Page 53 of Claiming His Baby At The Altar

Her bodyguards were waiting for her on the doorstep. One carried the pram down as if it weighed nothing more than a bunch of flowers. They still spoke in grunts to her but she now suspected that was because grunts were their language.

Before they reached the gate, her phone pinged. It was a message from Sinead who’d taken the week off, saying her flight had landed.

Flora smiled, pleased to know her son’s nanny was safe and well. She was careful not to overstep their professional relationship but Sinead was such a sunny presence that it was impossible not to care about her.

She returned the message with a smiley emoji and put her phone back in her bag just as the gate opened.

A swarm of journalists was waiting for her.

She barely had time to draw breath before she was enveloped in a cacophony of noise as questions were hurled at her and cameras were thrust in her and Benjamin’s faces.

Her bodyguards sprang into action. Within seconds they were standing in front of the pram, not allowing the gathered press to step even a millimetre over the threshold of Alejandro’s land.

Flora backed away, then turned the pram around and raced a screaming Benjamin back to the villa.

The front door flung open before she reached the steps. Madeline hurried down and helped her carry the pram indoors.

‘What’s going on?’ Flora asked as she lifted her distraught son into her arms. Heavens, she was shaking.

‘I not know.’ Madeline’s obvious worry only made Flora’s nerves more shot. ‘Security not see them. Must have hidden.’

Flora swallowed and nodded her understanding. The gate opened onto a wide pathway. The road lined one side, huge trees the other. It would have been easy for the press to keep out of sight of the security cameras until the gates opened and then ambush her.

The house phone rang. Madeline hurried off to answer it.

Holding Benjamin securely with one arm, Flora dug into her bag with her free hand and grabbed her phone, using the voice activation to call Alejandro.

It went straight to voicemail.

Speaking over Benjamin’s sobs, she said, ‘Ramos, it’s me. Something’s going on. The press have just ambushed me. I hope everything’s okay your end. Call me back as soon as you can.’

The house phone was ringing again.

Flora carried her son into the main living room and sat with him on one of the velvet sofas, trying her best to soothe him, trying not to let her imagination run riot as to why the press would be back when they’d not been anywhere near the villa in months, or worry why the house phone was ringing for a third time.

Once Benjamin had calmed down, Flora called Camila.

‘I was just about to call you,’ Camila said. ‘Are you okay?’

‘I think so. I couldn’t leave the villa because of the press. What is goingon?’

She sensed the other woman’s hesitation.

‘Camila?’

‘Have you not looked at any gossip site today?’

‘No.’ She never did. Not since those pictures of her brother and Alejandro on Alejandro’s yacht with all those beautiful women. That had cured her of seeking out his name.

Madeline appeared, pale faced.

‘Hold on a minute,’ Flora said to Camila before addressing the housekeeper. ‘What’s wrong?’

‘Do I have agreement to pull telephone from...?’ As she mimed disconnecting it, it rang again.

‘Who keeps calling?’

Madeline made a rude sign that signified it was the press.

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