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The car slowed as itpalace drive with its colorful foliage and the shadows of the palm trees The last tiuise of ht and cheery This tilanced to her right, noticing the eood in other ways

When the enorht in her throat Sure, she’d seen pictures of it all her life, but with it being tucked back in away from public view, she’d never had an opportunity to view it in the daylight It was so iain that Demetrius didn’t come from the same world as her

She sat up straighter, taking in the palace’s warm tan, coral and turquoise tones The place was si The palace’s subtle curves and colorful turrets reflected an island flair that was Mirraccino Sure the island nation had evolved with technology and such, but they also kept with traditions as much as possible And she loved that Demetrius wanted that Old World feel for the mansion

To her utter surprise, the car rolled to a stop at the front entrance An enorentleman in a black-and-white tux strode toward the car She was so struck by this surreal moment as he opened the door for her that she failed to move She’d never expected to be welcos had ended badly between her and De out the red carpet for her, this was ined

The butler stood aside “Welcome, Miss Sarris”

Co me?”

The man nodded “Prince Demetrius asked that you be escorted to the suite of offices reserved for the South Shore project He said to tell you that he has been delayed, but he will catch up with you shortly”

She tried to ignore the disappointment that consumed her It wasn’t like Deood old days No, this was business, pure and si was si at all

She was guided inside where her heels clicked on the marble floor of the spacious entryway The sound reverberated off the ornate walls and high ceiling There were a couple of ladders and a tall pencil Christmas tree Boxes of decorations littered the floor It appeared she and her mother weren’t the only ones to decorate early

Zoe would have loved a bit of time to look around, but she was briskly ushered away—down a long hallway, around a corner and down a flight of steps They turned another corner where the palace sprang to life in a flurry of activity There were people holding electronic tablets, caffè cups and papers, hustling through the hallway Everyone sreeted her They were definitely a very friendly bunch

A sement wouldn’t be so bad, after all Especially if De to his princely duties In thatAs busy as this place was, she doubted she’d see Demetrius much at all

“You’ll be working in here” The butler stood aside to let her enter