Opening Lines Of The Iliad Novels & Stories

The uprising killed the royal Cardinal family. The Cardinals were magic wielders and had ruled for over five hundred years with an iron fist. Eventually, the humans waged war against wielders and shifters. They overthrew the crown, branding all non-human beings as Unnaturals and leaving them to fend for themselves in a broken world. Ida has spent those last ten years since the uprising sold from one household to another, never able to repay her indenture. The situation, although not ideal, has offered her a second chance at life. A life in hiding was better than no life at all, and she did not wish to suffer the same fate as others of her kind. Sold into the services of Duke Kestrel, she meets a seductive yet mysterious Lord Alexander. Already in his thirties, Xander cares very little for his title and responsibilities. He should have been married years ago, but no woman appears to please him. Many assume he is simply difficult, but not all is what it seems. Xander carries the weight of being a shifter, unable to find his mate in this new kingdom. After a chance meeting between them, Ida becomes overwhelmed by Alexander's mixed signals. She dares not succumb to her inner feelings. Letting Xander in would mean opening up about what she truly is, and she is determined to keep her past hidden. Xander, however, has other plans. He intends to get his mate by whatever means necessary. When both their lives intertwine by fate, a new quest emerges fraught with danger as they encounter all walks of life trying to tear them apart. Can their love survive, or is there a more sinister plot afoot?

Ariana Blake was born into wealth, raised on power, and left with nothing when her father’s scandal destroyed everything. Now working two jobs and avoiding the spotlight, Ariana wants one thing, freedom from her family’s ruined name. But when a hostile takeover threatens the last piece of her father’s shattered legacy, she faces the man behind it all: Damien Voss. He’s cold. Calculated, and evastatingly irresistible. And the billionaire who’s spent years plotting revenge against the Blakes. Damien expected to break her. He didn’t expect her fire. He didn’t expect the pull. As the lines between hate and desire blur, Ariana finds herself torn between exposing the truth that could finally clear her family’s name, or protecting the man she’s falling for. But Damien has secrets of his own. Secrets that could ruin them both. In a world built on betrayal, money, and power, can love survive when vengeance comes knocking?

She watched her boyfriend drop to one knee, not for her, but for another woman. Humiliated. Betrayed. Disowned by her own mother. Krystalina is left with nothing, no dignity, no home, not even a single penny to her name. Just when she thinks life cannot be cruel, London’s richest and most ruthless lawyer offers her a lifeline. A marriage contract. A surrogacy agreement. Strict rules : No emotions. No sexual intimacy. No attachment with the baby. But rules are meant to be broken.The moment passion blurs the lines, secrets begin to unravel and the truth behind his cold proposal threatens to destroy them both. Can a relationship born out of betrayal survive their love? * “You’ve been a very bad girl, Mrs Ashton. Always disobeying me.” His thumb brushed over my lower lip, possessive, stealing my breath. “I don’t want my baby to be ill-mannered, like you” he said calmly. Tears welled in my eyes at his audacity. “Then you should terminate the contract.”

Claire came from the long lines of hunters who hunted supernatural beings as their source of livelihood. The business soon became dull as there was no more catch for them despite all their tries. With all these going on, Claire was still treated like a servant in her father's house by her stepmother and stepsister. One day, she saw a wolf that was injured in the garden. Thinking that it was an ordinary wolf, she took care of it and nursed it back to health. She befriended the wolf and was no longer a loner. One day, she found out that her father was going to sell her as a slave to pay off some of his debt, and she decided to run away. She got caught by her family and was beaten mercilessly. The wolf saw this and got angry, thereby transforming into a man. That was when everyone knew that he was a werewolf. The family thought that their lives would be settled if they killed the werewolf, but Claire would have none of it. She escaped with the werewolf, becoming an outcast among her family. Life tempted her and her wolf beyond what they could bear. But would they be victorious?

Catriona Agreste didn’t come to the city to fall in love. She came to win. A first-year law student financing her degree through a prestigious internship at Reid Capital, Catriona lives by one rule: never surrender control. Not in court. Not in life. Not to men like Shawn Reid. Shawn Reid doesn’t lose. Billionaire CEO. Strategic mastermind. A man who negotiates power the way others breathe. Discipline is his currency. Control is his comfort. Emotion? A liability he eliminated years ago. Until her. When Catriona challenges one of his corporate decisions, she doesn’t just question his strategy — she disrupts his balance. What begins as intellectual rivalry ignites into a dangerous power dynamic neither of them anticipated. He tests boundaries. She redraws them. But when ambition turns intimate and control becomes temptation, the lines between mentorship and desire blur. And in a world where power is everything… Who will surrender first? Or will they both lose the one thing they swore to protect — themselves?

From a stall in the office restroom, I overhear someone badmouthing me. Henry Fielder, the intern I've been mentoring for three months, grumbles, "The guy's got zero people skills. He's a total fossil, like a robot stuck in one mode." I'm about to push the door open and jump in when someone laughs and piles on. "The paperwork is incomplete. The receipts aren't compliant. I can't reimburse it without a manager's signature. We could recite his canned empathy lines in our sleep!" Once they're gone, I quietly head back to my office. Later, Henry drops a thick stack of expense reports onto my desk. "Quit waving the rulebook and rejecting everyone's reimbursements." I skim the fake receipts, and for once, I don't call him out. Instead, I give a thin smile and say, "I have a headache. I can't make out the words."

I am ANNABEL DRAKE, a woman who has spent her entire life in the Shadows of others. A forgotten girl child ,and also an underestimated employee, in fact I am everything you can think of because I have been through a lot . It started after my father was imprisoned for a crime he didn't commit. My family lost everything: our fortune, our home, and most painfully, our dignity. My mother fell ill under the weight of disgrace, and I became the sole provider, fighting every day just to keep us alive . When an unexpected job opportunity lands in my lap, I see it as an opening way out of poverty and struggle. Working as an executive assistant for Carson Clair, the almighty billionaire CEO of Sonclair Enterprises, isn't easy. He's rude , and unnecessarily leading over everyone in a bad manner, and I can tell you unapologetically that he's everything I despise in a man. But the paycheck is good, and I need it . Then, the unimaginable happens after a few months. Carson makes me an offer I can't refuse because it is such a juicy offer. It was a contract marriage . He needs a wife to secure a billion-dollar deal, and in exchange, he promises to clear my Father's name, pay off my mother's medical Bills, and set me up for life. It sounds like a dream... Until I realize I'm falling for him. Just as I start to believe that maybe, just maybe, this arrangement could turn into something real, my world shatters again. I discovered a secret which was actually the truth and it changed everything. Carson isn't who I through he was. And neither is the man I've been secretly confiding in ... Fred Mark.

In the dangerous world of organized crime, love is a luxury few can afford. But for Andrea Lopez, the daughter of a powerful mafia family, it's the one thing she craves most. Despite her kindness and resilience, past traumas have left her wary of opening her heart. When fate brings her face-to-face with Stefano Costanzo once again—her best friend's brother and the ruthless don she's always longed for—sparks fly, and old wounds reopen. Stefano, a cold and ruthless mafia don, lives a life devoid of emotional attachments, harboring a secret pain known to few. Yet, seeing Andrea again after so many years reignites emotions he thought long buried. As they navigate the treacherous waters of their shared past and uncertain future, they're drawn inexorably together despite their best efforts to resist. But their reunion is not without peril. Stefano's dangerous world threatens to consume them both, and Andrea must confront not only her own demons but also the demons of the man she loves. Can they find redemption in each other's arms, or will their love be their undoing?   *** “Why the hell did you just do that?” I demand, my anger rising. “I’m trying to protect you,” he says, his eyes blazing. “Protect me from what? A good friend?” “He’s not who you think he is. I don’t trust him.” “You don’t trust him, or you’re worried he’ll take me away from you?” I challenge. Stefano’s eyebrow arches. “You think I’m worried he’ll take you away from me?” He leans in close, his lips brushing my ear. “Oh, luce del sole, no one can take you from me. You’re mine.”

Juked: Volume 1 - When team captain Daniel Zavarro and new single mom Quincy Watson begin to cross paths often, an unlikely friendship evolves. Feelings change. Lines get crossed. Before they know it, they’ve been Juked.Groupie: Volume 2- My body is no one’s business. So why is Rowen Flanigan making me re-think how I live my life? He’s only a rookie.Goalie: Volume 3 - Letting the fame and notoriety go to his head, Santo DeGuajarado lost the things he loved the most- his family. Now he has one shot to make it right before losing at this relationship game and he’s determined not to miss this time.Deflected: Volume 4 - When a new and unexpected development suddenly arises, Tiffany and Rowen realize all their plans are about to become irrelevant. Things will never be the same when their lives are deflected.These books contain sexual explicit scenes and are recommended for ages 18+.Texas Mutiny is created by M.E. Carter, an eGlobal CreativePublishing Signed Author.

In the extravagant world of wealth and power, a forbidden union ignites between Ariel, a beautiful and naive young woman, and Connel, a ruthless billionaire with a reputation for stopping at nothing to get what he wants. When Ariel awakens in Connel's luxurious mansion, she's forced to make a desperate choice: marry the mysterious billionaire, to protect her family's reputation. But as their first night together is concealed by lies, Ariel begins to unravel the dark secrets of Connel's past, revealing a tangled web of lies, deceit, and hidden agendas. As she navigates the risky landscape of her new role, Ariel discovers shocking truths about her own family's history and its connection to Connel's. The secrets she unearths threaten to destroy the fragile bond between them, forcing Ariel to confront the ultimate truth: that her marriage of convenience may hold the key to her own salvation – or her downfall. Dive into a world of luxury, secrets, and betrayal, where the lines between love and obsession are blurred, and the truth can be deadly.