The Thief

“You,” Hades snarled, his eyes burning into Claudine’s, “are a viper in my bed. A ticking time bomb.” Claudine’s lips curved into a chillingly beautiful smile. “Darling, in your bed, I’m whatever you desire.” ~~~~ This isn’t your typical enemies-to-lovers romance. This is the story of the infamous daughter of the worlds greatest russian Kalashnikov Omerta,a woman driven by vengeance, who wanted the downfall of Hades Vancouver, the dangerous American mafia leader. Death was too merciful a punishment for the man who murdered her parents. But in a twist of fate, she’s caught in his grip and forced into marriage with him—the very man she swore to destroy. To Hades, she’s not simply his wife. She’s a snake he’s obsessed with, a woman he wants to bend to his will and claim in every way imaginable. Her true identity is hidden from him, but he’s been obsessed since the first night he fingered her into a screaming, squirt-filled orgasm that felt like a soul-shifting experience. The same night she stole from him. Now, trapped in a deadly game of forced proximity, where desire is both a weapon and a weakness, one wrong move could ignite a war that consumes them all. But when Hades discovers the tracker in her old gunshot wound, a relic of a past encounter, the game changes. Read on to find out if things were falling out of place for these characters, or perhaps things were falling into the right places.

I had always shared a perfect relationship with my mother-in-law, Betsy Dutton. We were the model pair of a wealthy family. She and my father-in-law, Rourke Dutton had been childhood sweethearts, their bond seemingly unbreakable. But one day, she told me something that changed my entire perception of them.  She clutched my hand and tears were streaming down her face. “Naomi,” she sobbed, “your father-in-law… he’s been keeping a mistress. They even have a child together! “For over ten years, I’ve been in the dark, made into a laughingstock!” My throat tightened, and I couldn’t hold back my own confession.  “Mom, actually… Julius is no better. He bought a whole apartment building for his mistress!” We wept in each other’s arms, our heartbreak spilling out in waves.  After what felt like an eternity, she sniffled and straightened herself. “Men are utterly unreliable creatures!” “I’m done with that old man, Naomi!” I gripped her hand tightly. “Mom, wherever you go, I’ll follow. I’m done with Julius, too!”

My husband and I have been legally married for five years. This is the tenth time he's canceled our wedding ceremony. This time? His student, Laura, is competing in her first international violin competition—and he 'needs' to be there. I still remember the last cancellation: an awards ceremony he had to attend with her. The time before that? She fell ill, and he stayed at her hospital bedside. The other times? I've lost count of the excuses, but it doesn't matter. The reason is always Laura. Her needs always outweighed my wedding. My marriage. My life. Fine. If he wanted to stand by Laura so badly, he could stay there forever. This hollow, five-year farce of a marriage? It's over.

There was a ten-year gap between me and my sister-in-law, but we got along surprisingly well, especially given that we were both in an absurdly rich family. Then, one day, she came to me, bawling and clutching a photo in her hand. "Your brother is cheating on me! He has a family somewhere else! For more than ten years! I'm getting a divorce!" Crying, I showed her a message I got from my husband's mistress. "That bastard Christopher has a mistress! I'm leaving this home!"

On New Year's Eve, I prepare a feast. The clock strikes twelve, but my husband, Vincent Porter, still isn't home. My daughter, Lorelei Porter, tugs at my sleeve and holds up my phone. "Look Mommy, Daddy is at this lady's house!" Vincent has posted an update on Twitter. He is with Christine Snow, his childhood sweetheart. They are smiling at the camera, with a boy who looks about ten standing between them. In front of them sits a swan-shaped cake. The caption reads, "The most special day for the most special you." My heart sinks into my stomach. A marriage that came later in life can never compete with a pair of childhood sweethearts. I accept defeat.

My boyfriend, Harvey Seinfeld, got diagnosed with cancer and needed a liver transplant. When I found out I was a match, I didn't think twice. Two-thirds of my liver—gone. The pain was brutal. As soon as I came to, I dragged myself to his room. Right before I walked in, I heard him laughing with his friends. "Harvey, you're a genius for coming up with such an epic revenge plan." He snorted. "If I didn't have to keep it low-key, I would've taken a kidney just for fun. "It's her fault Vivi bombed her art exam and had to study abroad. Vivi's coming back next month. That's when I'll be done with her for good."

Alessandra tak menyangka malam itu adalah malam nahasnya. Sorot tajam kamera beberapa media serta kelompok kuli tinta turut menyertai langkahnya yang dikawal ketat beberapa polisi. Dia terlibat skandal yang diatur oleh orang dekatnya, konspirasi. Padahal, dia sedang berada di puncak popularitas sebagai model papan atas, orang menyebutnya sang supermodel. Semesta seperti memainkan hidupnya. Skandal malam itu membawanya bermuara dalam jerat dan dekap hangat pria paruh baya, pria yang lebih pantas menjadi ayahnya; Tuan Aroon. Siapa pria itu sebenarnya? Ada misteri yang belum teruangkap. Dalam aktivitasnya Alessandra selalu mengandalkan sang bodyguard--Mervile yang tak diketahui asal-usulnya. Mervile begitu overprotective memperlakukannya, lebih terlihat seperti memperlakukan wanita yang amat dicintainya. Tak jauh berbeda dengan Tuan Aroon, Mervile pun menyimpan suatu misteri. Siapa dia sebenarnya? "Sudah semenjak kau jadi wanitaku, aku menobatkan diriku sebagai bentengmu. Apapun yang terjadi." Tuan Aroon. "Nona cinta tidak dengan saya?" Mervile. Pada siapa Alessandra akhirnya menambatkan hatinya, menyerahkan cintanya??!

On my birthday, my husband of five years accompanied his childhood sweetheart to celebrate her dog's birthday. Avery Simpson published a loving post: [The happiest baby in the world. Mom and Dad will be with you. I hope you're always happy.] Seeing the words "Mom and Dad", I commented a question mark with confusion. The next moment, I found myself blocked. Charles Logan called me and lashed out at me. "Why do you always have to mess things up at the worse possible time? You're worse than a dog. How despicable!" Shortly after, Avery changed her profile picture to one of her and Charles, hands intertwined. When I saw the obvious provocation, I didn't get angry like before. That's because I had already made up my mind to get a divorce.

Sebelum mereka menikah sang Pria berkata, “Pernikahan ini hanyalah sebuah perjanjian kerjasama di atas kertas. Di kehidupan nyata, masing-masing kita tidak ada urusan apapun." Setelah menikah, setiap kali Susan mengalami masalah, Sang CEO manja akan membantunya. Ketika Susan dibuli. ia akan melindunginya. Susan mematuhi perjanjian dan menyembunyikan status pernikahan mereka, tetapi malah sang CEO yang mengumumkan kepada dunia bahwa ia adalah istrinya.Suatu saat sang CEO diam-diam datang ke tempat tidurnya. Susan merasa terganggu “Apa sebenarnya maumu?” Dengan muka polos ia memelas “Tolong peluk aku, cium aku. Tolong…” Menghadapi CEO yang membingungkan ini, Susan hanya bisa mengaku kalah. Beberapa tahun kemudian, akhirnya dia sadar bahwa sebenarnya sang CEO sudah menyukainya dari sejak lama.

Apa jadinya, ketika dua orang berbeda usia 13 tahun, harus terjalin sebuah hubungan pernikahan? Mungkinkah keributan akan perbedaan sifat, atau justru kisah menyenangkan yang akan mewarnai? Damian dan Ines, dua orang yang bersepakat menjalin kerja sama menguntungkan dalam wujud pernikahan, akibat keadaan mengimpit yang memaksa. Keluarga Damian mengalami kebangkrutan, dan ia harus menerima banyak penghinaan yang ingin sekali dibalas tuntas. Di sisi lain, Ines pun diterjang isu tak menyenangkan, tentang dirinya yang dianggap pencinta sesama jenis, karena belum juga menikah di usia 40 tahun. Hingga suatu kesempatan, Ines melihat Damian dihajar dan diusir oleh seluruh anak buah Max. Ines memerintahkan anak buahnya menyelamatkan, membawa ke rumah dan memberi perawatan. Di saat itulah, muncul ide di kepala Ines dan langsung mengutarakan pada Damian. Wanita pemegang takhta tertinggi dalam dunia bisnis itu, beranggapan bahwa Damian mudah dikendalikan dengan uang. Namun, rupanya Ines salah menilai sosok Damian. Seiring berjalannya waktu, rahasia demi rahasia pun mulai terbongkar. Pada akhirnya, Ines mengetahui banyak kebenaran tentang Damian, yang tak pernah diketahui atau sekedar dipikirkan selama ini. Lantas, apakah rahasia yang dimiliki oleh Damian? Mungkinkah, jika Ines akan bisa memaafkan Damian, ketika mengetahui tentang kebenaran hidupnya?