Total pages in book: 55
Estimated words: 51051 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 255(@200wpm)___ 204(@250wpm)___ 170(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 51051 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 255(@200wpm)___ 204(@250wpm)___ 170(@300wpm)
Cyrus Porter, the child of a sociopath, burned a man for touching me.
Levinston Cartwright, an heir to billions, used his wealth to stalk me.
Three vastly different, yet dangerous men with one thing in common…
An obsession with me.
*************FULL BOOK START HERE*************
Grief can be the garden of compassion. If you keep your heart open through everything, your pain can become your greatest ally in your life's search for love and wisdom.
-Rumi
Recipes
Gormeh Sabzi (Serve with Basmati Rice)
Ingredients
1 onion
4 cloves garlic
1 tsp turmeric
1 lb stewing meat
4 dried Persian limes
1/3 cup kidney beans, dried
4 cups fresh parsley, packed
2 cups fresh cilantro,packed
1 cup fresh feenigreek
2 cups fresh chives
salt & pepper
oil
Please note that for this recipe you will need to soak your beans for a few hours.
1. Small dice onion and mince garlic. Saute in oil until translucent . Add turmeric and stir well.
2. Cut meat in cubes and add to onion. Season with salt and pepper and allow to brown on all sides.
3. Make a couple of small holes in each of the dried limes. Add to the meat along with the beans. Add 4 cups of water, cover, and cook on medium for 1 hour.
4. In the mean time fine chop herbs.
5. Saute herbs in oil for a few minutes until you smell the aroma of the herbs. This is a very important step in making this recipe. DON’T skip this, it will make a difference in taste.
6. Add herbs to the meat and beans. Cook covered on medium low for 2 to 2 1/2 hours. Make sure to stir the pot every so often and also taste and adjust seasoning.
Shirazi Salad
Dressing: lime juice, salt and pepper, which you can whisk together before or just add when serving.
Ingredients
Persian Cucumbers
Roma Tomatoes
Red Onion
Fresh Parsley
1. De-seek the tomatoes for best results but this isn’t neccessary.
2. Chop everything evenly and as small as you can. The smaller the pieces the better for the flavor.
3. Toss the salad immediatly before serving. This keeps it crunchy.
4. Adjust the seasoning with salt and pepper and lime juice as needed to your taste.
Prologue
Azadeh—Age 29
THREE MONTHS AGO
The Manor
The concept of belonging can be many things to different people. For some, it’s a ravenous crowd chanting their name and the allure of fame. Others gain accomplishment and abundance from the texture of green bills gliding between their fingers. For me, it’s coming home to the three men who simultaneously comfort and obliterate me.
My gaze wanders to the lush forest surrounding Lev’s property. I was surprised when he kept the place after his brutal and corrupt parents died. I didn’t expect him to gut the interior and make it his permanent home, especially as it was the origin of tangible nightmares that continue to haunt him.
The bump against my shoulder pulls me from my reverie. “Penny for your thoughts?”
I turn my head, and a smile lifts my lips.
Ezekiel Summers. The boy who saved me and was “rewarded” with the loss of his right eye.
He grabs the cigarette mindlessly burning between my fingers and brings it to his lips.
I shove the pack of Marlboros toward him, smashing the pack against his chest. “You can have your own, you know.”
Zeke inhales, and the tip lights up red. He doesn’t say a word as he exhales the smoke. “I know, but this filter has been between your lips.”
My face must turn every shade of red because Ezekiel chuckles and drapes his arm over my shoulders, pulling me toward him. Zeke’s arms provide a sense of safety I rarely experience. For someone who survived one form of upheaval after another growing up, having a constant is a novelty not to be taken for granted.
A part of me regrets leaving, but I know if I don’t, the seed of resentment will grow into a stubborn weed I’ll never rid myself of.
We sit silently, sharing a cigarette, the act poignant in its intimacy. That’s how it’s always been with Zeke: friendship on the cusp of consuming passion. So many times, I wanted to say screw it and burn with him. Then I thought about all the stories I’d have to forgo to do it.
I glance at him as he looks into the darkness. The beautiful boy has transformed into a handsome man. Zeke was the boy who made me not hate men. He showed me what a man could be when he stood by you, protected you, and sacrificed for you. Zeke taught me that I could lean on someone and know that the trust I’ve given him would never be taken advantage of or abused.
But when it comes to telling him how he makes me feel, my throat dries up, and my mind becomes numb. I want to nestle in the safety of his arms for all eternity, but my need for comfort is constantly overshadowed by the girl who believes that if she embraces happiness, she’s betraying her sisters, who have no choice but to reside in utter darkness.
The back door slides open, and I realize how safe I am with these three men. I don’t need to be vigilant about my environment when they’re with me. I smile, knowing Cyrus Porter is standing behind me by the flick of his zippo.