Clean Code A Handbook Of Agile Software Craftsmanship

In a world where dragon shifters once ruled alongside humans in a delicate magical monarchy, a catastrophic war 300 years ago left the dragons nearly extinct. Now, in modern-day Seattle, 25-year-old Maya Chen discovers she's the last fertile female dragon shifter when she spontaneously shifts during a panic attack at her corporate job. The twist: There are only seven male dragon shifters left worldwide, each bound by ancient magic to different elements (fire, ice, storm, earth, shadow, light, and void). Maya's emergence triggers a supernatural召唤 summoning that compels all seven to converge on Seattle, their dragon instincts screaming that the survival of their species depends on her. But Maya isn't interested in being anyone's salvation. She's a fiercely independent software engineer who just learned that her chronic anxiety and "weird dreams" were actually her dragon trying to emerge. As the males arrive—each incredibly powerful, devastatingly attractive, and convinced they're destined to be her mate—Maya must navigate not only her new abilities but also the political intrigue of a hidden supernatural world. The complication: An ancient enemy, the Order of the Silver Chain, has been hunting dragons for centuries and will stop at nothing to eliminate this last chance for the species to survive. Meanwhile, Maya discovers that the seven males can't all survive—the magic binding them means that when she chooses her mate(s), the others will lose their dragon forever. The story blends urban fantasy with romantic tension, found family dynamics, and the pressure of being the key to an entire species' survival while trying to figure out who you really are. However, what if all seven of them were her mates? Would that allow them to save their kind?

Isabella’s Herrera’s world unravels when her father’s reckless dealings with the notorious mafia boss Lorenzo Castillo leave her family drowning in debt. With her younger brother’s life hanging by a thread, Bella is forced into a dangerous bargain: herself as payment for her father’s sins. Lorenzo Castillo is a ruthless and calculating man, hardened by the violent underworld he controls. Bound by a code of power and loyalty, he has no room for emotions—until Bella’s fiery spirit and unwavering determination begin to chip away at his cold exterior. As the contract between them deepens, so does the dangerous attraction that neither can ignore. But Bella’s past is riddled with secrets, and as she navigates the shadows of Lorenzo’s empire, she discovers that not everything is what it seems. A rival mafia leader, Gabriel Moretti, is hell-bent on taking over Lorenzo’s empire, and Bella becomes the key to his plot. With her life now at the mercy of two powerful men, Bella is caught between love, loyalty, and survival. In the world of betrayal and bloodshed, can a debt born from desperation ignite a passion that could either save or destroy them both? A Debt of Passion is a gripping tale of forbidden love, power, and redemption, where every choice comes with a deadly cost, and every heart is a battlefield.

All Raven Caruso has ever known is blood, bullets, and betrayal. Born into the infamous Caruso crime family, Raven was raised not with dolls or lullabies, but with guns, knives, and a ruthless code of silence. Trained from childhood to be an assassin, she became her father’s most dangerous weapon,and his greatest pride. Jack Caruso doesn’t just want to rule the South. He wants the North, too. But the North belongs to his bitter rival, the Moretti mafia,and standing between Jack and total dominance is one man: Leon Vitali. They call him The Butcher. Cold. Calculated. Lethal. Jack’s solution? A union of blood and power. Raven will marry Leon Vitali. And when she bears his child, the Carusos will strike,wipe out the Vitali bloodline and rule using Ravens child. Raven knows her mission. She's loyal. Deadly. And ready to make her father proud. There’s just one problem. Leon Vitali is supposed to be the enemy. But he’s also devastatingly charming, maddeningly confident, and far more complicated than she expected. With every stolen glance and dangerous kiss, he awakens something in her she doesn’t recognize,something soft. Something real. Now Raven must decide: stay true to her blood... or betray it for love.

Born to the leaders of a powerful coven, Elly was born with an important destiny. But when her parents are betrayed by their own coven they discover the great destiny that was in store for their beloved child is to be a sacrifice. Instead, they give their lives to keep her safe and entrust their only child with people they hope will protect her. Instead, they keep her hidden and use her for every drop of magic she can produce. Elly spends her life on the run and in hiding. Her magic tells her she needs to find someone or something. But what? When she runs out of places to hide she gets stuck between the family that has spent her life abusing her for her powers, the coven of witches that want to sacrifice her in order to attain power and enslave the creatures around them, and the creatures that want her dead to stop that from happening. After his father made a foolish deal with a coven of witches, Rowan was left to clean up the mess. They gave the pack the power to win a bloody war at the cost of the pack’s freedom and Rowan’s future mate. Now must find a way to free his people from being the witches’ slaves and save his future mate.

Julian Carter orders me to clean up his childhood sweetheart's new home when I'm still recovering from childbirth. "Everyone knows you're good at home economics! Things will be much easier for us with your help." I'm wrapping things up when I feel something dampen my pants. The discharge trickles down my leg and onto the floor. Nadine Stephens covers her mouth and cries dramatically, "What's that? It's so disgusting!" She even bends over and pretends to gag. Awkwardness and shame wash over me, making me want to dig a hole and hide myself. However, Julian grabs me and scowls. "I told you to come here to help. You're causing trouble on purpose, aren't you?" It's Valentine's Day, but he chases me out and tells me to go home. I wait for him for the whole night with our child in my arms. He only returns the following day with love bites on his neck. That's when I know we won't have a future together.

The first time I met Alessio Russo I was eighteen. He’d barged into my room. I yelled. He yelled. We argued. I slammed the door into the jerk’s face. Then I discovered that the drool-worthy prick was my best friend’s oldest brother -- who had connections to Cassio King and the mafia. The freaking mafia! The second time I saw him was at his mother’s funeral. He didn’t seem to recognize me. Or so I thought until we ended up tangled up between the sheets and he referred to our first encounter. The next time we saw each other was at his father’s funeral - the funeral of the very same man that had threatened my life. It turned out Alessio Russo was a gentleman even when he was a savage. We bickered. We kissed. We fought. We made love. He thrilled me and scared me. Still, we slowly started to find a way to each other but before I had a chance to come clean with him, I had to leave the country. Then all hell broke loose.

Alisa: I never knew who my parents were. You see, I was left at the steps of the convent as a child and it is at the convent where I grew up. But something is wrong with me. I woke up on my eighteenth birthday with an insatiable hunger, a hunger that no food can satisfy. I soon realized that there was only one thing that could satisfy me. The pleasures of the flesh. Because of that, I was branded a succubus, a demoness who seduces and sucks the life force out of her victims. The convent, they wanted to ‘cleanse’ my soul, they wanted to rip me apart and clean me inside out. I was scared. So I ran and ran and that was when I found him…. Alpha Ryder: I came from the strongest pack. We have everything we needed; money, fame and power. But a prophecy hangs over our pack. A succubus will come and seduce the one in power, tearing the pack apart and burning all that we have worked for to the ground. I grew up with the prophecy in my heart. As Alpha of the Red Moon pack, I will let nothing stand in my way. Nothing. But then I met her. And everything changed….

On my 18th round of IVF, I accidentally overheard a conversation between my husband and his secretary. Yvonne asked, "Babe, do you really have to have a baby with her? What about us?" Zayn explained, "Don't worry. I've already switched the eggs with yours. So, Candice will actually be carrying our child, and you won't have to suffer through pregnancy. When the child grows up, all the Summers fortune will be his!" I pretended I did not hear a word, focusing instead on raising the son I worked so hard to bring into this world. 18 years later, my son was celebrated as a "computer genius", and he returned home after earning his doctorate. I transferred all my shares and real estate to him without hesitation. That was when Zayn finally decided to come clean and said, "Candice, the truth is, Luca is actually mine and Yvonne's. Let's get a divorce, and it's time for Lucas to be reunited with his biological mother." I simply smiled and replied, "I agree to the divorce." After weaving this web for 18 years, it was finally time to reel it all in.

Ava crossed her arms. “You’re scared I’ll ruin you,” Liam smirked. “No, I’m scared you’ll keep me hooked.” Ava Davis works hard to survive in a cutthroat corporate world. Her arrogant billionaire boss, Liam Carter, makes life impossible with his demands. But when Ava stumbles upon a secret that could destroy him, she uses it to fight back. Liam won’t go down without a fight. He makes Ava an offer: help him clean up his image, and he’ll make sure her career doesn’t crash. Now they’re stuck together, working side by side. Every moment is a battlefield, every glance charged. Liam hides a dark past, and Ava is determined to uncover it. But the closer they get, the harder it is to ignore the growing tension between them. When a scandal shatters everything, Ava and Liam must choose: keep fighting or let the walls between them crumble. In a world of power, secrets, and second chances, can two enemies find redemption and love? Enemies at work. Bound by secrets. Can love be the endgame?

***This book contains violence, cursing, sexual content, and talk of suicide, enjoy at your discretion.*** I was walking through an unknown foggy forest when I spotted a field of wildflowers. My feet had a mind of their own as they led me to wander through the flowers. I nonchalantly dragged my hands over the flowers. It was a beautiful and serene sight. I deeply inhaled the sweet scent of the flower and gave a little shudder of bliss. I closed my eyes and just absorbed the moment wanting to remember it. Suddenly the sounds of paws hitting the forest floor overwhelmed me. Then the forest was ignited with flames. Everything glowed vibrant oranges and reds as heavy smoke smothered me from above. I threw myself to the ground desperate for any trace of clean air. As I attempted to crawl out of the flowers a new sound harmonized with the thunder paws, screams and howls for help terrorized me. I clawed at the ground desperate to escape the menacing choir. Fire licked my skin and I screamed for help. Sobs escaped my lips as flaming branches fell on me from above. The smell of burning flesh was the only thing that consumed me as everything went dark.