A 16 year old girl winds up in a different world through a magical wadrobe. She finds herself in a princess' room. When Prince Charles and Princess Keith find out that she isn't the princess. They go on an adventure to find the real princess.

Read this book about adventure, romance and deception.

"Go to sleep...you need it." Sehan suddenly said startling Lillian who she had forgotten was still there. She immediately turned around to face Sehan in surprise, Their eyes meet and Lillian felt her heart skip a beat. He was wearing a white plain t-shirt with black sweatpants. He looked so casual but his aura said something different.
His eyes were the darkest shade she had ever seen in anyone. 
Almost all the males in the city wore the same thing but they couldn't compare to Sehan. She was flabbergasted. How could she be so blind?
Her life felt like the princess and the ugly frog. Sehan was the princess and Lillian was the ugly frog, It really did suit them. But in this story the ugly frog didn't want a kiss, in fact, it was vise vase. Lillian seriously needed to change the storyline.
 At that very moment, a moan came from the computer.
Lillian was even more surprised and hastily turned back to the computer at neck-breaking speed.
On the screen was an explicit scene.
Before Lillian could do anything Sehan leaned his well physic body into Lillian's sitting figure. Lillian's head turned towards Sehan again. When she turned around she met with his chest. Sehan's left hand came around Lillian's head and pushed her to him, Staffing Lillian into his chest.
The familiar Lotus scent hit Lillian's sense of smell.
With his right hand, he closed the laptop flap before he hooked his hand under Lillian's Knee and carried her. 
He carried her over to the bed and put her down under the blankets. His t-shirt was now covered with thick makeup
"Sleep." He said before he walked away and closed the door.
Lillian's heart was still racing. She felt a handful of guilt slap her face. He had always treated her well and all she did was complain. He seemed to love her even though she looked like a demon.
She had to admit that Yun Shanti must be stupid to think that Lillian was going to give up on Sehan. 
Lillian couldn't help but dowse off. She had been on the computer for so long which made her eyelids seem heavy. She hadn't even showered and she still had her horrible makeup.
Suddenly her phone rang. Lillian frowned. She leaned onto one side of the bed so that she could reach for her phone.
Once she got it, she read the phone ID. It was Yun Shanti.
Lillian press the mute button and looked at the time it was five in the morning she had just closed her eyes for 30 seconds and Yun Shanti had to call. She threw her phone on the space next to her, stood up, and went straight to the bathroom.
She washed her face in the sink before she stripped and went into the bathtub before putting on a charcoal face sheet.
The fake scar naturally melted into the water turning the water dark. She stayed still in the bathtub for 20 minutes before taking the Loofah and scrubbing to her heart's content.
In that one hour, her past life kept replaying
...
"Look at that ugly girl mother." A small girl once said in the streets will Lillian was walking with Yun Shanti.
As she scrubbed herself she kept remembering what people said about her horrible disguise.
"Lillian if you don't want your fiance letting go of you you should prove your loyalty," Yun Shanti said.
"How?" The stupid 16-year-old Lillian asked Yun Shanti.
"You should wear a disguise that will chase all the other boys so that Wei Huhan would belive your loyalty." Yun Shanti advised the stupid idea to Lillian.
"But..."
"Remember that both of you have just come from fighting. If you don't prove your loyalty know then he'll probably cancel the engagement. Don't believe me? just wait and see." Yun Shanti cornered Lillian.
And that is how she started wearing the devil disguise. At first, she didn't like it but as time went by it became a habit. No one had ever seen her beauty ever since that day.
What a pity.
Lillian was naturally extremely beautiful. She even suppressed the great actress, Lu Shang. But she had to hide it because of her stupid naive self.
Suddenly a lost memory came into mind.
...
"Don't carry me, sir, your hands are going to break. Look how small they are." Lillian laughed in her drunkenness while she was being carried by Sehan.
This was a memory after her break-up with Wei Huhan.
How could she have criticized his great physic!!!
This was a great crime. Was she blind?
...
Lillian signed. Her relationship with Sehan was slowly weakening.

"I had been backstabbed by my fiance, my most trusted friends, and my relatives just for power.

Sorry, but this girl ain't gonna be tricked TWICE. "

Before she was reborn she was hurt and backstabbed by her 'dear' fiance, she was tricked into being used as a stepping stone by her most trusted friend, she was brainwashed into looking like a demon and she was killed in a painful way. 

But she won't let that happen, again. She had learned of every plot, every scheme by living through it but she was going to making it turn on them and avenge her past life.

Gun-Ho took Tae-Young Im and Chan-Ho Eum to the parking lot where he parked his Land Rover.
"My car is a Land Rover. I'm thinking of getting a new car, but this is good for now. It's working very well."
"It has only 40,000 kilometers on it. I don't think you want to get a new car. This is a really nice car."
"We are heading to Jiksan Town now. I can drive to Jiksan Town. When we come back to Seoul, you can drive, Mr. Chan-Ho Eom."
"Please call me Chan-Ho."
"You are 29 years old, aren't you?"
"Yes, sir."
"Hmm. You are seven years younger than me."
"I would feel a lot more comfortable if you call me by my first name—Chan-Ho."
"Haha. Okay. I will do that."
 
Gun-Ho, Chan-Ho, and Tae-Young headed to Jiksan Town, Cheonan City. Gun-Ho drove.
On the way to Jiksan Town, they stopped by Pyeongtaek City for lunch. Tae-Young and Chan-Ho wanted to have a Korean sausage dish for lunch, which seemed to be Chan-Ho's favorite food because he devoured the dish within the blink of an eye. As they seemed to really enjoy the food, Gun-Ho ordered another dish—Sooyook*—which went well with the Korean sausage dish. Chan-Ho and Tae-Young finished the dish quickly as well.
"You guys eat a lot and very quickly. That's good. That means you are very healthy."
 
They arrived at Gun-Ho's company in Jiksan Town. The workers in a uniform were spotted here and there at the manufacturing facility. A forklift truck was passing by them while making a loud noise. The workers, who saw Gun-Ho, greeted Gun-Ho in a respectful way.
Gun-Ho told Tae-Young and Chan-Ho,
"Don't call me brother at work, okay?"
"Understood."
 
Tae-Young and Chan-Ho looked around the factory.
"I was expecting a messy worksite since it is a factory after all, but this factory is very organized and clean. It looks like a normal building in a big city. The walls are made of glass."
Gun-Ho took them to his office—the president's office.
The secretary—Ms. Hee-Jeong Park—brought warm green teas for them. Mr. Hee-Jeong Park seemed to find it interesting to see two young men in Gun-Ho's office.
"Ms. Park, please ask the general affairs director to come to my office."
"Yes, sir."
 
President Song was out of the office at that time. He was at a client site. The internal auditor came into Gun-Ho's office when he heard Gun-Ho was here. The internal auditor slowly blinked his eyes several times when he saw Tae-Young and Chan-Ho sitting in the president's office.
"Who are these gentlemen, sir?"
"This is the man I'm going to hire as my chauffeur, and the man next to him is from the security staffing company."
"Really? They are two good looking young men. Their hairstyle tells me though that they were gangsters or something similar?"
"Similar. They are bouncers."
"Really?"
"This is our internal auditor."
"Hello, sir. I'm Tae-Young Im."
"Nice to meet you, sir. I'm Chan-Ho Eom."
"Oh, very nice meeting you both. You two young men, you seem to be very cheerful. Well, I will leave now and give you some privacy."
 
Once the internal auditor left Gun-Ho's office, the general affairs director came in.
"I'm going to hire this man for my chauffeur position. I guess it's time for me to have a chauffeur. It's getting harder to drive back and forth between the companies in Seoul and here."
"You made the right decision, sir. You should have had a chauffeur earlier."
"We are not going to directly hire him though, but a staffing company is placing this man at our company for the job."
"That sounds good too. So we don't have to worry about his Four Major Public Insurance. It will be filed by the staffing company. Also, the staffing company will take care of his severance pay as well. Did you bring a work placement contract?"
"Yes, I did. I also brought my security staffing company's business registration."
"How much do you charge for this particular job placement per month?"
"It's 3 million won on a monthly basis."
"Hmm, that's higher than I expected. Can we lower it a little bit?"
"That… that's…"
"How much do you pay for this worker?"
"Our company pays him 2.5 million won per month."
"It is net pay or gross pay?"
"Huh?"
Tae-Young Im seemed that he didn't understand the difference between net pay and gross pay.
 
Gun-Ho said to the general affairs director with a smile,
"I know these men personally. Let's just pay the amount that he is asking."
"Okay, sir. Well, Mr. Tae-Young Im and Mr. Chan-Ho Eom, please come with me to the general affairs department. We will have to sign the contract and take care of some other paperwork. Also, I have some specific instructions and policies that I need to give to you."
Tae-Young and Chan-Ho walked out of Gun-Ho's office following the general affairs director.
Gun-Ho told Tae-Young and Chan-Ho to their backs while they were walking out of the office,
"Once the paperwork is done with the general affairs director, come directly to my office."
"Yes, sir."
 
About twenty minutes later, Tae-Young and Chan-Ho came back to Gun-Ho's office.
"Are you done? Did you sign the contract?"
"Yes, we did. He agreed on the 3 million won monthly wage. It seems there are lots of paperwork to do for this simple hiring, maybe because this is a big company."
"Since you are here, I guess you want to see Jong-Suk Park before you leave, right?"
"Oh, the little brother?"
Gun-Ho asked for Director Jong-Suk Park.
Jong-Suk entered Gun-Ho's office after a moment.
"Brother!"
"Oh, Tae-Young Im! What are you doing here?"
Jong-Suk Park and Tae-Young Im had a handshake.
"Brother, you look different here with the company's uniform. You don't look like someone from our 'tough field.'"
"I'm not in that field at all. I'm an exemplary law-abiding citizen."
Gun-Ho introduced Chan-Ho Eom to Director Jong-Suk Park.
"This man will drive my car from now on. He is not our employee though, but Tae-Young's security staffing company will place him here for the work."
"Really? Tae-Young, how many workers does your company have?"
"I currently have seven people."
"Do you make enough money to feed them all?"
"I don't know. I just started the business. If you could connect me to other potential customers, that would be really nice."
"Director Park! Why don't you give them a tour of our factory."
 
Jong-Suk Park took Tae-Young Im and Chan-Ho Eom to the production worksite where they could hear a loud noise from heavy machines.
"Wow, this is amazing."
"Are you impressed?
"Very. You said you are in charge of this production site, right? Then can you operate all those machines?"
"Of course. I can dismantle them and assemble them with my eyes closed."
"Whoa."
 
Gun-Ho took Tae-Young Im and Chan-Ho Eom to Dyeon Korea's office area to introduce them to the managers and directors including Mr. Adam Castler.
Director Kim came to Gun-Ho's office after visiting a client's site.
"Who are these young men, sir?"
"I decided to have a chauffeur."
"Oh, really? Good decision, sir."
After having a handshake with Tae-Young Im and Chan-Ho Eom, Director Kim started giving Gun-Ho a work report. Director Kim didn't seem to mind Tae-Youn and Chan-Ho's presence while he was giving the report.
 
 
Note*
Sooyook – Boiled port meat

This is the story of a poor young man whose poverty even shreds apart their family willing to climb his way through society and into the top. A very realistic novel that moves away from fantasy and sci-fi and focuses solely on the issues of society and life.

Ehem...

First of all, let me apologize for the long duration of uninformed hiatus on my novel, Ground Zero. To be honest, real life caught up to me with all the "understaff" and "overtime" issues right now in our hospital. I know this may sound like an excuse, but I would like to apologize to you all, especially to those who have kindly included my novel in their collection. I would like to let you know that this really made me happy and fulfilled. So, I would like to officially say that GROUND ZERO, is currently on hiatus. Rest assured that I will still continue to write the novel in the near future and I may re-vamp the currently posted chapters when our staffing issues gets to be resolved.

Timeline: This may take a few months more, as ny current contract will be ending at that time.

Again, thank you so much for giving your time to Ground Zero. I hope that by the time my novel is Off-Hiatus, you would still be there! have a nice day guys~~

It was supposed to be just an urban legend. 

The apocalypse was just an urban legend. That was how Scientists disproved the so-called Mayan's Prophecy of the end of the world in 2012. But people were always interested in these things. Well, the movies about zombie hordes, virus outbreaks, tectonic plates shifting, and even a second Big Bang, were only a few of how mankind imagined the world was ending. Maybe they were really lucky and extremely smart for ending their civilization right then and there. They would have faced their darkest fear and worst nightmares. Those monsters that only existed in mankind's lore and legends. 
------------------------------------------------------------------------

On a somewhat rainy day, Elizabeth Hart a sophomore in Calder University found herself trapped in the campus surrounded by beasts that savaged her fellow students. Without any clue as to how those monsters rampaged in their campus, she will have to surivive at any cost and fight her way through to safety... if there ever was.

After graduation,  I found a full time job, a small apartment, truly on my own. 

I worked at a local hospital as a cashier in the gift shop. I didn't have money for college tuition, so I went to a vocational training school for the poor. I took a secretarial course for the next 9 months, while working at the hospital.  Money was tight,  I lived on eggs and Ramen noodles. I didn't have time to make friends,  party, or worry about those sort of things.  

Finally, after 9 months of class I got my vocational degree. Not a fancy degree but the school helped us do interns at small companies, which counts as experiences under out belt. I was ready for a real job, with opportunities,  I hope, for growth.

The alarm woke me up at 6 AM in the morning.  "Arrrwg", forcing myself out of bed, and into the bathroom to get ready for a job interview at LM Resouces. A company that helps place people for work, better know as a staffing agent.  

I arrived at LM with 10 minutes to spare, checked in with the receptionist and sat down nervously to wait for my interview.

"Ms. Chas, Mr. Ling is ready to see you, " said the receptionist. 

I got up and walk slowly towards the door behind the receptionist desk. As I was just about to pull the door, it opened.  And the most fierce and handsome face appear, it stop me in my track.  

"Come on in, Ms. Chas,  I'm Jayson Ling" said in a stern and forceful voice. "Please have a seat and let's get started." 

"Good moring, Mr. Ling" hoping that I didn't sound as nervous as I was feeling.  For some reason this man, made me felt insecure and uncertain of myself.  That isn't me anymore, not after my parents past. I thought I out grew that yearning for approval. 

"Tell me about your experiences and what you bring to the table?" Mr. Ling said not in the nicest way, mind you.  I decided right there and then, this is just a job,  who cares if he doesn't approval of me. I know who I am and what I can do.
"I just got my vocational traing,  internship, and dedication." I begin and saw that he was waiting for something more. 
"I am reliable, trustworthy,  loyal, and hard working." I continued.
"I promise that if your hire me, I will do my upmost to ensure that you don't regret your decision. " I finished.  I smiled, but inside my stomach was turning a mile a second.
The whole time I was talking, Mr. Ling didn't show any sign of interest at all. I figured, yup, this is practice for my next job interview.  I didn't feel dejected or defeated, just determined to make this a positive practice for next rounds of job interviews. 
"Remember your promise, I better not regret. when can you start Ms. Chas?" came the unexpected reply.His voice was so chilled and serious, I almost forgot what I had promised.

The lonely girl who loved and cherished the handsome man of her dreams. 
He was everything and for his love, she gave her everything.

"First things first we need to make sure the rooms are of good quality and the staffs too. Over here nurses have the bad reputation for being wicked and Lazy. It's best to have a hospital free from this stereotype by employing nurses who know their jobs."

 Chukwuma stated. I was still in the process of staffing and he was giving me tips and whatever. Not like I was interested in anything he was saying.

"Alright I've had about enough of this lecture just do what you have to do that's why you are paid. Interview the workers, check the rooms and do whatever needs to be done to get this hospital running ASAP." With that I left him in the conference room and went to my own office.

My office had been the first to be furnished and it was just like I imagined it to be. You know with money you can bring to life your imagination. I was closing the door to my office when he put his hand In between and I stepped away letting him come in.


I took a drink from the fridge and poured a glass for myself without pouring for him. There was a perpetual frown on my face. It was best that he knows that he isn't welcome.

"I  am paid to be a guide not to do all the work." He corrected still sounding as nice as usual and it infuriated him. He looked mean, had this mean face you know the kind that bouncers had so I knew he wasn't nice. He was just faking it. Why would he look mean and be nice but then again I looked nice.

"Well then I'll pay someone to do it since you can't and I won't."

"No it's fine. I'll just add that to my list. It's no biggie." 

"Alright then. If we don't have anything further to discuss I'll like to be alone." I cocked my brows with the expression that showed I wanted him to leave and he did. Thank God.

The next two days I stayed away from the hospital not wanting to see him. Then on the third day I decided to go for shopping. Shopping always had a way of calming me down and that was where I met him. The other piece of the puzzle. The man of my dreams.

He was tall dark and handsome. Well not dark, dark, he had a lighter shade of chocolate skin lighter than mine which was a little bit dark and he was tall. Gosh he was so tall I felt like a dwarf standing near him. The face that I was short even for a lady made it even worse.

I was practically swooning but I didn't want to show it, I couldn't as a matter of fact. I heard Nigerian men liked to come after their women not the other way round. In a normal situation I would have said fuck what the system is but I wanted him so much I didn't mind going with the system. If he doesn't look my way then I'm sure to go after him but for now, patience was at best.

Going through the line of clothes I was both lost in thought and watching out for when he would leave through the corner of my eyes.

"You look so beautiful," he whispered to me. He didn't wreak of alcohol luckily but still I was afraid and shaking. I played with my fingers scared of looking at him, scared of the monster he had become. He stroked my hair and I felt nauseated.


His tongue fluttered against mine and his hands went deep in my hair. I used to yearn for this moment like a baby yearned for her mother but right now I dreaded it like death.

"Stop please," I begged in his kiss but he didn't listen. Tears were beginning to fall from my eyes. I tried to push him away I yearned to, but he held my hands tightly behind me. My small hands against his was a battle already won before it began.

He pulled me against him and nibbled at my chin, my ear, touching my face with his fingertips, sighing, whispering, "You feel so good." 

"Please let me go Cletus I don't want to, not today." I begged, sobbing.

"You are my wife and it's your duty to please me any day and anytime I want it. I own you." He screamed at my face, letting my hands go. I rubbed on them grateful that at least he had let go of me. 

But before I could move away from him he pushed me to the bed and started to pull his belt. I screamed.


______




Zara Miracle falls in love with a mysterious masked man. She thought he was perfect but what happens when his mask starts to pill of and she sees him in his true form.


Will she survive the clutches of the devil or will she succeed in running away?


warning: Abusive relationship, rape, lies, manipulations. This book may just drive you mad with anger. you've been warned.

"A friend invited you to a wedding?" Kunot noong nag-angat ng tingin si Jason at sandali siyang sinulyapan bago muling ibinalik ang pansin sa binabasang dokumento. "Ilang araw ka namang mawawala?"

"Three days top. You can come with me if you want."

Jason shrugged, "I'll think about it."

Hindi na siya sumagot at tahimik na sinuri ang kaharap. Jason Castillo is her Boss for six years now. Maliban pa doon ay matalik din silang magkaibigan. She met him on her fourth year in college, naging magka-klase sila nito noong lumipat sila ng kuya niya sa Maynila. Noong una ay sinubukan siya nitong ligawan subalit maaga niyang tinanggihan ang pagpapakita nito ng interes. Overtime, they became close friends. Nang magtapos siya bilang cum laude ay kaagad siyang niyaya nitong magtrabaho sa food processing company ng mga magulang nito bilang Junior Staffing Administrator. A year after her employment, she was promoted to Executive Assistant, and essentially, Jason became her boss.

Life has been good to her since she left San Mateo almost seven years ago. She convinced herself that she's happy with her current situation. Salamat sa mga pinagdaanan niya sa buhay dahil kung hindi sa mga iyon ay wala siya sa kinaroroonan niya ngayon.

"So, tell me," inilapag ni Jason ang hawak na papeles sa ibabaw ng mesa at saka sumandal sa swivel chair, "sa San Mateo ba gaganapin itong kasal na sinasabi mo?"

"Yeah," matabang niyang sagot.

"Handa ka na bang bumalik doon?"

She shrugged nonchalantly, "I can't say no to a friend."

"That didn't answer my question," nakangiting sambit ni Jason. "For seven long years, this will be the first time na babalik ka sa San Mateo. Do you think it's a good idea na pumunta ka roon? What if you'll see him there?"

She cleared her throat, "Hindi imposible iyon, matalik niyang kaibigan ang groom kaya siguradong naroon din siya sa kasal nito."

Tumango ito, "Why won't you just send your friend a card or a gift? Hindi mo kailangang magpunta roon."

"And let Shiela kill me?" pilit siyang natawa roon. "The bride is my best friend since we were a child, I can't miss her wedding for the world."

Muling ngumiti si Jason, "Then I guess I'd come with you. Besides, I haven't met Shiela."

Ginantihan niya ng ngiti ang kaibigan.

"What was he like, by the way? You never told me anything about the man who broke your heart and I'm really curious. Alam kong sinaktan ka niya kaya hindi mo na ninais pang bumalik sa San Mateo, but other than that, you never told me anything about him."

Nawala ang ngiti sa mga labi niya. Ibinaling niya ang tingin sa aquarium na nasa loob ng opisina ni Jason, "There is nothing to tell, Jason. He was one of those guys na ang tingin sa sarili ay regalo mula sa langit."

"But he was the only man you have ever loved—"

"He was just part of the past, Jason. At ang nakaraan ay dapat lang na kalimutan, 'di ba? Hindi na natin siya dapat na pinag-uusapan," aniya saka tumayo na. "Bukas ng madaling araw ang alis ko. Kung seryoso ka sa sinasabi mong sumama, I'll meet you at my house at three in the morning. We can just use my car."

Natawa si Jason sa kaniya. "There you go again, laging umiiwas kapag napag-uusapan ang ex mo. I'll probably just ask Shiela when we get there.." tudyo nito na ikina-iling nalang niya.

"Bakit hindi nalang ang lalaking iyon mismo ang tanungin mo? Baka malaman ko din ang dahilan kung bakit niya ako hiniwalayan, 'di ba?" she said sarcastically.

Lalong natawa si Jason sa sinabi niya. "Natutuwa akong nagbibiro ka na ng ganiyan kapag binabanggit mo siya. Hindi tulad dati na maluha-luha ka sa tuwing napag-uusapan natin ang ex mo."

She rolled her eyes upwardly, "I have to go now. See you in the morning." 




*****

Nathaniel Vhan was Arni's childhood crush. Sa tuwing naroon siya sa mansion ng pamilya Vhan ay hindi maaaring hindi niya ito tanawin mula sa malayo. She would often stare at him and watch him from afar, dreaming that someday, he would notice her and somehow, she would exist in his life.

She was ready to devote herself to him, but Nathan left to study abroad. She was heartbroken, but she knew he would come back. 

Few years later, he came back. And the first time he saw her, he fell in love, right before he realized she was the kid who openly declared her feelings for him. 

Now that they're both in love with each other, everything seemed to be perfect. Pero hanggang saan kakayanin ng pagmamahalan nila ang mga pagsubok na haharapin nila? Lalo't kung ang pagtitiwala na siyang dapat na pinakamatibay na pundasyon sa pagmamahalan ay siyang unang natibag?


Note to remember: 'The best proof of love is TRUST.'



(C) Story written by Tala Natsume 2019
ALL RIGHTS RESERVED

27 December, City K Military Base

Matthew briefly paused letting General Man take in what he had just said about the potential penetration of the Special Forces on base by the terrorists, before continuing.  "To deal with that, part of my plan is a reorganisation of the whole special forces group to prevent ongoing issues.  The Joint Chiefs' have agreed to me request for three Majors I trust with my life to be reassigned here over the next couple of months.  They are all getting promotions, but like mine they will be kept secret until we get to the bottom of the issues.  They will be key for the reorganisation."

"I know, I was part of the teleconference discussions on the 24th that made the decision to change your deployment to here.  I am assuming you have been to see your brother?"

"Absolutely, he looks as bad as I have seen him with his cancer battle.  I suspect that it he sees twelve months out we will have had more time that we should expect with him.  But apparently his oncologist believes he has a fifty-fifty change of surviving it, and I suspect he will as he has a reason to fight."

"I remember his first cancer battle, when it became public.  No one expected him to recover from that, yet he did.  Be positive."  After a brief pause, "What do you mean he has a reason to fight?"

"He got engaged on Christmas Day to Chester Yao."

"I always suspected those two were close.  Chester never really loved his ex-wife but always seemed pushed into it by his family.  But I guess you want that kept quite due to the fact that the law allows their relationship provided it is not too public."  Matthew was nodding his head at this.

General Man paused, then continued "I forgot to tell you the head of the military and the minister have approved your ability to become a director of JL International.  They recognise that the last thing the country needs if anything happens to your brother is there not to be a succession plan.  Being on the board, helps that occur, and can excuse us releasing you from your commitment if necessary."

Matthew did not want to have that discussion.  He was angry when he first heard about it and knew that Phillip had spoken to President Dong about this.  He understood Phillip's motives though as he wanted to ensure that there was some continuity for the company if he got too ill.

Matthew turned to the more pressing issue "Edward, just letting you know the current plan regarding decision making staffing.  Between you, Colonel Yu and myself we can be contacted to make final decisions, but I believe assigning groups of three majors in shifts to make decisions and run them by any of us is the best way to go."

"The preference would be for them to contact myself for final approval of decisions over and above what they can make, but I cannot be on call 24 hours a day, I need to settle into my accommodation here on base and open up my home in town.  That will take time."

"I will guarantee tomorrow, and on the weekend that I will be on base between 2pm and 6pm.  I would suggest for you we guarantee you are available between 10am and 2pm, and if acceptable for Colonel Yu between 6am and 10am.  Outside that they have to telephone us to confirm decisions above their paygrade after they have reached a majority decision."

"As you are in hospital for a fortnight and Colonel Yu has already indicated she will, other than the time she is on base or travelling between her home and here, she will be at home, I am the only one that will have to inform staff of my whereabouts.  Trying to have one of us on duty all the time, is just impossible.  In some respect this will challenge the majors to see who is worthy of promotion in the next wave of promotions."

"Sounds reasonable."  Responded General Man "Now you better get going before anyone finds it to suspicious that you are spending too much time here."

With that Matthew stood up, opened the Door and saluted as he left, making sure he turned off the jammer in his pocket.  As he walked back to his office, he knew how bad the situation was and he would be recommending a change with respect to assignments and leave to ensure the base was not without colonels on duty.

Having left his hometown with shattered relationships due to his decision to join the military Matthew Rong returns after nine and a half years, uncertain of how people will treat him.

Lexi Yao, the only person who supported his decision, left less than two years later leaving her family and her child.  Just weeks after the birth of her child in an arranged family marriage her husband of less than a year died, putting her in a position that she could not cope.  Eventually, when she was ready, she returned to her hometown to resume full-time care of her child bringing her now successful fashion business with her.

Matthew had never forgotten the promises Lexi made to marry him prior to and in the twelve months after he joined the military, despite her marriage and becoming a widow.  He hoped that he would be able to marry her and secure for them both the future that they had believed was there for them as teenagers.

Just after Matthew’s return, having reluctantly agreed to drive Matthew home after a celebration for not only his return but the engagement of their brothers, Lexi and Matthew were kidnapped by the terrorist who helped make Matthew’s career seeing his rapid promotion to General.  To protect Lexi, Matthew knew he needed to use changes in the law to protect her and their assets that the Terrorist sought to exploit and committed to her through a forced marriage ceremony at the hands of the Terrorists.

For Matthew this was the one thing that had kept him going, and for Lexi she only agreed to protect herself believing there was no legal validity in the ceremony.

On their rescue Lexi was confronted with the truth of another forced marriage and was determined to escape this to have her own life, free from domination by men.

Matthew not only was left to fight to secure the love of his life but to protect his friends and family from the terrorist who decided that they were fair game in the pursuit of his goals.

Can Matthew succeed and win?  Can Lexi learn to trust and forgive Matthew?  Will the one secret that she has been keeping for eight years drive them apart?

This is the story of their journey, with their friends and family along for the ride.

Note – for those who have read my first story Offer to the CEO, our favourite couple makes appearances here, with Anna becoming a huge supporter and friend of our Female Lead.

Extract:

“Matthew, you b*stard.  You knew our marriage would be valid, and you forced it on me.  You are no better than my parents who arranged my first marriage?”

“What did you want me to do?  Let you be killed?”

“You should have thought about me, not your own selfish needs.  Get the hell out of my sight and let me be I'm going to stay away from you.”

“Forget it.  You are the wife of a military officer.  You will live in my villa and forget about going anywhere without my permission.  It is not safe.”

“Safe?  I am not safe from you, everyone, everything and everywhere else is safe!”


Please note the cover artwork is not mine.
Also while at the start of this story it may seem that the lead is male, in fact the lead is a female lead (be patient for this to be shown)

Arriving back at their dorm, Fern and Emily swipe their building access keys and take in a breath of the stale smell of first-year university students that have forgotten good hygiene practices. Walking through the hallway covered in posters and advertisements for campus activities, they wave to the person that is staffing the front desk.

 Smelling the delicious smell of food that is wafting from the dining hall, Emily starts drifting further away from Fern and closer to the kitchen's doors. As they walk past the doors, Emily is like a kitten who is seeing the bright red light laser beam for the first time. Entranced, she comes to a stop and stares intently at the kitchen staff as they make food for the students. 

Meanwhile, Fern has tunnel vision and is focused on her mission to plant her seeds as soon as possible. It isn't until Fern is almost at the staircase that she realizes Emily's lack of presence. Confused, Fern looks to her right, left, and then spins around in a circle. Finally, she focuses on the almost drooling Emily, who is standing down the hall. Realizing that Emily is being sucked into the trap of endless food, Fern yells, "Oi!" just loud enough for Emily to hear. 

Snapping out of her dream state, Emily longingly looks at the dining hall one last time before she quickly turns her head in Fern's direction and yells, "Sorry!" As she speed-walks to catch up with Fern, Emily says, "It smells so good. Let's just drop by our rooms quickly, yea?" 

Feeling sorry for dragging around her friend all day, Fern mentally promises herself to make up for it. Going on her tippy toes and patting Emily on the head, Fern says, "Thanks for dealing with me all day. Race you to my room?" 

Without bothering to give Fern a verbal response, Emily lets out a grin and immediately starts running up the staircase. Cradling her full shopping bag in her arms like a baby, Fern chases behind Emily as she regrets all of her latest decisions. 

As Emily reaches Fern's room first, she triumphantly starts victory dancing while watching Fern unlock the door. Entering the room and waving her hand offhandedly, Fern says, "Yea yea, you had an unfair advantage. If that were a fair race, I would have won." 

Plopping down on Fern's bed, Emily reaches towards the desk that doubles as Fern's nightstand and says, "Whatever makes you feel better." Connecting her phone to the speaker sitting on Fern's desk, Emily starts playing music throughout the tiny room. 

After setting out all of the gardening supplies that Fern bought while Emily was flirting, Fern sits down on the hardwood floor. Using a spoon that she had lying around, Fern slowly starts filling the cheapest plastic pots that were available. Once all of the pots were almost full, Fern called Emily's name and patted the space next to her. 

Feeling bored from the brief period of mindlessly staring at the ceiling and listening to songs that she has never heard of, Emily eagerly pops a squat on the floor. 

Thinking that Emily would label the pots with either 'purple' or 'green,' Fern hands a sharpie to her friend and says, "Will you label the pots after I put a seed in?" 

Taking the sharpie, the hidden gears in Emily's mind start whirring as she says, "yup." 

Like an assembly line, Fern would plant a seed and Emily would label the plant with a name. Once the plant was labelled, Emily would put it on the shelf that is front of Fern's window. In the end, ten plants were lined up next to each other. One is named 'Alvin,' another is 'His Majesty the Emperor Wingman,' and another is called 'Fluffy,' etc. 
 
Finally able to show off the great names that she came up with, Emily excitedly looks to Fern and says, "Aren't they great? All of our plants have their own special names." 

Caught a little off guard by Emily's overachievement, Fern says, "Well, I am going to be spending a lot of time caring for them. I suppose they should have their own pet names." 

Latching onto the idea of pet names, Emily says, "They probably deserve better than those cheap pots- it's pretty cold outside. I saw on the internet that you could make sweaters for your plants- " 

Cutting Emily off before she gets too attached to the plants, Fern says, "Didn't you want to go eat? Let's go to the dining hall."

A young university student, Fern, is a mess. She has yet to find something that makes her feel passionately excited. 

When Fern receives a bad mark on a research project proposal, she is forced to seek help from a professor and discovers the magic of biology. 

As Fern pursues her fascination with the field, she and her friends will inadvertently revolutionize the world's understanding of the planet and its inhabitants.

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