Crystal Shoes

Nolan Russo thought he had his life figured out. As the son of a powerful mafia boss, his future was all planned: step into his father’s shoes and take over the family empire. But those plans are thrown into chaos when his father demands he marry Anastasia Ivanov, the bold and unpredictable daughter of another powerful family. The marriage is meant to unite their families and save the Russo business from falling apart, but neither Nolan nor Anastasia is happy about it. Anastasia has no interest in being anyone’s wife. She’s used to living on her own terms and refuses to be controlled. To her, this marriage feels like a trap. But despite their clashes and fiery arguments, there are few moments of undeniable tension between them—something neither can ignore, no matter how hard they try. Just as they start to find their footing in this uneasy alliance, their world is shaken by betrayal. Someone close to Nolan breaks their trust, setting off a series of dangerous events. To protect Anastasia, Nolan hires Ivan, a quiet yet mysterious bodyguard who seems to understand her better than anyone else. But the closer Anastasia gets to Ivan, the more tangled things become. Secrets start to surface—secrets that could destroy everything they’ve worked for. As the lines between loyalty, love, and revenge blur, Nolan and Anastasia are forced to confront the choices they’ve made. Can they survive the lies and betrayals that threaten to tear them apart, or will the weight of their choices crush them both?

After two years abroad in seclusion as I recovered, I received a selfie from my daughter, Lila Ashford. She was sitting on a bike, dressed in a work uniform. "Mom, you’ll be home soon, right? I miss you so much." My heart softened as I thought about how my girl had grown up. She understood that she needed to start from the bottom and work her way up. I was about to praise her when I noticed her skin seemed tanner, and her fitted shirt was the same one I’d bought her three years ago. It was frayed and worn thin, yet she still hadn’t thrown it away. As a child of the wealthiest family, Lila shouldn’t have to live like this, not even for "life experience". I zoomed in on the picture again. Her shoes were falling apart, the front gaping wide open. The more I looked, the more uneasy I became. The next second, I stumbled across Serena Ashford, my adopted daughter’s posts on social media. She was showing off male models, luxury cars, and on her wrist, the global limited-edition diamond bracelet I had given Lila. What shocked me most was the car that appeared in nearly every photo, the very one I had gifted Lila for her college graduation. How the hell had it ended up with her instead?!

“You mean… you don’t mind sharing me? All three of you?”“No, Simone, baby. If it means we get to be with you, all three of us are just fine with this arrangement,” Nick says.I can hardly believe my ears! How did I get so lucky? A basketball star, a famous actor, and a hot tech guru?Simone, you are living the life!Simone is new to the Owens Firm and has to prove herself by selling houses on the Sunset Strip in Hollywood. But when the nasty girl in the office, Crystal, starts rumors that Simone is sleeping with all of her clients—well, she’s right—sort of!Michael, Nick, and Christian all want to buy houses from Simone, but they also want more. They want her, and since they’re all happy sharing her, why should she choose?But her job is important to her. Can she find a way to spare her reputation and keep all of her men?Her Sunset Billionaires is created by Scarlett Rossi, an eGlobal Creative Publishing signed author.

I arranged a lavish dinner cruise in Alpha Lucien Grimfang's honor. However, I mistakenly wore the ceremonial gown that had once belonged to his late Luna, Sylvia Wilder. In front of all the guests, his ten-year-old son, Rhett Grimfang, suddenly rammed me into the champagne tower. The shattered crystal glasses left deep cuts across my skin. "Don't think that you can replace my mother just because you're wearing her sacred gown! You're nothing but a dog—obedient and always at my father's beck and call! Don't you dare dream of claiming a Luna's honor!" His cold, scornful expression mirrored Lucien's perfectly. "I can make you leave anytime I want!" I forced myself to look up at the pup I had raised. "Don't trouble yourself. Tomorrow, I'll submit my resignation to the Elder Council and leave for good."

Vivienne Crane was a billionaire and vampire queen looking for a way to make synthetic blood for vampires in the Imperial Colony which had been once an old city where vampires fed on humans for blood. She reversed the state so the city became naturally kind for the humans to live. Love was never in her mind as she was so sure that being a vampire queen meant legal for her to be alone forever, until she met Dr. Lazlo Howard who would help her formulate the synthetic blood for the vampires. A constant temptation was all about him. There was something ancient about the scientist that Vivienne's crystal ball couldn't see what behind his genius brain and drop-dead gorgeous feature was. Curiosity could kill you. But it wouldn't matter if you were the vampire queen. Especially when you found out he was also an incubus, the perfect lover for a vampire queen. Will Vivienne be able to resist falling for her handsome colleague? Or she'll be wondering forever after their one night stand?

There were rules to their marriage. Lily was given the life of luxury and everything she could possibly want to live while her husband held the power and control over her fairytale life. It was a game of beauty and dominance. Lily Blakely: I had no other option but to do the unthinkable. I sold my soul to a billionaire heir, rich and spoiled. My dignity held under the heels of his shiny leather shoes and my heart in his hand. And I had done it all to save my father's life. He didn't know that. For him, I was the gold digger of highest order, one he despised the most. And yes, I didn't expect him to fall in love with me ever. He swore that he wouldn't. Daniel Rutherford: She was as beautiful as cunning. The kind I hated the most. A young, independent girl who sold herself for a life of riches and standard. I wanted nothing more than to stay a thousand miles away from her. But I seemed to fail in doing so the moment she got close enough to touch. I wanted her to repel me, yet every time she was near me I got attracted to her in a way I dreaded. I wanted to push her away, but to my utter disdain I wanted to fuck her even more.

While her husband stayed in the hospital beside his mistress, Alessia was in his enemy’s bed—naked, breathless, and moaning his name. Alessia never planned to be the woman who used sex as revenge. But when fate shoved the truth in her face that the man she loved was sharing his heart and bed with someone else, she didn’t cry. Instead she made a plan. She walks into the office of his coldest rival, Miguel Smith, and make him an offer no man expects. “Sleep with me,” Miguel has a rule; no married women. Especially not the wife of the man he hates most. But the moment he sees Alessia, something shifts. She’s fire wrapped in ice, and one night isn’t nearly enough. Now he’s hooked—on her lips, on her body, on ruining her husband, and making her his. Again and again. And when her husband tries to crawl back into her life, Miguel makes one thing crystal clear: Alessia is his now… and he doesn’t share.

My husband's childhood friend says she wants her crystal beads to soak up some of the good luck in our home. Because of that, he scatters the beads on the floor, making me slip and miscarry. I'm in agony as I lie on the operating table. I call my husband incessantly, but all he does is block my number. I lie in the hospital ward after the operation. I see my husband's childhood friend's social media update—a photo of him worshipfully holding out a certificate while getting down on one knee. It's captioned, "He loves me so much! I said I'm interested in running a business and he actually set up a company for me!" On the day of the branch company's grand opening, my husband's childhood friend wears an expensive custom-made gown. Meanwhile, I wear her discarded goods. I'm barred from even entering the building. I suppress my bitterness and call my lawyer. "Are the divorce procedures done?"

The night before our wedding, Jason Scott receives the cancer diagnosis of my adopted younger sister, Helena Sanderson. His expression falters, and he says indignantly, "We'll cancel the wedding tomorrow, Victoria. Helena is very fragile now. I can't risk upsetting her at this point in time." I reply, "I don't agree with it! Why would my wedding upset her?" Jason doesn't show any displeasure after my rejection. He even thoughtfully prepares a glass of milk for me. … When I wake up the next morning, I realize the house that should be full of excitement is eerily quiet. Anxious, I dial Jason's number 99 times. He only picks up the call on my 100th try. "Where did my wedding dress and shoes go?" I ask. Jason falls silent for a moment. His tone is apologetic when he replies, "I'm sorry, Victoria. Helena wants to experience being a bride once. I can't let her leave with regrets. Please bear with this for now. I'll make it up to you once she passes away peacefully." As the line goes dead, I sit frozen on the bed, unable to recover for some time. … A month later, while Jason is on his honeymoon, I send the livestream of my wedding announcement with his rival, Frank Lawrent, directly onto his phone. Jason regrets it bitterly.

Jade Warring is a brilliant interior designer committed to her faith and craft. Her friend Blake Duffy, who works at the prestigious Black Corporation, boasts of her expertise to the company's CEO, Tristan Black, who quickly hires her to decorate his new home. Upon meeting Tristan, Jade is surprised as he's young, handsome, and charming. His mesmerizing crystal clear, teal-blue eyes were enough to sweep anyone off their feet. Then he asked, "Have we met before?" Those three words heightened her curiosity even more because she had seen Tristan once before, in a dream. Despite various unexplained women and their relationship hanging on by a thread, Jade agrees to marry him. Soon he reveals he is far from the ideal husband, man, or even human. Clinging to the hope that love will conquer all, Jade begins an emotional rollercoaster with Tristan. His fetishes and unfaithfulness ultimately wear on her heart and mind. She is far from crazy, but everyone has their limit, and amidst all the drama, chaos, and confusion she struggles to determine what's real or merely a dream.