The Last Russian Doll Romane & Geschichten

My cousin, John Anderson, always paid me in tens rather than in thousands. He owned a renovation company, and my team and I always worked hard for his projects. However, he only transferred me thirty dollars for sand and concrete that were worth three thousand dollars. Besides that, he only transferred me one thousand five hundred dollars to finance customized doors and windows worth one hundred and fifty thousand dollars. I did not harp on that. Instead, I bore the cost in full, as he was my cousin. That was until his wife, Rory Anderson, scolded me in front of all the workers. “Peter’s a bloodsucker. He never informs us whenever he buys new materials. He must have scammed a lot of money from us! I saw that he got himself a new house and a new car. I bet these are all bought with money he took from us!” John smoked next to us and sighed, “Never mind. He’s family after all.” I was furious when I heard that. I paid more than six hundred thousand dollars’ worth of material fees for him, and he was accusing me of stealing his money? The next client had a mansion and wanted natural marbles worth hundreds of thousands of dollars for his living room floor. John approved the request but only transferred me a thousand dollars to get it sorted out. So, I went to the brick factory located in the countryside and got a truckload of used red bricks from pigpens. Then, I used them for the client’s flooring.

Anastasia Reed is two people. By day she runs Reed & Associates by night she is someone Monaco gets to keep. When a masked man at Obsidian turns into the most consuming night of her life she leaves before sunrise and tells herself that is the end of it. Two months later Nikolai Stavros walks into her office without knocking, the merger her father begged his grandfather forces them together but her sister's theft puts her in his house for six months in a contract Anastasia signs it because she has no other option and because she is very good at surviving arrangements that were never made in her favor. What she is not good at is Nikolai himself, his dominance, his patience and the way he chooses her when he did not have to. When she discovers she is pregnant and leaves before the contract ends she tells herself she is protecting herself but Anastasia soon understands that the most dangerous thing about Nikolai Stavros was never his control, it was that he was the first person who made her want to stay.

To take care of my mother after she fell and injured herself, I turned down a promotion and took a week off work to stay by her side. On the day she was discharged from the hospital, she smiled and handed me a small envelope. “Suzy, you’ve worked hard these past few days. This is just a little something from me. Go treat yourself to something good.” I wiped my hands, a quiet warmth spreading through my chest. When I opened the envelope, I froze for a moment. Inside was $2. Still, I told myself it didn’t matter. The amount wasn’t important. What mattered was the thought behind it. But the very next day, while scrolling through social media, I came across a post from my younger brother, the one who hadn’t shown his face at the hospital even once. Nine photos filled the post, all of them showing off a sprawling luxury mansion. In the center was a photo of the purchase contract. The caption read: “Officially the owner of a $2 million riverfront house. Big thanks to Mom for the support!”

My best friend called me sobbing at two in the morning, saying she owed three hundred thousand dollars in online loans and was begging me to save her life. I told her I'd help cover half. She grabbed my phone and transferred all three hundred thousand. "It's just money—why are you being so stingy? You make six figures. Helping me out shouldn't be a big deal." I swallowed it. A month later, she posted Maldives vacation photos on Instagram. When I asked when she planned to pay me back, she replied—right there in the comments, where every mutual friend could see— "God, stop nagging. Maybe spend that energy making more money instead, you cheapskate. So annoying." I screenshotted everything. Then I opened the civil complaint I'd already drafted. This kind of best friend? We could catch up in court.

At the New Year’s team-building event, the intern, Lilith Woods, did not obtain my approval and changed our suburban trip to a seven-day tour of Baline. “Mr. Lucian Stone, I hear a change of scenery can really spice things up. Don’t lock up tonight. I’ll come by for a deep dive into our collaboration.” She pretended to be drunk and fell into my arms while slipping the room key into my pocket in the process. To avoid suspicion, I did not return to the hotel. However, in the middle of the night, the police called me in for questioning—someone had reported a dine-and-dash. Only then did I realize that the reserved budget of $100,000 for the accommodation had long since been exceeded. Lilith had upgraded their room to a presidential suite, feasted on high-end seafood buffets, and even used company funds to buy luxury handbags! When I showed up at their private room, the interns were still casually taking king crabs and several unopened bottles of the Macallan Whisky with them. “Mr. Stone, you’re just in time. Could you please settle the bill?” Lilith looked utterly righteous as she said this with a grin. “Young people like us make mistakes, while adults help to pay the price. You’re not exactly short on cash, anyway. Just think of it as buying my happiness.” I stared at the $700,000 bill and paid it in silence. The next day, the payment invoices made their grand entrance in the group chat, accompanied by my pinned message. [Upon financial review, this team-building event does not meet reimbursement criteria. All expenses will be shared equally among the seven participants.] [Each person will need to pay $100,000, payable immediately. If payment needs to be deferred, please print the proof and submit it to the President’s Office.]

Callie Parker’s life is falling apart. Her boyfriend cheated, her best friend betrayed her, and her lousy landlord kicked her out of his apartment. When all is lost, Callie meets Sebastian Voss, a man used to getting everything he wants. But Sebastian Voss doesn’t just want her company. He wants her. Her body. Her soul. Refusing to sell herself, Callie thinks she can walk away, but she’s wrong. Sebastian doesn’t take no for an answer, and the more she resists, the more he’s determined to claim her. In a world where the weak is crushed and dignity is worth nothing, will Callie take her stand and choose herself, or would she fall into Sebastian’s dark world?

This is the second book to the Bloodstone series. It can be a stand alone, but some characters and part are linked the first book, Alpha Erik. *** When you have been prepared your whole life for a future you don’t want. Do you fight it and avoid your destiny at all costs. Do you swallow your pride and follow through with the arrangements. Imelda is destined to marry the king of the underworld. A life she has been trained for since she could speak. Her parents may rule all the realms above ground, but when she is mated to the King of all evil, all bets are off. Will she love the man she is destined to marry or will she fight him until the very end, for her freedom and the dreams of exploring all the world has to offer. Mate or not, the crown is in her hands, more warrior than princess, what will she decide.

Everlasting love is a story of love between two teenagers who were separated by circumstances. Find out in this interesting story if these two lovers would survive the challenges

Arya stealthily walks towards her boyfriend’s room in the middle of her room with a cake in her hand – it’s his birthday, and she wants to make sure she is the first person to wish him a happy birthday. Arya, believing her presence is going to be the only surprise, is met with a bigger shock when she finds her boyfriend in bed with not just any other woman, but her stepsister. When Arya’s family gives her the ultimate betrayal by being on the side of her stepsister and arranging a quick marriage with the son of a bankrupt businessman for their selfish benefit, she is left with nothing but the broken pieces of her heart to mend, she is let in on a secret being kept by her husband, and things start to fall into place. When her family turns around and tries to convince her to do their bidding, Arya makes sure to exact her revenge on every one of them. But her family is not one to give up on what they want, and they will do anything to get Arya’s husband on their side – including putting Arya’s life on the line.

As I secured the safety rope, I discovered that the metal clip had been replaced with a flimsy plastic ring. My girlfriend, already on the soft ladder, dismissed my concern casually. "Ryan has got a ton of luggage. One clip isn't enough to keep it secure, so I gave him yours. Just wait for the next trip." In desperation, I pointed to the floodwaters surging past my chest. "But I can't swim!" "Cut the drama, okay?" she huffed. "You're a swimming champ. What's the big deal about treading water for a bit? Ryan is related to my boss, and if anything happens to him, my promotion is down the drain. Can't you be reasonable?" "Is his luggage more important than my life?" I shot back, lunging for the ladder. But she kicked me away. "I've checked. The water won't rise too fast. At worst, it'll reach your neck. You'll survive." Refusing to argue further, I watched the floodwaters rage higher and quickly pressed a special emergency beacon on my wrist.