
![[ENG DUB] The Kiss Was Just the First Step](https://acfs3.goodshort.com/dist/src/assets/images/pc/common/f901131c-default-book-cover.png)
Serena Rivers spends three years in prison for a crime she didn't commit and uses every single day of it. She trains under four of the most formidable masters the underworld has ever produced and walks out as something entirely different from the woman who walked in. On her first day of freedom she corners the cold prison warden Xavier Stone against the water dungeon wall and kisses him without apology. He is her insurance policy and she knows it. Outside, the fake heiress has stolen her shares, her younger brother demands she kneel, and her former fiance has already moved on with a new bride. She tears up the rejection notice on the spot. Moments later, the Stone family motorcade arrives, the warden reveals himself as the family patriarch, and he shows up with a hundred billion in betrothal gifts and absolutely no intention of letting anyone touch her again. Together, they dismantle every person who had a hand in her three lost years.

Seraphina, a six-winged Seraph, was framed by her adoptive sister Aurelia and brutally slaughtered by demons in the Abyss. Seven days after her death, her spirit watched as her parents busied themselves with their adopted daughter, utterly indifferent to her disappearance. By the time they finally discovered that the mangled remains belonged to their own biological daughter, Seraphina had already vanished, consumed by despair. Her hatred coalesced into her return as Astrea, the eight-winged Angel of Judgment; she turned the tables on her tormentors, exacting a retribution a hundredfold for the abuse she had suffered. With her vengeance fulfilled, she transformed into a star, and the power of her eight wings chose the orphan Lilith to carry on the legacy of hope.

Laura, the Windsors’ biological daughter, is trapped in a tragedy that leads to her death—all because her adopted sister Serena, who can hear Laura’s inner voice thoughts, plagiarizes her music and frames her. Reborn two hours before she dies, Laura fights to take down Serena, clear her name, and reclaim what’s rightfully hers...

In her previous life, Serena, the Golden-Tailed Princess of Atlantis, was betrayed and murdered by her adopted sister, Lina, and her fiancé, Kaelen. Reborn with the memories of her past, she sees through their schemes and, to escape her doomed fate, ventures into the Abyss, where she bonds with the ancient Sea God Nereus, who has long been sealed away. Their union leaves her carrying nine divine eggs. At the Birthing Ceremony, Serena exposes the villains' conspiracy and joins forces with Nereus to defeat them. Together, they abolish the merfolk tail-caste system, and Serena ascends as the Sea Queen, ruling the deep sea alongside the Sea God.

Serena, heiress to the Klein family, married Nathaniel after six years together—unaware their perfect love was his revenge scheme. Years ago, Serena's father Victor stole Nathaniel's father's drug formula, killed him, and built his empire. Nathaniel faked deep affection to get close, plotting his revenge. Serena's world collapsed: her father imprisoned, her mother dead from the shock. On her mother's funeral day, Nathaniel attended an awards ceremony with actress Vanessa. He seized Klein Biotech, served Serena divorce papers, confessed all his lies, and left her with nothing—destroying her faith in love. With friend Sophie's support, Serena rebuilt her life. She worked from the bottom at Sophie's studio while connecting with her mother's lawyer, Alex, determined to uncover the truth and clear her father's name. She faced Vanessa's humiliation but struck back calmly, partnered with veteran journalist Lee, used media pressure against Nathaniel, and hunted for evidence proving her father's frame-up. Nathaniel planned his engagement to Vanessa, but Serena exposed her secrets—turning the celebration into a farce. Desperate, Nathaniel used his power to crush everyone around her. But with help from an old servant, Serena found her mother's clues and located key witness Old John, learning the truth: while Victor had his faults, Nathaniel's father had also stolen Klein's core technology—and Nathaniel's conviction evidence was forged. Armed with proof, Serena launched her final counterattack. Together with Alex, Lee, and Victor's former allies, she exposed Nathaniel's fabricated evidence and illegal financial dealings. Nathaniel landed in prison, Victor's sentence was dramatically reduced. Serena reclaimed Klein Group, became CEO, reformed the company, helped Sophie rebuild her studio, rose from the ashes, and stepped into her own future—free at last.

As a meteor threatens to destroy the world, Alfred Maxwell—an immortal cultivator of a thousand years—accidentally returns to the planet of Azure.While drunk, he destroys the meteor but also demolishes a tycoon’s spacecraft, forcing him to hide his identity to avoid legal consequences. At his mother’s request, he becomes the bodyguard for Serena Sutton, a wealthy heiress, though they get off on the wrong foot when he accidentally walks in on her bathing. When the Sutton Group faces a hostile takeover by Deacon Lowe and Serena is harassed at school by the spoiled Leo Ferrell, Alfred uses his immortal abilities to resolve each crisis—racing wheelchairs against sports cars and thwarting frame-up attempts in locker rooms. When Leo kidnaps Serena to force her mother to sign over the company, Alfred pursues them on a crane, stopping the kidnappers’ vehicle with his bare hands. However, the meteor fragments harbor an alien threat, and Julia Drake, who witnessed the immortal saving the world, is about to trigger new complications...

When I opened my eyes, my sister Serena Shaw was kneeling in front of me, sobbing with a fruit knife pressed near her wrist. “Nora, I swear I didn’t mean it. I had too much to drink. I don’t even know how Lucas and I…” I almost laughed. Because I had seen this scene before. In my last life, Serena cried like a victim after sleeping with my fiancé, Lucas Arden. Everyone comforted her. Lucas married her to save her reputation. And I was pushed into a marriage with Graham West, Serena’s abandoned fiancé. Before the wedding, Lucas showed me my name tattooed on his wrist and promised he would only love me. I believed him. I wasted five years beside a husband who wanted my sister, waiting for a man who had married her. Then Serena died. I thought Lucas would finally come back to me. Instead, I found him at the funeral home, holding her photograph like he had lost the love of his life. “She was my wife,” he told me. “Let it go, Nora.” At my birthday party, Lucas and Graham fought over Serena on the rooftop. One had married her. One had never stopped wanting her. While they fought over her, I was shoved into traffic and died under the headlights. When I opened my eyes again, I was back at the beginning. This time, I thought I was the only one who remembered. I was wrong. Lucas remembered. Graham remembered. And even with a second chance, both of them still chose Serena. This time, I would not be traded, chosen, or discarded. This time, I would build something none of them could take from me.

When I opened my eyes, my sister Serena Shaw was kneeling in front of me, sobbing with a fruit knife pressed near her wrist. “Nora, I swear I didn’t mean it. I had too much to drink. I don’t even know how Lucas and I…” I almost laughed. Because I had seen this scene before. In my last life, Serena cried like a victim after sleeping with my fiancé, Lucas Arden. Everyone comforted her. Lucas married her to save her reputation. And I was pushed into a marriage with Graham West, Serena’s abandoned fiancé. Before the wedding, Lucas showed me my name tattooed on his wrist and promised he would only love me. I believed him. I wasted five years beside a husband who wanted my sister, waiting for a man who had married her. Then Serena died. I thought Lucas would finally come back to me. Instead, I found him at the funeral home, holding her photograph like he had lost the love of his life. “She was my wife,” he told me. “Let it go, Nora.” At my birthday party, Lucas and Graham fought over Serena on the rooftop. One had married her. One had never stopped wanting her. While they fought over her, I was shoved into traffic and died under the headlights. When I opened my eyes again, I was back at the beginning. This time, I thought I was the only one who remembered. I was wrong. Lucas remembered. Graham remembered. And even with a second chance, both of them still chose Serena. This time, I would not be traded, chosen, or discarded. This time, I would build something none of them could take from me.

When I opened my eyes, my sister Serena Shaw was kneeling in front of me, sobbing with a fruit knife pressed near her wrist. “Nora, I swear I didn’t mean it. I had too much to drink. I don’t even know how Lucas and I…” I almost laughed. Because I had seen this scene before. In my last life, Serena cried like a victim after sleeping with my fiancé, Lucas Arden. Everyone comforted her. Lucas married her to save her reputation. And I was pushed into a marriage with Graham West, Serena’s abandoned fiancé. Before the wedding, Lucas showed me my name tattooed on his wrist and promised he would only love me. I believed him. I wasted five years beside a husband who wanted my sister, waiting for a man who had married her. Then Serena died. I thought Lucas would finally come back to me. Instead, I found him at the funeral home, holding her photograph like he had lost the love of his life. “She was my wife,” he told me. “Let it go, Nora.” At my birthday party, Lucas and Graham fought over Serena on the rooftop. One had married her. One had never stopped wanting her. While they fought over her, I was shoved into traffic and died under the headlights. When I opened my eyes again, I was back at the beginning. This time, I thought I was the only one who remembered. I was wrong. Lucas remembered. Graham remembered. And even with a second chance, both of them still chose Serena. This time, I would not be traded, chosen, or discarded. This time, I would build something none of them could take from me.

University student Rachel met city tycoon Connor while working part-time as a massage therapist to earn money for her mother's medical expenses, leading to a one-night stand. Later, at school, Connor discovered that Rachel was his student, and he helped her multiple times when she faced challenges from her aunt. Their relationship deepened despite various obstacles, and eventually, Connor married her. Rachel became pregnant, and they found happiness together.