LITMIR.BIZ

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      He was denying it! Only good manners stopped Elena from getting up and walking out. And the thought that her parents would be devastated if she arrived home too soon, especially if she told them that Vidal Marquez was a swine and she wouldn’t marry him if he were the last man on earth.

      There had to be some other way of persuading him to go through with the deal. Maybe she ought not to have been so hot-headed? Maybe she ought to have been nice to him instead of getting his back up right from the beginning. She had played this all wrong. Taking a deep breath, she forced herself to calm down. ‘I guess you’re right, we should enjoy our food.’

      But enjoy was not a word she could associate with eating in front of Vidal. She merely nibbled on her toast and drank copious amounts of coffee. Neither the merger nor marriage was mentioned again, they both did their best to be pleasant and amiable, but nevertheless their hostility simmered beneath the surface, waiting for one wrong word to bring it back to life.

      It never happened. Polite to the end, Vidal took her home, suggesting as she got out of the car that they meet again the next day to discuss the matter more fully. ‘I realise it was wrong of me to want to talk business over breakfast,’ he said. ‘Come to my office tomorrow and we can discuss matters there.’

      Elena wanted to tell him to go to hell, that there was nothing left to talk about. Hadn’t she made herself clear? But he had gone, his powerful car roaring away into the distance. She stood there watching until he had completely disappeared and then walked slowly into the house.

      Her parents were waiting and she had to tell them that they hadn’t yet reached a decision. She had never seen her mother look so disappointed and it was all she could do not to fling her arms around her and promise that she would find some other way to help them.

      Not that there was a way. Even though her weddingplanner business was doing very nicely for itself she didn’t have nearly enough resources for what they needed.

      The following day Elena shivered as she dressed carefully for her further meeting with Vidal. She knew that she would need every inch of armour if she was to remain cool and positive so she wore a severely tailored black suit, teaming it with a cream shirt. A pair of stiletto heels gave her the height she needed to match up to Vidal’s impressive stature and she was ready.

      It was the end of the day and they were meeting in the bank’s inner sanctum reserved for boardroom meetings. Deliberately she was a few minutes late. There was no way she wanted to be there first, tapping her fingers impatiently, trying to still her racing pulses while she waited for Vidal.

      Instead he was the one doing the tapping. From outside the door she could hear his footsteps as he paced up and down, and she paused a moment or two listening.

      Although she had intended remaining cool and calm, as she once again denied that marriage to him would work, Elena’s heart rate increased. There was no disputing the fact that Vidal was one hell of a sexy man. Had the circumstances been any different she might have found herself actually fancying him. As things stood he was the most hateful man on earth. Nevertheless when she eventually turned the handle and entered the room she managed a neutral expression.

      ‘I’d begun to think you weren’t coming.’ In contrast to the business suit that she wore he was in shirt-sleeves, rolled up to the elbow, revealing strong, sinewy forearms covered with fine, silky, black hairs. His jacket was on the back of a chair, suggesting that he had been here for some time. The collar of his shirt was undone, the knot on his tie loosened. Making her almost wish that she weren’t so formally dressed.

      Nevertheless she held her head high as she faced him across the boardroom table. ‘I’ve not changed my mind.’

      Clearly her forthrightness shocked him because his eyes grew instantly hard, his face developing harsh angles. ‘So there’s actually no point in you being here?’ He sighed. ‘What do your parents think of your decision? Or have you not told them yet?’

      Elena lifted her shoulders, pausing a moment before letting them drop again. ‘I’ve said nothing. I thought we should talk again first. I thought we might come to a mutually satisfactory arrangement.’ The moment the words left her lips and she saw the dangerous narrowing of Vidal’s eyes, Elena knew that she was wasting her breath.

      ‘Were you not listening yesterday when I said that it was marriage or nothing?’ There was a glimmer of steel in his eyes now, his tall, powerful body silhouetted in front of the only window in the room. ‘You’re wasting my time, Elena. If that is all you have to say then I suggest you turn right round again and go.’

      ‘And you’re being unreasonable.’ Elena knew that she had to make one last desperate attempt to change his mind. Unfortunately he was a man like no other and it dismayed her when a shiver of awareness ran down her spine. She wanted to avert her eyes—except that it would give him an advantage. Instead she looked boldly into his face, refusing to analyse the feelings that were creeping like an illness through her body.

      ‘I would suggest that you look more closely at yourself, Elena,’ he said softly, his voice all the more dangerous because of its quietness. ‘I thought my offer was very reasonable.’

      Elena shook her head angrily. ‘You really think that agreeing to marry a man I do not even like is a practical solution?’ What planet did he live on?

      ‘It is if you want to help your parents.’ His hard eyes didn’t leave her face. ‘On the other hand why am I not surprised? You’ve done very little to help them so far.’

      If the expanse of the table had not been between them Elena would have hit him. This was the third time he had insinuated that she didn’t care about them. Her eyes blazed like molten gold. ‘You know nothing, Vidal.’ And her whole body grew rigid with anger. ‘But I’ll tell you this—somehow I’ll find another way of getting them out of this mess, and it won’t be with your help. I can think of nothing worse than tying myself to a man like you.’

      With that she spun on her heel and marched out of the room.

      He did not try to stop her.

      As she walked away, Elena heard the telephone ring and Vidal’s deep voice answering. The next second he called her name.

      ‘Elena!’ And then more urgently, ‘Elena! It is for you. It is your father.’

      Elena felt her heart slam against her ribcage as she took the phone. There had to be something seriously amiss for him to be ringing her here. ‘Papá, what is wrong?’

      ‘It is your mother,’ he said. ‘She is not well. I did not want to disturb you at this crucial time, but—’

      ‘But what, Papá? What has happened to her?’

      ‘She is in hospital, mi querida. She collapsed shortly after you left. I am sorry to have to tell you this now, but I am very worried about her and I thought that you—’

      ‘You did right,’ she breathed, feeling her heart panic. ‘Are you with her?’

       ‘Sí.’

      ‘Then I will be there as soon as I can. Did they say what is the matter?’

      ‘Not yet. They are doing tests.’

      Vidal had been listening to her conversation and as soon as she handed the phone back to him he insisted on taking her to the hospital himself.

      ‘I have my own car,’ she protested.

      ‘Maybe, but you are in no fit condition.’

      Elena gave in reluctantly and sat quietly all the way to the hospital in the back of his chauffeur-driven limousine. Vidal held her hands tightly, trying to stem the trembling that would not stop. His hands were warm, but hers were icily cold. In fact, she felt cold all over.

      ‘My mother’s never ill,’ she said as they pulled to a halt and she jumped out.

      ‘I’m sure she’ll be all right.’ Vidal laced his

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