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Twenty
PIPPI HAD FACED A GREATmany challenges in her career, but as it turned out, none of them proved as problematic as going to work with a secret.Especially since that secret happened to be a six-foot-plus Greek billionaire that went by the name of Acheron Simonides.
She had never really noticed it before, but his name and face seemed plastered everywhere in the building, and every time she saw either, her heart would stupidly skip a beat, and her guilt levels would shoot up like a rocket. It just didn't seem right, to feel so deliciously alive simply because she had seen her boyfriend's name printed on company letterheads.
But that was how it was, and every time she thought about it - Acheron Simonides was now herboyfriend -even her cheeks would fail her, turning as pink as carnations at the drop of a hat. In fact, the same thing had happened just a few minutes ago. She had been waiting in line to get her free coffee from the espresso machine, quietly minding her own business, when her gaze had absently encountered the company newsletter the man in front of her had tucked under his arm. It had been carelessly rolled up, but even so, there was just enough of the headline for her to read—-
CEO Acheron Simonides Awarded...
And that was it.
Her cheeks had turned pink, her heart had skipped a beat, and she had been so flustered at how silly she was acting that she didn't realize her inordinate reaction had all the other guys around her reacting rather foolishly as well. A blushing Ms. Pippilotta Jones proved to be too much of an irresistible sight, and the men around her only had one thought in mind.Am I the one making her blush?
The way her long, slender fingers shook a little hadn't escaped their notice either, and it only reinforced the men's opinions that it could only be one of them responsible for making the normally unflappable Ms. Jones appear, well,flappable.
By the time she left, news had already spread throughout Simonides Inc. about Ms. Jones having fallen in love, and it could be one of the eight men that happened to be in the 30th floor hallway while she was getting a cup of coffee.
But Pippi being Pippi, she remained clueless to the rumors flying all around her, and while she did notice the odd, speculative glance that Mr. Evans had subjected her to upon returning to the office, she simply put this down to being one of her new boss' quirks and chucked it out of her mind right after.
There was much work to do, and more importantly, there was thattalkshe knew she had to have with Acheron as soon as possible. If the past few days had taught her anything, it was how crucial it was that they be open with each other.
No matter what.
"Incredible." Mr. Evans' disbelieving murmur broke into her thoughts, and Pippi glanced up in time to see her boss reach for the remote control to switch the overhead TV on. But instead of flipping to the business news channel like he always did, Mr. Evans surfed his way to...Society Gossip?
Pippi hadn't even known such a channel existed.
"Have you heard about this?"
"About what, sir?" Her gaze went back to the TV, and her eyes widened when she realized the paparazzi was actually crowding the entrance to their building. They hadn't been there earlier, but clearly something had happened to change this.
"The girl you helped yesterday," Gareth supplied. "Her name is Amelia Martinez. She used to be the mistress of a rather-infamous gang leader."
Pippi started feeling nauseated for some reason. "Used to be?"
"He's dead now. His body was found just an hour ago, but they say he's been dead for days - murdered, actually. His second-in-command, who also happens to be the prime suspect, has since taken command of the family business."
A breaking news update had both of them returning their attention to the TV, and Pippi jerked involuntarily when the program suddenly flashed an honest-to-goodness mug shot of Amelia on the screen.
Girlfriend of the late Anthony Nolasco since her early teens...
