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Aiesha looked at the walnut cabinet where row after row of musical scores were stored All the classics were there as well as a selection of ht of Louise’s talent, all those hours and hours of practice and personal sacrifice to make it to the top tier of musical performance, wasted on a man who hadn’t appreciated her

From the first moment Aiesha had stepped over the threshold of the Challender mansion in Mayfair she burned with envy over Jaiven for such luxury, for such coht’s sleep without so up on her For a roof over her head each night, for regular meals, a top-notch education, and holidays to so

But now she wondered if he, too, had suffered frolect she had suffered, but the type that left other sorts of scars

Growing up with a selfish, li father would be enor Trying to please so to live down the sha his father’s playboy behaviour splashed over every paper while his mother suffered in silence at home

The weeks after Aiesha’s story broke were intense for hi chased along the street outside his Notting Hill residence and again in front of the office block where he had his architectural business His father’s peccadilloes had brought enormous shame to him then and now

Was that why James was so much of a workaholic and perfectionist? Driven and focused to the exclusion of all else, in particular fun? Was that why he had those lines of strain around his mouth and two horizontal ones on his forehead? He frowned more than he smiled He worked rather than played Was that why he had chosen such a boring and predictable woh person, but she wasn’t right for him He needed someone ould stand up to him To push him out of the nice little safe comfort zone he had created for himself

Someone ould release the locked down passion in him

Someone like me

Aiesha pulled out the shiny black piano stool and sat down heavily on the thought She wasn’t the type of girl a man like James would settle doith She didn’t tick any of his neat little boxes

She was fro side of town

She was fro