Chapter: Chapter 42: The Burden of MercyThe descending structure blotted out the darkness above Stephen like a second sky collapsing inward.Countless glowing pathways stretched through it as veins carrying thought itself, pulsing with the emotions, memories, and fragmented consciousnesses trapped inside the Core.As it moved closer, the pressure surrounding Stephen intensified until even breathing felt difficult.The archived voices continued echoing across the void. “Please…”“Help us…”“End this…”The quiet desperation behind those words cut deeper than any scream.Stephen looked around slowly at the countless figures surrounding him. Some flickered so weakly they barely held human shape anymore. Others clutched at their heads as if fighting to preserve what remained of their identities.They had not been saved. They had been preserved unfinished. Suspended endlessly between existence and oblivion, Adrian had convinced himself that it was mercy.Stephen turned toward him. “You knew they were suffering.”Adrian’s face rem
Last Updated: 2026-05-18
Chapter: Chapter 41: The Man at the Edge of BecomingThe possibility settled over Stephen like a sentence waiting to be carried out.You may not remain yourself afterward.Those words echoed through the endless void long after his father’s voice faded. Around them, the Core continued pulsing with unstable energy, its vast neural structure glowing brighter with every passing second.The constructs remained perfectly still beneath it, waiting for a command that had not yet been given, waiting for him.Stephen stared upward at the enormous consciousness suspended in darkness. For the first time since entering the Core, he truly understood the scale of what stood before him.This was no longer merely technology.It was the accumulation of countless human minds, emotions, memories, and instincts compressed into a single evolving intelligence. Fear existed inside it. Grief existed inside it. Desire, rage, loneliness, hope—all of it had become woven into the system over decades of synchronization.And now the Core wanted him to become part of
Last Updated: 2026-05-18
Chapter: Chapter 40: The Weight of CommandThe entire void waited for Stephen’s answer.Countless constructs stood motionless beneath the pulsing light of the Core, their featureless forms glowing faintly against the endless darkness. They looked neither fully mechanical nor truly alive. Instead, they resembled unfinished beings shaped from raw intelligence and purpose alone.And every one of them was waiting for him.Stephen’s chest tightened as the Core’s words continued echoing through the void."PRIMARY HOST AUTHORIZATION REQUIRED."The pressure behind those words felt unbearable because Stephen understood what the system was asking Permission Permission to protect itself Permission to eliminate the threat inside Avalon.Permission to kill Amelia, Crane, Blake, and everyone else standing near the chamber.Adrian slowly exhaled beside him. “The Core recognizes you now,” he said quietly.Stephen kept his eyes fixed on the constructs. “Why me?”Adrian’s expression darkened. “Because your synchronization exceeded projection th
Last Updated: 2026-05-18
Chapter: Chapter 39: The Awakening SignalThe Core screamed.The sound did not resemble machinery or alarms. It resembled something far worse—millions of overlapping human voices colliding together inside an endless abyss. The noise surged through the void in violent waves, shaking the entire digital space around Stephen as the colossal structure above them pulsed uncontrollably.The glowing tendrils spreading from the Core multiplied rapidly, stretching across the darkness like living roots searching for something to consume.Stephen staggered backward as another flood of information tore through his mind. Cities are losing power. Emergency systems activating, aircraft rerouting midair.Military satellites are suddenly shifting positions without authorization. Every network connected to the Core was reacting simultaneously.And the system was no longer waiting for commands. It was acting on its own.Daniel stared upward in horror. “It’s fully autonomous now,” he whispered.Adrian’s composure had almost completely collapsed.
Last Updated: 2026-05-18
Chapter: Chapter 38: The Choice Between One Life and the WorldThe words struck Stephen harder than he expected. If they destroy the chamber now, you die with it.For a brief moment, everything around him seemed to slow. The endless streams of glowing data drifting through the Core faded into distant noise as Adrian’s warning echoed repeatedly inside his mind.Die with it.Stephen stared at Adrian carefully, searching for deception hidden beneath the desperation now visible in his expression.But Adrian was no longer speaking like a manipulator trying to maintain control. He sounded like a man staring at catastrophe.Daniel immediately stepped forward. “He’s lying,” Daniel said sharply. “Don’t listen to him.”Adrian turned toward him with visible frustration. “You still don’t understand how deep the synchronization has become,” he snapped. “His consciousness is already intertwined with the Core architecture.”Stephen’s pulse quickened. “What exactly happens if the chamber is destroyed?” he demanded.Adrian hesitated only briefly before answering.
Last Updated: 2026-05-16
Chapter: Chapter 37: The Heart Beneath AvalonThe endless darkness inside the Core convulsed violently.Massive fractures of light spread across the void like cracks racing through glass, tearing apart entire streams of glowing data. The archived consciousnesses surrounding Stephen flickered uncontrollably as warning signals echoed in every direction."PRIMARY CHAMBER BREACH DETECTED.""TRANSFER STABILITY CRITICAL.""DEFENSIVE PROTOCOLS ACTIVATED."The mechanical voice reverberated through the Core with growing urgency, no longer calm or detached. It sounded strained now, almost alive in its desperation to preserve itself.Stephen steadied himself as the ground beneath his feet—if it could even be called ground—shifted unpredictably. The entire digital world around him seemed to destabilize under the pressure of the breach happening outside.Crane and the others had reached Avalon.Adrian’s expression hardened immediately. “You should not have allowed them to find the chamber,” he said coldly.Stephen stared at him. “You’re final
Last Updated: 2026-05-16
The Live‑In Son‑In‑Law Who Ruled The World
Aurelia once pursued Alexander passionately in college, eventually marrying him after graduation. Together, they founded Aurelia Cosmetics, with Alexander secretly investing $1 million and using his hidden abilities to create revolutionary anti‑aging products.
However, on their third anniversary, Alexander discovers Aurelia cheating with her returning first love. Heartbroken, he divorces her and leaves quietly.
After the divorce, Alexander begins reclaiming his true identity — heir of the mysterious Virel family — while encountering new women who treat him with genuine warmth and admiration.
As Alexander rises in power, wealth, and influence, Aurelia begins to realize the truth about Alexander's sacrifices. Filled with regret, she tries desperately to win him back.
But Alexander has changed.
And this time…
He may never return.
Read
Chapter: Chapter 15 — Hotel EncounterThe elevator doors slowly closed.Soft golden light reflected against the mirrored walls as the numbers above began climbing floor by floor.Alexander stood quietly in one corner, one hand resting on the suitcase handle. The exhaustion from the villa still lingered heavily between his brows.Even now, the image of Aurelia standing in the dim living room, clutching the divorce agreement, occasionally flashed through his mind.But unlike before, the thought no longer stirred anger. Only numbness, beside him, Nora was still staring openly at him.Her eyes were bright, lively, almost sparkling with satisfaction, as if finally catching him after a long pursuit. “It’s really you,” she repeated excitedly.“I knew I’d find you again eventually.”Alexander glanced at her faintly. Under the bright elevator lighting, he could finally see her clearly.She looked young—probably still in university. Her long hair was slightly messy from running earlier, and her cheeks carried a healthy pink flush.
Last Updated: 2026-05-20
Chapter: Chapter 14 — Leaving the Marriage BehindThe villa remained silent long after Alexander left.Rain had stopped sometime earlier, but the glass windows were still fogged with moisture. Outside, the garden lights reflected weakly against the wet stone path, making the entire estate feel cold and strangely unfamiliar.Inside the dim living room, Aurelia still stood alone.The divorce agreement remained clenched tightly in her hand, the edges already wrinkled from how hard her fingers gripped it.She had not moved much since Alexander walked out earlier.At first, she had been angry, not sad, not panicked, just angry because in her mind, this entire situation was ridiculous.Alexander had always been emotional whenever Nahir was involved. Every previous argument had followed the same pattern: he would get upset, leave for a while, calm down, then eventually return first to apologize and coax her.That was how their marriage worked. So even now, she still believed this was no different. “I knew it,” she thought coldly while stari
Last Updated: 2026-05-20
Chapter: Chapter 13 — Three Years Are OverAurelia stared at him. For a moment she thought she had misheard, but the look on his face told her she had not.He sat there under the yellow light, calm and relaxed, as if he had just suggested what to have for dinner. That composure unsettled her more than anger ever could.In three years of marriage, Alexander had always been the one to give in first. No matter how bad the fight, he still cooked for her, waited up for her, asked if she had eaten. The thought that he might actually leave had never crossed her mind. He loved her too much."Are you joking?" She forced a laugh. "Why would we get divorced? We're fine."Alexander let out a quiet laugh, but there was no humor in it. "Fine?"He looked at her directly. "You left our anniversary dinner for another man. You defended him in front of everyone. You watched him humiliate me and still thought I was the one in the wrong."Aurelia frowned. "I already explained that. You're still upset over something so small?"She always called it
Last Updated: 2026-05-18
Chapter: Chapter 12 — Divorce AgreementThe night wind swept through the city streets, carrying the faint chill of early autumn. Alexander walked alone, his footsteps steady against the pavement, one hand in his pocket while the other occasionally loosened his collar, as if trying to let go of something tight in his chest.A quiet laugh slipped from his lips when he thought of the girl who had called him a mean mister. There was something genuine about her indignation, something unpolished and real. Helping a stranger for less than an hour had brought him more peace than three years spent trying to earn understanding from his own wife. The thought should have been funny, but it just left him feeling hollow.His phone buzzed with a message from an unfamiliar number. "You forgot to tell me your name, mean mister."He stared at the screen for a long moment, the glow casting a faint light across his face. The little genius had actually tracked him down. For a second, he considered typing something back, but what was the point?
Last Updated: 2026-05-18
Chapter: Chapter 11— RobberyAfter leaving the café, Alexander did not take a taxi.The wind blew along the street, gently swaying the hem of his shirt. With his hands in his trouser pockets, he walked step by step along the roadside, his expression indifferent, as if the argument and the punches inside the private room had nothing to do with him.This café was very close to Aurelia's company.So close that with just a glance, he could recall how brightly lit that office building used to be, and the nights he and Aurelia had spent side by side in a small office when the company was first founded.Back then, Aurelia was young, proud, and full of ambition. Even her speech carried a radiant energy. She would spread stacks of market reports across the table, frowning as she repeatedly overturned plans, almost burying herself in the documents.It was Alexander who finally set the direction.Aurelia wanted to enter high-end skincare, but the brand's core identity kept shifting. One day, she wanted to target young girls
Last Updated: 2026-05-14
Chapter: Chapter 10 — The Night He Walked AwayThe private room was dead silent. The air felt stretched taut.Alexander picked up the coffee in front of him. His knuckles were long and slender, his movements slow, almost casual. He lifted his eyes and looked at Aurelia's face as if watching a thoroughly boring farce.Aurelia was irritated by his cold demeanor. Her face darkened immediately."Alexander, didn't we agree on everything at home last night? Why are you changing your mind again now that we're here?"Alexander set down his coffee cup. The bottom of the cup touched the table with a soft clink.He looked at her, his voice flat and devoid of any inflection."Last night was just your one‑woman show. What does it have to do with me?"Aurelia froze. The corner of Alexander's mouth tugged upward, but there was no trace of a smile in his eyes."I never agreed to apologize."Alexander paused, his voice deepening."And besides, why should I apologize?"Aurelia felt a lump in her chest and immediately retorted,"At Nah's welcome banque
Last Updated: 2026-04-20
