Larry Ellison weds romance novelist

Billionaire playboy Larry Ellison, the charismatic boss of Oracle, has married a romance novelist 25 years his junior. Truth appears to be stranger than fiction, with some alarming similarities between their marriage and her far-fetched storylines.

His 34-year-old bride, Melanie Craft, is the latest in a string of Mrs Larry Ellisons. The Oracle CEO has been married on three previous occasions. The couple had been engaged for eight years.

Much has been written of Ellison and his notorious lifestyle, but relatively little is known about his author wife - such as what first attracted her to the billionaire Oracle tycoon, who bears a striking resemblance to Ross Bradford, the hero of her novel A Hard Hearted Man ("Ross Bradford exuded wealth, power and sophisticated charm. He had a head for business and an eye for beauty.")

Some may claim their meeting was predestined - or at least a little suspicious.

One of Craft's novels, entitled Man Trouble is the story of a historian by day (Craft studied archaeology) and romance novelist by night, who seduces a billionaire "playboy". Sound familiar?

Anybody who thinks that is mere coincidence may choose to consider this from Craft's own website, where she describes a "what if... game" that she played in her mind at about the time she met Ellison, having seen a fantastic mansion in California:

"I wish I owned that mansion," she said. "What if I did? I can't buy it because I don't have any money, but what if somebody gave it to me? Who would do a crazy thing like that?"

Who indeed.

Craft then goes on to describe how she imagined the resident might be an older man, a millionaire, who would leave her the house in his will.

silicon.com extends our very best wishes and warmest regards to the happy couple.