Kitabı oku: «Claiming My Hidden Son / Bride Behind The Billion-Dollar Veil», sayfa 5
CHAPTER THREE
MY TRANSITION FROM sleep to wakefulness was abrupt, bracing in the way that fundamental change manifested itself. Confirmation that I hadn’t dreamt any of it registered in unknown muscles throbbing with new vigour. The sheets also bore evidence of what had happened, and confirmed that Axios had left some time in the night.
Had he chosen to sleep somewhere else? Or had his helicopter taken off during one of the brief stretches of time when I’d fallen asleep?
Although my agitated thoughts wanted to latch on to the fact that it was the sex that had driven him away, intuition suggested otherwise. Axios might not have wanted to experience the depth of chemistry that blazed between us but he’d been caught up too. Maybe a little bit too much?
Because I was reeling from the wildness of our coming together, the sheer abandonment that still rocked me to my core. The sheets might have cooled in his absence but his possession still remained. As did my growing consternation.
Last night my decision had seemed so clear-cut. Close all avenues by which my father could further interfere in my life. But the experience had been nothing like clear-cut. The experience of sleeping with Axios had been…unparalleled.
And now he was gone.
I refused to allow the dull thudding of my heart to dictate my disappointment. Whatever my future held, it was time for action.
About to get out of bed, I paused as my last conversation with my mother replayed one more time.
‘You will know very quickly if this is the right choice for you. If it isn’t, don’t be like me. Don’t accept it as inevitable. Do what is right for you.’
‘What are you talking about, Mama?’
‘Find your own happiness, Callie. Don’t let your father’s actions dictate the rest of your life. Your grandmother said the same thing to me on my wedding day and I didn’t listen.’
‘I don’t think I have a choice. You… Papa—’
‘Forget about me! There’s nothing your father can do that will hurt me any more. Knowing you’re unhappy because of me will break my heart. Promise me you’ll put yourself first.’
‘Mama—’
‘Promise me, Callie!’
My promise weighed heavy on my heart as I rose from the bed. For a moment I swayed in place, my limbs weak with recollection and my body heating after every little wanton act of last night.
But, lips firmed, I approached what I hoped was the bathroom. There, further signs that this was Axios’s domain were everywhere—from the luxury male products to the thick dark robe hanging next to the shower.
Trying not to let the intimacy of his belongings get to me, I quickly showered. Thankful for the voluminous towel that covered me from chest to ankle, I was contemplating the less than palatable thought of wearing my wedding dress again when a soft knock broke into my thoughts.
I cleared my throat. ‘Come in.’
One of the younger staff members who helped manage the villa entered with a shy smile. She’d been introduced to me last night, when my senses had been grappling with unfolding events.
With a strained smile, I pulled the robe closer around me and returned her greeting.
Her gaze passed quickly over my towel. ‘May I assist you with anything, kyria?’
‘If you could direct me to where my belongings are, I’d appreciate it.’
‘Of course. This way, please.’
Expecting her to leave the room, I was surprised when she crossed to the opposite side and opened another door.
I followed her through a short hallway into another impressive suite, complete with living room, bathroom and dressing room.
An adjoining suite.
‘I came to ask if you would like some breakfast, Kyria Xenakis?’
The title added another layer of shock to my system and it took me a few seconds to answer with a question of my own. ‘Um…is Kyrios Xenakis still here?’
She nodded. ‘Yes. But he will be leaving soon. So if you wish to—’
‘Yes, I would very much like to. Can you wait for me to get dressed?’
Her eyes widened a touch, probably at the request. But I didn’t care. I needed answers. Needed to know how he intended the next twelve months to proceed. And, if necessary, insist on taking back control of my life.
My father had shown me that he cared nothing about me except as a pawn to further his needs. Regardless of my commitment to Axios, I didn’t intend to be pushed around any more.
That affirmation anchored deep as I concentrated on getting dressed.
The small suitcase that had accompanied me when I left Nicrete was empty, its contents sitting on a lonely shelf in the vast dressing room. But those weren’t the only contents of the large, opulent space. Rack upon rack of clothes were displayed in fashion seasons, with matching shoes arranged by colour, height and style.
Awestruck, I stared. It was by far the most extensive collection I’d seen outside a clothes store. Simply because I didn’t know who the clothes in the closets belonged to, I fished out a simple shirt dress from my own belongings, added comfortable flats and caught my hair in a ponytail.
The maid led me down the stairs and through several halls before stopping at a set of double doors.
‘He’s in there,’ she said softly. Then melted away.
The faint sound of clinking cutlery reached my ears as I paused to take a fortifying breath. But, aware that no amount of deep breathing could prepare me for the morning after last night, I pushed the door open.
He was seated at the head of a long, exquisitely laid table. Impeccably dressed in formal business attire, minus the jacket, with the sun streaming down on him.
I almost lost my footing at the sheer visceral impact of his masculinity. It really was unfair how attractive Axios Xenakis was. How the simple act of caressing his bottom lip with his forefinger, his brow furrowed in concentration, could spark fire low in my belly.
You’re not here to ogle him.
Fists tightening at the reminder, I approached where he sat. ‘We need to talk.’
He took his time to look up from the tablet propped up neatly next to his plate, to power it down with a flick of his finger before cool grey eyes tracked over me from head to toe and back again.
‘Kalimera, Calypso. Sit down—have something to eat.’
His even tones threw me. He wasn’t behaving like a man who’d left his marriage bed after bedding his virgin wife. In fact, he seemed far too confident. Far too…together for my liking.
When I didn’t immediately obey he rose, his gaze resting on me as he pulled out a chair and…waited.
I sat, because hysteria would achieve nothing. What I intended to say to him could be said standing or sitting. Besides, this close, the potent mix of his warm body and his aftershave was making my head swim. Reminding me of what it had been like to stroke that warm body, to cling to it as fevered bliss overtook me.
‘What’s on your mind?’ he enquired as he poured exquisite-smelling coffee into my cup, then nudged platters containing sliced meats, toast and cheeses towards me.
Cool. He was far too cool.
Something was going on here. I probed his face and saw the slight tension in his jaw. The banked emotion in his eyes. I might have known Axios for less than twenty-four hours, but I’d quickly deciphered that his eyes gave him away. Right now, they were far too shrewd.
My heart jumped into my throat.
‘My father may have put us both in this position, but there’s no reason why we should remain like this.’ Relief welled as my voice emerged strong and steady.
His nod of agreement stunned me. ‘You’re right,’ he said.
‘I am?’
He shrugged. ‘The agreement states that we should be married for a year minimum—not that we need to be in each other’s pocket. Of course that’s not to say it’s cart blanche for you to do as you please.’
‘What does that mean?’
‘It means that for the time being Agistros is yours to enjoy. We will revisit our circumstances again when I return in a few weeks.’
His announcement was still resonating inside me when he rose from the table and strode, his head proud, shoulders stiff, towards the door.
‘When you return? Where will you be?’
He paused, his tall, imposing body swivelling towards where I sat, frozen. ‘In Athens, where my business is, and where I intend to stay for the foreseeable future.’
Despite sensing this had been coming, I found the announcement took me by surprise. ‘You’re leaving me here on my own?’
Theos—could I sound any more alarmed?
He gave a curt, unfeeling nod. ‘It is the best decision.’
I pushed my chair back and stood, feeling a yearning spiralling inside that wouldn’t be silenced. A yearning to know that his condemnation of my father meant that he was different. That, despite tarring me with the same brush as my parent, he wouldn’t punish me too.
‘Why can’t I live in Athens too?’ With you.
It would be the perfect place finally to put my art degree to good use. To start a career.
His hardening features broadcasted his displeasure at that question even before he spoke. ‘Why force us to endure one another when we don’t have to?’
‘I’m perfectly happy living on my own. I can rent a flat, get a job in an art gallery—’
The twist of his lips reminded me again of how hot his kisses could be. ‘What’s the point of staging an elaborate wedding to fool the world if my wife immediately moves into an apartment?’
‘Then why did you do it?’ I challenged.
‘Your father timed his strike to perfection—because my company needs stability now more than ever.’
Invisible walls closed in on me. ‘So this is a business decision?’
His jaw clenched. ‘Everything that has transpired between us has been based on a business decision.’
Even last night?
My heart lurched and I was glad I was sitting down. ‘There has to be another way.’
‘There is. You stay here, in our purportedly happy home. You’ll want for nothing. Your every wish will be catered for. Buy as much art as you wish to—or even make it if you want.’
Yesterday the promise of freedom from this nightmare would have brought boundless relief. Today, all I felt was…trapped.
‘I can’t. I can’t live like that.’
The words were uttered more for myself than for him. Born from my deep desire never to fall under another’s command the way my father had forced me to live under his.
‘How long am I to stay in this gilded prison?’
His eyes darkened. ‘If this is a prison, yineka mou, it is not of my making. I tried for months to make your father listen to reason. He caused this situation, not me. If you want a way out of this, then find one.’
With that, he walked out, leaving my insides cold as ice.
Axios’s words echoed through the long days and nights that followed his departure from Agistros. Long after the days in the luxurious paradise had begun to stretch in brain-numbing monotony.
My new husband, having made his feelings clear about our forced marriage, didn’t bother to come home. The stunning villa had indeed become my prison, and its elegant walls and priceless furnishings closed in on me more with every day that dragged by.
And the more my world became narrow, the louder my mother’s words and the contents of my grandmother’s letter clamoured.
By the end of the second week dejection had me in a constricting hold. But alongside it was the discomfort in my abdomen, which wouldn’t let up. Telling myself it was a psychosomatic reaction to my current situation began to feel hollow when I knew my grandmother had felt similar symptoms in the year before her death.
Then the housekeeper informed me one sun-drenched morning that Axios had left a message to say that he would be away on business in New York for another ten days. It seemed like the ominous catalyst I needed.
In the privacy of my suite, I quickly considered and discarded the things I wouldn’t need. My large hobo bag was big enough to hold the most crucial essentials, and the small stash of cash I’d saved from my allowance was more than enough to see me through the first few days of my unknown adventure.
After that…
My heart lurched as I attempted to hold down my breakfast the next morning. I took my time, ensuring I was well-sustained before I left the table. Aware of the housekeeper’s keen eye, I calmly drank another cup of tea, then helped myself to fruit before drawing back my chair.
‘Agatha, I’m thinking of visiting friends. I’m not sure how long I’ll be. A few days—maybe longer.’
Surprise lit the housekeeper’s eyes. ‘But Kyrios Xenakis said you were to stay here—’
‘Kyrios Xenakis isn’t here. And he’s not coming back for ten days. I seriously doubt he’ll miss my absence in the meantime.’ I slapped on a smile to take the sting out of my words.
She gave a wary nod. ‘When do you wish to leave? I’ll tell Spiros to ready the boat.’
‘Don’t bother. I’ll grab a water taxi from the harbour. The walk down will do me good.’
Disapproval filmed her eyes. ‘Kyria, I don’t think that’s a good idea.’
One of the few facts I’d learned about my absent husband was that he was far wealthier than I’d imagined. The members of the Xenakis dynasty basked in the sort of wealth that required bodyguards and well-orchestrated security for them to travel. Exactly the sort of attention I didn’t need.
‘I appreciate your concern, but it’s not necessary, Agatha. Thank you.’
I walked away before she could respond. And, since I wasn’t entirely sure she wouldn’t alert Axios at the very first opportunity, I rushed up to my suite, grabbed my bag and hurried back down.
Two hours later I stepped up to the sales counter at the airport on the mainland. ‘One-way ticket to Switzerland, please.’
The attendant eyed me for what seemed like for ever before issuing my ticket. But if I thought that was nerve-racking, discovering what my grandmother had left for me once I arrived at the Swiss bank left me shamelessly sobbing in a cold and grey bank vault.
And then everything that had gone before paled in comparison to the fear that gripped my heart when I sat before a Swiss doctor three days later.
Dr Trudeau, a short, grey-haired physician with kind eyes, peered at me over his rimless glasses, gentle fingers tapping the file in front of him before he sighed.
‘Miss Petras, I have good news and bad news. Although I’m not entirely sure how welcome the good news will be once I explain what I believe is happening with you. I’m so sorry.’
CHAPTER FOUR
One year later
THE TURQUOISE WATERS of the Pacific were so blindingly beautiful they brought tears to my eyes. Or perhaps it was the stinging salt from the spray.
It definitely wasn’t because today was my first wedding anniversary.
No. Most certainly not that.
On the list of the most forgettable things to happen to me in the last year, my hastily arranged wedding and the shockingly cold ceremony was right at the top. Not to mention the trapped groom who couldn’t wait to walk away from me. The man I now had the dubious pleasure of calling my husband.
My heart leapt into my throat even as I pushed Axios’s image away. He would need to be dealt with soon.
But not just yet.
I lifted my face to the blazing sun, willed it to pierce through my desolation and touch my wounded soul. I needed brightness and mirth, sunshine and positivity. If only for a little while longer… It might all be gone soon, slipping through my fingers like mercury.
Gripping the railing of the sleek sailboat transporting me from an exclusive Bora Bora resort to the adjoining uninhabited island where I’d ordered my picnic, I mentally went through my list from bottom to top.
Number five: Take control of my life. Check.
Contrary to my fears, walking away hadn’t doomed me or my mother. My monthly phone calls reassured me that she was fine. My father, now a hundred million euros richer, was engrossed in yet another business venture. Better still, he hadn’t challenged any of the terms of the contract he’d made with Axios.
Number four: Do something worthwhile with my painting. Check.
The past year had been frightening in some ways but immensely fulfilling in the exploration of my talent. I was still basking in the knowledge that I could have had a career if fate hadn’t pushed me down a different path.
Number three: Accept that my condition might not have a happy ending and that my prognosis might follow my grandmother’s. Check.
It had been a difficult acceptance, often pitted with tears and heartache and grief for all the things I might never have. For what this would do to those I love.
Number two: Cherish my precious gift for as long as I can. Check. Check. Check.
The last item on my list filled me with equal parts desolation and trepidation. But it needed to be done.
Number one: Hand over my precious gift to Axios Xenakis.
As if that gift knew he was in my thoughts, a soft cry rippled through the sun-drenched breeze, followed by a sharper one, demanding attention.
Smiling, I turned from the railing and crossed the deck to the shaded lounge. There, lying amongst the cushions, was the reason for my heartbeat. The reason I needed to keep fighting for my unknown future.
‘Are you awake, my precious boy?’
At the sound of my voice Andreos Xenakis kicked his plump legs, his arms joining in his giddy response as his searching eyes found mine. For an instant my breath caught. The similarity between the piercing grey eyes of father and son was so visceral, I froze.
Another insistent cry had me reaching for him. His warm, solid weight in my arms quieted the worst of my trepidation, and soon even that evaporated beneath the sheer joy of cradling him, feeding him, doing such mundane things as changing his nappy and handing him his favourite toy, basking in his sweet babbling while I enjoyed the stunning view and just…being.
Pushing away the terrifying news the doctor had given me that day in Switzerland and the choice I’d had to make, I breathed in relief when the boat slowed and a staff member approached with a courteous smile.
‘We’re here, miss. Your picnic is set up for you on the shore.’
Whatever the future held, I would deal with it.
After all, I’d dealt with so much this past year.
Except the future had found me before I was ready. And it came in the form of a solitary figure with furious gunmetal eyes and a gladiator stance, waiting with crossed arms on the jetty as the sailboat returned to the exclusive resort.
My heart leapt into my throat, my breath strangled to nothing as I watched the figure grow larger, more broody, more formidable.
More everything.
He’d grown harder. Edgier. Or perhaps that was all imagined. A product of those feverishly erotic dreams that frequently plagued me.
Whatever… The man who watched me in silent condemnation as the boat gently butted the wooden planks on the jetty had zero mercy in him. And when his gaze shifted to Andreos and widened with chilled shock I had the distinct notion that I’d played this wrong.
I’d been too selfish.
Taken too much time for myself.
Too much time with my son.
‘Axios.’
He didn’t respond to my whispered utterance of his name. He couldn’t take his eyes off Andreos. His strong throat moved in a swallow and his pallor increased as several expressions charged through his eyes.
Shock. Amazement. Utter fury.
‘What are you doing here?’ I asked.
Finally eyes the colour of a dark arctic night clashed with mine. ‘What am I doing here?’ he asked with icy incredulity. ‘This is what you have to say to me after the stunt you have pulled?’
My insides shook but I forced myself to hold his gaze. ‘You’ll want to discuss this, I’m sure, but can it wait till—?’
‘I’ll want to discuss this? Are you for real?’
A drowsy Andreos stirred in my arms, his senses picking up on the frenetic emotions charging through the air.
‘Miss, would you like us to—?’
‘Leave us.’ Axios’s tone was deep. Implacable.
I wasn’t in the least bit surprised when the staff hurried away.
‘How did you find me?’
It seemed a monumental feat for him to drag his gaze from Andreos.
‘Through an act of sheer coincidence. The owner of this resort happens to be a business acquaintance of mine. He was on a rare tour of his property when he spotted you. Had he not chosen to take his yearly tour this last week…’ He stopped, shaking his head as if grappling with the sheer serendipity of the occurrence that had led him to me.
My chalet was on the beach, and I made the short walk to the gorgeous timber-clad structure aware of his every step behind me.
‘I intended to come back—I promise.’
‘You promise? Why should I take your word on anything? You told the staff you were visiting friends when all along you intended to abscond from our marriage. And now you’re hiding in a resort on the other side of the world under a false name. Not to mention you seem to have had a child during that time. I am assuming the child is yours?’
‘Of course he his. Who else’s would he be?’
He went as rigid as an ice statue, and what little colour had flowed back into his face on the walk from jetty to chalet receded momentarily before fury reddened his haughty cheekbones once more.
‘So I can add infidelity to your sins?’
‘Infid—? What are you talking about?’ Shock made my voice screech.
Andreos whimpered as I laid him down in his cot, and then went back to sound sleep.
‘We used contraception on our wedding night, as I recall,’ he rasped with icy condemnation.
‘Well, I wasn’t on birth control. I never have been. And, while I’m not an expert, I’m sure there’s a caution that states that condoms aren’t one hundred percent foolproof.’
‘And I’m suddenly to accept that the protection that has never failed me before suddenly malfunctioned with you?’
I wasn’t sure why the reference to other lovers drilled such angst through me. His lovers, past or present, were of no consequence to me. I had no hold over him, nor did he over me, when it came right down to it. All that had brought us together was my father’s greed and manipulation.
‘I don’t know what to say to make you believe me but I know the truth, Axios. Andreos is yours.’
Piercing eyes locked on mine for the better part of a minute. ‘If he’s mine, why have you hidden him from me for the better part of a year?’
His voice had changed, turned grittier, and he even looked a little shaken as his gaze swung again to Andreos. He started to walk towards the cot as if compelled, then stopped, shook his head.
‘Why is he here on the other side of the world when he should be in Greece, with his family?’
It would have been so easy to blurt out everything that had happened to me since that dreaded visit to the doctor in Switzerland. and the urgent summons to hear my diagnosis three gut-churning days later, when it had been confirmed that there was indeed a growth in my cervix.
But I was also told I was pregnant, and that any further exploration, even an initial biopsy to ascertain its malignancy or benignity, would jeopardise my baby.
I could have told him about the latest scans I had in my suitcase, taken by Dr Trudeau in Switzerland, and his recommendation to take action.
But if Axios’s presence here wasn’t warning enough that the time I’d bought for myself was over, the look in his eyes said I wouldn’t escape scot-free.
Nevertheless, I wasn’t the same woman he’d married. Harrowing decisions made in the cold grip of fear had a way of changing a person.
‘Why does it matter to you, anyway? I thought you would be glad to see the back of me for ever.’
A ferocious light glinted in his eyes for a heart-stopping second before he took a step towards me. ‘You married a Xenakis, Calypso. You think simply packing your bag and walking out through the door is the end of it? That you simply had to hightail it to the other end of the world for your marriage vows to cease to have meaning?’
I stemmed my panic as his words rankled. ‘Our vows had meaning? I could’ve sworn you challenged me to find a way to make them stop having meaning.’
His eyes narrowed. ‘You think this was the answer?’
‘It was my way!’
‘Perhaps I should’ve added an addendum that finding a way needed to involve discretion and consideration. Nothing that would throw a spotlight on me or my family. My mistake. Tell me, Calypso, do you think disappearing off the face of the earth for over a year screams discretion or consideration?’
I shrugged with a carelessness I didn’t feel. ‘You didn’t stick around long enough to hash out another course of action. I did what was best.’
‘What was best for you, you mean?’
My senses wanted to scream yes! Caution warned me to remain calm. To talk this through as rationally as the tower of formidable fury in front of me would allow.
‘You still haven’t told me why you’re here.’
He made another sound of incredulity. ‘Because you’re my wife! Because the whispers need to cease. Because you will not jeopardise everything I’ve worked for. And that’s just for starters.’
‘Ah, now we’re getting to the bottom of it. You’re here because of what my absence is doing to your business? Is that it, Axios?’
With lightning speed warm fingers curled over my nape. His hold wasn’t threatening, simply holding me in place so that whatever point he needed to make would be accurately delivered.
‘While no one would dare say it to my face, rumours of my wife fleeing our marital home has caused ripples in my life. The kind I can do without. So make no mistake: I intend to remedy that. Whatever point you intended to make, it ends now.’
Each word contained a deadly promise—an intention to have his way that stoked the rebellion that had gone dormant in the last year back to life.
‘Believe it or not, my walking out had absolutely nothing to do with you.’
‘Enlighten me, then, matia mou. What was it all about?’
The soft cadence of his voice didn’t fool me.
‘What could possibly have driven you from the life of luxury and abundance your father battled for so cunningly?’
The mention of my father brought my goals back into focus. Reminded me why I hadn’t been able to stomach staying under Axios’s roof for one more day. That feeling of a loss of control. Of suffocation. Of not being able to live my life on my own terms. My choices being taken away from me without so much as a by your leave…
‘I’m not my father,’ I stressed, with every cell in my body.
‘No, you’re not. But while I was prepared to give you the benefit of the doubt before, your actions have led me to form a different opinion about you. So whatever your reasons were, tell me now.’
‘Or what?’
He didn’t speak for the longest moment. Then his attention shifted to the cot where Andreos slept, lost in baby dreams. My heart tripped over itself as I watched Axios’s face. Watched him speculate with that clever mind financial analysts rhapsodised over.
‘Is he the reason?’
‘What do you mean?’
His jaw rippled. ‘If there was an indiscretion, I urge you to confess it now rather than later.’
His words shouldn’t have scraped my emotions. Considering what my mother had done, and the fall-out and gossip that had followed, I knew all too well how assumptions were made, judgements passed without verification. But the reality that he suspected Andreos wasn’t his lanced a soft spot in my heart.
A fierce need to protect my child’s honour ploughed through me. ‘We may not have known each other before we met at the altar, but you should know that I would rather cut off my own arm before attempting to lie about my child’s parentage. Whether you’re willing to accept it or not, he’s yours.’
If I’d expected my fervour to melt his coldness, I was sorely disappointed.
‘Your vigorous defence of your child is admirable. But, as you said, we were virtual strangers before we came together. If you want me to believe you, tell me where you’ve been. Every single thing you’ve done in the past year. Then perhaps I’ll consider believing you.’
The list reeled through my head.
Finding the bank account in Switzerland my grandmother had left in my name.
Seeing the private doctor who’d treated me.
Getting the results and feeling the soul-wrecking fear that my fate would echo my grandmother’s.
Making the choice I had to make.
Andreos’s arrival.
Saying the fervent prayers for more. One more day. One week. One month.
One year.
I couldn’t tell Axios any of that. Even the simple joy of rediscovering my love of painting and finding the shops and galleries I’d sold my watercolours to seemed too sacred, too private to share with the man who looked at me with rancour and suspicion. Whose every breath seemed like a silent pledge to uncover my secrets.
My life. Lived on my terms.
That was what I’d sworn to myself that rainy afternoon in my hotel room after leaving Dr Trudeau’s office. For the most part, it had been.
Axios’s arrival had simply shortened the time I’d given myself before checking off the last item on my list.
‘You’ll consider believing me after you’ve triple-checked everything I say?’
The unapologetic gleam in his eyes told me he intended to do exactly that. Tear through every new, unconditional friendship I’d formed along the way, every haven I’d sought refuge in.
My stomach churned at the thought of Axios finding out the true state of my health and exploiting it the way my father had done with my mother. It was that terrible thought more than anything else that cemented my decision to keep my secret.
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