Read Undone by the Star for Free Online

Frank.”
    “Ma’am.” The driver’s eyes flickered briefly in the rear-view mirror, a reassuring sight after the close call they’d had in the marketplace.
    Absently, Alex rubbed a bruise forming on her arm, thanking her lucky stars she’d had the foresight to tell Frank they might need a lift home. But never in her wildest dreams had she thought they would be swarmed by a horde of middle-aged paparazzi!
    By the time they reached the hotel, Alex was so very over Marc Daniels, she wanted to cry.

 
    CHAPTER THREE
     
    By Monday morning, having cleaned her tiny flat from top to bottom, done her laundry and filled two boxes with donations for the charity shop, Alex was forced to admit it. Her plan to exorcise Marc Daniels from her mind had failed.
    If she wasn’t reliving the feel of her hand in his, she was mooning over how perfect they had looked together, their image reflected back at them as they browsed the shops along Portobello Road. She couldn’t help but wonder what would have happened had their day not ended in disaster. A leisurely lunch in a nice restaurant, maybe, or a stroll through Kensington Gardens….
    But he’d been so obliging, so much the film star, posing for pictures, acknowledging the adulation of the crowd, that she’d been unable to contain her anger. The man reflected beside her became a chameleon – someone she didn’t know at all. It was only later, when she lay in bed unable to sleep, that Alex realized the whole sequence of events had left her feeling abandoned, and, even, if she were brutally honest, a tiny bit jealous.
    Which, in the light of day, was absurd. They came from different worlds, and that was all there was to it. She’d wasted enough time sulking in her room; and if she didn’t get a move on, she would be late for work. She reached for her suit jacket, gave it a brush, and slipped it on. She was doing up the last button when her phone rang.
    “Alexis Kirkwood,” she answered.
    “Alex. It’s Cyril, front desk.”
    His voice was off. Alex scooped up her keys and walked rapidly towards the door.
    “What is it, Cyril?”
    “A Mrs. Taylor is asking for you. She was to meet your grandmother here. At 11:30 to attend a luncheon at Kew, and it’s nearly noon. I took the liberty of calling Miss Sadler, but there is no answer. Perhaps…?”
    Alex was already on her way down the stairs. “Have Helen meet me at Grannie’s suite.”
    Ending the call, Alex flew across the cobblestoned courtyard. Grannie was nothing, if not prompt. Especially on days when she was going out. Helen, her personal assistant would have been with her this morning, but she generally returned to her other duties around eleven.
    It was now 11:55. The back of the hotel was quiet. Alex ran along the corridor, her anxious footsteps muffled by the thick carpet. She should never have begged off dinner with Grannie last night, she thought, as she yanked open the service door and raced up the stairwell. If anything had happened to her grandmother, she’d never forgive herself. As Alex approached the suite, the elevator pinged and out stepped Helen Wolcheski, her face worried.
    “Shall I?” she asked, holding up her keys. Alex nodded. Her own hands were damp with sweat.
    The second the door was open, Alex burst into the reception room. Sun streaked through the windows illuminating the empty space.
    “Grannie?” Alex called, moving rapidly towards her grandmother’s bedroom.
    Her heart froze. Her grandmother was lying on the floor, her left leg stretched out awkwardly. She was dressed to go out, even her purse was on her arm. A soft moan escaped when Alex bent near.
    “Grannie? It’s me, Alex.”
    Paper-thin eyelids fluttered briefly. Alex slid her hand into her Grannie’s.
    “She must have fallen shortly after I left,” said Helen kneeling down for a closer look. “We need emergency services.” The woman got to her feet, leaving Alex to tend to her grandmother.
    “Can you hear me?” Alex asked