Novels by Success Sunday

Ciro kept his voice measured and calm despite the tension radiating from Sarah's grip on his arm. "We're not married yet Sarah."Sarah's fingers tightened until her nails bit into his skin through his jacket and her voice came out shrill and defensive. "YET. We will be soon though. Very soon."Elena stood there holding her black credit card and watching this domestic drama unfold with the detached interest of someone observing a particularly fascinating social experiment. She didn't flutter or apologize with any sincerity at all. Her expression stayed completely neutral bordering on amused and when she spoke her voice came out flat and mechanical."Sorry for the misunderstanding."It was the least sincere apology Ciro had ever heard in his life. Elena's dark eyes moved between him and Sarah with sharp intelligence and Ciro could tell she was reading the entire situation with perfect clarity. The way his body had gone rigid when Sarah grabbed him. The way he'd leaned slightly away from

Ciro walked into the Tactical Defense Expo Sunday morning with a shopping list that would raise red flags at any normal retail store but here among the preppers and survivalists and off-grid enthusiasts nobody blinked twice at a man buying weapons and ammunition and backup defense systems. The expo hall was massive with vendor booths selling everything from crossbows to body armor to dehydrated meals rated for twenty-year shelf life and the air smelled like gun oil and coffee and paranoia.He moved through the aisles systematically adding items to his mental inventory that the fortress contractors wouldn't provide without extensive background checks and waiting periods he didn't have time for. A compound bow with fifty carbon fiber arrows because crossbows were quieter than guns and arrows could be reused. Tactical knives with serrated edges. Bear spray in industrial canisters. Pepper spray grenades. Tasers. Everything legal enough to purchase without ID but effective enough to def

Sarah showed up Friday morning with her phone already out and her most helpful expression plastered across her face. "Baby I've been thinking about your business and I have the perfect idea."Ciro looked up from his coffee. "Yeah?""You need catering for your big corporate event right? I know a hotel manager through Natalia's cousin. Grand Heritage Hotel, five-star service, they do massive events all the time. Let me help you coordinate everything."Ciro set down his mug slowly. "What kind of scale are we talking?"Sarah's eyes lit up. "However much you need. Premium gourmet food, full service, white glove treatment for your high-end clients. What's your budget?""Four hundred thousand dollars."Sarah's smile froze for half a second and her eyes went enormous before she recovered with forced casualness. "That's... that's a substantial event. But absolutely, I can arrange that. Let me make some calls today."She pulled out her phone immediately and started typing notes like she was alr

At the break of dawn, Ciro walked into First National Bank at 9:00 AM.He went straight to the loan cashier and she gave him a warm professional smile.“What can I help you with today sir?” She inquired. Like that wasn't obvious already. “I need a loan.” She had started working on her computer to record Ciro's speech and she raised her head, taking every words that he said.“How much?” She inquired. “As much as I can get!”Her eyes shot up and for the first time, she actually noticed him.“I said as much as I can get!” Ciro repeated and she coughed. Most people that frequented that place already had a fixed amount in their mind. But this young man, he was unlike anyone that had come there before.“Let's see!”The loan officer pulled up his account and her eyebrows went up. "Mr. Novelli, our records show this property was paid off in full two years ago. You own it outright. Why would you want to take out a mortgage on an asset you already control?"Ciro leaned back in the chair and

Sarah showed up at Ciro's apartment at 2:00 PM wearing tight jeans and a low-cut sweater and her most supportive girlfriend smile. "Ready to go shopping baby? I cleared my whole afternoon to help you with your project." Ciro grabbed his keys. "Actually I need camping gear. A lot of it."Sarah's smile flickered for half a second. "Camping gear? I thought you were building some kind of business inventory." "It's all part of the same project," Ciro said and walked toward the door. "You coming?"Sarah recovered fast and looped her arm through his. "Of course. I love camping. I know all the best brands and I can definitely help you with sorting."Ciro smirked, almost with a glint of mockery and irritation in his eyes but Sarah was too blinded to see any of it.They drove to Mountain Peak Outfitters, a massive sporting goods warehouse on the edge of town, and the moment they walked through the automatic doors Sarah started steering him toward the casual hiking section with the colorful d

Ciro's phone buzzed at 9:00 AM with a text from Sarah that was so transparently manipulative it almost made him laugh."Baby, your basement storage is such a mess! Let me organize it properly. I'll bring help so we can get it done fast. You deserve to have everything neat and accessible for your project!"Ciro stared at the message and saw exactly what she was doing. She wanted full access to catalog everything he'd stored so she could report back to Marcos and Natalie about the scope of his wealth. She wanted to photograph, inventory, calculate, and plan.He texted back: "That'd be great. Thanks."An hour later, Sarah showed up at his door with Marcos standing behind her, wearing work gloves and a helpful smile that didn't reach his eyes."Surprise!" Sarah said brightly. "I brought Marcos to help. He's really strong, so he can handle all the heavy lifting."Marcos extended his hand. "Hey man. Sarah told me you've got quite the setup going. Happy to lend a hand with whatever you need.