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Holly said nothing She wasn’t capable of saying anything, aze across the circular table, recognising Concetta Zaffari’s coentle appraisal She could feel her face getting hotter and hotter and pictured herself rese tomato and it was a mercy when Apollo had concluded his maliciously polite speech, which had left her pierced by a dozen poisonous darts of condeold-digger at worst because he had made it sound the one off the road at that convenient point But worst of all, he had not uttered a single lie
‘What a bastard!’ Pixie said roundly when she had contrived to follow Holly into the palatial cloakroom ‘Vito’s furious! He asked ht’
‘I shouldn’t be ashanant after a one-night stand,’ Hollythere in front of all those richly dressed, bejewelled people I felt like rubbish’
Sylvia joined the man’s a rather nasty piece of work,’ she opined ruefully ‘That was a very inappropriate speech, in the circumstances Holly…sticks and stones may break your bones but words can never hurt you’
‘Not true’ Holly sighed, breathing in deep ‘But don’t worry about me I can handle it—’
‘But you shouldn’t have to on your wedding day, as I told your bridegroorily
‘No, no, let it go,’ Holly urged ruefully ‘I’ve got over it already I was being oversensitive’
Her foster mother departed and Pixie said several rather unrepeatable things about Apollo Metraxis before the toan to make their way back to the function room And then suddenly Pixie stopped her wheelchair and shot out a hand to yank at Holly’s wrist to urge her into the alcove in the corridor She held a finger to her lips in the universal silencingwhat on earth her friend was playing at
And then she heard it, Apollo’s unforgettable posh British accent honed by years of public schooling ‘No, as you know, he wouldn’t listen to et this? He trusts her No, he’s not an idiot It’s e Maybe planning to go for full custody of his son once he has them in Italy Vito’s no fool He simply plays his cards close to his chest’
Holly turned deathly pale because there was not the selo and Vito For a split second she honestly wished she hadn’t eavesdropped and she could see by her friend’s expression that Pixie was now regretting the impulse as well because of what they had overheard But without a word she planted firm hands on the handles of the wheelchair and moved her friend out of the alcove and back towards the function room
But Holly was shattered inside and her expressive face ooden and, after one glance at her, Vito whirled her onto the dance floor and closed his ar inside Vito like a cauldron Well aware of his friend’s attitude towards hishi Holly, Apollo would realise how outrageous his cynical outlook hen it came to her But his misplaced trust in the Greek billionaire had resulted in his bride’s hurt on what he very well knew she believed should be a happy day Even worse, he was still recovering froe of raw protective reaction he had experienced during that speech Any individual ounded Holly should be his ene
‘I’m sorry, really sorry about Apollo’s speech,’ he told her in a driven undertone ‘If I’d had the slightest idea what he was planning to say—’
‘You should’ve kept yourtone ‘If you hadn’t opened your big mouth, he wouldn’t have known—’
‘Holly… I didn’t know that ere going to end up together—’