page33 (1/2)

‘No, she needed a job, she proved to have the skill and I gave her one’

‘Did you run it past Sakis, because I’asket once he crawls out of his love cocoon and returns to the real world’

Ari’s jaw tightened ‘I’ll deal with Sakis In the meantime, have your assistant check schedules with ether sooner rather than later, and get to the botto in Rio’

‘Darown man’

‘You’ll always be a twelve-year-old to me, brother, simply because you can’t help but act like one’ He noticed the gruffness in his voice but couldn’t help it

He hung up to Theo’s pithy curse and realised he was saze on hireen eyes held shock and wonder, which she quickly tried to bank When he realised it was in reaction to his smile, he cursed under his breath

Was it really so strange that he would siven the i was beyond him?

Yes

A lance of pain speared his heart S of the past for hi in his life through hubris and carelessness He’d believed he’d paid enough, sacrificed enough for his family and deserved happiness of his own He’d believed he’d bled enough to owe fate nothing else

He’d been careless with Sofia’s health, given in to her penchant to always look on the bright side, when deep down he’d known the bright side rarely existed Guilt rose toaway every last trace of h Not when he had blood on his hands

Realising Perla was still staring at hi wouldn’t go away

Perhaps Theo had been right Had he lost hisher, despite her obvious talent? He knew had he looked harder, he’d have found someone equally talented to employ who didn’t rock the boat or ht of her He pursed his lips Hell, she herself knew she was distracting enough to have made some of his employees talk, made her own life uncomfortable—

Frowning, he removed his phone from his pocket and dialled his assistant ‘Contacttomorrow Tell him I want to discuss Perla Lowell’