpool suddenly appeared in the mirror, sucking the ghost in!
This ghost seemed to be constantly struggling. However, there was no avail as it quickly disappeared in the mirror.
A line of bloody words appeared in the mirror. "Congratulations, the first guest of Thriller Hostel!"
He clicked randomly with his mouse and exited this program. The invalid buy button lit up on the 'Be Quiet' page which meant that Qiao Liang could finally spend money buying the game!
Qiao Liang was so moved that he was nearly in tears.
That was tough! How could it be so tough to buy a game in this era?!
However, that was all worth it since he was the first player of Be Quiet!
"I have to share this news immediately with others!"
Qiao Liang opened his fan group and shared the solution to the last puzzle excitedly with his fans.
… 
At the same time, Pei Qian spat out two words slowly after sitting in the office for some time.
"The f*ck…" 
A chill ran down Pei Qian's back seeing the eye-catching number '1' on the backend of the Be Quiet purchase counter. It was still solved in the end. A puzzle he thought could last for one month only lasted until the 11th! Not even half a month! 
"Sigh, my previous estimate was still too optimistic. It is really impossible to trap players for a month with a puzzle of this difficulty. However, that did not mean there was no use at all. It's still alright."
Pei Qian knew very well that this puzzle had been completely solved since the first buyer showed up. As long as this person shared his experience, more people would be able to receive the invitation and purchase.
However, even so, there were still barriers to purchase!
Pei Qian set the price of The Lonely Desert Road and Game Designer as free and then silently followed the changes in sales. His mode of operating was the most optimal under the strict restrictions of the system.
In layman's terms, the difficulty in solving puzzles and the restrictions of everyone buying the game was different.
Finding clues, solving puzzles, etc., involved the players. Once someone solved the puzzle, everyone could continue to study the next step. The difficulty would naturally be set higher.
The game itself would have a purchase threshold even after knowing and understanding how to solve the puzzle.
The players must drive a car in The Lonely Desert Road for a while, personally reach the 'Game Designer' ending in Game Designer, then go to the TPDb website to search for 'Thriller Hostel', enter one's own account password, enter the dynamic code into the bloody handprint of the game, complete the eye-tracking mirror challenge before one could purchase the game. 
That was the highest threshold allowed by the system and could not be higher.
Of course, Pei Qian had nothing to be dissatisfied with. This threshold could help him to screen out numerous players.
There was also Pei Qian's attempt to make The Lonely Desert Road and Game Designer free. It seemed to be creating convenience for the players, but in fact, it was to make less money.
Pei Qian found that the system allowed the games to be completely free, but the requirements were more demanding.
It had to be a standalone game.
It must have been officially on sale for more than 10 months.
The revenue from last month must have fallen to one-fifth of the revenue when the game first went on sale.
The system would only allow the game to be free based on these three conditions. The Lonely Desert Road and Game Designer happened to meet this condition so Pei Qian was able to make them free.
He did not even need to consider web games like the Ocean Stronghold.
Repent and be Saved had been released for 10 months, but it was very difficult for its monthly revenue to drop to one-fifth of its starting revenue. This game was more durable, and there seemed to be an endless stream of newcomer players interested in masochism.
In short, the puzzle might be solved, but the purchase threshold was still there. It could help Pei Qian make a lot less money, at least in this settlement cycle.
Pei Qian turned off the platform and thought some time about the sales volume growth and what countermeasures to be taken.
The most important thing right now was…
He would first take a look at the pre-sales situation of the OTTO E1 cell phone before sending money to Lu Mingliang and Chang You!
Two days had passed from the opening of reservations on Thursday. The reservation for OTTO E1 cell phones increased to 4,728. It might still be increasing, but it has been extremely slow.
Pei Qian was very happy that the situation was not that much different from what he had previously estimated to be. The number would be capped at 5,000 by the time they had reached Sunday. It was absolutely impossible to go any higher.
Pei Qian decided to give 5 million yuan to Lu Mingliang to open up more Upwind Courier stations in Lincheng and the remaining 20 million yuan to Chang You to let him stock another 5,000 units from the original 4,000 units.
If the 5,000 cell phones could be sold, the remaining money would be used to stock up. There would then be a backlog of about 13,000 cell phones in the warehouse.
This money would then be staying happily in the warehouse until the next settlement cycle. Perfect!
… 
Pei Qian leaned on the chair and let Assistant Xin arrange everything. He could finally rest a little. He turned on the computer and casually looked at the comments of the netizens towards Be Quiet and the OTTO E1 phone.
The solution to the puzzle had been completely revealed. Posts on how to purchase the game had been spread everywhere. However, there was a clear polarization between players' comments. There were even quarrels online.
"Crazy, you can't even buy the game even if you solve the puzzles. Why did you have to make such a complicated pre-step? Are they crazy?"
"That is, that you even have to bear the brunt of the producers' emotions even though you are paying for the game! Tengda Games is really awesome, ah? They don't even give any face!"
"I still don't quite understand what the purpose of this ARG[1] is. I purely wanted to experience the game, no in solving the puzzle!"
"That's right, I definitely won't buy it. I'll just sit here and wait for this game to fail!"
"…who do you think you are? Do you think Tengda cares about this? They started this ARG and set the purchase threshold to screen out no-brainers like you."
"You can go and play a no-brainer shooting game like Ocean Stronghold. It's not like Tengda Games doesn't have any other games that do not suit you."
"This ARG is very interesting. I might not be able to solve it, but I'm so excited about watching the big boss solve them online every day!"
"This ARG, as well as the last step with the eye-tracking game, really amazed me. I feel that it's really worth it! This is equivalent to a large-scale, multiplayer free brain-burning game. It's equivalent to buy-one-get-free for the Be Quiet game. What's not enough?
"Moreover, Tengda made The Lonely Desert Road and Game Designer free, they have a conscience!"
People on both sides argued hard.
Pei Qian was not interested in the content of their argument. He only cared about how many people were dissatisfied with the game Be Quiet, which could reduce the game's revenue this month.
He then saw what the netizens said about the OTTO E1 phone. They were basically in a polarized state as well. However, the people who supported this phone were obviously in a weak position.
The reason was simple, there were too few quantities sold!
Only about 3,000 units of this phone had been sold so far. Even if they were satisfied with the cell phone, there were only 3,000 users. Some of them might not even discuss this online.
A larger proportion of users were actually questioning the brand, quality control, stocks, etc. Many believed that this cell phone was made by speculation and whether the specific value was worth buying or not.
Pei Qian was very satisfied with this. You just wait and see, you have to insist on your own judgment and don't buy it!
Finally, Pei Qian took out his cell phone and glanced at Gou Yan.
On the 18th day of Tomorrow is Beautiful with a box office of 4.184 million yuan today and an estimated box office of 225 million yuan!
Tomorrow is Beautiful ranked second in the box office. The first place was given to the domestic film that was released just two days ago.
Pei Qian held his forehead with this hand, his face full of pain.
Why did the estimated box office increase significantly?! That meant that the stamina of the movie was very strong. People probably went to watch it twice or thrice.
This was very bad news for Pei Qian. Pei Qian would earn a few million yuan more if the box office of this movie improved even a little.
What evil!
Pei Qian swiped to the right subconsciously, wanting to view the lineup tomorrow.
However, under the presale column, Tomorrow is Beautiful which originally occupied the second place, directly squeezed to the third place. The first place was an upcoming American blockbuster!
Pei Qian's eyes lit up.
My savior!
Great, the box office would definitely not reach 225 million yuan! Bro, why didn't you release half a month earlier?
[1] 'ARG' stands for Alternate Reality Game, a game that makes use of the real world as a platform to be altered by the player's choices.


I really just want to lose money! T_T
Best boss ever, prodigy of the business world, genius creator, visionary of the century.
These are the descriptions used for Pei Qian, President of Tengda Corporation.
Ever since his rebirth, Pei Qian finds himself in possession of a system that rewards him if he manages to lose money.
Instantly, a brilliant idea comes to mind — making crappy games!
"If the game flops, all my investment cost will be lost!"
"How difficult can it be to lose money?"
Indeed... how difficult can it be?
------------------------------------------------------------
This book is highly popular in China and has set off a new trend. Webnovel has very high expectations for this book and has gotten the author to refine the first chapter as an exclusive for global readers. We hope everyone will enjoy reading it.

Levi walked into 7 Eastbourne that late afternoon; upon his entrance in the small building's main door, he immediately heard Mrs. Hudson's familiar voice. His brows furrowed in both annoyance and curiosity; she was laughing, as to why he doesn't know. But in his opinion, it sounded like she was torturing their neighbor's corgis. But what caught his interest most was the fact that her laughter was coming from HIS flat upstairs. 
He shook his head for a moment and turned right to enter the agency door; his eyes landed on the boys. All of them sat on their desks with either writing on files or talking to someone through the phone. Their brows furrowed in concentration; everyone was busy. To the slicked blond, that was a good sign; money was coming in thanks to the leprechaun gods. He and Marco had even been considering employing a new person to help with the boys' work. Hopefully, it will help lighten the load on each of them.
However, as fortunate as they were that clients kept coming to their door, it was unfortunate for the Irishman that cases he considered interesting were rare. And he had to depend on Davies' cases for mental entertainment. Levi turned to Mike, "I'll be upstairs. Call me if you need me." he said, earning a curt nod, and he exited back out of the door and climbed up to his flat.
COnfirming that the laughing was coming from his flat, his eyes narrowed at the door, and he entered. Eyes rested on his housekeeper and a woman in her late 70's. The two older women were seated on his sofa and having tea. 
Mrs. Whitehall turned to the door when she heard it swing open, and she smiled. "Levi, wonderful you're back," she said, a cup of tea in hand. The Irishman shrugged his coat, ignoring his housekeeper; he was not in the mood for company.
He turned impassively to look at Mrs. Whitehall and the stranger in his living room. He was about to utter "Do Tea parties in your flat, Mrs. Whitehall!" when the flabby old woman recognized the annoyed look on his face and interrupted him by saying, "This is Mrs. Murdoch." and she shot him a warning look. Levi closed his mouth immediately, and he froze on his spot before he started an ungraceful rant.
His hazel eyes studied the woman sitting on his couch, graying shoulder-length hair. She had a hand of a gardener and the stature of an Orchestra player--Piano. He could tell she was in her late 70's. She was old, too old to be Jason Murdoch's wife if he even had any. He frowned; he'd seen that woman before, but where?
His brain raced for an answer, then it hit him, a photo flashing in his mind, a picture on Sam's office table. The redhead was wearing a toga in her teens, smiling with a woman and a man in their 50's. Behind them was Caltech's Millikan building.
"Sam's grandmother." Levi and Mrs. Whitehall said in unison.
Monica Murdoch smiled up at the tall Irishman; she found him too posh-looking for her taste, yet undeniably handsome. He had a set of full blond hair and a striking set of eyes, and a chiseled jaw. He had a good posture in him, which the older woman found attractive.
Levi extended his hand to Monica, which she took happily, "Levi Jackson, pleasure." He said, giving her his signature smile. His day just got interesting, he thought. 
Monica smiled at him, "I know, it's good to meet you finally. Monica Murdoch, Sammy's grandma." She said, smiling, a smile that reminded him of Sam's.
As intrigued as he was that the woman was there, Levi silently wondered what she was doing there in the first place. Based on the small luggage sitting on the corner of his living room, the older woman recently arrived straight from LA.
Levi sat and accepted the tea Mrs. Whitehall offered, and the two shared trivial pleasantries. And when Mrs. Hudson excused herself, the slicked blond turned to look at the woman sitting across him, "How can I be of assistance, Mrs. Murdoch?" he asked, feigning more interest than usual. He knew she came there for a reason.
"Just Monica or Nana, Dear. No need to be so formal--you are dating my granddaughter after all", the woman spoke gently, earning a wide smile from the slicked blond. How could he forget, yes, he was 'dating' the redhead--something he plots to make a reality, and he reckoned that making sure her grandmother felt welcome would help his case. 
Subconsciously the Irishman took notes on the woman; something was calming about her presence. It was the fact that the words that came out of her mouth were filled with confidence; she didn't fumble with her words or think her thoughts over. Making Levi believe she was as blunt as they come.
"Monica, then," Levi replied, smiling. Causing the older woman to laugh gently amused at his response, she found him earnest, even though he wore a constant smile on his face.
Monica explained that she planned on surprising Sam, and she thought she'd show up in her boyfriend's apartment--knowing full well of the 'couple's' Saturday date night from none other than Elle Hart.
Mrs. Whitehall returned minutes later, and the two older women shared stories while Levi sat at his desk, reading through some of his emails. Hoping he'd receive something exciting. 
"It was only a few years later when she moved in with us that my late husband and I noticed that Sammy was not a normal child. She would do jigsaw puzzles inverted - assembling the brown cardboard shapes without the pictures - because it was more challenging." Monica shared while Levi sat quietly, listening secretly at their conversation--which was unlike him. Childhood stories are useless information, yet he absorbed and imagined it, even comparing it with his own, and collecting more blocks for her psychological profile in his mind.
Monica continued with her story, happy to have someone to share stories about her beloved granddaughter. "In fact, for every game she played, she compulsively invented new rules, usually coherent, and entertaining -- which her Doctor assured was normal with other very bright children." Mrs. Whitehall listened attentively while she chewed on some biscuits.
"She would arrange sponge numbers--later my late husband figured out to actually be a mathematical formula. She memorized statistics and had shown great musical talent--" Monica continued sighing at the memory, and she smiled sadly at Mrs. Whitehall. "I secretly wished for her to be more like me--but then, she took after her grandfather who was a Doctor himself," she added. Her two boys, Jason and Christian, were both geniuses. Both grew up successful in their own chosen fields; sadly, both also died young.
"For a few weeks, we put her on the computer to watch Tom &Jerry because we didn't have a kids channel at the time," Monica said, smiling at the memory. "When we came back to her, we found she was navigating around the website. At first, we thought she was just clicking on the pictures that she liked, but we realized she had taught herself to read the text and follow instructions."
Monica enthusiastically shared her tales of Sam, and Mrs. Whitehall listened commenting once in a while--with under an hour, the two older women seemed to be best of friends. While Levi started to tune in and out of their conversation as she read the news online, hoping to find something intriguing, a serial murder perhaps.
"And she had these unusual hobbies--insects, dead frogs--even begging to be her grandfather's assistant in the clinic. We thought she wanted to be a doctor and save lives; only she actually wanted to memorize human anatomy. My late husband was ecstatic when she confessed she wanted to be a Forensic Pathologist", Monica said, slightly saddened at the memory. She was only 8, and she imagined herself cutting corpses open. Her tone caught the slicked blond's attention.
"You didn't approve," he commented from his seat, causing the two older women to turn to him--since he hadn't spoken a word for the past half hour. 
Monica looked at Levi, "I wanted her to be just like us, normal..." Monica admitted, causing Levi's eyes to narrow in annoyance. He didn't like normal; normal to him was an insult, and so, he opened his mouth to utter some type of comment, 'dull' 'boring' or 'how predictable.' But she continued to speak, "But she wasn't...normal." she said, a smile tugging in her lips. 
And her eyes glinted with pride and joy in them, "She was extraordinary." She expressed proudly. 
Levi leaned back to his chair, thinking, 'she's not so bad.'
"It was only a few years later when she moved in with us that my late husband and I noticed that Sammy was not a normal child. She would do jigsaw puzzles inverted - assembling the brown cardboard shapes without the pictures - because it was more challenging." Monica shared while Levi sat quietly, listening secretly at their conversation--which was unlike him. Childhood stories are useless information, yet he absorbed and imagined it, even comparing it with his own, and collecting more blocks for her psychological profile in his mind.
Monica continued with her story, happy to have someone to share stories about her beloved granddaughter. "In fact, for every game she played, she compulsively invented new rules, usually coherent, and entertaining -- which her Doctor assured was normal with other very bright children." Mrs. Whitehall listened attentively while she chewed on some biscuits.
"She would arrange sponge numbers--later my late husband figured out to actually be a mathematical formula. She memorized statistics and had shown great musical talent--" Monica continued sighing at the memory, and she smiled sadly at Mrs. Whitehall. "I secretly wished for her to be more like me--but then, she took after her grandfather who was a Doctor himself," she added. Her two boys, Jason and Christian, were both geniuses. Both grew up successful in their own chosen fields; sadly, both also died young.
"For a few weeks, we put her on the computer to watch Tom &Jerry because we didn't have a kids channel at the time," Monica said, smiling at the memory. "When we came back to her, we found she was navigating around the website. At first, we thought she was just clicking on the pictures that she liked, but we realized she had taught herself to read the text and follow instructions."
Monica enthusiastically shared her tales of Sam, and Mrs. Whitehall listened commenting once in a while--with under an hour, the two older women seemed to be best of friends. While Levi started to tune in and out of their conversation as she read the news online, hoping to find something intriguing, a serial murder perhaps.
"And she had these unusual hobbies--insects, dead frogs--even begging to be her grandfather's assistant in the clinic. We thought she wanted to be a doctor and save lives; only she actually wanted to memorize human anatomy. My late husband was ecstatic when she confessed she wanted to be a Forensic Pathologist", Monica said, slightly saddened at the memory. She was only 8, and she imagined herself cutting corpses open. Her tone caught the slicked blond's attention.
"You didn't approve," he commented from his seat, causing the two older women to turn to him--since he hadn't spoken a word for the past half hour. 
Monica looked at Levi, "I wanted her to be just like us, normal..." Monica admitted, causing Levi's eyes to narrow in annoyance. He didn't like 'normal'; Normal to him was an insult, and so, he opened his mouth to utter some type of comment, 'dull' 'boring' or 'how predictable.' But she continued to speak, "But she wasn't...normal." she said, a smile tugging in her lips. 
And her eyes glinted with pride and joy in them, "She was extraordinary." She expressed proudly. 
Levi leaned back to his chair, thinking, 'she's not so bad.'


Levi Jackson is a brilliant criminal psychologist with a knack for reading people. He uses his twisted genius in making a name for his private detective agency ‘Jackson Detectives’ with the business motto of "No case is too insignificant, as long as you're willing to pay."

Presented with the case of a missing accountant, he is forced to seek the help of Guy’s Hospital resident genius, and Director of Forensics, Dr. Sam Gray.


Join them in their adventure in solving different crimes and pissing people off along the way. 

........



Disclaimer:

(Please note that I do not own the cover art; it was created using canva app. Should this be yours, I'll gladly remove it upon request.)
 


IG:https://www.instagram.com/vanlauredel/
discord: https://discord.gg/ppNn947

Kurt left with a wooden face, like a statue.
Sophia had some sympathy for the boy. He must be frightened. After all, accidents like being robbed were really terrible.
She turned to Adam, who looked a little frightened and had no idea what was going to happen next. Especially when his eyes turned to the boy who was still lying in the corner and could not stand up, he felt the hair all over his body stand up.
"Here you are." Sophia took out the money from her school bag.
The thick tart of money was roughly wrapped up by her in a few sheets of paper. Judging by the thickness, it was about five thousand dollars.
Adam's hand trembled. He was stunned for a long time before slowly reaching for the money. He still couldn't believe his eyes.
Instead of hitting him, Sophia sent him money?
"Kevin gives it to you." Sophia said slowly, "Anyway, he thinks of you as his brother. Your mother may be in jail for a year. If you don't squander the money, it will support you until she gets out of prison."
Adam looked down at the money in his hand.
After the kidnapping, he thought Kevin would resent him and his mother. But he didn't expect that Kevin would worry about his life and ask Sophia to send money to him.
Thinking of what he had done to Kevin, he found the money in his hand so hot that he could almost not bear it.
Sophia saw Adam's eyes turn red, knowing that he might be touched. "Keep it. Don't lose it. I've done what I promised Kevin. I have to go," she smiled.
Adam put the money in his school bag and watched Sophia leave by bike until her figure disappeared at the end of the alley, sighing and turning away.
***
The online debate over whether "Knowing A Person" was hype, fraud went on for days. Fans and discommenders had gone from argument to scolding, causing Sophia's blog to fall.
Sophia didn't care about it. To her, "Knowing A Person" was just an account where she shared Mitch's life with his fans. Since Mitch wasn't with her, this blog didn't matter much to her.
Fans believed that a test would be enough to know whether KAP could do Sudoku. Amelia could give a sudoku puzzle to see if KAP could work it out. They believed that KAP was by no means the kind of person who coveted a false reputation.
However, discommenders said that sudoku puzzles could be worked out on the computer in less than one minute, and KAP could use a computer program to work it out, so nothing could be verified. The only way was for KAP to show up in person and test on the spot.
When it came to the real person, discommenders began to question whether KAP was, as it said on the blog, a girl. Perhaps… it was a stingy man.
The fans were furious. That was so unreasonable. Why did these discommenders always have excuses? If KAP refused to show up, there was no way to verify whether she could do Sudoku or not.
In response to the question of the chess tournament, discommenders proposed to verify whether "M378" was Mitch Watson.
But fans didn't agree. As fans of KAP, they knew KAP never said "M378" was Mitch Watson. It was just a speculation online. Even if it turned out that "M378" was not Mitch Watson. No one should blame KAP.
However, for the identity of Mitch, there was clear evidence on the Internet.
Diana and Henry posted a series of photos about Mitch as well as records of Diana stay in hospital to prove that the story of Mitch was true.
Diana also wrote a follow-up story about Mitch that people didn't know, sharing the story between her and Henry.
A love story led by a guide dog instantly became a hot topic on the Internet. No one thought that Mitch had such a strange experience.
Instagram, Facebook, and other social platforms retweeted the story of Mitch. Netizens said that they believed in love again.
After that, fans of Mitch had become fans of KAP, which increased millions of followers of KAP in a few days.
The addition of new fans immediately put the discommenders at a disadvantage.
Just then, Diana released an eye-popping message.
Mitch's current owner was just Mitch Watson, who was in the country.
After knowing that, Netizens were shocked.
The guy who fed Mitch into a ball was Watson?
If so, he must know KAP.
"M378" might be Watson.
***
Amelia was displeased to see the instant transformation of public opinion on the Internet.
Her defamation of KAP was a way of trying to get popular. She studied Sudoku so hard and got an international ranking. It was more than a decade of hard work. But few people followed her on the Internet, and she had only thousands of followers.
But this KAP hired some Internet water army to hype the topic of chess, and then posted a few pictures of a dog, which unexpectedly became popular.
She felt unfair and got upset when she saw KAP dare to issue the message about Sudoku.
It was a challenge.
She had to admire KAP's marketing means. Within a few days, KAP made up a love story about a guide dog and got more attention and more fans, which made her jealous.
No, she had to show her existence by giving KAP a good slap in the face.
She was sure that "M378" could never be Mitch Watson. After all, Watson had never responded positively, either to the identity of "M378" or the fact that he adopted Mitch.
She asked a reporter friend and knew that Watson was indeed here and was about to set up a chess training school with his friends.
The next day was the opening day of Watson's chess training school.
Amelia called the reporter and asked him to ask Watson these two questions. As long as Watson denied all this, it was the best way to shame KAP.
***
In fact, even if Amelia didn't turn to her reporter friend, many reporters were planning to ask these questions.
Watson's chess training school was named "MT," which represented Mitch Watson and Toby Damon. Toby, one of the co-founders, naturally added his name to the school name.
The school was actually a big training course. They taught chess skills on weekends. After all, there were few domestic chess players, so they couldn't make it a full-time school.


COMPLETED

For nearly 30 years of existence, she had been in a wheelchair, suffering from polio since childhood. While her freedom of movement had been diminished, the activity her brain had outstripped everyone. Unable to join in the rough of other children, she had spent all her lifetime reading, which gave her exceptional knowledge. 

She accomplished many outstanding achievements across several fields and became a famous Science Professor. Her life changed forever when she was caught in a suspicious fire in her lab. Rebirth occurred and when she comes back to life, she finds she is now in the body of another Sophia Green, a teenage high school bully.

Meanwhile, Albert Pearson, the first heir of the richest family around the country who hid his true identity becoming an assistant of Sophia Green has gone crazy after hearing the news of Sophia's death. 

He went back to his family and took advantage of his status to keep searching for the truth of that fire.

And one day he met a teenage girl whose name was Sophia Green...

Fate changes between them as they are seeking the truth behind her death! Could he recognize Sophia and confess his feelings?






Special Note: If you are looking for a sweet contemporary-romance genre, this novel doesn't have that kind of plot. Most plots of my novel talk about mystery, suspense, and a slice of life. Often FL starts a slow pace of development, from weak to strong.

Cover Created by: Weilan

THE MAIN CHARACTERS
 
Kaeden Boa Vista – The son of the late famous detective Red Boa Vista. He does not want to get involved to the matters of police but always get drawn with it. He has an estimated IQ of 160.
 
Josephine Garcia – Kaeden's childhood friend and partner in crime. She is a mystery geek and is always the reason why Kaeden is drawn into murder cases. She is called "The Madonna of Mystery" in their college days.
 
Jun Mercurio - Kaeden's grandfather from his mother's side. He is the only guardian left for Kaeden. An ex-marine, he is also a very talented investigator. During the time of Kaeden's father, he was called the Classy Poirot.
 
Troy 'Trek' Severino - A computer whiz shut-in that specializes in hacking and databasing. Due to unknown reasons, he sometimes willingly helps Kaeden in his cases. His codename online is E.Queen. He has an estimated IQ of 140.
 
Hailey Mallari - Kaeden's long-lost cousin. She lived in Germany for ten years. She is a full time youtuber, doing make up tutorial and promotion videos. She is called The Female Mycroft by the Germany's Police Force. She has an estimated IQ of 180.
 
Chelsea Castiglione – the only daughter of a rich businessman. She debuts in The Ace of Spades Serial Murders. She is an indie pop idol who likes to cosplay and a girl who would do everything for a man she loves. Josephine's rival.
 
 
BAGUIO MPD, INVESTIGATIONS UNIT FIRST DIVISION
 
Senior Inspector Basil Del Valle – An inspector of the metropolitan police and Red's former partner. He leads the First Division of the Investigations Unit. He is famed in the department as a sharpshooter and excellent in the art of Jeet Kune Do. (Season 1 – SPO4 to Inspector, S2 – S3 – Senior Inspector)
 
Major Greg Castillo - A police major who has been investigating and looking for Master Murderer from Hell for a long time. He is the brain of the investigations unit in charge in tracking the crimes perpetuated by the Master Murderer from Hell.
 
SPO2 Alfred Santiago – A personally chosen partner of Inspector Basil. He believes that the justice system of the Philippines is upright, and will do anything he can to expose the criminals. His strong sense of justice is what Basil recognized him for. (S2 – S3 – SPO2)
 
SPO4 Ricardo Buscarile – A rough and tough policeman trying to track down the crime planners. A very dedicated officer and was one of the key policemen in keeping the whole city safe.
 
SAN RAFAEL VIOLENT CRIMES UNIT 3
(Appearances: San Rafael Cliff Incident, Shadow, Down at the Booth, The Clash of White and Black)
 
Inspector Antonio Buendia – The leader of Violent Crimes Unit 3 from San Rafael. He is a classmate of Basil when they were in the Police Academy. He is famous for his excellence in Brazilian Jiu-jitsu and gun handling. He is a big fan of classical music.
 
PO1 Remedios Arkanghel – a well-trained police officer assigned to investigate violent crimes. She is one of the few recommended officers by the academy with outstanding performance. She is a fast runner.
 
PO1 Winston Pagsanjan - a quirky police officer who always teams up with Remedios in their duties. He is secretive on his personal life; thus, no one really knows what he likes that much. However, most of the other officers know that he at least like gimbap.
 
CEBU MPD, VIOLENT CRIMES UNIT 1
(Appearances: The Ace of Spades Serial Murder Case)
 
Senior Inspector Phillip Rivas – the leader of the Violent Crimes Unit. A very intelligent policeman and has a strong sense of justice.
 
PO3 Enrico Salcedo – a policeman who can't read the air. He worked his promotion by catching criminals during his Riot Division days. He is tasked to inspect the crime scene and catch criminals if caught red handed.
 
PO3 Zavier Calao – a policeman who loves mathematics. He always warns Enrico to be sensitive at times as his jokes might hurt or offend people. His job is to search for people that the unit needs to investigate or interrogate.

PO2 Sedro Martin – the profiler of the unit. He studied profiling at the FBI and came back to Cebu after two years.
 
PO1 Jeric Estabillo – a new member of the unit. He is the unit's runner – he goes to anywhere is tasked to investigate, search, inspect or rescue.
 
MANILA MPD, COLD CASES UNIT
(Appearances: The Armchair Case, Art Movement)
 
SPO1 Leonard Joaquin – the leader of the Cold Cases Unit. He is an on-foot policeman who does the questioning and interview for the bereaved family of the victims.
 
PO3 Hygia Dela Vega – the profiler of the unit. She went to study profiling at the FBI together with Sedro. She is Troy's cousin.
 
PO3 Allen Pacheco – the unit's researcher. He was a part of the Cybercrime Division but got transferred to the Cold Cases Unit after he had an argument with the higher ups.
 
Dr. Blair Banna – the unit's forensic scientist and medical doctor. He worked at NBI but for some reason, got transferred to the Cold Cases Unit.
 
 
THE CRIME PLANNERS
 
Sam - A mysterious woman. She is an assistant of Master Murderer from Hell. She negotiates with people to commit crime according to their master plan. Her crime plans are focused on puzzles and locked room styles. Her code name is The Queen of Death.
 
Janus - A mysterious man. He is an assistant of Master Murderer from Hell. He prepares all the things needed in the master plans. His crime plans are usually focused on impossible magic tricks and occultic murder tricks. He makes sure that the plan will be smooth, trackless and there's nothing to be seen by the police. He always makes sure there is an escape route for them and an escape car. He likes to drive luxury cars. His code name is The Reaper of Souls.
 
Master Murderer from Hell – He is a man enshrouded with mystery. He creates murder plans for fun and let other people do the dirty work for him. His crime plans focus on using science and literature references to throw away the investigators to the truth. Because of him wearing different prosthetic masks, his real identity is actually unknown. The Moriarty to Kaeden.
 
RECURRING CHARACTERS
 
Dr. Crisanto Quirino - A very well-known psychiatrist; Inspector Basil's friend. He has helped a few of Basil's cases in the past. He does not like to be connected to the police work, in any matter, as he believes that saving people from their depression and anxiety is what he is called for.
 
Renato Garcia - a rich businessman who owns tons of businesses in the Philippines, including financing, malls, banks, resorts, money changers, restaurants and hospitals. He is a big philanthropist and a friend to the Boa Vista family. Josephine's father.
 
Crescencia Garcia - the daughter of a jeweler business giant. She spends most of her time going to beauty spas more than her family's business. She loves paprika and pizzas more than anybody. Josephine's mother. 
 
Ricardo Rodriguez - A famous mystery author. He is known for his locked-room murder novels and somehow, met Kaeden's father when he was still alive.
 
Eric Del Valle - a barista working at Mycroft Cafe. Basil's nephew. He is a Forensic Science graduate.
 
Dr. Esperanza Datuin - a consulting psychiatrist from San Rafael, Bulacan.
 
Dr. Cresencio La Madrid - a general practice doctor from San Fernando, Pampanga.
 
Elmer Buencamino - a traveling artist from San Quintin. He is known for his very detailed paintings and even gained recognition abroad.
 
Dustan Angeles - a famous actor. Known for his romance-action television dramas and movies.
 
Matilda Locsin – a famous indie actress. A very energetic woman. Known for her fantasy-romance and historical-romance dramas. She is romantically attracted to Kaeden, but often falls into seeing Kaeden's intelligence over solving her crime puzzles.
 
Erica Buensalida – a night market vendor from Baguio City. She sells fashion clothes and even crafts cosplay costumes.
 
Hilda Cordel – a famous actress. Best known for being the antagonist of numerous soap operas.
 
Johann Choi – A Korean actor who became famous in the Philippines. Best known for being the love interest of the antagonists in numerous romance dramas or soap operas.
 
Sienna Legarda – A car dealer from Baguio City. Because of her natural born beauty, night dark hair and sweet voice, she became the top earning car dealers in the Philippines. She also does voice acting and modeling as her side job. She is the face of Caramel & Apple shampoo.
 
Stephen Curtis - a very talented race car driver. He drives a modified Toyota Sprinter Trueno AE86, a former model of the WARAS Auto Company and is also rumored to be the son of a senator from his mistress.
 
Mitchell Magno - a young taxi driver. Hailey's good friend. He is a quirky person and always tries to make jokes that he thinks is funny, but sometimes turns into either offensive or dark humor to those who hears it.
 
GUEST CHARACTERS
 
 
From Fuurinkazan's novel "Forget Me Not"
 
Rei Perez – a BS Computer Science student from Puleun Nabi College of the Philippines. He is good in software development and even won the Provincial Competition for game programming. He however lost to Troy Severino during the All Level National Competition.
 
Ji Yeon Soberano - a BS Secondary Education student from Puleun Nabi College of the Philippines. She is a half Korean who went to the Philippines to study since 2008. She decided to stay in the Philippines for good. +
 
 
From Fuurinkazan's novel "Criminal X"
 
SPO4 Ell Bonifacio – The leader of the Special Countermeasures Unit from Manila. He is a well-respected policeman among his peers and men. He is a very talented marksman.
 
PO3 Voltaire Inosencio – A member of the Special Countermeasures Unit led by SPO4 Ell. Among the members, he is the leader's most trusted member and often getting dragged in different troubles.

Kaeden Boa Vista is an architecture student who promised not to get himself involved in any form of police work,, opposed to what his father wanted when he was still alive. His life got tangled with a murder case that changed his life. As he succeeds becoming an architect, he gets involved in a series of murder cases and discovers a secret that his father kept from him. Crimes have gone up and the criminals are becoming more intelligent in their orchestrations. Kaeden later learns that a certain crime planning group has been doing it for many years, led only by a mysterious man named "Master Murderer from Hell".


I watch my brown flats take steps across the glossy white tiles, pulling my weekend bag behind me as I check my phone for the fourth time. Thank god I'm back on flat land; sitting for thirteen hours, at thirty thousand feet above the ground, is long enough. If only Gabe was here because I'm stuck with a five-hour transit at Terminal 3, Singapore Changi Airport while I wait to go sky high again. 
What the heck am I going to do with myself for five hours at the airport? I don't particularly like duty free shopping, and I can only enjoy surfing on the internet for so long.?Oh, what the heck. I walk a bit faster, eager to check out the shops. Let's see what the airport has. 
Fifty-five minutes pass and I would be happy to never look at souvenirs, key chains, and calendars again. I bought a pack of hand creams for mum, a polo shirt for dad, and a silk shirt and belt for Hansley. Tristan's gift is already with me. I wasn't planning on getting him something, but as soon as I saw it, I knew it was perfect  a medium sized charcoal print of a canal. I figure his new place looked a bit bare, and could use the decoration. 
And of course, I buy chocolates! Belgian chocolate, Swiss, ganache; anything and everything that catches my eye. I plan on making gift bags for the family and Gabe when I get back. 
I got something for myself as well. As soon as I saw it I knew I had to buy it: an emerald green strappy dress that sits just below the knee. It is perfect and hugs my body in all the right places and gives me that extra oomph that my other clothes don't.?It feels so amazing and comfortable. In fact, I liked it so much that I asked the girl to cut the tag off at the counter to wear it out of the shop. 
My shopping crusade finished, I still have another four hours to go, and I make my way to the food court, walking slowly while hordes of stressed travellers dart around to get to their gates. 
After purchasing a large coffee and freshly toasted banana bread, I grab an empty table in the middle of the food court and sit down on the thin wooden chair. I open up my weekender bag and take out my laptop, eager to get the WiFi connected. 
Normally I can't help myself, and I find myself checking my emails obsessively whenever I have my laptop open. But I did that before I left, so I'm going to give myself a break and do some online jigsaw puzzles. Scrolling through the homepage, I look at least fifty puzzles trying to find the perfect one.Finally, I decide on a 500 piece, a Monet style painting of the Eiffel Tower. Wouldn't it be nice to go to Paris one day?
After twenty minutes of playing, I've completed two puzzles and I decide to take a break and get a good look at the painting of me again. Zipping it out of my bag, I take it carefully out of the envelope to gaze upon it again. I could look at it all day, it is so pretty. What type of frame should I buy for it? Where should I put it? 
I used to make these decisions with Adam, but now I'll be making them on my own, because I will be going home to an empty apartment. I'll be living on my own for the first time in six years, the idea scares me. But at least I can make the place as fashionable as possible, so I can live in style; even if it's alone. 
As I start touching the edges of the cherry red lips on the thick paper, I can hear someone walking behind me.
"Pretty girl," the man speaks, he has a smoky voice. It sounds awfully familiar. "Do you know her?"
"I am her," I mutter.
The man sniggers. "Yeah right, you don't look like that."
What a rude prick. I keep my back to him, keen to ignore him in the hopes he will go away. 
"Can I get through?" he asks gruffly. 
Putting the painting down on the table, I pull my chair inwards, keeping my eyes peeled to the table. He is starting to get on my nerves, but I'm choosing to ignore him.
"I was talking to you, Miss Straight-laced," he says, even more huskily. 
I look up from the table, frozen at the sound of it. There's only one person in the world who calls me that. It can't be, it can't be. Before I get a chance to put two and two together he walks a few steps to stand in front of me, and my heart ceases to function. 
It's Tristan. My heart is beating like a jackhammer at the sight of him in that flannel shirt and jeans. 
"That painting doesn't look like you." He smirks at me. 
"I know, you made that clear"
"You look much better in real life."
I blush. 
"I'm glad I bumped into you," he says, never failing to keep his eyes off me. 
"Is that right?" I raise an eyebrow at him. "I was going to let you know when I would arrive"
"No, I'm glad I bumped into you now. Because I can tell you all about the next wedding you're planning. And this time, I'm coming with you. Our first assignment together." Oh dear. Tristan and I going to another country and working together? What could possibly go wrong?
"I'm going to enjoy working with you Lacey, in a professional capacity of course." His eyes scan my face and hair, and then it lingers just a little longer on my décolletage and his jaw clenches tightly. "Even if it's going to be the death of me."
He's looking at me, the same way he did that day. 
Right before he kissed me. 
END OF BOOK TWO




Maggie Way is the USA Today Bestselling Author who hails from Sydney, Australia. She loves drinking ridiculous amounts of wine, making her own beauty products from scratch, and traveling around the world while munching on cheese and chocolate.

SO here I am practically standing at the alter waiting to get married to the man of my dreams.

Then he comes back into my life! How do I deal with the fact I still want him so badly after all of this time?

What does he want after all of this time?

Lacey Ryan’s perfect life was well underway, until a betrayal blindsides her and changes everything. She needs a fresh start, so the last person she expects to offer her one is Tristan Keys, a man from her past.
It’s simple - first class flights, the chance to see the world, and maybe a little harmless flirtation while she’s at it.
There’s just one thing: Tristan happens to be her brother’s best friend.


Once upon a time thunderstorms in the chipmunks' room at 702 Liberty Lane Seville house... "Dr. Mad scientist plans to reduce to shrink all the people on Attack of People classic movie horror. Huh?" A CGI animated remake colossal boy sat down on his own brown bed and watch on Mega TV 38k screen. "Dave, I have to errand some black cartridge ink. What you watch on?" His adopted red-clad ten years old CGI animated remake troublemaker dad chipmunk Alvin Seville came in. "Attack of People classic movie horror," Dad. "Sighs. I click it off because you can't watch on that it's not a good movie. Just doing drawing or playing on puzzles," Dave. He said. "Aw! I guess so," Dad. A CGI animated remake colossal boy understood what's his adopted red-clad ten years old CGI animated remake troublemaker dad chipmunk Alvin Seville told. 
Since playing... "Yawning! I'm so tired of playing on my own puzzle train. I have to take a nap now." He seems exhausted and laying down on his own brown bed. 
Whenever in his dreams of the living room at 702 Liberty Lane Seville house... "Yay! I beat against King Ogre on my video games of mystic mountain online. Oh, wells?" A CGI animated remake colossal boy heard someone knocks the door. 
Meanwhile outside of the gigantic red front door... "Whoa! Hello! I am down," Colossal Dave! His normal-size CGI animated remake tween brat girl avoided from get smashed recently. "Dionne? What's happens to you?" A CGI animated remake colossal boy noticed that. "My old idiot pal Drakken accidentally to zap me into a miniaturization size when I was mowing on the grass at the backyard of my pink house this morning," Colossal Dave. Her high-pitch voiced. "Okay. I take you and I call him now." He understood what I explained.

A Colossal Boy name is Dave Seville about 100 ft gigantism and lives with his adopted red-clad troublemaker dad chipmunk, Alvin, and uncles. He always acting like a childlike man to play some toys and a doll figure also learns some lessons from the mistake and avoid get trouble himself.

"All of you are ok, right?" Cold sweat immediately covered the shopkeeper's forehead. He hadn't forgotten how the last young man died. He had been stabbed to death by these steel pipes!
Helian Weiwei laughed lightly. "There was a small accident, but it was all within our control. We were in too much of a hurry when we entered just now, so there were many things that we didn't ask in detail. Shopkeeper, do you still remember when these students first came here, which one told you they wanted to play in the escape room with the Sobbing House theme?"
"I don't remember it very clearly, but now that you ask, I think it was this young man." The shopkeeper turned his head and looked at Chen Feiyang.
Chen Feiyang sneered. "We decided to come here together. When I called to make the reservation, they were all right next to me. I wasn't the one who suggested it."
Helian Weiwei only glanced at him and didn't respond to him. Instead, she furrowed her eyebrows.
She still felt that something was very strange.
That's right!
"Shopkeeper, why are these steel pipes so sharp?" Helian Weiwei looked at the shopkeeper's face and tried to see if she could gather any clues from his expression. "Aren't you afraid that someone might get hurt while going through this escape room?"
The shopkeeper paused for a moment, then said, "The design of the game doesn't include steel pipes coming out like that, so I'm also very puzzled as to where these steel pipes came from!"
"These steel pipes would have been fitted during the renovation process. You're the shopkeeper here, so how can you say you don't know where these steel pipes came from?" Helian Weiwei didn't accept this response.
When the shopkeeper heard Helian Weiwei's question, he realized she must have misunderstood. "Miss, I know a thing or two about fengshui, but I'm really not familiar with these mechanisms. Besides, I wasn't the one who designed this room either. Those in this industry have to come up with a new theme and puzzles from time to time to maintain interest, otherwise the customers would be able to read up on the puzzles on the internet and solve everything quickly, and they'll lose interest very quickly. It's very important for us to attract returning customers, so we have to keep changing the theme in order to keep them coming back. These youngsters are a good example. It's not their first time at my shop. They've come before that terrible incident happened, and back then, there were six of them."
"Wait a minute, you're saying that when they came to play through Sobbing House, it wasn't their first time coming to this shop?" Helian Weiwei's eyes suddenly flashed and were filled with sharpness.
"That's right. Is there a problem?" The shop owner looked at Helian Weiwei strangely.
The rest didn't understand why Helian Weiwei would react like this either.
After all, they really couldn't guess what Helian Weiwei could possibly be thinking about.
Helian Weiwei looked at those steel pipes again, and a shocking thought popped up in her mind: "When did the Sobbing House theme come out? Did they come to play not long after this theme came out?"
"How do you know?" The shop owner looked at Helian Weiwei in surprise. "In fact, before Sobbing House was open to customers, one of them called me, but I don't remember who it was. I think it was a boy. He asked me when the new theme would be open to customers, and I was puzzled, because I hadn't announced anything about a new theme online, and I was quite upset that this youngster had found out."
Helian Weiwei's eyes shone even more brightly. "You mean he knew in advance that you were going to do this Sobbing House theme?"
"Yes! Don't you think it's strange?" The shopkeeper was still shaking his head.
But Helian Weiwei had grasped the deciding factor.
The person who knew in advance about Sobbing House was the murderer!
She was still wavering between the two boys.
If she could get evidence of who this person was, everything would be easy to solve!
But since there was no announcement, how did the murderer know about this Sobbing House?
Helian Weiwei replayed the recordings they heard when they entered the escape room in her mind.
Every room's unlock code, every voice recording, and even every scene's arrangement were all related to Dong Sichun's death.
If the scene of the murder reflected the killer's innermost desire.
Then wasn't this too much of a coincidence?
Helian Weiwei suddenly paused and turned to look at the shopkeeper. "You said that you weren't the one who designed this room. So how did Sobbing House come about?"
"Ah, this." The shopkeeper tilted his head as he tried to recall. "I remember that at that time, I put a post in the online shop to solicit ideas. On one hand, I wanted the shop to be more popular. On the other hand, I could use this as an inspiration to create more escape rooms. Business in the shop had always been good, so I would give bonuses to those who provided ideas. The bonuses weren't much, ranging from 200 to 1000 bucks..."
"But you didn't expect to receive a complete design for the perfect escape room," Helian Weiwei cut the shopkeeper off and spoke very clearly. "This design not only gave you ideas, but actually planned the entire room out, including the backstory, the script for the recordings, and even the design of the mechanism. Everything in this design would make the room very terrifying yet mysterious at the same time, which was totally the ideal escape room to you, so you just took the other party's proposal wholesale."
The shop owner was completely shocked. He really didn't think that she would guess what happened to this extent!
"Master, were you able to use divination to reach this conclusion?"
Helian Weiwei smiled and didn't answer his question. Instead, she asked, "Have you ever seen the person who provided the design?"
"No, but the plan he provided was too perfect. Even the operation of the mechanism and the content of the hints given by the walkie-talkie were all in the plan. It was also very easy to construct. I did say that I would treat him to a meal, but ever since he gave me the plan for the secret room, none of my emails to him made it through, and I did not even know where to send the money." The shopkeeper shook his head regretfully. "But I can see that this person really loves to play such escape room games. His thoughts were very meticulous and even included the design of the mechanisms and a detailed blueprint of the room. He's really incredible!"
Helian Weiwei laughed again and the corners of her mouth curved into a faint teasing smile. "I think I know who the murderer is now."
"Murderer? " The shopkeeper did not understand. "What murderer?"
Helian Weiwei looked at him. "Shopkeeper, Zhang Heng's death at your place was not an accident, but a long-planned conspiracy."


She, a 21st century mercenary queen, had crossed over into a tragically betrayed body of a waste. Waste? She will show them what it means to be a waste!
Betrayed? With the Ancient Manual in her hands, she will astonish all the despicable men and cheap women!
Wait! Didn’t everyone say that she was an evil woman which everyone feared? Why is his Third Highness, full of mystery and charisma, so interested in her?

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