Page 18 of Modern Romance September 2026 Books 1-4

Once inside the plush and hushed interior, Hope was massaged, had a facial and was waxed and buffed until she felt as if she might start squeaking, she was so clean. And limp with relaxation.

Back at the house, there was no sign of Axel. She ate a beautifully prepared late lunch on the terrace outside the dining-room, overlooking the gardens. It was so quiet and peaceful. A different world. She hated to admit it, but she couldn’t help feeling…lonely, when usually she didn’t mind being alone. For as long as she could remember, Hope had rarely had her own space.

She had been adopted as a baby, but her adoptive mother had sadly died not long afterwards and the father hadn’t felt capable of dealing with a baby on his own so he’d handed her back. As if she were just a parcel. So she’d been in the system until she’d come of age and those foster homes had been loud and busy, full of other foster kids or the biological family.

The homes with biological children of the parents had been some of the hardest because the kids had resented the attention being taken off them, and Hope had found it far too poignant to witness a real family up close.

So, she should be relishing this moment of rare peace all to herself and a chance to get her breath back, but she couldn’t stop her mind straying to the most enigmatic person she’d ever met. Axel Drakos. And the most disturbing. And it was even more disturbing to think that she barely knew him but already his absence made her feel alone.

No man had ever made Hope feel aware of herself in a sexual way. She was still a virgin. Even though she was a friendly and open person, she’d always held something of herself back from people.

She’d gone out with a couple of guys but she’d never revealed herself to them fully. Oh, she found it easy enough to talk about her past but she’d never told them about the deep inner wound of abandonment she carried. And when they’d tried to entice her into bed, she’d found herself shutting down and pulling back. Terrified that she would open herself up to them fully only to have them leave her behind.

But when she’d first looked at Axel only a day ago and had felt that zing of electricity, none of that had concerned her. She’d been overcome with fascination for this other-worldly creature, drowning out all other noise.

She told herself now that anyone with a pulse would have reacted the same way as her. It was simply unavoidable. She assured herself that it wasn’t as if she had anything to worry about—he wasn’t going to let her forget that he was her boss and this was just a job. Not after signing that contract earlier, specifically to avoid any confusion or potential entanglement. And all she had to do was play her part. Spurred by a desire to learn more, Hope pulled out her phone and put his name into the search engine.

A slew of words jumped out at her: One of the richest men in the world… Drakos Solutions scion takes over…famously private…ruthless… Greek dynasty…still single.

And then there were pictures of him with women but rarely the same woman more than twice. They were all elegant and sleek in a way that Hope knew she could never be. Not after a hundred hours in a spa. Her hair was too untameable and she was too short. They wouldn’t need dresses taken up at the last minute. She frowned.

‘Sorry I couldn’t join you for lunch. I had to take a call.’

Hope’s head snapped up to find the object of her curiosity standing in front of her. She had to crane her neck. He had taken the waistcoat off and his tie was gone, top button open, sleeves rolled back. For some reason Hope felt herself flush, as if she were seeing him half naked.

She sat up straighter. ‘Um, that’s OK. I wasn’t expecting you to join me.’

His eyes flicked down to her phone, which was in her hand face up, full of pictures of him. She gulped. ‘Sorry, I was curious to know more.’

‘And? Did you find much?’

There was a tinge of something to his voice, an edge, a weariness. She said, ‘Not really. Just that you’re about as intimidating as I thought. And apparently ruthless.’

‘Does that bother you?’

She bit her lip. ‘I guess I’ve already seen that in action with how quickly you recruited me.’

‘That was hardly ruthless.’

‘No, but it was pretty laser-focused. But I’m also wondering if you’re really sure about this… I’m not like any of these other women.’

‘That’s precisely why you’re perfect.’

Hope was wry. ‘Thanks… I think?’

‘I told you, I don’t need someone who’ll get the wrong idea or who’ll try to foster a deeper intimacy.’

‘You just need a convenient companion. Got it. Well, if you’re sure, on your head be it. I’ll keep my mouth zipped and try not to embarrass you.’

He glanced at the watch on his wrist and said, ‘The car will be here shortly to take us to the airfield. Can you make sure you have your passport? Don’t worry about packing—that’s all been taken care of. We’ll get ready at the apartment in Paris and stay there tonight.’

Hope stood up and resisted the urge to salute. ‘Yes, of course.’

Axel walked away and, after standing in a kind of stupor for a minute, Hope scrambled to find her way back to the bedroom so she could pick up her handbag. This new job was going to take some getting used to.

* * *

It was only when they were approaching the sleek private jet across the tarmac a little later that Hope thought of something. She turned to Axel, who was on the other side of the car. ‘Will George be here?’ She quailed inwardly at suddenly appearing like this, with their boss.