Hot Summer In California
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The Tycoon's Wrath: Protecting His Surgeon Queen
"You want a divorce? Fine. Complete an IVF cycle, give me an heir to unlock my trust fund, and I'll sign the papers." In the dim underground garage, my cheating husband gripped my wrist tightly, his face twisted in a mocking sneer. "Stop dreaming, Ellie. Your family is bankrupt! You think if you leave me, some Wall Street billionaire is going to be blind enough to be your knight in shining armor?" Looking at his arrogant face, I felt nothing but pure disgust. For three years of a dead marriage, he paraded his mistress into our marital bed, letting her wear my clothes and carry my bags. When I demanded a divorce, my own vain mother tried to force me back to be his incubator, all for a seven-million-dollar bribe. "I'd rather die than have your child." I looked at him coldly and slammed the "PETITION FOR DISSOLUTION OF MARRIAGE" right into his face. Infuriated, he tightened his grip on my arm, ready to explode. Just then, blinding LED headlights tore through the darkness of the garage. A custom black Bentley Mulsanne glided silently out of the shadows, stopping inches behind us. The tinted window rolled down, revealing a sharp, lethally handsome face. The most ruthless, untouchable billionaire on Wall Street-Cosmo James. He also happened to be my husband's former best friend. Cosmo's ice-blue eyes locked onto the hand gripping my arm. His deep voice cut through the freezing air like a blade: "Take your hands off her." Cosmo leaned slightly forward, radiating sheer, predatory authority. A cold, ruthless smirk touched his lips. "You asked which Wall Street billionaire is going to be her knight in shining armor." "It's me."
Chapter 1
After a grueling thirty-six-hour shift in the neurosurgery ward, a blizzard hit Manhattan. Ellie had called her husband, hoping he could pick her up, only to have him coldly reject her.
Braving the freezing snow, she pushed open the heavy oak doors of their Upper East Side townhouse and walked straight upstairs, only to look through the half-open master bedroom door and see her husband's new assistant lying on the marital bed she had once poured her heart into decorating, wearing her favorite silk robe.
Hearing the noise outside the door, Vanessa Hayes scrambled off the marital bed in a fluster. She deliberately tugged at the loose collar of the robe, revealing a fragile panic. "Mrs. Oliver, you're home early."
Ellie's eyes were like a pool of stagnant water. There was no anger, only the chilling, numb detachment of a surgeon looking at medical waste.
Three years of marriage with this man. She and Ephram had long gone from being the envied campus couple to a pathetic, shattered reality. Ephram's infidelity was an open secret, and she, once cherished in the palm of his hand, had been thoroughly reduced to a despised, discarded wife.
"You're quite special," Ellie said coldly. "Ephram has never brought another woman back here."
This townhouse was their marital home, bought three years ago when they got married.
A flash of triumph flickered in Vanessa's eyes as she softly explained, "Mr. Oliver had too much to drink. I drove him back."
Ellie hadn't seen Ephram in two months.
Two months ago, on her twenty-eighth birthday, she was eating dinner alone at a five-star hotel restaurant when she ran into him having a candlelight dinner with a young model.
She had marched up, slapped him across the face, and screamed at him with a twisted expression for being disgusting and shameless.
Ephram had only offered a chilling sneer, telling Ellie to look in the mirror and see what she had become. Then, he wrapped his arm around the model's waist and went straight to the penthouse suite to have sex.
That night, Ellie returned to this massive, empty house and smashed every fragile thing in sight. Looking at her unrecognizable face in the mirror, she suddenly broke down into loud, agonizing sobs.
How did she become this? How did she turn into such a hysterical, miserable woman?
After that night, Ellie moved out of this townhouse. Ephram never came looking for her.
She heard he broke up with the model shortly after, but she didn't expect him to find a new replacement so quickly.
Looking at Vanessa's triumphant face, Ellie felt a wave of cold disgust finally break through her numb facade.
"Take off my robe," Ellie demanded, her voice dropping to a freezing edge.
Before Vanessa could react, the master bathroom door clicked open.
Ephram stepped out, his hair damp from the shower, wearing nothing but a white towel wrapped loosely around his waist. Seeing Ellie in the doorway, his patience immediately vanished. He walked over and pulled Vanessa into his bare chest.
"You startled her, Ellie," Ephram scolded.
Vanessa's eyes immediately watered. She shrank back into Ephram's embrace.
"Miss Stark, you misunderstood," Vanessa whispered, her voice trembling perfectly on cue. "I accidentally spilled wine on my dress. Ephram just told me to put this on so I wouldn't freeze."
The deliberate use of "Miss Stark" instead of "Mrs. Oliver" hung heavily in the air.
Ellie's hands tightened inside the pockets of her wool coat. Her knuckles turned bloodless white against the lining.
Ephram frowned, his patience visibly wearing thin.
"It's just a piece of fabric, Ellie. Do you have to make a scene out of every minor detail? Where are your manners?"
"Manners are reserved for decent people," Ellie said.
She pulled her right hand from her pocket, holding a stiff manila folder.
She stepped forward and slapped the folder down onto the black-and-white marble vanity. The sharp crack echoed through the spacious bedroom.
Ephram's eyes dropped to the paper. Printed across the top in bold black letters, the header was impossible to miss: Divorce Settlement Agreement.
The room fell dead silent. Vanessa's rehearsed expression of distress froze on her face as she stared at the title.
"Sign it, Ephram," Ellie said, looking directly at him like a doctor delivering a terminal diagnosis.
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A Summer in a Canyon: A California Story
A Summer in a Cañon is a remarkable story of a late 19th-century California life from the point of view of a group of teens and children on the summertime adventure of their lives. The book is following lives of Polly Oliver and her friends and cousins a year or so before she takes off for San Franc
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The Summer in Thinkers high
Summer, a fresh face from Beverly High, arrives at Thinkers High for her senior year, determined to complete her high school journey without problems. But her plans take an unexpected twist when she finds herself inexplicably captivated by Jaden, the rebellious heartthrob and boyfriend of Kate, who
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What I Saw in California
First published in 1848, What I Saw in California has long been recognized as the foremost trail guide for the Forty-niners. Almost overnight, Edwin Bryant became their authority on how to survive the grueling passage from Independence, Missouri, to San Francisco, and how to prosper in the Promised
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HOT LOVE IN BALI
Denichka is a beautiful young woman in her twenties. She and her parents work in the most exclusive hotel in Bali, which is owned by a family of billionaires: the Adeniyi family. She lives her daily routine as boring as it is boring. An unexpected event will upset her daily life: the arrival of Chaz
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Hot Fantasies In Bed
“I’m going to tell you what I have in mind,” he murmured.“First you’re going to strip down until you’re completely naked,” he whispered against her ear. “Then I’m going to tie you up so you’re completely powerless and subject to my every whim.”“Mmm, sounds good so far,” she murmured.“Then I’m going
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Hot In Bed
“I’m going to tell you what I have in mind,” he murmured. “First you’re going to strip down until you’re completely naked,” he whispered against her ear. “Then I’m going to tie you up so you’re completely powerless and subject to my every whim.” “Mmm, sounds good so far,” she murmured. “Then I’m
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Hot Adventures In Bed
"Go to bed with me and I will make you rich beyond your imaginations" His voice was calm but had a lot of hidden intentions. Known simply as Z, the ruthless multi-billionaire dominant who was used to getting just anything he wants including women, finds himself in a battle to devour the most beauti
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Very Hot In Bed
"I'm going to tell you what I have in mind," he murmured. "First you're going to strip down until you're completely naked," he whispered against her ear. "Then I'm going to tie you up so you're completely powerless and subject to my every whim." "Mmm, sounds good so far," she murmured. "Then I'm
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Summer on the Lakes, in 1843
The British Library is the national library of the United Kingdom. It is one of the world's largest research libraries holding over 150 million items in all known languages and formats: books, journals, newspapers, sound recordings, patents, maps, stamps, prints and much more. Its collection
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Cruel Summer
Two best friends. One summer vacation like no other, that changes everything. When Sasha Miguel gets dumped by her billionaire sugar daddy, a week away at a beach resort seems like a great opportunity to get over a breakup. Sun, no-strings sex, and sundae will be the perfect boost to help her move
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The Mountains of California
When John Muir traveled to California in 1868, he found the pristine mountain ranges that would inspire his life's work. The Mountains of California is the culmination of the ten years Muir spent in the Sierra Nevadas, studying every crag, crook, and valley with great care and contemplation.Bill McK
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Darkest Summer
"Valerie," he whispered, his smile fading as he moved closer to me. "I'm sor-" I cut him off with a hard slap to his left cheek. "How dare you?" I hissed, delivering another slap in the same spot. "How could you do this to me?" I raised my hand to strike again, but he caught my wrist before I could
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A Summer in Leslie Goldthwaite's Life.
Adeline Dutton Train Whitney was an American poet and prolific writer who published more than 20 books for girls. Her books expressed a traditional view of women's roles and were popular throughout her life.
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Hot And Hot
Alicia Blanco was living a simple life as a hairstylist but that ended the moment she met the hottest bachelor in the city: Cross Jackson. Cross was an arrogant billionaire in urgent need of a 'good wife', and when he met Alicia, he knew he had found the solution, but the biggest problem? She was
