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Thought she had known, A her head as an anxious flyer atte

Her pensive htly then, the inner reserve that had seen her through her degree, helped her forge her way in the cut-throat world of journalis around the blackest cloud to enter her life

She’d be okay Amelia knew that deep down—knew that she deserved better than Vaughan Mason was prepared to give She’d been right in what she’d said to Vaughan at the restaurant—she wanted it all, and she wouldn’t settle for less

The bundles of early editions outside the closed newsagent’s had A in her tracks, and it would have taken a will of iron to move on and not take one This was her work, after all It was her name beside the headline

What Price a Heart?

Frowning, Aent, shutters firmly down, but that was the least of her problems The headline didn’tthe rose-coloured glasses of first love, but she certainly hadn’t portrayed Vaughan as ruthless

Nothing in her article had portrayed him as heartless

She could see the curious looks of a cleaner as, intending to pay in the , she ripped open the plastic bundle and pulled out a newspaper, intending to take it over to a table and sit down and read

She didn’t even make it one step

The fragile beauty of Liza was captured in a photo as she unfolded the paper Vaughan’s arm was protectively around her, just as she had witnessed back at the hotel, but the caption beneath screa her to the very core as somehow she read on

Mason comforts his sister-in-law Liza

Horrified, her eyes widened as she read the article, trying to drag in a lungful of air as her breathing came shallow and fast, her pulse pounded rapidly in her teh Amelia had never had a panic attack this was as close to one as she ever wanted to come—she was drenched, literally drenched in revulsion as she read to that stopped her fro beneath her, was the knowledge that she had to forewarn Vaughan—soet hih her name was on the article she’d played no part in this

She just made it to the washroom in time

She retched over and over at themade sense now, but she kne—that never in a ly played a part in this

The taxi ride was hell Every light to the city was red as the yellow cab buh the empty streets The taxi driver, oblivious to her despair, atten politeness, just stared out of theas the city closed in The beauty of Collins Street in the early hours ofthe trees that lined the streets, the iistered in her e that in a few short minutes she had to face him

Only as she reached his door did it strike her that he ht be with hiether, of watching their reaction as they read the paper she held in her tree to knock on the door

‘What the hell—’ Dressed in dark boxers, his hair tousled fro to focus, never had he looked more desirable—or more completely unreachable

‘I need to talk to you,’ A the door

‘Well, I don’t want to listen’ Dishan shook his head, but as she held up the paper the closing door stilled, his eyes catching the headline just as Amelia’s had

He ripped the paper fro her to walk in uninvited and watch as he sat on the edge of the bed, shoulders slu as he read on She let him do it in silence, knew that the tihan was fully armed with the facts

‘Bitch’ He whistled the word out through taut pale lips, his eyes daht of his blistering stare And even though it was agony to receive it, Ahan sat she deserved every last crumb of his contempt