Matt Lauer Net Worth 2023 Novels & Stories

She was supposed to be the thief who stole from his empire.   Instead, she became his wife. Arielle Vasquez wakes up bound to Matteo Moretti—a tattooed, ruthless enforcer of the Moretti clan, a bastard son burning with rage and a hunger for validation. Their marriage is a punishment, a cage of suspicion and hate. He sees her as a liar, a liability. She sees him as the enemy who stole her freedom. But the first night changes everything. She gasped as Matteo pinned her against the wall of their wedding suite, his breath hot against her throat, ink-dark eyes devouring her defiance.   “You think you can play games with me, little thief?” he growled, his fingers digging into her hips, possessive, punishing. “I’ll break you before you break me.” Arielle lifts her chin, lips brushing his ear in a whisper. “Try it. I dare you.” As secrets unravel and betrayals cut deeper, the line between enemy and obsession blurs. Every touch during late-night raids, every heated argument that ends with her back against a wall and his mouth crashing down on hers, pulls them closer to surrender.   But the real danger isn’t the Russians closing in.   It’s the heartless man who’s starting to want her more than revenge.   And the woman who’s beginning to crave the darkness he offers. In a world built on blood and power, love is the deadliest weapon of all.

On the tenth year of my marriage with Adrian Sutton as a replacement, my older sister, Vivian Cavendish, suddenly returns to our lives. The entire family just stares at her silently. Vivian yawns lazily before saying casually, "It's so exhausting, having visited 13 countries in a row. Where's Rowan? He should be studying in grade school by now, right? Why isn't he here to see me, his real mother?" Rowan Sutton is Vivian's actual son. In the past, after Vivian gave birth to Rowan, she faked her death on her wedding day, leaving her newborn and her fiance behind. The Sutton family comes from old money in the elite society. My parents dared not offend them at all, so they decided to force me, a college fresh graduate, to marry Adrian in Vivian's stead. Over the past decade, I've turned into a proper wife and a responsible mother. Upon seeing how righteous Vivian is acting, Mom and Dad turn to look at me. I just smile faintly at them instead. "Rowan and his father are on a vacation in another city right now."

On the night of the Benedetto family's Harvest Festival, my Mafia husband, Salvatore, told me to bring our son, Giuseppe, to the family gathering. He said his madre had finally accepted us into the Benedetto bloodline. I was trembling with excitement in our little cottage as I dressed Giuseppe in his finest little suit. He had carved a single wooden rose by hand, a project he'd saved for over five years. He said he would present it to his grandmother at the celebration, a plea for her to accept our place in the family. But the moment we stepped into the stone manor, I saw Carmela. Salvatore had her pinned against an oak barrel in a deep, searing kiss. In the moonlight, her hand was undoing his tie. In front of everyone, Salvatore smiled and gently pushed her away. He walked toward the family members gathered in a semicircle and raised a crystal glass. "Tonight, in addition to celebrating the harvest, I have an important announcement." "I would like to introduce you all to the woman I have married in the eyes of God and the Church." "Miss Carmela Torrino." Before I could even process his words, Giuseppe tore his hand from mine and rushed forward. "Papa, what are you saying?" "Isn't my mother your wife?"

A night i will never forget... Becca Summer was prepared for a bright future, until a night party and an unknown man ruined everything. As the notorious Alpha of the Moon Shine Pack, Christos Fernandez has everything he wanted. Except the mysterious girl of seven years ago. He is determined to keep searching for her no matter the cost, but his new Head of Design and the mother of two is a distraction from his goal. Will he get to know they are one and the same person?

The people in Saka mountain had a unique garbage disposal— they threw trashes on a cliff! When Lindy, a ten-year-old girl fell on that cliff, she found herself in an unfamiliar house and surroundings. She's in the wild! There, she would encounter a handsome boy named Gus, beast spirits, and suspicious village elders. They will uncover the secrets of Kahuyan village, or so they thought. But before they know it, Lin's timer was up. She has to return to where she belongs. Years passed after she left the mysterious village, the fates will entangle them again. Gus and Lin will finish what they've started. And they will not stop until they find the answer this time. With untold stories only they knew, they got closer than ever. Confused with their newly found affection, they began to examine the emotions they felt. Their hearts won't beat faster when they're together. They never got jealous towards another person. If butterflies in the stomach really does exist, theirs' were still caterpillars. Aren’t those the basic feelings for romance? All they know is that they're at peace with each other's company. And they'd do anything to keep that peace for a very long time.

Johnny St. Jacks is a billionaire and a ladies man. However he doesn't let anyone get too close. Wyatt, his new house manager despises him. They couldn't be more wrong for one another. Yet they somehow find themselves wrapped up in each other's hearts.

Born of Beta and witch, Aurora lives a life of cruelty for not being the Beta her father wanted her to be. When the Worthy Wars takes place. She is thrown in the mix. Only to be protected by her 'unknown' fated mated, Liam the future Alpha King. Liam's POV "I want to touch you", Zeus slipped passed me. "And I want to play a game", she taunted, stepping out of my grasp. Zeus whimpered at the loss of contact, giving me a distraction to wrangle full control back from him. "I like a good game", I smirked, raising an eyebrow at her. She stepped back into my reach. She placed both of her hands on my chest, sending sparks into my heart. I placed my hands on her waist, pulling her closer. Her breasts were pushed against my abdomen. "You can touch me, if you can catch me", her voice was low, nervous. "You want to play a game of cat and mouse? With the fastest wolf in the country?", I smirked. "You are drunk, princess. That wouldn't be a fair game. But that's the point, isn't it?", excitement bubbled in my chest, as the pieces began to fall into place.

Wayne Anderson is a highly successful man. A billionaire. A business tycoon. But there was one stain in his story - he was once married and his wife cheated on him. They divorced and it was a messy affair. It has been a few years since that happened and Wayne has been putting all his focus on his empire. That is, until he meets Andrea Payne. She seems ordinarily clumsy but she has this air of confidence about her as she kept proposing business ventures one after another to him.

Julian Silas is a man living as a shadow. After the suspicious death of his father, a legendary royal jeweler, Julian’s treacherous stepfather seized the family’s prestigious workshop, forcing Julian into a life of clandestine labor. While his stepbrothers parade around high society in Julian’s designs, Julian remains locked in the cellar forge, known to the world only as a common servant. His only connection to his true identity is a pair of heirloom cufflinks—exquisite silver swans bearing the "Cigna," a secret mark used by his ancestors to authenticate their greatest works. Across the capital, Queen Althea is fighting a war of her own. Her advisors are pressuring her to enter a loveless political alliance to stabilize the crown. Defiant, she hosts a grand masquerade, declaring that she will choose a consort based on character, not a pedigree curated by the council. When Julian arrives at the ball in a suit of his own tailoring, he and Althea share a night of genuine connection, discussing the beauty of creation and the weight of duty. But as the clock strikes midnight, a palace security breach forces Julian to flee. In his haste to scale the garden wall, one of his Cigna cufflinks is torn from his sleeve and falls into the dewy grass. The Queen finds the token, but rather than sending her guards to find a man who "fits the suit," she turns to her greatest strength: her intellect. She recognizes that the "Cigna" isn't just an ornament—it’s a Coded Sign.

After joining the nation's top research lab as a sophomore, everyone assumes I've taken shortcuts to get there. Mom throws away the handmade gift I had spent days crafting and says with disdain, "I don't have a daughter who's this shameless." Andreas Fitzgerald, my fiance, doesn't hold back, either. He warns coldly, "Remember your place as Mrs. Fitzgerald." Later, when my younger sister, Elaine Wilde, destroys my left hand, they all pressure me to drop the matter. I wake up in the hospital, pain crawling up my arm, and I know exactly what I have to do. Without hesitation, I dial my mentor, George Landon's, number. "I'm ready to join the classified national rocket program."