Two reclusive people meet in a charity soup kitchen in a down-and-out area of London, and their mutual attraction tempts them to follow their hearts. Both know that breaking out of their social shells risks revisiting buried traumas, but it might relieve their loneliness. Valerie has been celibate since she was drugged and raped, and she now concentrates on three things - running her corporate empire, maintaining a low profile and guiding her inquisitive daughter through puberty. Lorne is still grieving a fiancée who died years before, but when he meets Valerie, his dormant desires waken. With little information beyond her first name, he takes a bold step and invites her to Valentine's Day dinner. Their relationship escalates with blinding speed and all the comforts of a billionaire lifestyle, but the bliss is interrupted by a smear campaign on social media. Valerie's rapist is out of prison and looking for revenge. She wants to crawl back into her shell, but Lorne's love and acceptance continue drawing her out. Though dark aspects are threaded through the story's background, the overbearing theme is a lighthearted and feel-good romance. _____________________________________________________________________________________ I portray the wealthy lifestyle and all its appurtenances through experience, having made my first million in the 1980s when that small amount could still buy something.
73 parts