Valerie Mitchell meets Julian Sterne on a routine flight. A brief exchange. A look held a second too long. After landing, the conversation continues. It should have ended there.It does not.Julian invites her into a world built on structure and expectation. In his cliffside home above the sea, discipline is quiet and deliberate. Nothing is rushed. Nothing is taken without consent. Control is offered. Surrender is chosen.That certainty does not last.Julian doe...

The epic true story of Themistocles and the Battle of Salamis, and a rousing history of the world's first dominant navy and the towering empire it builtThe Athenian Navy was one of the finest fighting forces in the history of the world. It engineered a civilization, empowered the world's first democracy, and led a band of ordinary citizens on a voyage of discovery that altered the course of history. With Lords of the Sea, renowned archaeologist John R. Hal...

Alaska Airline Captain Robert Pfeil was the scion of an Alaskan pioneer family. His sister Muriel was a winner in her own right. Owner of Alaska's most successful travel agency, routinely voted one of the best dressed women in Anchorage, she was worldly in a city better known for its sourdoughs and roughnecks.On September 30, 1976, a vehicle explosion rocked downtown Anchorage. When the dust settled, Muriel Pfeil was trapped in the driver's seat. Dead. Her brother immediately blame...

Control is not inherited. It is built.Julian Sterne starts with little more than an idea and a failing bank account. His workshop survives on instinct and stubbornness. For three years he fights collapsing markets, unreliable partners, and the constant threat of financial ruin.In Hong Kong and Shenzhen, business is never only business. Deals are personal. Loyalty is conditional. Power belongs to those who understand leverage.The people Julian meets will shape him. A...

Pioneer Merchants of Singapore tells the stories of some of Singapore's earliest merchants, including Alexander Laurie Johnston, Edward Boustead, Alexander Guthrie, and eleven others, including Tan Che Sang, Dr Jose d'Almeida, and D S Napier. Much has been written about Sir Stamford Raffles and Lt. Col. Farquhar, but almost nothing has been published about these merchants of all races operating in Singapore during the first few years following its acquisition by the East India Company in 1...

What if you could make sense of crypto-without the hype, the fear, or the need to "go all in"?This is the clear-headed, no-nonsense guide for real people who want to understand how to invest in crypto safely, without turning their portfolio into a gamble. Designed for curious but cautious investors, it reframes digital assets not as the future of everything, but as one potential tool in a smart, risk-aware financial strategy.Instead of predictions and jargon, you'll get a r...

Monica Vale takes a marketing position expecting opportunity, not upheaval. The role places her directly under Julian Sterne, a man known for discipline and quiet authority. His company does not tolerate weakness. She tells herself she can remain professional. She will not be unsettled.She is wrong.Julian does not demand surrender. He creates conditions where it becomes inevitable. Pressured into hiring her by his most powerful client, he studies how Monica responds to stru...

Ingrid Voss lives by control. In business she is decisive. In love she prefers certainty. Her relationship with Nora has rules, even when those rules leave wounds neither of them fully name.The night Ingrid collides with Sasha in a restaurant should have meant nothing. A ruined blouse. A sharp apology. An unexpected conversation. Instead, it unsettles something Ingrid has kept sealed for years.Sasha does not fit into any existing structure. What begins as disruption slowly ...

This book Japanese Food and Cookingtakes you from just thinking about eatinghealthy to actually doing it!

Most businesses are drowning in manual tasks they don't even notice-approvals waiting in inboxes, numbers buried in spreadsheets, decisions delayed because "that's how it's always been done." This quiet inefficiency costs more than time-it erodes accuracy, slows growth, and leaves opportunities untapped.This book is your practical, no-jargon guide to escaping that cycle. It shows how AI-assisted decision making can move you from reactive problem-solving to proactive, intelligent op...

This collection of poetry explores the familiar terrain of daily activities and long-held traditions, inviting readers to reflect on both the positive and negative aspects of life. Thought-provoking and grounded, the verses question societal norms and religious practices while remaining deeply valuable for those seeking to meditate on the positive. The poems balance a focus on everyday human strife with a profound acknowledgment of a higher power. Whether telling a story, sharing a feeling...

"The Man Without a Country" first appeared in the Atlantic Monthlyfor December, 1863. It was the author's wish that it be published anonymously, in the hope that it might be ascribed to some officer of the Navy; but unfortunately, the man who compiled the year's index for the magazine, which was mailed with the December number, recognized Dr. Hale's handwriting, and gave him credit for it in the index. The story was written during the darkest period of the Civil War, and this war is perhap...