What Happens In How Things Work: The Inner Life Of Everyday Machines?

Elena Rossi is the invisible wife. By day, she’s a surgical assistant at the Caine-Vitale Medical Institute, working under the cold, clinical gaze of her husband, renowned cardiac surgeon Dr. Tristan Caine. By night, she’s bound by a contract marriage designed to save his reputation—a loveless arrangement with one lethal rule: No children. Ever. While Tristan yearns for Elena’s manipulative stepsister, Elena harbors a shattering secret. A failed contraceptive has left her carrying Tristan’s twins. In his world of steel and perfection, these babies are a violation of the contract that could cost Elena everything—her home, her career, and her heart. As Elena prepares to choose her children over a man who barely sees her, a high-risk pregnancy and a shadow from her past force a final reckoning. Can a heart made of ice melt before he loses the family he never knew he wanted?

Elena Cordova designed revolutionary algorithms for a multi-million-dollar company. The only formula she couldn't solve? Her own marriage. After seven years of being the invisible wife to a cold billionaire, Elena is finally trading in her wedding ring for her worth. Marcus Ashford married her for obligation, hid her from the world, and replaced her with a woman who played the perfect stepmother. But when he finally pushes her too far, he discovers that the brilliant, betrayed woman he dismissed has been running calculations all along. Now, Elena is back in the boardroom, her mind sharp, her fortune growing, and a handsome rival billionaire watching her every move. She wants revenge. She wants vindication. She wants her daughter back. Marcus thought she was a social climber. He thought she was docile. He thought he could replace her. He was wrong. He used her for her brilliance. Now, she'll use her brilliance to take everything back. Divorce is just the beginning of her beautiful, calculated comeback.

As I bent over to do the laundry, a man suddenly pressed himself against me from behind, thrusting me forward into the washing machine. My hips were left exposed to the open air, held firmly in the grasp of his hands. I was trapped, unable to move. His large hands roamed freely over my body, sending waves of heat coursing through me against my will. Pleasure shuddered through my limbs, making my legs tremble uncontrollably. When I finally managed to look back, I saw—to my shock—that the man behind me was my father-in-law.

Two rival architects are forced to co-design a library in a city that holds the secrets of their shared past. “Elias Thorne builds walls to keep the world out. Clara Vance designs windows to let the light in. When a prestigious commission forces them together, they realize that the hardest thing to build isn't a landmark—it’s a bridge between two broken hearts.”

Charlotte Hartwell built Hartwell Industries from the ground up. Every late night, every sacrifice, and every success made the company more than a business—it became her life’s work. So when the powerful Blackthorne Global offers to buy her company for the fourth time, Charlotte is prepared to do what she’s always done. Say no. Darrien Blackthorne isn’t used to hearing that answer. As CEO of one of the world’s most influential corporations, he’s convinced Charlotte’s company deserves the resources to become something even greater. He isn’t trying to destroy her dream—he wants to help it flourish. But the more time he spends with the brilliant, fiercely independent entrepreneur, the less certain he becomes about where business ends and something far more personal begins. Caught between them is James—a man whose connection to Charlotte is deeper than either of them realizes. As long-buried secrets begin to surface, strange coincidences become impossible to ignore, and an unseen force quietly weaves their lives together. What began as a corporate acquisition soon unravels into something far older, far more dangerous, and far more magical than any of them could have imagined. With betrayal hiding behind a trusted smile, loyalties tested at every turn, and destiny refusing to be ignored, Charlotte must decide whether protecting the company she built is worth risking the future she was never meant to face alone. Some lives are changed by choice. Others were Entangled by Design.

After I join a new company, I keep running into problems—not from people, but from the company's equipment. The fingerprint scanner fails to recognize me every single time, and I have to submit a manual attendance appeal almost daily. When I ask the admin to change the device, they respond with thinly veiled sarcasm. "Everyone else clocks in just fine. Why are you the only one with so many issues?" The air vent above my desk blasts cold air directly at me. My hands and feet are freezing every day. I ask to switch seats. My manager looks at me like I am making things up. "Everyone else sits there without a problem. How come the AC only blows cold air when you sit there?" One strange incident after another makes it impossible for me to function at work. When I get home, I complain to my boyfriend and say I want to quit. He shuts down the thought immediately. "You're making almost 60 thousand dollars a year before benefits, with weekends off and paid leave. Where are you going to find a job like that?" I think about it and realize he isn't wrong. Just as I decide to stick it out, the company elevator malfunctions. I fall from the 33rd floor and die. In my final moments, I can't understand it—why does every piece of equipment in the company seem to target me alone? All the devices are newly installed. All my coworkers are people I have just met. I have no grudges with anyone. There's no reason for someone to sabotage me from behind the scenes. When I open my eyes again, I am back at the company. It's my very first day on the job.