AFTER he ended the call, the library was silent. Sylvia heard only low, soft snuffles that she realized were her own sobs.Her captor stood over her, and she felt his silent, considering gaze upon her. She tried to stifle her weeping but could not.All she could think about was that Xavier had been right. Arnold had betrayed her. Tricked her. He’d used her own idealistic nature, her belief in loyalty and love, against her.He’d never loved Sylvia at all. He’d only wanted her body. He was already married, and he’d been waiting…waiting for…“He’s waiting for his wife to die,” she whispered aloud.She felt Xavier touch her arm. “I know.”She looked up. His dark eyes were surprisingly gentle.“Come,” he said in a low voice. “You’ve had a rough day. I’ll take you to bed.”She was unable to resist as he took her hand in his larger one, lifting her to her feet. She trembled at his touch, barely feeling strong enough to hold the bodice of her wedding gown closed with her other hand. She pr

She decided to stop eating when he wouldn't stop peering at her.Placing the glass of orange juice on the tray and with a little smile playing at the corner of her lips, she began to twirl her hair around her fingers as she looked straight ahead, staring at nothing in particular.“Go on,” he said. “Don’t stop now. I want you to be nice and healthy when I trade you.” he coaxedHer smile faded at that instant.Trade?Yes, trade, she was certain he heard him clearly.Of course he wanted her healthy, so he could trade her like a horse.Fat and sassy, like a farm cow.Maybe he would even find a way to sell her by the pond.Biting her lip, she looked down at her tray.The food which had been appetizing moments ago now looked sour to her. She scrunched her nose in disgust as she analyzed the content of the tray.“How can you be so sure he will still trade me? Why are you so sure he would trade me for a woman who gives him millions of dollars?” she said in a small voice.“Arnold is married. He

From the instant Sylvia had come out on the balcony, Xavier had felt her presence like the first burst of sunlight at dawn.He had been there long before she showed up but she was too busy relishing nature to see him.She was one woman that drew attention wherever she went even without trying.He had pretended not to see her at first as he continued to pace about as he spoke into his cell phone.To get her attention, he began to speak loudly and it worked like magic.Pacing about and speaking was his habit whenever he was making deals over the phone that were worth hundreds of millions of dollars.But as he discussed business with his vice president of the Regulus Group in New York, Xavier had secretly watched Sylvia with hooded eyes.Her expression was in a shadow, but he could see her body.Her long, wavy blond hair hung damp down her shoulders, over a thin top that clung to her full breasts and tiny waist.A knee-length skirt revealed her impossibly long legs which were slender and

Xavier loved this other woman?This was too much for her to bear.Sylvia bit the bottom of her lips as she looked upwards towards his direction.She wanted to speak but the lump which had risen in her throat earlier had refused to return thereby shutting her words completely.Running her hand through her hair, she began to imagine how Laila looked.She felt the sudden urge to get to know this woman personally but she did know why.His stark words caused a tremble through Sylvia’s heart, a whisper of pain that she couldn’t understand.She swallowed hard before mustering pleasure to speak “And you think once she’s in your care, you can save her. You think you can wake her. Don’t you think it’s already too late?” she asked“Her husband who was supposed to be by her side has doomed her to die,” he said in a low voice. “I won’t allow that to happen. I will see to it that Laila lives and I will make sure that it happens. I will do anything to make sure that she wakes up from that coma.”Sylv

She’d felt his arm along the back of the white leather sofa behind her, so close to her body, and she’d trembled. Every time he looked at her, the intensity and heat of his dark gaze turned her inside out.Sylvia didn’t want to think about it now. Or why she’d not only noticed his favorite flower in a lush garden, but she’d also picked a Sylvia for him and placed it in water.Looking up from her book, she noticed the dark-haired, plump young housekeeper struggling to carry a table across the beach to a spot overlooking the surf. Relieved to leave the lanai and lounge chair and all her disconcerting thoughts behind her, Sylvia got to her feet and hurried down to the beach. “Wait! Can I help?”The housekeeper, who looked only a few years older than Sylvia, shook her head, even though she looked as if she were fighting back tears.“Really?” Sylvia bit her lip. “Please, Mrs. Vadi, won’t you let me help?”“No,” the woman said, then burst into tears. Within minutes, Sylvia had learned the w