What Caused King Croesus To Fall From Power And Lose Wealth?

Samuel Blanton gave me a rare antique every time he asked me to do something or abandoned me. In just two months, I'd collected 94 antiques. Then, the 95th package arrived from the auction house, and with it, a message from his true love, Zara Hill. [Hey, should the invitations for my and Samuel's wedding have patterns or just a solid color? [By the way, the wedding's next month. I really hope you can make it.] I didn't argue or make a scene. I just got a wedding gift ready and sent it to Zara myself. That night, Samuel came into my room. He said he wanted to reward me for not making a scene by giving me a child. On the wedding day, when Zara found out I was pregnant, she ran to the cliff, screaming she was going to jump. The usually cold and proud Samuel groveled before me for the first time, begging me to terminate the pregnancy. Everyone around us was waiting to see my reaction. But I obeyed. That very day, I went to the hospital. Samuel held me tightly, saying, "Ophelia, I'm only marrying Zara out of obligation. Once we divorce in a few months, I promise I'll give you a child again, okay?" But he didn't know… I had decided to leave him.

On her 18th birthday Athena Diamante Castellanos met and had a unforgettable night with a mysterious stranger left her longing for more. Five years later, the memory of their encounter still haunts her dreams and fuels her fantasies, even though she never learned his last name. Cassian Lemaire Covington, a celebrated artist, has spent those same years haunted by the elusive woman who became his muse. She has inspired his work and consumed his thoughts, making her a shadow in every stroke of his brush. When fate brings them together again, their reunion is as intense and unexpected as their first meeting—but this time, the stakes are higher. Athena is on a date with Cassian’s brother, and their families are locked in a bitter feud. As passion reignites between Athena and Cassian, they must navigate a web of rivalry and deception that threatens to tear them apart. Will their forbidden connection survive the obstacles between them, or will family loyalties and past grievances eclipse their chance at true love?

On the night of our engagement, the ward my family sponsored left without a word. She went alone to the Mexican border, a lawless land crawling with cartels, to become a combat medic. From then on, Dante and I tortured each other for ten years. He hated me for trapping him with my birthright as the heir, stealing the spot of the woman he loved. I hated him for humiliating me while still craving the power and wealth the Moretti family provided. In countless fights, we spewed the most vicious curses at each other. Until that raid on the underwater sanctuary. The base was rigged to blow and sinking fast. Dante didn't hesitate. He strapped the only oxygen mask onto my face and turned to jump into the swarm of sharks. He slit his own wrist, using his blood to lure the predators away. Moments before the sea swallowed him, he roared at me: “I don't owe you anything anymore, Sophia!” “If there's a next life, please, let me go!” After I was rescued, the family only recovered his mangled remains. Clutched in his palm was that charity case's cross necklace. That was when I learned Elena had died from a stray bullet years ago. And he, in the end, chose this brutal suicide to join her. Dante's death shook the entire Underworld. The family Elders took their anger out on me. I was accused of being a "Black Widow" who sent her husband to his death to save herself. I was beaten to death by a mob of angry thugs on the street. When I opened my eyes again, I stopped my father. This time, I’ll let them have their epic love story.

There are many ways to lose your innocence—but Anna Parker only needed one. Number One: Cross a line you were never supposed to cross. Number Two: Get involved with someone who was never meant to be yours. Anna Parker was always the “good girl”—until one reckless decision changed everything. When she gets involved with William, her best friend’s boyfriend, what begins as a mistake quickly turns into an obsession neither of them can control. He thinks he’s using her. She lets him believe it. But Anna is not as innocent as she looks. Now caught between loyalty, desire, and ambition, Anna is forced to choose: protect her friendship—or follow the dangerous connection pulling her deeper into William’s world. Either choice will destroy someone. And she might not care which one it is.

I suspected my husband's young assistant had signed up for some kind of socialite training program, all so she could try to become his mistress. She didn't call him "Mr. Anderson." She called him "Cocoa" because he loved drinking mocha lattes. It was her way of making herself seem special. Whenever he assigned her work, she didn't even move. She would just throw him a flirtatious look, twist her body into some exaggerated pose, and say, "What, you need me?" with a pout. In the end, I couldn't take it anymore. I told Perry Anderson to fire her. The second I said it, Faye Dawson leaned right into his ear and whined, "I know, I messed up. Don't be mad. I'll give you a kiss and make it better, okay?" And somehow, Perry actually fell for it. He smoothed things over like it was nothing. "Honey, Faye's a socialite. That's just how she is. Try to be a little more understanding." Fine. If he wanted to protect that fake socialite and throw away the real one, then he could forget about the billion-dollar contract from my father.

She loved him when he had absolutely nothing. When the tough times came, he was the one who let her down. Three years ago Dominic Hale was the one who broke Arielle Moores heart. He was her first, the man who knew every inch of her body, every way to make her fall apart. Then he just left her there like a broken piece. He's now the CEO of a billion, dollar company, and she is the designer whos been hired to renovated his office. And one thing they still had in common? Their chemistry never faded. One glance and she is reliving his touch on her skin. One breath and he is terribly tempted to remind her just whose she used to be. Six months of close proximity. Business meetings that seem like foreplay. Boundaries that are falling apart with every passionate gaze. When at last, she breaks and kisses him desperate, hungry, all three years of need they both acknowledge: this was never truly over. He wants her back. Whole. She wants to protect her heart. But her body is still yearning for his touch. His manipulative ex shows up again. Her brother overdoses. And all of a sudden, staying away from each other becomes totally impossible especially when he appears at the very moment she needs him, just like in the old times. He had her once and lost her. He is not going to make the same mistake again. And he knows exactly how to get her back in his arms.