Rise of the Dann
Five years ago, Dann Riddect left Eva Anderson—his newlywed wife—without warning, leaving behind a scandal that shattered her family's reputation. Accused of taking a $500,000 bribe from Eva's father, Dann vanished into the military, unaware that he had left behind a child.
Now, Dann has returned. No longer the struggling dockworker, he’s a military hero with unimaginable power. While Dann is determined to right his wrongs and rekindle his relationship with Eva, the deep-seated resentment in Eva’s heart isn’t easily erased. Worse, the Anderson family still despises him, especially Jeremy, a man eager to take Dann’s place in Eva’s life.
As secrets from the past unravel and the truth comes to light, can Eva forgive Dann and believe he didn’t abandon her for money? Or will the bitterness and pain of the past destroy their chance at rebuilding the family they never had?
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Chapter: How Mr. President?The words sliced through the silence, drawing a sharp intake of breath from the gathered officers. General Veyra shifted in her seat, her silver armor gleaming faintly under the torchlight, but she kept her lips sealed. Kaelen’s brow furrowed, hands gripping the table as if he expected a brawl to break out at any second. Orvan’s keen eyes flicked between the two men, already calculating what would happen if fists—or swords—were drawn.Only Maelor, the oldest among them, spoke with weary calm. “Enough, Jarek. Accusations will not win us this war. Nor will your pride.”But Jarek slammed his fist on the table, rattling the maps and goblets. “Pride? No, Maelor—truth! He reeks of betrayal. His very presence here insults the blood we spilled while he vanished like a coward!”The chamber erupted in murmurs, the soldiers posted by the doors exchanging uneasy glances.Dann’s lips curved in a sharp, dangerous smile. He met Jarek’s glare without flinching. “You think you know the truth? You thin
Last Updated: 2025-08-20
Chapter: What Price? Her eyes blazed. “I’m not abandoning my post—”“You’re not dying here either,” Dann growled, hauling her up just as a grenade clinked across the deck.His eyes widened. “Down!”The blast ripped through the air, the shockwave throwing them both against the bulkhead. Dann’s ears rang, vision swimming—but through the smoke, he saw something that froze his blood.The mutineers weren’t just attacking.They were flying the enemy’s colors.Dann’s knuckles tightened on the edge of the table, his voice carrying the steel of command though his chest burned with rage.“Who told you this?” he demanded, eyes locked on General Rowan.Rowan shifted uncomfortably, his jaw tense. “The report came from inside Konzia’s council chambers. Their envoys spoke of a private negotiation—one not listed in any official record. Someone from within our own war councils may be trading information for favors.”The hall erupted in mutters, the generals exchanging wary glances. Treachery within the ranks was more dang
Last Updated: 2025-08-17
Chapter: The Falcon-9The room fell silent except for the hum of data feeds. Seconds later, Han’s console beeped with the hit.The name flashing on the screen made Dann’s blood run cold.It was someone who shouldn’t be alive.Dann’s knuckles whitened against the polished edge of the war table as the latest intelligence streamed in—grainy satellite images of ships clustering in the Teluk Naraga like vultures circling a carcass.The supply crisis had grown worse. What began as tense negotiations over dwindling fuel and food reserves had now spiraled into something far more dangerous. Shots had been fired between two allied fleets, and rumors of mutiny within one of the foreign navies were spreading fast.General Makarov’s voice cut through the heavy silence. “Sir, if this escalates, the alliance could fracture within days. The Teluk controls over sixty percent of maritime trade in the region. If we lose it—”“We won’t lose it,” Dann snapped, the air around him charged with an authority that brooked no argume
Last Updated: 2025-08-12
Chapter: Teluk ArashaThe tension in the war room was thick enough to cut with a blade.Dann’s gaze swept over the holographic map projected in front of him—the Teluk Arasha glowed in an ominous red, dotted with markers representing naval fleets from six different nations. The supply lines were shrinking fast, like veins slowly closing off from the heart of the battle.“Admiral Caine,” Dann said, his voice low but razor-sharp, “you told me two days ago that the Arasha corridor was secured. So explain to me why three allied fleets are now at each other’s throats over a shipment of grain and fuel?”Caine stiffened, his jaw tightening. “Sir, intelligence reports indicate that rogue factions infiltrated the supply convoys. They’ve been redirecting resources—”“Don’t you dare give me that sanitized briefing,” Dann cut in, slamming his palm onto the table. “We’re talking about men starving, engines dying, and nations ready to fire on each other. This is more than a ‘rogue faction.’ Someone is orchestrating this,
Last Updated: 2025-08-08
Chapter: The True Threat The transport jet ripped through the sky like a blade of vengeance. Inside, Dann Riddect stood silent, visor down, eyes dark with a fury that no longer needed words. The other soldiers aboard barely dared breathe.Across from him, Ares glanced over, uncertain. “If it’s a trap, you won’t survive going alone.”Dann didn’t look up. “That’s the idea.”“You’re not expendable, Dann.”“No,” Dann replied coldly. “I’m inevitable.”The silence that followed wasn’t one of awe—it was fear. Even the wind outside seemed to hush around him, as if the world itself braced for the carnage he would unleash.Suddenly, a low beep sounded in his neural implant. A secure message. Untraceable.It was a video.He tapped the side of his helmet, and the display flickered on.Eva.Strapped to an obsidian pillar, her eyes swollen but alive. Around her, runes flickered—binding, draining, punishing. She looked straight into the camera.“Dann,” she rasped, “don’t come for me. It’s not worth the world.”And then… a c
Last Updated: 2025-08-08
Chapter: Ashes of The SummitThe Ember Protocol ignited more than just warnings—it summoned ghosts.From the scorched depths of the Southern Reaches to the frostbitten peaks of Orlavan, Berdiezland's hidden fleets activated. War Golems stirred from their hibernation vaults. Cryptic sigils pulsed on bunker walls. Across the continent, old alliances broke into hushed conversations, and ancient debts came due.Dann stood at the Red Tower’s shattered balcony, overlooking the rubble-strewn courtyard below. His grip on the broken phoenix gauntlet had not loosened. Neither had his fury.“Sir,” Ares said, approaching again, his face tight with unease. “We found a survivor in the west wing. A mage—she was part of Eva’s retinue.”Dann turned sharply. “Alive?”“Barely. But conscious enough to talk.”“Take me.”They entered what was left of the infirmary. Debris, blood, and stifling heat choked the air. The mage lay on a cot—her hair matted, her robes burned, her fingers twitching with residual arcane energy. Her eyes flicke
Last Updated: 2025-08-04
Chapter: The Sparks of LoyaltyThe atmosphere in the room shifted as Brown and Clara exchanged a knowing glance. Their entrance wasn’t just a formality—they carried an aura of determination that added weight to the already tense chamber.“Danniel,” Brown said firmly, bowing his head slightly, “we stand with you. Whatever games of power these men try to play, they’ll have to go through us first.”Clara stepped forward, her eyes blazing with fire. “You’ve carried this burden alone for too long. The world knows you as the War God, but we know you as the man who never abandoned his people, even when everyone else turned their back. We’re here—not because we have to, but because we choose to.”Danniel's gaze softened, just slightly. Their words stirred something deep in him. For a moment, the chains of loneliness that had wrapped around his heart for years seemed to crack.But the generals weren’t impressed.One of them scoffed loudly. “So what? A few loyal dogs at your side? Do you think that changes the fact that this
Last Updated: 2025-08-20
Chapter: The Fractured PactThe ground tore open with a deafening crack, swallowing the edge of the path in a spray of rock and black fire. Brown barely managed to grab the cart’s frame with one hand, the other clutching the starlight shard.The Shadowcaster descended into the rift like a phantom, cloak billowing, its faceless visage turning toward him. The air around it warped—light dimming, heat bleeding away.“Brown!” Clara’s voice rang out, strained but fierce. She sprinted through the chaos, slicing down a rider who got in her way. Eva was already moving toward him, her hands weaving sigils in the air, her white magic flaring brighter against the gloom.The Shadowcaster lifted a hand. The spectral beasts surged upward again—this time larger, faster, their fangs dripping with shadows that hissed when they touched the ground.Brown tossed the shard to Eva. “Keep it safe!”“You’re insane!” she shouted back.“Been told that before.”Clara skidded into place beside him, back-to-back. “You cover high, I’ll carve
Last Updated: 2025-08-17
Chapter: Down the SlopeThe meeting room was small, windowless, and dimly lit, the hum of an old ceiling fan the only sound as they filed in. Dann took the head of the table, Brown leaned casually against the far wall, and Clara and Eva ended up sitting directly across from each other, like two opposing queens in a game neither intended to lose.Dann cleared his throat. “We’ve confirmed the convoy carrying the second fragment will cross through the Dusk Pass in two days. Security is heavier than we anticipated—triple guard rotation, aerial scouts, and…” he glanced at Brown, “…they’ve brought in a Shadowcaster.”Clara’s brow furrowed. “A Shadowcaster? That means Varek’s anticipating us.” She leaned forward slightly, her tone crisp. “We’ll need diversionary teams on both flanks, and someone who knows how to counter dark wards.”Eva smirked faintly. “Or someone who can bypass them entirely. Which—” she looked at Dann, not Clara—“I’ve already arranged. You don’t need to split forces.”Clara’s eyes narrowed. “You
Last Updated: 2025-08-12
Chapter: About DaveBrown and Clara arrived at the mansion just as the tension between Jeremy and Dann was thick enough to slice with a blade. The sound of their hurried footsteps echoed in the grand hallway before they appeared at the doorway—Brown, his soldier’s posture rigid, and Clara, her eyes scanning the room like a hawk.“Dave,” Brown’s voice was deep, commanding attention without trying. “What’s going on here?”Jeremy’s smirk twitched, but he didn’t look away from Dave. “Ah, perfect timing,” he said with false cheer. “Looks like the cavalry’s here. Or maybe… the audience.”Clara crossed her arms, unimpressed. “We heard enough from the hallway to know you’re trying to stir trouble again, Jeremy.” Her tone was sharp, protective of Dave.Jeremy chuckled low. “Protective little friends you have here, Dave. Cute.”Brown stepped forward, closing the distance between them with deliberate slowness. “You don’t want to test my patience, Jeremy. I’ve heard the rumors. I know you’ve been poking around place
Last Updated: 2025-08-08
Chapter: When the Boy SpokenThe world held its breath.In temples carved into cliff sides, in ruins buried beneath desert sands, in the crystal monasteries of the North — they heard it.A voice.No, not a voice — a commandment.Aetherion, kneeling in the void, trembled as the sound surged from his mouth. It wasn’t in any known tongue, yet all who heard it understood.“Wake.”And far above, reality answered.In the Forbidden NorthA slumbering mountain cracked.Not from earthquake — but from stirring.Beneath its peak, the Thirteenth Gate shuddered. The silver chains that bound it hissed with steam. One broke.An ancient guardian — a creature of living frost and flame — opened its eyes for the first time in ten thousand years."The Voice… has returned.”At the Edge of the Red ForestA woman in white, blindfolded with threads of starlight, dropped her goblet.Blood-red wine spilled over her altar.The High Seer of Ellvyr collapsed, her body twitching in seizure, before rasping a name not heard since the first gods
Last Updated: 2025-08-08
Chapter: Deep Within the VoidThe first of the Dragon-Sworn.“She lives inside me still,” Vhorran said, tapping his chest where a shimmer of gold flickered under his skin. “And sometimes… she dreams of finishing the war.”Clara didn’t speak for a moment.Then: “Can she still hear the child?”Vhorran paused. His gaze sharpened.“Yes. And she’s afraid.”Lysandros stood, suddenly tense. “Why?”Vhorran’s voice dropped to a whisper.“Because something older than her... older than all of us... is whispering through him.”Meanwhile, beneath the SanctuaryAetherion stood before a cracked mirror.But his reflection was smiling before he was.“You’re not me,” he whispered.“No,” the reflection said, eyes like liquid night. “I’m what’s been left behind.”It reached toward the glass.And the mirror shattered.The shards of the broken mirror glistened on the floor like ice, each one humming with a low, hungry sound. Aetherion didn’t move. He simply stared at the space where his reflection had stood — where it had spoken back.
Last Updated: 2025-08-04
Chapter: END CHAPTERDreamed of peace.Then he was gone.One Week LaterThe REM field stabilized.Children across the planet no longer woke up screaming. The dreamscapes once blackened by old wars now bloomed with cities built on music, memory, and choice.Lira stood before the Convergence Council—not as a weapon, but as the Conductor.She laid the Dream Codex on the table.“I won’t write the next law alone,” she said. “We all will. Together.”Mazda looked at her, and for once, said nothing.He simply smiled.---Far beyond the stars, in a quiet place untouched by Weave or Rift, a sliver of thought drifted.It was old.It was watching.But it did not hate.It only waited.Because in the end, all dreams return.And all Sovereigns… leave echoes.Location: Earth’s Core — Forgotten REM Layer ZeroDeep beneath the tectonic plates, far beyond even the Reach of the Loom, there was a silence not born of peace——but of containment.Layer Zero was never mapped.It was older than coding, older than the Sovereigns, o
Last Updated: 2025-06-22
Chapter: The Sovereign's PulseThe Aether Sledge shuddered as Lira adjusted the course. The stars outside no longer looked like stars—they twisted like dying memories, pulled into the gravitational dirge of the Core Rift, the place where the Sovereign's body had been destroyed.Mazda gripped the edge of the control deck. “This is suicide. If Auren's right, the Core Rift is not a grave. It’s an incubator.”Lira’s eyes were unreadable. “She said we’re fragments too. What if this fifth shard… is more than a memory? What if it’s his will?”Soraya’s voice broke through the comms, breathless. “I triangulated Auren’s resonance bleed from your interface. There’s something broadcasting from inside the Rift. A song. In reverse.”Lira’s blood ran cold.The Sovereign's Pulse.Memory Intercept — Year 0 After the FallThe Sovereign had not screamed when his body ruptured under the weight of the Requiem Core.He had smiled."Let them tear me apart," he had said. "I only needed them to carry me home."And as his golden crown fell
Last Updated: 2025-06-13
Chapter: The HollowIn the deepest cusp of REM's outer rings, time warbled like a faulty lullaby.The Aether Sledge pulsed erratically.“Something's wrong,” Mazda said through the resonance link. “Your route’s bleeding noise into our internal weave.”Lira narrowed her gaze at the disturbance ahead—a rift in the fabric of the dream. The next fragment’s pulse was weak. Intermittent. Like a fading heart in a storm.Elian’s voice vibrated in the back of her thoughts, “Be cautious. This one doesn’t just carry a piece of the Sovereign... they might have been touched by Silence.”Lira whispered, “Then maybe I can sing them back.”She descended into an inverted cathedral—columns of broken sleep dreams hung like chandeliers. The air was brittle. Frozen, not in temperature, but in memory.At its center was a man curled up, surrounded by looping fragments of a forgotten lullaby. His name surfaced in Lira’s mind before he ever spoke it.“Kaelen.”His eyes opened—black irises veined with glassy silver. “Don’t come ne
Last Updated: 2025-06-11
Chapter: Loom HeartThe Loom’s radiant threads rippled gently under Lira’s touch, as if responding to her presence like a living entity. Her fingers traced the intricate patterns of memory and dream, weaving fresh strands that glowed with hope and uncertainty.Soraya watched her carefully. “You carry more than just the Conductor’s title, Lira. You hold the future of every dreaming mind.”Lira exhaled slowly. “But what if the future is already fragmented beyond repair? What if the Cartographers decide we are the real threat and move to erase this new harmony?”Mazda stepped forward, his voice firm. “Then we stand firm. The old laws died because they ruled by fear. Your song is rewriting those laws with courage.”Suddenly, the Loom flickered—dark spots appeared on the radiant web, like black holes threatening to swallow the light.Elian’s eyes widened. “Dream-ruptures. New fractures in the weave. This is no random decay—something is trying to undo what you’ve created.”Lira clenched her fists. “Then we mus
Last Updated: 2025-06-09
Chapter: Threads of a New DawnElsewhere — The Cartographers’ TowerThe seven Cartographers watched the battle unfold through crystal orbs.One murmured, “She sings the truth. But can she hold it?”Another replied, “The Sovereigns are not defeated by force — only by legacy and story.”They lowered their artifacts, aligning them in a circle.“Then let us weave her story into the Lattice,” the tallest said.The artifacts pulsed, sending waves of encoded hope cascading toward Earth.---REM Sanctuary Citadel — Loom HeartAzarel’s form finally stilled, transforming from a judge of ruin into a guardian of renewal.He bowed his head to Lira.“You have rewritten what was broken. The Dream Sovereigns will heed the new law.”Lira exhaled, her melody fading into a gentle hum.Soraya smiled through exhausted eyes.“The Loom lives.”Mazda nodded, watching the rebirth of an ancient myth.Elian looked to Lira.“The Conductor’s song has just begun.”REM Sanctuary Citadel — Loom HeartThe pulse of the Loom had shifted—no longer a
Last Updated: 2025-06-06
Chapter: The Storythieves UprisingLocation: The Shattered Library — Heart of the Lost WeaveThe walls were alive with fractured stories, flickering like ghost flames.In the shadows, figures moved—silent, agile, and unseen by all but the most attuned.They called themselves the Storythieves.Led by a woman with eyes like cracked mirrors—Tessara—they specialized in stealing forgotten memories, snatching myths erased by the Loom’s rewriting.She crouched over a broken tome, fingers tracing a line of erased text.“They can rewrite history,” Tessara murmured, “but they can’t unlearn the stolen stories.”Behind her, a dozen Storythieves gathered. Their voices were low, urgent.“We have the lost verses from the Time of Sundering. If we share them, we can fracture the Loom’s grip.”One stepped forward, a youth named Jorin, whose hands shimmered with the stolen light of unmade worlds.“What do we do with the Conductor, Tessara? Lira’s crown will make her a beacon.”Tessara’s eyes hardened.“Exactly. The Sovereigns will swarm
Last Updated: 2025-06-06
Chapter: Love CrazyLouis stared at the glowing screen in disbelief.The system’s interface was sharp and clinical, unlike anything he’d seen before. A new tab expanded across the holographic projection above his wrist:[System Challenge: Culinary Gauntlet — Level 1]Objective: Prepare a five-course fusion meal within 90 minutes.Condition: Ingredients provided will not match their traditional purpose. Creativity required.Reward: Skill Upgrade — Knife Mastery +2, Culinary Perception +1.Failure Penalty: Reputation Loss — 10% decrease in favorability with VIP Client (Scarlett).Louis let out a low whistle. “You’ve got to be kidding me…” He rubbed the back of his neck, looking toward the massive yacht kitchen filled with gleaming steel counters and cabinets. Scarlett was lounging outside on the deck, expecting nothing less than perfection.Just as he reached for the first set of ingredients, his tablet buzzed. A video call popped up. Maia’s face filled the screen, her dark hair tucked behind her ears, eye
Last Updated: 2025-08-20
Chapter: Pulse For a split second, the masked man hesitated—then his gaze shifted to the open window.Louis realized what he was about to do.He was going to jump.The masked man bolted toward the window and hurled himself through it, glass shattering in a spray of jagged shards.“Damn it!” Louis cursed, lunging forward. He snatched up the black bag and shoved it at Scarlett. “Stay here. Don’t let anyone take this!”Before Scarlett could protest, Louis was already out the window, boots slamming against the cabin’s slanted roof. The night air cut sharp against his face as he sprinted after the intruder, who was leaping across to the adjacent shed roof like some feral shadow.The distance was dangerous—one wrong step and Louis would plunge straight into the muddy ground below. But adrenaline drowned out fear. He leapt, landed hard, and kept moving.The masked man glanced back once, eyes glowing faintly through the slits of his mask, before disappearing over the ridge of the roof.Louis followed, vault
Last Updated: 2025-08-17
Chapter: The ExplosionMaia’s voice came sharp through the comm. “Louis, if you can’t shake him, you won’t make it to the safe corridor. I’m two minutes out, but that’s a lifetime in this kind of game.”Louis’s mind worked in rapid silence. Then, in a movement as fluid as drawing breath, he grabbed a crate from under the galley counter and kicked it open. Inside—rows of sleek, silver drones, each the size of a dinner plate, their wings folded tight.Scarlett blinked. “Please tell me those don’t serve hors d’oeuvres.”Louis allowed the faintest smirk. “Not unless you consider guided micro-charges a delicacy.”With a flick of his wrist, the drones launched from the crate, slipping out through the galley’s side hatch like a swarm of mechanical birds. The night sky lit briefly as they split into two arcs—one heading for the flanking ships, the other diving straight at Lucien’s vessel.Through the forward viewport, Scarlett caught a glimpse of Lucien himself stepping onto the deck, watching the swarm come for hi
Last Updated: 2025-08-12
Chapter: TriggerThe yacht’s engines hummed beneath their feet, a steady counterpoint to the tension that suddenly thickened the air.Scarlett leaned back in her chair, her gaze never leaving Louis. “Put her on screen.”Louis tapped the console beside him, and Maia’s face filled the holographic display—a flicker of static, then sharp resolution. She was in a dimly lit safehouse, shadows shifting behind her.“Where are you?” Louis asked.“Doesn’t matter,” Maia said briskly. “What matters is this—Marcus Velentho isn’t gone. He’s moving shipments through the southern ports under an alias. And, Louis… he’s not alone. Someone with Assembly clearance is covering for him.”Scarlett’s hand stilled on her wine glass. “You’re saying the trial didn’t kill him politically.”Maia’s eyes darted to Scarlett, then back to Louis. “I’m saying he’s stronger now. And he knows you’re in open waters without an escort.”Louis stayed silent for a long moment, h
Last Updated: 2025-08-11
Chapter: On the YachtBut she was already ending the call, her image vanishing into the black screen.He stood there for a long moment, phone still in hand, the sound of the sea pressing in against the yacht’s hull. Then he set the phone down, took a deep breath, and carried the plated dish out to Scarlett—his smile polite, his thoughts miles away.The silverware clinked softly as Scarlett cut into the perfectly seared scallop, her eyes never leaving Louis. The warm amber light from the deck lamps painted her in gold, her dark hair catching the sea breeze.“You’ve been quiet since you brought the food out,” she said, her voice smooth but edged with curiosity. “Something on your mind?”Louis swirled the wine in his glass, watching the deep red catch the light. “Just thinking about the next course.”Scarlett arched a brow. “Mmm. And here I thought you were thinking about that call you took in the kitchen.”His gaze flickered to her, just for a second too long. She caught it.“Maia,” she said simply, leaning
Last Updated: 2025-08-11
Chapter: Scarlett JealousThe yacht’s kitchen was alive with the scent of seared garlic and butter. Louis moved with practiced precision, flipping a salmon fillet in the pan while glancing at the oven timer. Outside the large window, the turquoise ocean stretched endlessly, the afternoon sun glinting off the waves.Scarlett sat at the marble counter, chin propped on her hand, quietly watching him. There was something strangely comforting about seeing Louis in this domestic setting—apron tied around his waist, sleeves rolled up, a faint smudge of flour on his wrist.“You’ve been hiding this skill from me,” she teased, her voice light.Louis smirked without looking up. “I told you I can cook. You just never believed me.”Before Scarlett could respond, his phone buzzed on the counter. The screen lit up with a video call request—Maia.Louis hesitated for a moment before wiping his hands and picking it up. “Hey, Maia,” he greeted, his tone warmer than Scarlett expected.On the screen, Maia’s face appeared, framed b
Last Updated: 2025-08-08
