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An Author's Struggle - What Lies Ahead Ch 59 - Unchained
Were it still last week, they could have shut down the motion to present new evidence. Now, however, they had to deal with it entirely unprepared.By the time the QiE-Novel lawyer thought to protest, Murphy was already done spreading copies to the panel of arbitrators. Even the media received electronic copies of the same document, written in both Mandarin and English. It was too late to silence him, and he gracefully explained the novelist’s plight. Making use of the spotlight, he made sure everyone knew just how draconian the company was. Clause by clause, he broke down their practices that were borderline illegal everywhere else in the world. It wasn’t hard, either. After all, everything was in the contract.“In conclusion, QiE-Novel works on a set of predatory rules. They offer zero transparency on how they spend collected money, the costs of which are shared by the plaintiff. As of this moment, QiE-Novel can liberally spend 10,000 ED and claim it’s for promotion, and the author
An Author's Struggle - What Lies Ahead Ch 60 - Welcome Home
Having met one of Dracula’s Brides, Murphy was no stranger to beautiful women. Even so, he could subjectively say this one was in a class of her own. Had his heart not belonged to Ellie, he would no doubt be entranced by this vixen.“I take it you are the peace offering?” “Pardon?” she blanked, taking her a while to respond to his directness. Recovering with a smile and a fake blush, the woman nodded and tried to get back on track, “You have keen eyes, Mr. Murphy.”“Keener than you lot know.” Squinting his eyes, he bored his eyes into her and she could almost feel his heated gaze on her skin. It wasn’t the lustful type she was used to, however, but one of palpable hatred for her very existence. “I’m just the messenger,” she rushed to put a slender briefcase on the table, sweating nervously as she did, “I’m only here to make—““Is it worth it?” Murphy interrupted, “Are you satisfied with being their sacrificial dove?”“I just do as I’m paid,” she shied away from his gaze, “I can lea
An Author's Struggle - What Lies Ahead Ch 61 - Wedding
That same night, Eleanor and Murphy drove to exchange their marital vows. Their wedding was neither acclaimed by the state nor by any church. Instead, they were wed under watchful eye of the dragon who wove their fates together. On that tall bridge, where once upon a time he recited his woes to the moon, now he shared his joy. ‘Look, moon! Awaken, dragon!’ he rejoiced in his mind, never to this day quite sure if the dragon existed to begin with, ‘I’m getting married, and I am happy. I have not squandered the second chance you gave me.’ “Surely you’re not thinking of jumping off again?” Ellie laughed, tearing his attention away from the abyss below them. “No,” he shook his head in denial and smiled, “I was just thinking how surreal life is. I went through the pit of despair, but I find myself only grateful, because it let me get to know you.” “The time of sacrifices has come to an end,” she said hopefully, taking his hands in her own. Then, they ignored the moon above and the dra
An Author's Struggle - What Lies Ahead Ch 62 - Wedding Night (NSFW)
The pilot woke them as the helicopter reached the Black Sea and was ready to touch down. It was still the twilight hours, but the bright lights below allowed them to easily get their bearing. “Is that what I think it is?” Ellie stifled a yawn, her grogginess gone the moment she set her eyes on the landing pad. “Wouldn’t feel right to take your hand without an appropriate dowry,” Murphy grinned, pecking her on the cheek, “It’s my duty to make your dreams come true.”Below them, a massive yacht floated silently on its own. The ship’s name shone radiantly even in the dark, reading “Elend” after its rightful owner. On the rear deck, a few people welcomed their arrival on the helipad.“Congratulations,” they spoke in trained unison, before the head butler reported, “We’ve made all the arrangements and will depart now. Enjoy your weekend.”Then, they boarded the helicopter and left. When the rotors faded away, Murphy and Eleanor found themselves alone on the boat.“Do you know how to sail
An Author's Struggle - What Lies Ahead Ch 63 - Mule
After an amazing first wedding night, Murphy and Eleanor cruised around the Black Sea by their lonesome on the Elend yacht. From dusk to dawn, they were inseparable and seldom left each other’s embrace. Be it in flesh or spirit, they were one.What should have been the debut of their long honeymoon however, was cut short when Murphy once more caught the irregularity in her dreams.“There’s something really peculiar in your memories,” Murphy brought up the topic unsurely, not certain if he should pry to begin with.“Peculiar? In what way?”Taking control of the dream, he brought her just before the anomaly, a place deep within her consciousness. In his eyes, psychic energy sealed the area off like a mirror, and even he couldn’t see through it.“This! I reckon it’s a sealed portion of your memories. Perhaps a traumatic experience or something.”“I don’t see anything,” she mused, waving her arm towards the anomaly without detecting anything. “I think I can undo the seal without damaging
An Author's Struggle - What Lies Ahead Ch 64 - Fourth Code (NSFW)
When the last fragment of the memories elapsed, things became pretty clear and the puzzle was finally complete. By the time she was done recovering from surgery, Eleanor had turned into a docile puppet.The teenager seemed to have awakened some sort of hypnosis or mind control power. There was nothing else Murphy could think of that was as powerful. Eleanor’s memories were simply surreal. By the second visit, her straps were removed, yet she still made no attempt to escape or seek help. She heeded his every word, and each time the commands became more irresistible. On the third visit, she was allowed to leave and return home to Romania, where she would blow herself up for their cause. She was aware, and she was happy to do it. Nothing, be it her senses or rationality, neither tingled nor raised a red flag. Her memories were clear, and she did complete her mission. On the day of the beta launch, she made it past security and into the surgery machine. She then uttered the trigger tha
An Author's Struggle - What Lies Ahead Ch 65 - Burgas
The honeymoon was rather uneventful, with Murphy and Eleanor holed up on the yacht for the most part, desperately trying to outpace rabbits. Still, while their love was unending, their stamina was not.Pen Liberty launched in the background as scheduled, and though Murphy could have hired someone to manage everything for him, some personal involvement was unavoidable. They were the face of the company, and the true underdog who inspired others to join them. As such, they kept up to date on most stats and keenly awaited the platform’s growth. It was a resounding success, much more than he would have expected. If it weren’t for the scandals, no amount of advertising would have reeled in as many enthusiastic authors. Even as the numbers themselves no longer meant anything, he still felt great pride in knowing he would have helped others like him. If even one author was uplifted and didn’t end up on a bridge because of him, then it would all be worth it.Between their platform work and
An Author's Struggle - What Lies Ahead Ch 66 - Dilemma
A black SUV stopped at the side of a small family clinic in Burgas. The city CCTVs monitoring the streets tracked the vehicle all the way from the suburbs. A single driver got out, opened the trunk and retrieved a duffel bag, then walked to the rear doors of the clinic. The surveillance cut off at that point, a sudden glitch in the system causing the camera to malfunction and stop recording. By the time it was turned back on, the vehicle was long gone. Coincidentally, it had been reported as stolen that same night.Murphy blinked, dismissing the latest retinal message from the system, then waltzed in towards the emergency doors. His hand pushed against the lock, searing the metal and turning it into a worthless puddle that gave in to his push.The building plans appeared in his right eye like a 3D map, and he conveniently followed them down the stairs. The clinic was small, and only saw high-end clients, so its security was top of the art. Cameras lingered at just about every othe
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