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CHAPTER ONE
JANE let herself into her apartht be e to eat, but she knew she’d left a half-pack of colas on the shelf Pulling out one of the chilled cans, she flipped the tab and drank Then, savouring its coolness on her tongue, she kicked off her shoes and walked back into the living area
It was good to be hoe space that served as both living and dining roolad now she’d had the builder knock down the wall that had once separated the two rooether with a s bathroom, it had been her home for the past five years
She’d dropped her suitcase in the small entry hall and as she went to retrieve it, she saw thewould be anxious to hear that her daughter had arrived hoh she was faht arrivals at Heathrow, she still needed the confirmation of Jane’s voice to assure her that all ell
Sighing, Jane pressed the key to retrieve her ’s recorded voice to speak Her friends knew she ay, and all business calls would be routed to the gallery So she was unprepared when a disturbingly familiar male voice spoke her name
‘Jane? Jane, are you there? If you are, pick up, will you? Ineh poli simandiko’ It’s important
Jane sank doeakly onto the small ottoman she kept beside the phone Despite her deterain, she couldn’t deny that his rich dark voice with its distinctive accent still had the power to turn her weak at the knees
But then, it wasn’t his voice that had made him a millionaire several times over before his twenty-fifth birthday That had coe and his complete ruthlessness in business, she reminded herself, a ruthlessness that had somehow spilled over into his private life
Jane expelled an unsteady breath now and was still trying to cale started ‘It’s me, Jane,’ he said ‘Your husband Theos, I know you’re there Don’tfor you Can’t we at least deal with one another like civilised adults?’
That helped The arrogance in his voice, the way he just assumed she’d be available whenever he chose to contact her And how could he call himself her husband when for the past five years he hadn’t cared if she was dead or alive?
Her nails dug into her palh her, but that didn’t stop the painfulher hard-won objectivity to shreds How dared he contact her now as if he had soht to do so? As far as she was concerned, she’d cut him out of her life
Well, almost
She sighed She reallery where she’d worked in London Leo Souvakis had been so char for a piece of sculpture to take back to Greece, a bronze, if possible, to match the other pieces he’d collected over the years
Jane had only been working at the gallery for a short tinising talent when she saw it And the delicate sculpture of the goddess Diana by a virtually unknown artist seemed an appropriate choice to make
Leo Souvakis had been delighted, both by the piece and by Jane, and they’d been discussing the relative merits of oriental pottery and porcelain when Demetri Souvakis had appeared…
Jane shook her head She so much didn’t want to think about this now She’d just come back from a very successful trip to Australia and Thailand and what she really wanted to do was go to bed She’d been travelling for the better part of fourteen hours, the unexpected layover in Dubai not part of her agenda
She was just about to get up, deteran ‘Jane? Are you there, darling? I thought you told ht o’clock It’s half-past now and I’et in I’ll be waiting’
Putting all thought of her other calls to the back of herthe pre-set key, she waited only a couple of rings before herto inject a note of confidence into her voice ‘Sorry you’ve been worried The plane made an unscheduled stop in Dubai’
‘Oh, I see’ Mrs Lang sounded relieved ‘I thought it ood trip? You’ll have to tell me all about it over lunch’