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As she pulled on her clothes at speed she peered out through the side of her bedrooe thicksetthe photographers to back away fronised one of the ot here so fast? Not that she wasn’t grateful for the support, she conceded ruefully

Herto keep Elias in one place long enough to get a pair of trousers on him It was Leonidas

‘I understand the press are harassing you, glikia mou,’ he murmured with audible sympathy

‘It’s a night them stay back from the doors and hich is quite an i in charity with hiuards were able to get here so quickly’

‘The paparazzi are very persistent You won’t find it easy to shake the story’

‘Fortunately, Ginny will be here soon to look after Elias, and now I have the protection of your heavyto work in half an hour’

At the other end of the line, Leonidas alroaned out loud at her innocence Like a little train on a single track, Maribel would stick stubbornly to her routine, no matter what happened ‘They’ll follow you there So to drive with those guys tailing you’

‘No, thanks for the offer But bodyguards would stick out like a sore thuently

‘I think you ht be a good idea to consider a move to Heyward Park’

Maribel stiffened ‘I don’t run at the first sign of trouble, Leonidas’

‘You can’t keep Elias locked up out of sight for ever’

At that salient point, Maribel’s face shadowed and she came off the phone in an even more troubled mood

Ginny arrived while she was giving Elias his breakfast and settled a newspaper on the table ‘There’s the article I decided to buy a copy before I ca Elias Where did the heavies come from?’

‘Heavies? Oh, Leonidas’ security men’

‘I should’ve guessed They’re very professional They checked me out before they would let h I don’t envy you trying to go to ith a posse behind you’

BILLIONAIRE BABY BOY! the headline screa the lead story to respond to her friend An old photo of her taken soen’s parties made her eyes widen She wondered how on earth it had been obtained and the more she read, the more confused she became Instead of the shock-horror lies, half-truths and errors she had expected, all her background details were correct, right down to the little-known fact that her late father had been an ainning scientist who’d chosen acade and trusted confidante of Leonidas Pallis and she rolled her eyes to the ceiling, wondering who had dreamt up that whopper When had Leonidas ever confided in anyone?

‘The article is all right,’ Ginny coly tame and kind You sound like a cross between Einstein and Leonidas’ best friend’

‘It’s a disaster,’ Maribel ain in the ancient history department’

Her friend gave her a wry look ‘Don’t underesti a very close connection to one of the wealthiest ues will be deeply envious and others will suck up to you Anyway, it’s time you went to work Elias will be safe here with me and Leonidas’ men’

Maribel found it a real challenge to leave her ho and questions being shouted at her When she arrived at the departan forot upstairs to her office Even people she kneere stopping and staring and she hated every roup was uneasy with the number of interruptions that occurred She couldn’t concentrate either When she eed from her office in the late afternoon, she had to ale back out to her car, which was surrounded by photographers urging her to give theot away, her hands were tre on the wheel and her broas damp with perspiration Her heart sank when she turned up the lane to her house and saw that there were even more paparazzi encamped than there had been at the start of the day She was very grateful when the Pallis security team cleared her path to the house