It had taken her a month to find this position—a month of sifting through the many job offers and holding her nerve until the perfect post had come her way. Just in time, as well, because being within the solitude of her apartment had started to become like some kind of torture. Being alone every day had given her too much time to think about Alexi—to miss Alexi—and she didn't want to do that.

Even the thought of his name now made a feeling of pain rise inside her, and angrily she tried to stifle it. She was being ridiculous. She'd known the score, and she'd done exactly the right thing in leaving Demetri Shipping, and exactly the right thing in finishing with Alexi.

'Hi.' She smiled at the receptionist, who looked up at her. 'Katie Connor, new project manager.'

'Ah, yes, Ms Connor. Go on up to the top floor. The new managing director wants to talk to you before you start.'

Katie headed for the lifts and tried to ignore the sudden quiver of first-day nerves. Everything would be fine, she told herself firmly. They'd practically headhunted her for this job. The employment agency had told her that she was the only one on their books to have been selected for an interview. And the guy who'd rung to offer the job had told her the interview panel had been impressed with her level of experience. Obviously the fact that she had managed such a successful project at Demetri Shipping had paid off. He'd then told her that, by the time she started work, Madison Brown would be a satellite company of a big conglomerate called Tellesta.

She'd