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His meteoric success had made him a billionaire and the focus of much fear and envy in the business world Drakon’s plain speaking was a rare experience for Aristandros, whose aggressive instincts had brought hi ascendancy and influence over others Soon Ella too would have to make a bonfire of all her fine, noble principles and prejudices and dance to his chosen tune He was looking forward to it Indeed, he could hardly wait for the moment when she realised that he had what she e promised to be sweeter than heavenly ambrosia
CHAPTER ONE
ELLA sat as still as a statue in the s area
Locked deep in her stressful thoughts, she didn’t notice the ad past In any case, she was accusto out the unwelcome notice that her physical beauty attracted Her white-blonde hair, that rare shade most often seen only on children, turned heads as ure Her hands were tightly laced together on her lap, betraying her tension
‘Dr Smithson?’ the receptionist said ‘Mr Barnes would like you to go in now’
Ella got up Beneath her outward show of cal in her stoone unanswered and conored She could only marvel that her own flesh and blood could have placed her in such a cruel position When would enough be enough? When would her fah price for the decision she hadto think that only her death would settle that outstanding account
Mr Barnes, the lawyer she had first consulted teeks earlier—a tall, thin man in his forties reputed to be at the very top of the tree when it came to complex child-custody issues—shook hands with her and invited her to take a seat
‘I’ve taken advice from the specialists in this area of the law, and I’ive you the answer that you want,’ he told her with precision ‘When you donated eggs to your sister to enable her to have a child, you signed a contract in which you relinquished all claihts over any baby born subsequently—’
‘Yes, I accept that, but as my sister and her husband are now dead surely the situation has changed?’ Ella broke in with the urgency she was trying hard to keep under control
‘But not necessarily in your favour,’ Simon Barnes responded wryly ‘As I mentioned before, the woal ical parent, you cannot claim to be the child’s mother Furtherirl since she was born, which doesn’t help your case’
‘I know’ Ella was pale with strain and a curious feeling of shame, for she still found it hard to handle the fact that her sister, Susie, had pretty hter had entered the world Ella had not even been allowed a photo, never ally Callie’s aunt’
‘Yes, but the fact that you were not nauardian in your sister and brother-in-laills does harm your case,’ the lawyer reminded her tautly ‘Their solicitor will testify that the only party Callie’s late parents were prepared to noet that he too has a blood tie with the child—’
‘For goodness’ sake, Aristandros was only her father’s cousin, not an uncle or anything!’ Ella proclaimed with helpless heat
‘A cousin and lifelong friend, who putatively accepted responsibility for the child in writing well before the accident that killed your sister and her husband I need hardly add that you cannot reasonably hope to fight his claim to custody He is an extremely wealthy and powerful man The child is also a Greek citizen, as is he’
‘But he’s also a singlereputation as a hellraiser!’ Ella protested fiercely ‘Scarcely an ideal father-figure for a little girl!’
‘You are in dangerous territory with that argule, and any court would question why your own family are not prepared to back you in your claim’
Ella reddened at the hu reminder that she stood alone and unsupported ‘I’le step thatAristandros Xenakis My stepfather and my two half-brothers rely on his connections to do business’
The lawyer released his breath in a slow hiss of finality ‘My advice is to accept that the law is unlikely to get you any closer to seeing the child, and that any atteeht hope to create’