What Inventions Were Made In 1898?

Three women, three brothers, a single, crumpled dollar bill. Alina’s world shatters the moment she’s auctioned off—and claimed by the powerful Hawthorne brothers. Thrown into Adrian Hawthorne’s cold, dangerous world, she becomes his to control… his to protect… and, terrifyingly, his to desire. He’s ruthless, possessive, and hiding secrets that could destroy them both. But the deeper she falls into his world, the harder it becomes to tell if she’s his prisoner—or something far more dangerous. Because the Hawthorne brothers don’t just take. They keep. Viviane has spent her life surviving, so when Julian Hawthorne “buys” her freedom, she knows better than to trust it. Men like him don’t save people—they collect them. But Julian isn’t as simple as he pretends to be, and the deeper she’s pulled into his world, the more dangerous it becomes to walk away. Especially when she realizes she might be the only thing he’s ever been willing to fight for. Lena doesn’t belong to anyone—and she intends to keep it that way. Brilliant, guarded, and hiding more than anyone suspects, she enters Lucien Hawthorne’s world on her own terms. But Lucien doesn’t play fair, and he doesn’t let go. When her past comes crashing back, Lena is forced to face the one thing she’s been running from: trusting someone who could destroy her… or save her. Three women. Three choices.Stay. Fight. Or burn it all down. Because being sold was only the beginning.

Ten years of love. Ten years of loyalty. And it all ends with a knife to her heart. Aria devoted her youth to Evan — a man who whispered forever but only craved her body. When he betrayed her for a rich heiress, she thought heartbreak was the worst pain she’d ever know… until the night he tried to erase her from existence. But fate has a twisted sense of mercy. Aria wakes up ten years earlier, lying in the same bed with the same man who will one day destroy her. Only this time, something’s different. Her body is the same, but her mind has changed — she can hear every filthy, selfish thought inside his head. This isn’t a second chance at love. This is a second chance at revenge. Now, with beauty, brains, and a new supernatural gift, Aria will play the game better than he ever could. She’ll make him fall, she’ll make him beg… and she’ll burn everything he ever wanted to the ground. But as she walks the dangerous path of vengeance, a mysterious stranger enters her life — someone who’s always been in the shadows, waiting for her to remember him. And his thoughts? Unlike the others, she can’t read them at all…

The explosion wiped out my parents—and their company. All I had left was some insurance cash and a pile of patents nobody cared about. I begged their old partners to back me. Crickets. Then Alex Ross strolled in, played the hero no one asked for, and proposed. Five years deep into our marriage, after my 99th FDA rejection, I finally cracked. I was in the garage when I heard his phone on speaker. Mark's voice came through: "Dude, you're still handing Lily Emma's blueprints before she even files? How many times has she flopped now? Girl's relentless, huh?" Alex? Straight-up ice. "Ninety-nine. She'll quit soon." "You're really tanking your wife to boost Lily's brand? Worth it?" "Lily's launching her new product tomorrow at the Boston Medical Summit. Patent number 100. Watching her blow up from nothing... makes me proud." "But it's all Emma's stuff. Your dad made you marry her for her brain, didn't he?" "Don't bring up my father." His voice turned sharp. "He forced me to dump Lily. I just played along." I sank into the driver's seat, frozen. I wasn't a partner. Just a pawn—revenge bait for his dad and backup fuel for his ex.

I begged my boss, Arthur Hutton, ninety-eight times for us to get officially married. Each time, he canceled our plans because his childhood sweetheart deliberately lured him away. On the ninety-ninth attempt, I waited for him at the city hall. Arthur simply patted my head and then put up a sign on the door that read, [Serena Xander and Dogs Not Allowed.] He said indifferently, “Millie’s throwing a fit, and I can’t calm her down. I need to marry her first. “I’ll divorce her, so just wait for me. Next Wednesday is a good day. I’ll marry you then.” But he did not know that I only had ninety-nine chances to give. I would be resigning the following week.

My husband used to love me so much. Back then, he proposed 99 times just to marry me. It wasn't until the 100th proposal that I was finally moved by his persistence and became the envied Mrs. Frederick Morrison of Harbor City. On our wedding day, I gave him 99 reconciliation vouchers. We agreed that as long as these vouchers weren't used up, I would stay by his side forever. … It's been five years since then. Every time Frederick goes out to see another woman, he uses up one reconciliation voucher. Gradually, he suddenly notices that I've changed. I no longer cry or beg him to stay. Only when he loses his mind over his innocent secretary again do I quietly ask him, "Frederick, if you don't come back tonight, can I use a reconciliation voucher?" He pauses mid-step, then immediately turns. "Of course." He thinks he still has many reconciliation vouchers. He doesn't realize this is his last one.

How much did my wife love me? To marry me, she proposed ninety-nine times. I was not moved until the hundredth. On our wedding day, I gave her ninety-nine make-up cards. We agreed that as long as all of them were not used up, I would stay with her. Five years into our marriage, she used one card every time she went out to be with her crush. When she reached the ninety-seventh card, she suddenly noticed that I had changed. I no longer begged for her to stay. When she lost control because of her adorable secretary, I asked her, “If you don't come back tonight, can I use a make-up card?” She paused for a moment and then softened, which was rare for her. “Okay.” I nodded and let her leave. She thought she still had many make-up cards. She didn't realize this was his last chance.