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Prologue

SURROUNDED BY respectful h the hallways of DataProx Enterprises as if he owned the place Which, in a way, he did The very successful and profitable company had been started twenty-five years earlier by his father and uncle, who had been financed by their oealthy father

Andrew’s uncle had since died, single and childless, and his father was se thirty-four-year-old Andrew in the president’s chair No one currently employed by or associated with DataProx harbored any doubt of as now in charge

A young employee, her arms loaded with paperwork, barreled out of a doorway, in a hurry to reach her destination She froze in her steps when she spotted the sroup headed in her direction

Iht, Andrew Tyler was in the center of the cluster His coffeebrown hair was just slightly disheveled—he had a habit of running a hand through it when he was annoyed—and his coolly handsoold-ri clerk suspected had cost more than her monthly salary Even his tie probably cost old watch on his left wrist looked more expensive than the little car she drove to work each

Four es, but all dressed in comparably expensive businesswear,the appearance of aclerk shrank back against the wall to allow the they’d never even see her

She wasn’t so fortunate Andrew Tyler spotted her iotten the impression there wasn’t much that he missed

He gave her a nod and a smile that didn’t warm his frosty blue eyes “Happy New Year,” he murmured perfunctorily He didn’t add her name; she ell aware that he didn’t even know it

She knew his, of course “Happy New Year, Mr Tyler,” she squeaked in return

He nodded again and kept walking, his half-dozen shadows right on his heels The young woh the doorway into the research and development department, probably to spread their less-than-enthusiastic holiday sentiht did she allow her breathing to return to normal

She turned and hurried on her way, intensely aware of passing time Only another hour until this New Year’s Eve workday ended She couldn’t wait She and her husband of seven weeks and three days had big plans for their first New Year’s Eve as a married couple So And she had all the next day to recover before reporting back to work on Thursday, January 2

She couldn’t help wondering how Andrew Colton Tyler III would spend the evening Probably at a dull, snooty party, she suspected, re the bored, dissatisfied look in his ice-blue eyes Mingling with the other rich and fao and really party She’d bet he wouldn’t have near as much fun as she and her Bobby had in store for themselves

Regardless of his wealth and position, she wouldn’t consider trading places with Andrew Colton Tyler III, she decided, happily counting thetime As far as she was concerned, there were a lot s in life than money and power

She wondered if Andrew Colton Tyler III would agree

1

ANYONE WHO WAS ANYONE in Memphis was seen at a particular country club on New Year’s Eve, and Andrew Colton Tyler III was certainly soalas in ten years And, he thought as he stood brooding on one side of the crowded ballroohtest bit of difference between this affair and the nine others he’d attended

The guest list was basically the saht into this august crowd The clothing was different, of course—no wo the same dress twice to a splashy occasion like this—but similar in expensive style to all the fancy duds they’d worn before The music was the saeable musicians with little expression on their faces

Even the conversations were the sainal topic hadn’t been introduced into this crowd since 1977

A cluster of beautiful people drifted past him toward the dance floor as the musical ensemble prepared for their next set after a very brief break Andrew nodded in response to a few acknowledg perfunctorily at a witty one-liner he