Aces Over Eights Meaning Novels & Stories

When my husband, Robert Bowen, takes his assistant, Bianca Strickland, to a prenatal checkup, I'm being kissed by his 18-year-old version in a corner. "You're already 30 years old, yet why do you smell so nice and taste so kissable? I love you so much, honey! "By the way, where did my 30-year-old self go? Why didn't he come pick you up after work?" I push the 18-year-old Robert away helplessly, only to meet the icy gaze of his 30-year-old self from afar. "You already have a young side piece, and yet you still can't bear to get a divorce from me? Don't make me look down on you, Kaitlyn Hudson." As I watch Robert leaving the hospital with his arm around Bianca, his 18-year-old self begins throwing a temper tantrum in my arms. "That idiot! How dare he speak to my wife in such an arrogant manner! I might as well commit suicide right now so that he'll disappear from this world permanently!"

She had come home only to discover that her man, the one who swore his undying love and promised her the world, had completely pulled the rug out from under her. During the very week of their wedding, no less. How could he do this? .... After an unforgivable betrayal by the two people she loved most, Miranda decides she isn't going to mope around and wallow in self-pity. With the engagement off, single and free, the young woman decides to head to Las Vegas with her friend to live it up in 'Sin City.' But what she never expected was that, after a night of heavy drinking and wild sex with a complete stranger, she would wake up married and pregnant.

Her name is Nancy Wilson, a last year history student at the city collage. Not a topper but still manages to get good grades in the finals to show her report card to her elder brother proudly. Her life is simple and ordinary with some basic regular issues like she's too broke to buy an iPhone that even saving her pocket money for an entire year is not enough for her to afford it and too clumsy to pull up something hot so that she could fancy a boyfriend for herself who could buy her one, she's a ordinary next door girl but everything is about to change as someone is about to intrude in her life and turn it upside down.

(Book 1 of The Cypher Agency Series) "I'm your superior, don't ever fall in love with me. But if I fall, don't hesitate to pull the trigger." Top Agent Wave aka Allister, would rather take a bullet than fall in love. When the feisty and strong Agent Nova aka Hira Callan came, missions became difficult. Their relationship should only be professional and nothing more but one night changed it all. "Don't trust anyone. Even salt looks like sugar." This is book 1 of The Cypher Agency Series. This can be read as a stand alone.

I'm married to Don Antonio Gallo for ten years. My hands, which are originally meant to play the piano, have learned to assemble guns and take apart bombs for him. I was there with Antonio when he was just a lowly criminal, and I witnessed his entire journey to the summit, where he claimed the throne as the king of the underground casino. But right after Antonio becomes successful in life, he gets infatuated with a pure and innocent maiden from the slums. That maiden is Silvia Bianchi. She was delivered to Antonio's bed like cargo. A maiden like her is as pure as an angel, yet so delicate like porcelain. For the first time ever, Antonio, who's already used to bloodshed and violence, gets a taste of addiction. He's really good at hiding her presence. I only find out about it when I accidentally come across him and Silvia attending a prenatal checkup together. When I break down and demand an explanation from Antonio, he just hands over a divorce agreement nonchalantly. "Silvia doesn't have anyone to rely on, nor does she have a home to go back to. Once she has a proper title, she and her baby won't get bullied anymore. "If you sign this document, I'll give you 20% of my shares. Once Silvia gives birth to her baby, I'll make sure that the baby acknowledges you as their mother as well. Consider this my compensation to you." Of course, I can't accept it at all. I end up slapping Silvia on the face during her baby's first party. That night, my younger brother, Paolo Romano, gets crippled and strapped to the front of an armored truck. "This is the lesson you shall learn for hurting Silvia, Valentina!" I kneel on the ground and beg Antonio to stop. But the moment the engine starts, I feel Paolo's blood being sprayed all over my face. Sharp pain flares from my abdomen immediately. I can only clutch it while screaming hysterically before passing out. When I open my eyes again, I've returned to the day Antonio and Silvia are attending a prenatal checkup together. This time, I no longer ask Antonio any questions. Instead, I secretly sell all of the jewelry I've secretly kept and buy myself two plane tickets. Now, I just want to escape from Antonio with Paolo by my side.

He needed a wife. She needed money. Love was never part of the deal. When ruthless billionaire CEO Adrian Cole offers struggling wedding planner Elena Brooks a six-month marriage contract, she knows better than to say yes… but desperation has a way of rewriting rules. The conditions are simple: No feelings. No jealousy. No crossing the line. But living under the same roof, sharing the same bed, and pretending to be in love proves more dangerous than either of them expected. Because Adrian is controlling, possessive… and impossible to ignore. And Elena? She’s the only woman who has ever dared to defy him. When past secrets resurface and real rivals threaten their fragile arrangement, the line between fake and real begins to blur. And the biggest mistake of all… might be falling in love with the one person they were never supposed to want.

I never wanted to be an Alpha. It was my brother’s destiny to lead the pack. But Dad refused to give him the position, believing he would lead with his heart, not his head! As his only other child, the title falls to me. Following my father’s death, the Wolf Council is demanding that I find a mate before I turn 21. Or they will choose a new Alpha for the River Valley Pack. Why? Because a female is supposed to be a Luna, not an Alpha.   But I am not a Luna, I am the Female Alpha of the River Valley Pack. I won’t be made to choose a partner who doesn’t deserve me. But I won’t find one hiding in my pack. I need to put myself out there. It’s the only way to save my pack.    I travel to find out what people think of their Alpha. Perfect smiles or fancy cars won’t fool me, not even for a second.     If I find my mate on my journey, I will see if he is worthy. If he’s not, a rejection is in his future. I will not settle. A male Alpha wouldn’t. Why should I?

I am a miserable nurse. During the Halloween season, there was a three day break but I was not given any days off. Upset, I decided to join a game featuring a haunted hospital. There was an old man wrapped in IV tubes chasing after a player. I sprinted forward and shoved him into the chair. After effortlessly jabbing the IV line back in him, I told him off, "It’s just an IV drip, not an action movie. Sit. Down. Move again and I’ll strap you to the chair!" The old man did a double take before blinking in a flustered manner. "Sorry for causing you trouble, ma'am." At night, children ghosts began to run and laugh wildly in the corridor. I grabbed one in each hand and hauled them up. "If you’re not going to stay put in the ward, I’ll give you an injection!" Why did I still have to work in a game? I was so tired. The other players cried out, "Clem! That's a ghost. Are you not scared?" I sneered, "Sorry, but burnt-out workers hold more grudges than ghosts ever could."

"She came for the $10,000 paycheck. She didn't expect to bargain for her life." Serenia Buenavista is having the absolute worst day of her life. She just got evicted from her apartment, her bank account is down to five dollars, and she just caught her boyfriend cheating on her—while his new girl is wearing Serenia's favorite hoodie. Desperate for quick cash, Serenia applies for a suspiciously high-paying anonymous job online: a nanny position for a "high-stress environment" paying $10,000 a month. But when she arrives at the heavily guarded mansion, she doesn't find a normal family. She finds Matteo Alcantara—a cold, ruthless, and terrifying underground boss who is currently losing a war against his orphaned four-year-old nephew. While other professional nannies run out of the house crying, Serenia sits on the floor and negotiates with the toddler like a tiny criminal, promising to teach him how to picklock doors if he eats his broccoli. Matteo is speechless. He needs her. But just as Serenia signs the deadly contract, gunshots shatter the mansion's windows. Now, locked in a world of danger, secrets, and a very grumpy, dangerously handsome boss, Serenia realizes she didn't just sign up for childcare... She signed up for the mafia.

Everyone knows that the mafia Don's only son, Antonio Gatti, gets to choose a completely new mistress of his own once every three months. Women who are in dire need of money and have no other option left in life will flock to Antonio's wife, Martina Russo, to apply for the position. If they get to spend a night with Antonio, they'll receive a million dollars. Those who are capable of giving birth to his heir will receive half of his family fortune. There are so many women who want to latch onto Antonio as their ticket to wealth. As for me, Martina, I become the hottest piece of gossip in the entire mafia underworld. "Just what sort of lethal leverage does the Gatti family have over Martina to the point that she can tolerate her husband's whims to this degree?" Everyone is very sure that I will submit to the Gatti family's influence and live a humiliating life for as long as I draw breath. That is, until Antonio brings a young woman named Camilla Ferrara home one day. Camilla is an ordinary woman, and yet she's capable of transforming Antonio, a cold-blooded and violent man, into a completely different person. He gets rid of all his other mistresses for her sake. He cleanses every inch of himself three whole times because she claims that he's filthy. Antonio has become obsessed with Camilla. He tells me, "Camilla is a pure and innocent angel; unlike you, whose hands are completely stained with filthy blood. Your heart is as dirty as the rest of you." He seems to have forgotten that I've done those filthy things just so I can get rid of all the obstacles in his way in order to protect the Gatti family's legacy. On the day Mamma passed away from her illness, Antonio prepared a huge fireworks show that's capable of lighting up the entire sky above New Wis City just to celebrate Camilla's birthday. After that, I find out that Antonio has the gall to dump my mamma's ashes into the fireworks assembly on Camilla's birthday. They end up combusting alongside the rest of the fireworks that night. I toss the divorce agreement in his face with all my might. At the same time, I unlatch the safety on the pistol that's hidden in my sleeve before pointing it at him and Camilla. "I'm giving you two choices right now. Option one—sign the divorce agreement and file for a divorce with me, which entitles me to half of the Gatti family's fortune. Option two—die together with your beloved mistress so that you can go to hell and apologize to Mamma there."