Deserving of His Diamonds?

Deserving of His Diamonds?
MELANIE MILBURNE

His not-so-perfect fiancée… Emilio Andreoni’s goal is perfection: a corporate king and Italy’s most eligible bachelor, he craves only one more thing to complete his phenomenally successful life – the perfect woman! Once he thought that woman was shy Gisele Carter – until her scandalous goings-on became headline news and he called off their seemingly perfect engagement.But now Emilio is faced with proof of Gisele’s innocence! He’s determined to win back the only woman who ever truly satisfied him, but first he must persuade Gisele she’s worthy of wearing his diamonds again…Don’t miss this first instalment in Melanie Milburne’s The Outrageous Sisters duet!

He had got it wrong. Horribly, terribly, unforgivably wrong.

He had been so adamant about it, so stubborn. He had not listened to Gisele’s protestations of innocence. She had begged and pleaded with him to believe in her but he had not.

She had cried.

She had screamed.

She had pummelled at his chest with tears pouring down her face and yet he had walked away. He had cut her ruthlessly from his life just days before they were to be married. He had cut all contact with her. He had sworn on his life he would never see or speak to her again.

And yet she had been innocent.

His gut clenched with guilt and shame. He had always prided himself on never making an error of judgement. He aimed for perfection in every area of his life. But this time he had got it wrong—horribly, terribly, unforgivably wrong.

THE OUTRAGEOUS SISTERS

The twin sisterseveryone’stalking about!

Separated by secrets …

Having grown up in different families, Gisele and Sienna live lives that are worlds apart. Then a very public revelation propels them into the world’s eye …

Drawn together by scandal!

Now the sisters have found each other—but are they at risk of losing their hearts to the two men who are determined to peel back the layers of their glittering façades?

This month Gisele will find out if she really is

DESERVING OF HIS DIAMONDS?

Look out for Sienna’s story, coming soon from Mills & Boon

Modern™ Romance!

About the Author

From as soon as MELANIE MILBURNE could pick up a pen, she knew she wanted to write. It was when she picked up her first Harlequin Mills and Boon novel at seventeen that she realised she wanted to write romance. Distracted for a few years by meeting and marrying her own handsome hero, surgeon husband Steve, and having two boys, plus completing a masters in education and becoming a nationally ranked athlete (masters swimming) she decided to write. Five submissions later she sold her first book and is now a multi-published bestselling, award-winning USA TODAY author. In 2008, she won the Australian Readers Association’s most popular category/series romance, and in 2011 she won the prestigious Romance Writers of Australia R*BY award.

Melanie loves to hear from her readers via her website, www.melaniemilburne.com.au, or on Facebook at www.facebook.com/pages/Melanie-Milburne/351594482609.

Recent titles by the same author:

HIS POOR LITTLE RICH GIRL

THE WEDDING CHARADE

(The Sabbatini Brothers)

SHOCK: ONE-NIGHT HEIR

(The Sabbatini Brothers)

SCANDAL: UNCLAIMED LOVE-CHILD

(The Sabbatini Brothers)

Did you know these are also available as eBooks?

Visit www.millsandboon.co.uk

Deserving Of

His Diamonds?

Melanie Milburne

www.millsandboon.co.uk (http://www.millsandboon.co.uk)

To Carol Marinelli—

not just a fellow author

but also a fabulous and fun friend. XX

CHAPTER ONE

EMILIO was sitting in a café in Rome not far from his office when he finally found out the truth. His chest seized as he read the article about twin girls who had been separated at birth due to an illegal adoption. The article was journalism at its best: an intriguing and poignant account of how identical twins had finally been reunited, quite by chance, after a shop attendant mistook one for the other in a Sydney department store.

One mistaken for the other …

Emilio ignored his coffee and sat back in his chair and looked out at the bustling city crowds wandering past. Tourists and workers, young and old, married and single—everyone going about their business, totally unaware of the shock that was consuming him until he could scarcely breathe.

It hadn’t been Gisele in the sex tape.

His throat felt as if a spanner were going down sideways. He had been so adamant about it, so stubborn. He had not listened to Gisele’s protestations of innocence. He had refused to listen. She had begged and pleaded with him to believe in her, but he had not.

He had got it wrong.

She had cried. She had screamed. She had pummelled at his chest with tears pouring down her face, and yet he had walked away. He had cut all contact with her. He had sworn on his life he would never see or speak to her again.

He had got it wrong.

Emilio’s company had almost folded over the scandal. He’d had to work so hard to get back to where he was today. Eighteen-hour, sometimes twenty-four-hour days, sleepless nights, endless travel, jet lag so bad he didn’t sleep properly any more, no matter how utterly exhausted he was. He went from project to project like an automaton, putting in the hours, signing up the deals, paying off the debts and then finally banking the millions, his drive to succeed knowing no bounds.

And for all this time he had blamed Gisele.