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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...

Escaped the gang at least a week ago...

Police believes she was not involved in the plot to oust Nolasco.

No statement so far from Martinez, who is believed to be currently hiding in the penthouse of Greek billionaire Acheron Simonides. The tycoon's involvement with the gang in his teenage years is common knowledge and took place well before his identity as the true heir to the Simonides fortune was verified by court documents and DNA tests.

Old friends of the two insist that Ms. Martinez and Mr. Simonides had a relationship in their younger years, and speculations now turn to the possibility of a rekindling of their romance.

Gareth switched the TV off as soon as the program went on a commercial break. "Thatisthe girl you helped, isn't she?"

Pippi nodded.

"I heard she supposedly referred to herself as Simonides' girlfriend."

"She did, yes." It was strangely painful to say the words, but Pippi managed to get them out in a neutral voice. "Mr. Simonides also personally came down to meet with her." The added statement only made the hurt worsen, but she found herself actually relishing the pain like some masochist. Stupid or not, it made her feel strong.

Just face the pain like a big girl, and remember that it's you in Acheron's life now.

Gareth waited for the usual gushing to commence, as it always did where women and Acheron Simonides were concerned, but instead he saw his secretary return to work like her brief encounter with the enigmatic CEO didn't matter at all.

It had him blinking and considering what he earlier thought was impossible. Could the rumors be true then? He had initially dismissed this morning's rumors about Pippi crushing on one of the sales managers working on the same floor. Young, cocky, selfish, spoiled brats - all of them had been typical of today's younger generation, and neither he nor Simonides certainly had anything in common with them.

It would be somewhat disappointing if Ms. Jones' taste in men ended up running along those lines, but perhaps it was also for the best, considering the proposal he had yet to bring up with her.