Page 48 of Modern Romance September 2026 Books 1-4

‘Well, for what it’s worth, the results of the investigation came back and nothing else turned up. She’s clean as a whistle.’

Axel felt a pang of guilt at the reminder that he’d asked Michalis to look into Hope again. He’d forgotten all about it.

‘But,’ Michalis went on, ‘I’ve been compiling that list of potential wives to take Callista’s place and I think we have some good options. We can get into it after the Baros event, when you’ve won the man over.’

Axel terminated the call and heard a sound behind him. He turned to see Hope framed in the doorway in a long dress in vibrant turquoise. No other adornment. No make-up, just fresh sun-kissed skin. Her hair was damp. She looked so beautiful that his breath caught.

And then he noticed her face was pale and the wounded expression told him she’d overheard that conversation, but when he opened his mouth she held up a hand and said, ‘I suppose I shouldn’t be surprised you had me investigated. After all, a guy like you has to be careful.’

The guilt was like bile in Axel’s gut. ‘Hope, it’s pretty much standard. You looked me up, remember?’ Not the same, and Axel knew it, to his shame.

Hope didn’t pursue it. She said, ‘You’ve never been anything but clear about this…whole arrangement and I’ve never suggested for a second that I want anything more so you really don’t need to tell anyone how inappropriate I am. I’m well aware of that.’

Axel cursed under his breath. He’d reacted defensively to Michalis because his friend had touched on a nerve.

‘That really wasn’t meant as an insult, Hope, believe me. I wouldn’t wish becoming my bride on you. It’s not the life you want.’

‘No, it’s not,’ she agreed. ‘Because I want a real family some day. Not a family genetically engineered to keep some ancient bloodline intact. I want love, Axel.’

Hope looked at him with something like pity. ‘You’ve already told me you don’t believe in it, but it does exist.’

‘What does?’ But he knew.

‘Love.’

‘It doesn’t. Not for me.’

‘Yes, it does.’

Axel frowned. ‘What do you mean?’ She’d met his parents!

‘You loved your brother, still love him, I’d wager. And your sisters, even though you’re not in each other’s lives. The irony is that I’ve never experienced any kind of unconditional love but I still believe it can exist for me. You’ve turned your back on it.’

Axel felt a lurching sensation inside him. He had a moment of realising just how far off track his ordered world had strayed. Off track and into another dimension. With this golden-haired sprite at the centre, looking at him as if he were a whole person, when he knew he wasn’t. He’d talked to her about things he’d never discussed with another person.

Hope moved into the room and put a hand out. ‘What’s the point of having a place like this if you can’t fill it with joy and love? Share it?’

Tension filled Axel’s body. ‘That is not why I bought this property.’

‘Why did you, then?’

Because of her, because she’d inspired him. Exposure skated over Axel’s skin. That halcyon image she described…of a place like this filled with shouts and laughter and love—all the kind of things he’d never had himself…seemed utterly preposterous. And, frankly, a little terrifying, because if he hadn’t managed to protect his own brother, or be there in a meaningful way for his sisters, how could he hope to protect anyone else he cared about?

‘It was a transaction, pure and simple. A charitable investment. Nothing to do with love.’

Hope’s eyes were huge and very blue and filled with something that made Axel feel volatile. ‘Don’t look at me like that, Hope.’

‘Like what?’

‘Like you pity me.’

She shook her head. ‘Why would I pity you? You have it all. You’re the most self-contained person I’ve ever met. The most capable. Successful.’

‘Don’t mock me either.’

She ducked her head and looked back up. ‘I’m sorry, that’s not fair. I just…there’s so much more that you could have. You deserve it.’

No, he didn’t. That was the fundamental truth here.