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Was it truly possible for a man like him to fall for a girl like her?

She stared at the messages she had typed, wondering how it would feel if Acheron turned out to be a jerk and made his own cruel viral post.How Pathetic Women Can Get, Exhibit One.

Just imagining it made her want to throw up.

So give up.

But her heart refused to heed the words.

Love was supposed to be about taking risks together, and if she wanted to be with Acheron, she needed to find the courage to face these risks.

Pippi:I'm not going to give you up without a fight.

After taking a deep breath, she hitSend,and her heart skipped a beat.

Oh, the things she did for love.

To distract herself, she clicked on her phone's browser and started searching for the latest news about Acheron. Falling in love with a billionaire meant learning how to handle the rumors—-

And that was when she saw it.

A tweet from a well-known society gossip columnist, sharing a photo of Acheron and Amelia kissing in a pub.

The hashtag below it: #ATM

If only she could believe it meant 'automated teller machine'.

****

ACHERON HAD JUST GOTTENback home when the news broke out, and when he saw Wickham waiting for him in the hallway outside his apartment, he knew right away something had fucking gone wrong again.

"How bad is it?"

"Extremely," Wickham said grimly, "if Ms. Jones happens to see them."

The billionaire took one look at the tweeted photos Wickham showed and stepped back into the elevator without a word. He knew - he already fucking knew - if he didn't make it in time, he might lose her for good.

When the knock sounded on the Joneses' front door, everyone looked at each other, knowing it could only be one person.

"I just want to talk."

And it was Acheron, of course.

"Don't let him in," Pippi cried out when Astrid started to stand.

But her mother only gave her a chiding look. "I didn't raise you to be a coward."

"Mom,please."

Astrid steeled herself against the tremor in her daughter's voice. "At least just talk to him..."

Pippi 's heart started to sink as she watched Astrid walk away to open the door.

Talk to him?

She couldn't even think of him without falling apart.

The door started to open.