In front of the bizarre scene unfolding, Latifa blinked and stared at his face.
No, to be exact, she was staring at the silvery mirage next to his head.
‘Is this something that can come out of a person?’
She stared, agape at the sight she had never seen before in her life. The silver spirit was fainter than anything else, fluttering weakly.
If it wasn’t for Hades’s soft voice she had just heard, she might have mistaken it for airborne dust.
[Dash] Snap.“Hey?”
Sensing something off about the dazed Latifa, Hades sharply snapped his fingers in front of her face. The silvery mirage quickly disappeared.
“Oh! Yes!”
Startled, she blinked in response, and he sighed softly, sheathing his sword. Then, he gestured for her to follow him as he pulled back a leather curtain.
“Let’s talk for a bit.”
“……”
“I won’t eat you.”
‘It sounds like he might.’
However, her lingering fear made her hesitate to move. Seeing this, he smirked and touched his sheath.
“Not yet.”
Hearing the implication in “not yet,” Latifa quickly followed him.
[Star Icon][Star Icon]It was the evening breeze, carrying a hint of the desert’s heat.
‘So, once we pass this gorge, it’s the desert.’
Horses were leisurely grazing near the grasslands where the desert soldiers were stationed. As the sun seemed to set, painting the sky with a reddish evening glow, Latifa leaned against a fence and looked at the horses.
The sunset reflecting on Latifa’s silver hair made it shimmer with a fiery red hue.
‘But why did a spirit appear from General Hades? Wait, was it really a spirit?’
When she turned to look at Hades again, there was no sign of anything.
‘Maybe I imagined it.’
[Dash] Clink.Hades, who had been silent, took two golden bracelets out of several that hung on his wrist.
They looked worn from long use, showing scratches here and there, but they were elegantly crafted with intricate patterns.
“Give me your hand.”
Hesitating, she extended a hand, but he grumbled in dissatisfaction.
“You’re the only woman who dares to hand me just one hand so casually.”
Thud. Two gold bracelets were placed on her pale hand.
“What’s this?”
“A reward. These are Ignite bracelets bestowed upon me by the Sultan himself. If a woman from a defeated nation like you were seen with them, you’d probably end up in jail.”
‘Why is he giving me something so dangerous?’
Latifa’s brow furrowed as she tried to push the bracelets away, but he held them firmly in her grasp.
“No one but desert folk will recognize them. Sell them or wear them, as you wish.”
With that, she quickly tucked the bracelets into a pocket of her robe.
You never know when he might change his words and ask for them back.
‘At least with this, I won’t have to beg on the streets.’
Hades continued to watch her as she stored the bracelets. Eventually, unable to withstand his persistent gaze, she spoke up.
“Do you have anything else to say?”
“I wanted to correct something you might not be aware of.”
“What is it?”
“I am Hades Caleb Ignite. The title ‘Ignite’ is the highest honor one can receive from the Grand Bazaar.”
“Uh… okay.”
She was surprised by his sudden introduction.
“As you see, I am the supreme general of the Grand Bazaar and have the highest authority to command the entire military.”
“I suppose so.”
The place where I was born and raised, Caleb, is a millennial noble house in the Grand Bazaar. It’s a martial family that has produced great generals for generations and has accumulated enormous wealth and honor beyond your imagination.
At his words, the question ‘So what?’ kept popping into my head.
I didn’t understand the purpose of his statement and merely nodded absentmindedly. Then he coughed slightly and spoke.
“Hmm. Well, I’m not a pauper.”
Realizing why he said that, Latifa sighed softly.
‘Did he take it to heart when I called him a pauper earlier?’
“……15 gold bars mean nothing to me.”
‘Why would someone like him even draft such a shoddy contract? What a strange man.’
“Impressive. I can’t believe it without seeing it for myself.”
Responding nonchalantly and gazing at the evening sunset again, he asked,
“What do you plan to do after exile?”
“Find a home and…….”
“And?”
“Thought of opening a store…….”
“And?”
Seemingly frustrated with her trailing off, he urged her to continue.
“I don’t have the gold bars…….”
“Ha. You speak well about other matters, but I can’t understand why you become so hesitant when it’s about yourself.”
Really?
Perhaps Latifa herself didn’t know because she wasn’t confident about herself.
She looked down, feeling a bit sullen.
“I suggest something before I lose my patience.”
“…….”
“I wish you would come with me to the Grand Bazaar. To be honest, the reason I set the Grand Bazaar as the payment location was for that purpose.”
“Huh?”
The mention of the Grand Bazaar made her ears ring again.
The evening breeze, carrying the scent of desert sand, tickled Latifa’s long hair. Hades leaned against the wooden fence, speaking confidently.
When male lead is the homewrecker
“I know she doesn’t love him.”
I’ve read the novel below twice already. Girls, I’m highly recommending it to you!
The female lead? Not a good person.
The second male lead? Not a good person.
The male lead? Willingly plays the third party, breaking up the female and second male lead’s relationship despite all the warnings from his friends—so yeah, he’s definitely not a good person either.
Basically, nobody in this novel is simple-minded or without scheming.
The female lead starts off as the male lead’s secretary, but don’t worry—later on, she takes over the company while the male lead steps back to support her. He won’t steal her spotlight, overshadow her, or dull her shine.
I love novels where men are out here snatching wigs, tearing each other down, and going to war just to win the female lead’s affection. And this is exactly that kind of novel. Most of Hai Dai Ran’s works have this dynamic. You’ll see the male characters’ emotions being pushed to the absolute extreme.
There’s even a scene where the second male lead exposes the male lead online for being a homewrecker. The brotherhood immediately gangs up on him, dragging him through the mud. I find it compelling —it completely flips reality on its head, where usually, women are the ones fighting over a man and getting torn apart by the sisterhood.
For me, female leads in the novels I read should only struggle in their careers, not in love. But if the brainless romantics in the story are all men? I have zero complaints.
I’ve pretty much read all of Hai Dai Ran’s novels and even translated all of them—her works are just my thing. I’ll slowly upload everything here. One day, when my website is official, I hope I can invite her to join as one of the star authors.
Here’s the story synopsis:
One-line summary: She is his lifelong obsession, to the point where he was willing to be a third wheel, scorned by society, just to wedge his way into her relationship with her fiancé.
Cold-hearted and indifferent female lead + Scheming and subservient CEO male lead
Intro 1:
“I know she doesn’t love him.”
With blood trickling from his clenched fist, Rong Xiu gazed at the woman before him, his eyes clouded with anguish. Hidden in the wardrobe, he had witnessed Fan Xia – the woman he desperately loved – in an intimate embrace with her fiancé. Yet his heart still yearned for her, defying all reason.
Fan Xia, the elegant and composed assistant, carried something mysterious in her eyes whenever she looked at her fiancé, Wen Lan Sheng. Strange occurrences began to surface – secret meetings with the young Gu Jin Yi, an unexplained withdrawal of 5,000 yuan… Then suddenly, her fiancé’s sister, Wen Jing, violently attacked her.
In this matriarchal society, Rong Xiu had risen to become the chairman of a powerful healthcare conglomerate, breaking through gender prejudices. But for the first time, he willingly stepped into the shadows as the other man, disregarding his friends’ warnings to become her secret lover.
Because he had discovered the truth – Fan Xia wasn’t the pure angel everyone believed her to be. And perhaps, he was the only one capable of helping her execute her mysterious plan…
Intro 2:
Rong Xiu’s biggest regret in life was missing out on Fan Xia.
He secretly loved Fan Xia for 7 years.
Watched her go public with her boyfriend.
Watched her kiss her boyfriend at their wedding.
Until that man blissfully nestled in Fan Xia’s arms, obtaining everything he could only dream of.
The crazy jealousy stripped away his hidden secret love, layer by layer, burning like wildfire.
Fan Xia, how can I have you!
【Reading and Trigger Warning Guide】
1. Female dominant, male submissive, male pregnancy
2. Male lead schemes his way to the top, male competition
_____
Please help me, I want to bring you the best possible things.
If you find any chapter or novel with poor translation and editing quality, let me know by commenting directly under that novel or chapter. I will retranslate it as soon as possible.
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