Page 60 of Marko

Miki had even suggested I could be the official photographer for their businesses, while Marcie mentioned hiring me for other suitable events.

My biggest highlight so far was photographing the cover for Gracie’s next book. One of Anton’s men posed for the “book boyfriend” cover photo, since he fitted the character’s descriptions so well. Marko was a bit jealous, and insisted on watching, but it was a great shoot. Marcie’s friend, a makeup artist, enjoyed oiling up the guy’s body. Without my own book boyfriend, I’d have fought her for that job because, oh my gosh, phew!

Gracie, thrilled with the pictures, even paid me. That first proper photography job left me grinning when she handed me the cash. Between that, Miki’s offer, and future prospects from Marcie’s business, my photography business was off to a strong start. It was so exciting and kept me busy, which helped keep my mind off worrying about the MP and his pending conviction.

The MP remained a threat until convicted, which worried me. Anything happening to Marko, his family, or the Glowacki family would be awful. They had grown on me, and fitting in here had become a joy. Finding my place in life and becoming part of the family was wonderful. Loving Marko, even after only six weeks, felt right.

We had talked about things and were now officially living together. Everything happened so fast. Normally, it might have seemed too fast, but the situation thrust us together quickly. Falling for each other felt natural. Without this situation, we might never have met, so it seemed meant to be. The future together looked promising.

The only cloud on the horizon was the time we had to wait for the MP to be brought to trial. It had us all on tenterhooks. The sooner it was over, the sooner we could breathe more easily and get on with our lives. Then Marko and I had some plans to travel for a few months. We were having great fun planning where we wanted to go and what we wanted to do.

“Better than any book boyfriend?” he asked, wiggling his eyebrows, his voice filled with mirth.

My lips twitched, and I shook my head at his antics.

Marko had continued to take his challenge seriously, and every day liked to have fun with it. For such a dangerous man, he really was such a silly, sexy nerd.

“Yes, way better than any book boyfriend!” I giggled.

“Gotta keep up my reputation,” he said, winking and grinning like a fool.

I continue giggling as he grabbed my hand, and we ran up the stairs.

CHAPTER 32

MARKO

THE SAME DAY - MELISSA GETS HURT

When we entered the site that had once held Melissa’s home, nothing remained. Only some scorched earth and a sizeable hole betrayed the fact that a building had been there and had burnt down. The demolition crew had done their job and removed all the debris. I wasn’t sure how Melissa would feel being back here and seeing it empty. Glancing at her, I could see her eyes filling with unshed tears.

“Are you okay, sweetheart?” I asked, putting my arm around her. She sniffed hard and wiped at her eyes, nodding.

“It is hard to see it empty like this, but there is nothing I can do about it. Time to move on,” she said, obviously trying to convince herself.

I gave her shoulder a quick squeeze and kissed her on the forehead before leading her over to where Anton was chatting with the architect.

“Melissa,” I said, placing a hand on her back as we reached them, “this is Lee Wilson, the architect responsible for your new block of flats and a close friend of Ash and Anton’s. Lee, this is Melissa.”

Lee extended his hand with a warm smile. “Pleasure to meet you, Melissa. I’ve heard a lot about your vision for the new apartments.”

Melissa shook his hand, her eyes sparkling with excitement. “Thank you, Lee. I can’t wait to see the plans. I’ve been dreaming about this for days.”

Anton chimed in, his voice full of enthusiasm. “Lee’s the best in the business. We’re lucky to have him on board and his team will also be project managing things once you sign off on the plans.”

Lee nodded modestly. “I appreciate that, Anton. Melissa, I’m eager to get your input on a few key aspects of the design. Your feedback will be crucial.”

Melissa nodded, glancing at me with a smile. “I’m ready. Let’s make this happen.”

Lee walked us through the site, explaining the layout for the new building, and then led us over to a makeshift office that had been set up to house the project manager. Once inside, he spread out the plans on a wooden table and we spent the next half hour going over them.

Melissa was thrilled with the drawings and couldn’t stop oohing and aahing over them. I smiled, pleased at how excited she was at every little detail.

The new building was going to be stunning. A long rectangular three-storey grey-fronted building with floor-to-ceiling windows made of bulletproof glass. The materials used would all be flame-retardant, and the sprinkler system was top quality. Anton and I had designed the security system, which would also be top of the range.

There were three sizeable luxurious apartments, each with three bedrooms, on the upper floors. Underneath, there was an extra-large double garage and a small gym complete with an indoor pool and a training area.

Anton was extremely happy with the design; the gym and training room were an especially big hit with him. He was renting all the apartments, planning on using one for himself and renting the other for some of his security staff to use when needed.

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