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His words brought Cathy snapping straight back into reality Why on earth was she hesitating for more than a second? This was thehours The man who had made her feel like a woman for the first tihs there could be in life…and what crashing lows, too But he had taught her how to feel alive

Yes, he was a prince, but in a way that was irrelevant—for the olden eyes had a pohich he had exerted over her from the very start Did he need her and wouldn’t that be thein the world—to be needed by Xaviero? Cathy sed He wasn’t telling her anything and if she went to Zaffirinthos it would be on blind faith alone—a faith which ht easily be misplaced and leave her as empty as a waterless well

But there was no choice Not when you felt the way she felt about Xaviero—no matter how many times she’d tried to tell herself that it was a complete waste of time Sometimes you just had to follow your heart—to take a risk and leap into the unknown

‘Yes, I’ll come to Zaffirinthos,’ she said

Standing in the ornate splendour of one of the palace’s private offices, Xaviero expelled a long, low breath

‘Have your passport ready,’ he instructed softly ‘A car will be sent to pick you up at ten to—’

‘Xaviero, I have a new job’

‘Yes, I know that,’ he said iin to flash on his desk ‘I’ve had my people check it out’

My people? For some reason the words jarred It sounded scary—and‘I can’t just walk out and leave them in the lurch’

‘Don’t worry—all that will be taken care of The store will be adequately compensated and a replacement found for you, if necessary’

He barely even needed to think about it, she realised Such was his power and his influence that he could simply shift people around like chess pieces He had done it first with Rupert and noas doing it again Could that be good for a person? Was it good for her to be at his beck and call like this? ‘And I’veany more’