Elements of Chance – Barbara Wilkins

A woman of desire, a legacy of deceit, a fortune worth killing for. An opulent intricate, sizzling novel, Elements of Chance fulfils ever woman’s fantasy.Hauntingly beautiful, talented pianist Valerie Penn is one of the world’s wealthiest women, the pampered wife of banker Victor Penn, and the mother of their two children. Her life is a whirl of private jets; charity balls; mansions in London, New York, Paris and Beverly Hills; priceless antiques; endless passionate love; and gifts beyond imagining … a stunning diamond necklace “just because it’s Tuesday and I love you.”But the mystery of her past continues to haunt Valerie. who is she and who are her real parents? A shy, silver-haired child, she was lovingly raised by a couple in Hollywood. But her real mother, the beautiful starlet, remains a mystery. Why did she leave Valerie, and is she still alive?Anything Valerie wants is hers for the asking until Victor disappears in a mysterious plane crash. Suddenly torn from her privileged world, Valerie faces the hostility of the Penn family and finds herself caught in a web of rivalries, betrayal and murder. Alone for the first time, she brilliantly creates her own business and, once again, is part of the glittering world of the influential and famous, this time on her own terms … through her own effort. Finally believing Victor to be dead, Valerie is about to remarry when her fiancé is murdered and her son is kidnapped, driving her to find the answers to the mysteries still clouding her life.As she unravels the intrigues of the powerful Penn family, Valerie’s search brings her to the steaming jungles of South America, where she faces her past and opens the door to a new future.