ECSTASY | CRIME PRINCE SERIES | BOOK 0.5 FIRST EDITION

|40.|The Grim Reaper ∆

Ash Sullivan

Egyptian queen and the final member of the
Ptolemaic dynasty, Cleopatra was born in 70 or69 BCE and died in Alexandria on August 30, BCE.

She was the daughter of Ptolemy XII and
governed with her two brother-husbands,
Ptolemy XIII and Ptolemy XIV, whom she had both assassinated, as well as with her son,
Ptolemy XV, also known as Caesarion.

She asserted that Julius Caesar, who had
become her lover after traveling to Egypt in search of Pompey in 48 BCE, was the father of her son.

When Caesar was killed in Rome, she was
there. She then went back to Egypt to put
Caesarion on the throne. As the heir apparent to Caesar, Mark Antony, she
seduced into marriage, earning the fury of
Octavian whose sister Antony had earlier
married.

Herod the Great was alienated from Cleopatra by her plotting and antagonizing him. After Antony's Parthian expedition, he presented Cleopatra and her family with Roman lands at a party in Alexandria. At the Battle of Actium, Octavian waged war on Cleopatra and Antony and routed their combined armies. Following a failed attempt to seduce Octavian, Cleopatra also attempted herself, possibly using an asp.

Cleopatra was one of the most prominent Queens in antiquity, known for her intelligence, powerful army, and notorious affairs with political leaders. Adept in many areas of study, she has become a symbol of women's power, characterized by ambition, political tact, and adaptability.

She was a goddess, a queen, and a skilled diplomat and negotiator.

The image of this Queen would soon parallel Arianna Middleton.

• • •

Watching Aria Middleton work is watching a machine on overdrive. It's an irrational sport for her, balancing calls and never-ending emails, meeting with no intervals in between them. Double-checking the catering, entertainment, decor, venue, and guest list. And she does this all with precision, elegance, and style.

It's amazing.

Work that should be given to her assistant to make her life easier is done by herself because she likes to be 'hands-on' with her company. That's fine and all, but I have one little problem that makes this whole situation not sit well with me.

She's still walking. Fully functional, no sign shown at least of pain from reminders of last night. Am I losing touch?

Aria's footsteps come closer to hearing so I turn in her chair to face her. "Are you done, Ms. Middleton. Or is there anything else you need to exert your health on?" She sits down across from me but instead stands to go lay down on the couch and opens a bag of chocolates.

"Am I supposed to telepathically know that you want me to calm you? I'm not a deity, you know." She sits upright, staring at me in slight anger. I say slight because she looks awfully cute so I can't take her seriously.

"Do you want me to show you a magic trick?" I stand and nod, leaning against her desk.

Aria smirks and shows me both of her hands, one of which has her engagement ring. It suits her, I think to myself when she suddenly wiggles her fingers around each other and when she stops the ring is gone. I would applaud bravo if the joke wasn't so threatening.

"Alright, alright I get it." I join her on the couch and place her head gently on my lap. She's sighs in contentment which forces a smile on my face. I didn't know what I'd have to do to see that again. "How did you do that anyway?"