401 K For Dummies

He just got a breakup text from his girlfriend of two years. She, in turn, had just gotten stood up by her fiancé, who had planned a dinner date for that night, only to ignore her at the last minute. Winston and Ivy were just two strangers, both abandoned on Easter's Eve by the people they loved. They found themselves drawn together in the elegant Luciano’s restaurant, and in that shared moment of heartbreak, they found comfort in each other’s company, exchanging laughter and stories over a quiet table. What starts as a simple, playful connection soon deepens into something neither expected… a bond that grows stronger with each smile. But when their pasts come crashing back, and their exes threaten to tear them apart, will their newfound love thrive? Or will the hurts of their pasts force them to let go before their love story truly begins?

I was six months pregnant when my husband, Michael Greene, shoved me off the edge of a yacht during a birthday party. Why? Because Lily Clement, his childhood sweetheart, had fallen into the water, and apparently, the yacht was too small for all three of us. After being pulled from the ocean, suffering from hypothermia and shock, I was taken to the hospital. Doctors determined that emergency surgery was necessary and required a family member's consent. However, no matter how many times they called, Michael never picked up. At the same time, lying in a hospital bed, I scrolled through Lily’s Instagram and saw the post she shared just hours earlier. It was a photo of the two of them, soaked but clinging to each other like lovers out of a movie. "Sometimes love comes from the most unexpected places. Thank you for always being there for me—quietly, selflessly, unshakably." That was all I needed. The day I was discharged, I left Michael a signed divorce agreement. If he wanted to be her knight in shining armor, I’d let him.

Sandra had never imagined that she would be left all alone on her wedding day. Ivy had always threaten to commit suicide due to her depression. As such, everyone would always try to please her. There was no exception even at Sandra's wedding. Sandra had had enough. She would not want to have any connection with her fiancé or her parents anymore. From now on, Sandra would only live her life for herself.

I need a wife. Now. It doesn’t have to do with love and living the good life. This is all about getting the money my billionaire father left to me. And I’m running out of time. But who proposes to a stranger after the first date? Me. That’s who. As if I have another choice. Luck is on my side though, and a beautiful model shows up in my office. Single? Gorgeous? Funny? All of the above. Our first date goes so well that I feel unsure about my decision to do this thing with her—you know, fake it. I put it off and decide to do it later, to ask for her help after we get to know each other better. But I like her more and more each time we meet, and eventually, offering her a ring isn’t for my dad’s money—it’s because I want her more than anything else in the world. Besides, who’s going to know if it’s fake or real? And does it really matter? Yeah. It does. To her…

He ran a hand through his hair and exhaled slowly. “Celeste, you know Isabella has been sick for years.” “Yes, I know,” I said bitterly. “I know because you remind me every single day.” He ignored the edge in my voice. “She’s not getting better. The doctors said she probably has a year left.” I swallowed hard. “And how does that concern me?” “She has one last wish,” he said quietly. “She wants to get married before she dies.” He wants to divorce me and remarry me after a year, but that’s nonsense! I’m tired of this marriage. This divorce isn’t a joke to me; I’m taking it seriously.

"Take me, please." This time into his ear. He sat up some and grabbed my hips pulling me on to him harder. The deeper he went the more I lost control. I could tell he was holding back. Maybe he was afraid to hurt me. The bruises, because of what he knows about my past, He thinks he has to treat me like I'm fragile. I looked straight into his eyes. "I can take it, please, I want you to make me yours." I was begging him now. I saw his face change as he sat up and pushed my legs up higher. Suddenly he was slamming into me… ***** When Sandra married Ryan she thought she had married her hero. A young bright police detective on his way up. It wasn't long before she realized she was wrong. A narcissistic abusive man with the support of the city and the police department. She was trapped. Caged. Until the night of her monthly trip to the movies with the friends she was allowed. The other police detective’s wives. She saw his eyes as he leaned against the wall. A tinge of recognition as she walked past him. Then everything went dark.

My first instinct was to hide my body, but Raiden held my arms to the side. “No, little mouse. You don’t hide from us."  - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - When Alpha-heir Raiden sees his best friend staring at the new girl, Atalanta, he notices an instant spark between them. Zev is against the notion of having a mate and refuses to date anyone before he has rejected his mate. Raiden tries everything to get Zev and Atalanta alone, hoping they won't be able to deny their attraction. But the more he tries, the more Raiden realizes he's developing feelings for Atalanta as well. Atalanta has no interest in dating either; she's too busy focusing on her mission. She has been sent by the hunters to find out as much as she can about the location and members of their packs. What happens when the two men give in to their feelings for the same woman? And what will happen to their relationship once they find out who she really is?

Arthur Dalton, a billionaire businessman with leading electronic technology in all over New York, is in desperate need for a nanny who can take care of his five year old mischievous daughter, Hayley. Having lost the love of his life at child-birth, he isn’t looking for any kind of romantic relationship until Kathleen Moore shows up at his house and he mistakenly put her in jail for an attempted kidnapping of his daughter. Kathleen is a delivery girl at her family owned restaurant, but negative her first meeting with Arthur puts them at odd with each other right from the beginning, even though Hayley suddenly develops a fondness towards Kathleen that Arthur had never expected. Now, he must comply to his daughter’s wishes and hire Kathleen as a nanny, but what happens when the holiday seasons arrive and the close proximity makes Arthur’s heart skip a beat for Kathleen, a heart that he swore he would never give to anyone else? And what happens when his daughter demands that the only thing she wants as a present this Christmas is a new mommy?

On the day a dispute broke out between my students, I saw Samantha again—the girl I had broken up with ten years ago; the girl who had been fighting wiped away her tears and cried out for her mother. Samantha froze when she saw me. After a long moment, she seemed to remember herself and quickly apologized. "Mr. Brooke, I'm sorry for causing you trouble." I handled the compensation matter strictly by the book. When everything was settled, she lingered behind the others, clearly wanting to speak but hesitating. "I remember you didn't want to be a teacher back then," she said. I smiled faintly and walked her to the office door. "People change. So do their thoughts." Just like my feelings for her—those had been turned over long ago.

My wife, Alisha West, has always been obsessively frugal. After marrying her, my single guilty pleasure became blowing money on luxury watches—almost like revenge for how absurdly tightfisted she was. By the time our daughter, Elyse Day, turned 7, she had inherited every bit of her mother’s penny-pinching nature. The two of them looked completely out of place in our sprawling mansion. And I loved it. I’d slip into my latest custom-tailored suits and watch them wince at my credit card statements, their expressions twisted in quiet pain. Until one day, lines of floating text suddenly appeared before my eyes. [This spendthrift idiot is still shopping? Doesn’t he know his wife’s company is about to go bankrupt?] [She’s been drained dry supporting this parasite. Her T-shirt collar is practically worn out from washing. Good thing the financially savvy male lead is about to show up and save her.] [Can’t wait for Alisha to file for divorce and kick this useless freeloader out. Let’s see how he survives fighting stray dogs for scraps under a bridge.] I slammed the limited-edition Richard Mille watch onto the table. Alisha, who was crouched on the floor breaking down delivery boxes for recycling, and Elyse, who was helping stomp them flat, both jumped in shock. A chill ran through me. I lunged forward, snatched the battered cardboard box from Elyse’s hands, and held it tightly against my chest. "No… no more buying. I’m returning this watch. "And these boxes… don’t sell them. I think we might need them someday… to lay out under a bridge when we’re sleeping outside…"