****
At eight in the morning, police officers escorted Yehor Kokinos out of his own office. His hands remained unrestrained out of respect for his age and position, but even so every employee in his company knew what was happening. People always knew what an arrest was when they saw one, with or without the cuffs.
“You’re making a mistake,” Yehor said between clenched teeth, but the officers flanking his sides did not respond. When they stepped out of his company’s fifty-story building, Yehor froze at the top of the stairs.
Standing next to the police car was a tall, dark-haired man Yehor had thought dead for many years.
Obviously, he had thought wrong. And just as obviously, Damen Leventis was the cause of this.
Teeth flashed in a predatory smile, and Yehor swallowed in fear at the sight of it.
“Good morning, Uncle.” The voice was cultured but without any trace of accent, power and strength honed in places that would never have names because only the dead were supposed to know about them.
His name was Acheron, and he was the real heir of the Kokinos fortune.
****
At nine in the morning, Esther Leventis walked inside the courtroom, her face expressionless, her back straight, as she claimed the seat next to her solicitor. She was dressed in an expensive white suit, with a rope of pearls around her neck. No one looking at her would have known that Esther was suffocating inside, the feeling of being strangled by an invisible noose never leaving her since her offer of a truce had been rejected by Damen.
Noting the vacant seats where Yehor Kokinos’ own legal team were supposed to sit, she turned to her lawyer, asking in a low voice, “Where are the Kokinos?”
“You don’t know?” Her lawyer shook his head, a harassed expression on his face. “He’s being interrogated by the police. I heard the IMF is also involved. It appears he was not the sole heir when his old man died.”
The invisible noose around her neck tightened by a fraction of an inch, and it took Esther a moment before she could speak. “What does that mean for us?”
“It means possible defeat if we cannot convince the judge that our claim against your son is valid. The judge can call for a vote if he considers your claim questionable. Without Yehor Kokinos’ presence, you would need the entire board to vote to keep you CEO.”
Her frustration subsided at the lawyer’s explanation. She was so giddy with relief she even managed a laugh, the sound drawing the attention of the other people inside the courtroom. “Then this whole thing is over before it’s even started. If Damen thinks he can defeat me by finding some dirt in Yehor’s closet, he doesn’t know me very well. I’ve fired every board member who might side against me in this. Every seat in the board is now under my control.”
Her son had to be taught a lesson. After today, she would make sure to take everything from him. Since he was so stupidly in love with the slut, Esther thought vindictively, then let’s see if he could survive and exist on love alone.
Chapter Fourteen
She said: To wed a Greek billionaire is to live a life free of doubt.
He said: Are you saying you believe in me completely?
She said: Oh yes!
He said: Do you believe me when I tell you I am going to have you na**d and moaning my name in ten seconds?
(Editor’s Note: It was actually just seven. I can run fast if I have to.)
A pair of oversized aviator glasses became Mairi’s shield as she placed her hand in Damen’s and allowed him to help her out of the car. Mairi had been okay with taking a cab, but Damen had insisted they use the car Stavros had loaned to them. He did not want to risk having his pregnant wife stranded if ever any kind of tussle erupted at the courtroom.
Knowing that every little thing mattered in today’s battle, Mairi had made sure that she dressed strategically for the occasion. Her dress, with its high neckline, three-fourth sleeves, and slightly loose fit ensured that she was the picture of propriety. She did not want anyone in the court to ever remember that she had once been branded as the most infamous mistress in Europe, a modern-day Mata Hari who had ensnared every Greek billionaire in the globe.
“Your hand’s too cold,” Damen noted tightly with a frown.
“It’s because I’m nervous, not dying,” she murmured under her breath as they went past the revolving doors, preceded by Drake’s intimidating-looking security team while the ex-sniper walked a few steps behind them.
When they reached the courtroom assigned to their hearing, Damen slowed to a stop before the doors.
She looked up at Damen, confused. “What is it?”
“Tell me you believe me.”
She didn’t hesitate. “I do.”
He inhaled deeply, the words giving him more strength than he expected. “I promise you, I’ll fight for our future, sweetheart. I’ll do everything I can to take back our child’s legacy.” He stopped, and as the silence lengthened between them, Damen realized that he wanted to hear Mairi say that she wouldn’t leave him…no matter what.
Words so foolish she couldn’t bear to think of them tried to rush out of her throat, but Mairi determinedly forced them down. She wanted so badly to touch Damen’s face, to tell him that she would be his strength, his shield, his everything. But she could no longer be that. She now had her baby to think of, and it was for their baby’s sake that she had to kill this love for him once and for all.
“I believe in you, Damen.” The whispered words were all she could afford. They were the truth, too, even if it also meant she was weak and silly. Stupid Mairi, never ever learning, never ever losing her faith in Damen no matter how many times he had hurt her.
Even if the absence of love in her words made Damen feel physically sick, he clung to the hope that came with Mairi’s avowal of trust. Something, he reminded himself doggedly, was always better than nothing. Something meant he could hope that one day Mairi would not need Drake Morrison to stop Damen from ever reaching her heart.
Damen opened the door and waited for Mairi to follow him.
“Damen?”
He turned.
“Do you trust me, too?”
His answer was unequivocal. “With my life.”
A tremulous smile formed on her lips. “Then will you trust me when I tell you that there’s something I have to do out here? I won’t be of much help for you inside, but here…”
Damen’s gaze flew to the swarm of reporters and photographers behind Mairi. “The media?”
She shook her head. “No. Not them exactly. I’ve thought about this for a long time, Damen. I know the day that all your peers will accept me may never come. I thought I should change myself to make it happen, but that’s just going to make things worse. I want to help you, Damen, while still being myself.” Mairi stopped with bated breath, wondering what Damen would have to say after her spontaneous speech. When no words appeared forthcoming, Mairi forced herself to meet her husband’s gaze.