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Wasn’t he supposed to be dating the Dutch model?

Wasn’t the girl with Acheron Simonides the model’s younger sister, the one called Willem Jr.?

Had the Dutch billionaire come to see her?

They were standing right in front of the Dutch billionaire now. She only had to turn her head towards him. She had only to look at him, and she knew he would think she was just doing her job and not allowing her personal life to intrude with her work.

But Acheron chose that same moment to whisper to her ear, “It’s your choice,koukla mou.”

Serenity closed her eyes.

Her choice.

Like it washischoice to walk away from her.

She opened her eyes and gave Acheron a tiny nod.

He pulled her closer towards him.

And they walked past Willem de Konigh, without Serenity ever glancing back.

Her choice,she thought fiercely.

This was her choice, and it was the right choice, the only choice she could make.

****

AT FIVE IN THE AFTERNOON, Acheron’s chauffeur drove her back to the office, alone. The Greek billionaire told her she had no need to clock out of work since she had been with him, but Serenity had been adamant. She had been trained to be utterly professional in her work, and accepting any special treatment didn’t sit well with her. The fact that she had received such training from the Dutch billionaire, Serenity childishly decided to ignore.

From the basement, she took the lift and went straight to the penthouse floor. The receptionist appeared startled to see her, and when she was done signing out, the other girl asked Serenity about her visitor.

“He’s still waiting, you know.”

Serenity wetted her suddenly dry lips at the receptionist’s words. “W-who’s waiting?”

The receptionist looked at her oddly. “Mr. de Konigh. I told you he was waiting, didn’t I?”

“I s-see. Thank you,” she heard herself say before slowly turning back towards the lifts.

Moving like she was on automatic pilot, Serenity pulled her phone out and searched the Internet for the latest news on Willem.

Dozens of results came up, all of them originating from Athens, all of them insinuating that there was something going on between Willem de Konigh and his on-off girlfriend’s younger sister, Serenity Raleigh.

Could it be an incestuous ménage a trois,a rather sleazy tabloid boldly suggested in its homepage.

Perhaps the Dutch billionaire wanted fresh young blood and thought the older woman too old and dried up for him?

Either way, all the news reports agreed that Serenity was smart for her age, with numerous eyewitnesses telling them that the nineteen year old had chosen to snub him.

And so it had started, she thought numbly.

Vengeance was supposed to be sweet, but her first slice of it did not taste good at all.

Swiping on the screen to write a message, she found herself texting Willem.

Serenity:Are you still at the lobby?

Willem:Yes. Are you free to meet with me now?