Novel-novel oleh Rita onyewuchi

The news didn’t stay quiet for long.By the next morning, Leonard’s name had already begun circulating beyond financial circles. It moved through news blogs, whispered conversations, and trending headlines that tried to make sense of a sudden, unexplained rise in wealth that didn’t fit any normal pattern.For most people, it was just another story about money.But for a few people, it was personal.⸻The first to see it was his ex-girlfriend.She had been sitting on the edge of her bed, phone in hand, scrolling without really thinking, until his name appeared in bold across the screen.At first, she didn’t react.She simply stared at it, as if her mind refused to process what her eyes were seeing.Then she clicked.And the world shifted.Articles filled the screen. Financial reports. Speculation. Numbers so large they stopped feeling real. A man who had supposedly “won a ticket” and quietly entered a financial structure that was now expanding faster than most established investors.Le

By the time morning fully settled over the city, Leonard was already awake and working.The smog outside his apartment hung in the air like a permanent stain, dulling the light that tried to break through the skyline. Somewhere below, the city continued its usual noise—traffic, distant arguments, the restless movement of people trying to survive another uncertain day—but none of it reached him the same way anymore.Leonard sat quietly in front of his laptop, his focus steady and unbroken as he moved through systems that most people would never even know existed. What Horizon had attempted to freeze the night before no longer held the same weight it once did, because what they had interrupted was only a surface layer of something much deeper.His wealth had never been a single structure that could be taken down in one move. It had been designed in layers, distributed across multiple independent systems that responded not to permission but to validation triggers he controlled. What Hori

The notifications on Leonard’s phone stopped as suddenly as they had started. He stood in the quiet of his apartment, watching the final alert fade from the screen. For a moment, there was only silence, the kind that came right before something changed direction completely. Leonard exhaled slowly. They think they’ve taken it, he thought. But he didn’t say it out loud. Behind him, his adoptive father shifted uneasily, still trying to understand what was happening. The older man had expected frustration, maybe even panic. Instead, Leonard walked calmly to his desk and placed his phone down with care, as if nothing had happened at all. “They didn’t take anything,” Leonard said at last. “They tested me.” His father frowned. “Tested you?” Leonard didn’t answer immediately. He opened his laptop instead, and the screen lit up instantly, revealing a private financial interface most people would never even know existed. His accounts had been frozen minutes ago. Horizon oversig

Leonard did not sit down. He remained standing beside the coffee table, the old photograph still resting in his hand as though he had forgotten it was there. The woman in the picture stared back at him with calm eyes and a quiet, distant expression. Dark hair framed her face neatly, and one hand rested on the shoulder of a small boy. Him. Leonard’s thumb brushed the edge of the photo without meaning to. The gesture was slow, absent-minded, almost human. Across from him, his adoptive father stood in silence. He looked older than Leonard remembered, not in appearance alone, but in the weight he carried in his posture. Like someone who had been holding something inside for years and was only now realizing it had been slowly breaking him. Outside the apartment windows, the city continued as if nothing had changed. The sky was dull and heavy with smog, the kind that turned morning into something uncertain. Sirens drifted faintly through the air. Somewhere far below, voices rose

The alarms blared incessantly, a cacophony of discordant sounds that layered over one another, transforming the facility into a chaotic soundscape. It felt as if the very walls were in an uproar, clamoring for attention—each warning competing with the last, creating a dissonant argument that echoed through the sterile halls.Pulsing red lights sliced through the corridor’s windows, casting a blood-red hue over the polished white walls, turning them into something ominous and unstable, as if the very building were alive with a malignant energy.But Leonard wasn’t focused on the turmoil swirling around him; he had transcended the chaos. Before him, a portable terminal hummed to life, activated by necessity rather than trust. An executive loomed behind him, tense and silent, his watchful gaze scrutinizing every keystroke, as if Leonard’s actions could tip the balance between ally and adversary.“Sector three is collapsing,” crackled a voice over the intercom, urgency lacing the words. “

The doors behind Leonard shut with a mechanical hiss.Not loudly.Not dramatically.Just enough to remind him that every movement inside this facility was intentional.A woman in a charcoal uniform approached him immediately—mid-thirties, expression neutral, tablet in hand.“Mr. Leonard.”Not a question.She already knew who he was.“This way.”Leonard followed without speaking.The corridor ahead was unnervingly white—clean walls, seamless glass panels, floors polished enough to reflect the overhead lighting like liquid silver.No decorations.No wasted space.Only function.It felt less like a building and more like an idea built into concrete.As they walked, Leonard caught glimpses through the glass walls.Conference rooms.Data centers.Engineers in sterile uniforms studying holographic projections.Air quality simulations.Population density models.Emergency distribution maps.He slowed slightly.This was no ordinary research center.This was preparation.Not for the possibilit

Zane's POV:Coming to WolfsBane I only had one thought in mind: To set myself free from the grasp of my over ambitious grandmother.But as I suspected WolfsBane was plagued with crime. And the orchestrators were Panther Shifters, so I started tracking them down. I followed them to their missions, several hideouts and respective homes but I was never able to catch a glimpse of their boss.After their last mission a few days ago, I followed them to their hideout for a meeting. They had a discussion about spying on a girl from Brown's Bar, they claimed that it was their Boss’s orders.The first time I stepped inside Brown’s bar, I felt a strange pull as I moved closer to the counter. I thought that the red-haired girl that attended to me was my Mate so I quickly left before she could feel the Bond as wellBut the very first night that they had an issue with Lila, I had to help her.Unexpectedly, I discovered that the pull I felt the previous day wasn't towards the red-haired girl but it

Lila's POV:“What do you want?” I asked, trying to remain calm. I wasn't scared; I knew I could handle them myself, but I needed to be careful.“Where’s that puny Wolf savior of yours?” He demanded. “I don’t see him around, so she must be all alone.” Someone behind him said.“He wasn’t so puny when you nearly peed your pants earlier.” I retorted, trying to think of a way to create a distraction. I wasn’t weak, but I knew my limits. I could take them on, but it would definitely cost me some bones.I didn’t have a chance to think because the Leader lunged himself at me, but I was able to push him aside. Without warning, three massive panthers, their fur black as midnight, emerged from behind me. Their yellow eyes that glowed like embers in the dark were locked onto mine.‘Fuck! How did they transform so fast?’I barely had time to react as I rolled to the side when one out of the three Panthers lunged forward, its claws slashing the air where I had just been. I scrambled to my feet, d

I jolted awake, my heart racing and sweat dripping down my forehead. I had a nightmare about him. I took a moment to catch my breath, reminding myself that it was just a dream.“Breathe, Lila. You’re safe.” I whispered to myself. “You didn’t see him last night, okay? After scolding your mom, you went to your room and had a good night’s rest. You dreamt about was him showing up at the door, it wasn't real. It was just a dream and nothing more, so calm down, Lila.” I swung my legs over the side of the bed and my feet landed on the cool floor. After brushing my teeth quickly, I washed my face. I caught my reflection in the mirror: I had tired eyes, I usually tied my blonde hair into a messy bun but it was currently a lot messier. “I won't let you haunt me any longer.” I said to myself, as I stepped into the kitchen.Surprisingly, my mother was seated on a stool at the kitchen counter, legs crossed, putting on a white robe and sipping piping hot coffee. I ignored her and walked to the f

I left the bar right after the incident with the Panther shifters. I hadn’t even caught the name of the strange guy who saved me. Because Jess had stepped out to look for me, and when I turned to introduce her, he was gone. And she didn’t even remember seeing anyone there.But honestly, that didn’t matter right now. I had been abducted by my boyfriend of eight months, then I fell to my death, and suddenly I found myself sent back into the Past.When we first met in the past, on May 12th—exactly eight days from now—he came into the bar for a quick drink and flirted with me while I took his order. We hit it off, and within a week, I was his girlfriend. We stayed together until January 12th, the very day I died and was Reborn.This second chance must be my last opportunity to avoid him. I just need to ensure I didn’t cross paths with him on that very day.“Thank you, Moon Goddess, for this second chance. I promise to make the best of it,” I prayed aloud, my hands clasped together as I ga

Lila's POV:Branches whipped against my skin as I ran through the underbrush, my breath coming in ragged gasps. I stumbled over roots and stones, but I couldn’t stop. I wouldn’t let it catch me. I could hear it behind me—the growls, the snarls, the howls piercing the night, chilling me to my core. Prompting me to run faster, but I was already on the edge of exhaustion.In an instant, my foot slipped and I tumbled into a ditch. The world began to spin as I hit my head against something hard. Pain exploded through my skull, blood oozed out of the side of my head, and before everything went dark, I saw him— standing before me.“You should have just let me have my way with you, you would have been useful that way. Now you will rot away, and become useless.” He said, with his right leg placed on top of my belly. “Mtch.” I heard him hiss, and that was the last thing I heard before I blacked out._____I jolted awake, the scent of wood polish and beer was familiar. I pushed myself up, my he