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Behaving as if there was nothing untoward occurring, the young nurse lifted Callie and took her back upstairs to look for the rabbit

‘If Callie is Ella’s as you say,’ Drakon Xenakis was thundering in Greek, ‘Give her to Ella and let theo!’

‘I’o,’ Aristandros drawled as quietly as if he was in church, his audible caler ‘I had a very coreement drawn up that suits Ella and I very well—’

‘A legal agree woman who only wants access to her own child? Is this what it takes to appeal to your jaded appetites now, Ari? If you had a single streak of decency left, you would marry her, for you’ve destroyed her reputation!’

‘The days oone, Drakon Thankfully I live in a world with far ly ‘Whether you believe it or otherwise, Ella is happy with me—’

‘She’s worthsluts you specialise in, and you’re treating her worse than all of thee, Ari…and it’s ugly and unworthy of you’

Nausea stirring in her sto cold in her veins, Ella stuht in the act of eavesdropping Drakon’s opinion hit her as hard as a physical blow, because Ari’s grandfather knew him well, indeed far better than she did She had been quick to discard the idea of Aristandros acting in revenge—too quick? Certainly she hadattraction was otten But how likely was that interpretation? Was it not e for her rejection all those years ago? He had made her walk away from her career, her home and even her principles He had e of his life No; he hadn’tto be honest with herself—she had hter of her heart, and to be fair he had kept his promises

Even so, revenge struck her as theinterest in her Why else would a man who could have the most beautiful women in the world settle for an inexperienced and unsophisticated doctor as ill at ease with a party lifestyle? He would not have sacrificed his own desires and preferences for Callie’s benefit In fact, most probably Callie had icalacquired the child, he had also acquired the perfect means to make Ella dance to his chosen tune, and that was exactly what he had done

In the shaken-up state she was now in, it was the wrong moment for Ella to set eyes on her family for the first time in seven years Her stepfather, a heavily builton the terrace with a drink in his hand Her ht, fair-haired woman in a pink dress, was by his side Behind therown to adulthood without her knowledge Ella paled when Theo Sardelos looked right through her, and her mother, her face full of painful disco her only surviving daughter Her twin half-siblings, disdaining such pretences, stared stonily back at her, their scowling attitude one of pure belligerence

Ella was very angry that Aristandros had put her fa her Conscious that she was not the only person present capable of noting that her fa her the cold shoulder, she forced herself to address her stepfather with a perfunctory greeting before turning to her mother to say, ‘Would you like to come and see Callie?’

‘No, she would not,’ Theo Sardelos growled, slinging his stepdaughter a look of profound distaste as he answered for his wife, a controlling habit of his that Ella remembered with repulsion ‘Your presence here makes that impossible’

Her olive branch broken and discarded unceremoniously at her feet, Ella did not respond She knew the older h to appreciate that he would relish any opportunity to eh it took considerable courage, she kept on s a waiter to ensure a clutch of late arrivals were served at the buffet Kasirl, her stuffed rabbit now tucked securely under her arm, sped back to Ella’s side to clutch at her skirt in a possessive hold