“Stupid talk. People change once they taste power.”
At the Baroness’s hopeful delusion, Ryan was furious.
“That woman! It was her stabbing us in the back that has led to this situation. Do you still see Riley as a simpleton?”
“So what do we do! How can we dare to refuse the marriage proposal from the Lannister family!”
The Lannister family, though not royal, was one of the empire’s three dukes, having received the title of duke.
The Lannister family, who had produced wizards for generations, had the power to rival the imperial family as a founding contributor to the empire. Looking only at the family, it was an extraordinary one, and now having also produced the head of the great tower of Matop, its position was beyond description.
If the humble baron family were to reject a marriage proposal from such a family’s next head…… It was obvious they would receive retribution for damaging the Lannister family’s honor, and they would be buried without even entering society.
Moreover, they were now in a complete fallingout with the Count of Ermaints because of Riley…… They could not know when that hopeless old man would seek revenge.
There was no way out.
If they allowed this marriage, it was obvious that ‘Riley’ would become an uncontrollable variable in the future, and if they refused, they would undoubtedly fall into ruin.
“We can use this marriage too.”
“Use?”
“Well, you know. Riley is still our registered daughter. If we don’t give permission, what can she do?”
“Hmm.”
“If we oppose the marriage, she will know that she cannot be sold to another, that she’s stuck. She’s not a stupid kid. She’s clever and shrewd.”
“…….”
“Besides, according to social conventions, can Riley easily abandon us? She’s still family in public, right? It’s not good for her to expose family discord. Her position will only shrink.”
“If you look at the future, though…….”
“Oh, honey, are you just going to eat and play until then? Being too cautious is a problem too. By then, we’ll have laid our foundation well enough, right? First, let’s get a pledge. In exchange for allowing the marriage, she will not harm us, and will fully perform her role as a family member.”
At the Baroness’s alternative, Ryan’s face brightened.
“That’s a good idea. If we get a legally binding pledge, we won’t need to worry about retaliation.”
Ryan, having found an alternative, exclaimed joyfully.
“Macdalin, go and call Riley.”
(This is a time separator.)
“Do you want to marry Gibnen Lannister, Duke? I called you to ask your thoughts.”
Riley stared at Ryan.
A patient demeanor never seen before, she really couldn’t adapt to it. Just yesterday, she had been cursing and swordfighting; it was hard to believe it was the same person.
“……I want to.”
“Alright, if that is your wish… Let’s proceed with this marriage. But.”
“…….”
“I want you to write a vow.”
“……A vow?”
Ryan extended a paper to Riley.
“Read it and sign.”
Riley began to read what was written on the paper. In summary, it said:
Let go of old resentments and don’t blame each other for past wrongs.
Maintain the external family relationship. Ensure no leaks regarding discord.
As a member of the Ermaints family, strive for the prosperity and development of the family.
Riley burst into a snicker. She couldn’t even think of holding back her laughter, as it was too ridiculous.
“If you follow what’s written there, I’ll allow the marriage.”
“It seems that now… you are afraid of me, uncle.”
“…….”
“When I was trying so hard to be recognized as a family, I was treated like trash, but now you think of me as a family member?”
Ryan honestly admitted his mistake.
“Admit my mistake.”
“…….”
“To be honest, I didn’t want to take care of you. After your father died in a carriage accident, I wasn’t exactly welloff to take care of you left alone. And it’s not like you had any inheritance left… But I couldn’t just ignore you, not after it was known you were my niece. Admit it, you were a thorn in my eye.”
“…….”
“And I didn’t get along with your father in the first place. To be honest, it was a relationship that was just bloodrelated, inferior to others. And then he left you to me… Yes, I was annoyed. I was struggling to feed myself and my family, and your existence was a burden.”
Ryan spoke, carefully observing Riley’s reaction.
“But anyway, we are family. You are my adopted daughter.”
“…….”
“Admit that our relationship has gone awry. I truly regret treating you terribly. But now that things have come to this, my family and I want to reestablish a good relationship with you.”
“Why? Because I’m becoming the lady of the Lianster family? Do you need me now?”
“Yes, the conditions offered by Duke Lianster are too… generous. Yet the reason I hesitated is solely because of you.”
“…….”
“I don’t know what sort of revenge you might be plotting since you harbor resentment toward my family.”
He really had a knack for choosing the most… straightfaced words to the end.
“What if I don’t sign here?”
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.
[Touch the gear icon in the bottom right corner of the screen to move to the next chapter if you want.]
