Chapter One
To trust a Greek billionaire, one must not put any stock on what the media says.
She said: Well, not unless it’s CNN.
He said: And you think CNN would be interested in who I’m dating?
She said: Everyone is interested in who you’re dating. Don’t pretend you don’t know it. (Liar).
He said: Clearly, she does not trust me still.
“Cheers to the soon-to-be-married couple!” This was followed by a smattering of applause as the hundreds of guests alternately clapped and raised their champagne flutes for a toast. It was a dazzling affair, as expected for an event attended by Greece’s rich and famous.
A date had been finally selected for the Leventis-Kokinos nuptials, a wedding that would unite two of the most powerful families in Greece. It had thousands of Greek lasses’ hearts breaking, for Damen Leventis had been their pin-up crush since the moment his handsome face, albeit often unsmiling, started showing up on the society pages.
As the noise receded, the silver-haired debonair-looking gentleman on stage spoke on the microphone again. “And now, I present to you once more my lovely granddaughter, who has a surprise to share with all of you.”
The young woman who ascended the stage was lovely and olive-skinned, dressed in a bronze high-waisted silk gown. A reserved smile was on her lips, but her eyes were unreadable. She looked at the taller man behind her grandfather, who immediately claimed his position by her side. He, too, had an unreadable gaze as they looked at each other.
“I know this is very much presumptuous of me, but I would like to present to you, in front of our families and friends, a small token of my deep happiness and the honor and privilege I feel for being your future wife.”
The crowd had completely fallen silent at her words, and on cue, one of the trusted stewards of the Kokinos clan came forward. He handed Alina a small jewelry box, which she in turn opened and presented to her fiancé.
It was a simple platinum ring, beautiful and indubitably expensive. It was also a symbol of the Kokinos’ claim over him, portending the future in which he would be offering his name to a woman…who was not Mairi Tanner.
The name alone ignited memories, all of them something he was not inclined to revisit.
After a moment’s hesitation, not at all perceptible except to several people in the room, namely his family and his intended’s, Damen Leventis took out the ring and put it on his finger.
With this, he would be permanently cutting ties with the young school teacher he desired…still.
****
The school’s library was nearly empty, unsurprisingly so for it was a Sunday morning and all of the students of the Grecian Academy for Young Ladies were spending the last day of their weekend outside. It was a wonderfully sunny morning, best spent frolicking on the beach or perhaps enjoying a cup of strong Greek coffee in one of the quaintly charming tavernes.
“You really don’t need to be stuck in here with me,” Mairi insisted. Keeping her gaze on the spines of the books she was scanning, she added, “You don’t have to worry about me killing myself either. I’m over him.”
When neither of her friends answered, Mairi lifted her head and caught Mandy and Velvet exchanging looks. Sure she is, their looks said.
“Shut up,” she grumbled.
“We didn’t even say a word,” Velvet said innocently.
“You didn’t have to,” she continued in a grumpy tone.
“Look, we’re just really concerned,” Mandy said soothingly. “It’s been two weeks – he never called you, never sent a text message or email, and he’s still engaged. We need to accept things as they are. He’s a cheating bastard, end of story. Let’s move on from there.”
Mandy always made things sound so…easy, Mairi thought morosely. If only she could really do as her friend suggested. She would seriously trade half of her life for it. Anything must be better than this gaping emptiness inside her. But Mairi was also afraid if the emptiness had an end to it, then she’d start hurting – and never stop hurting.
“Mairi, oh my God, look!”
Velvet’s excited voice snapped her out of her thoughts and she unthinkingly hurried to her friend's side. “What is—” She made a face when she realized what Velvet was pointing to – the newest Harlequin titles were on the shelves now.
Heart squeezing, she managed to lift her chin and said snippily, “I don’t read those now.”
“Are you suuuuuuuuuure?” Velvet teased.
Mairi put her hands behind her back, just to be sure the temptation wouldn’t get to her. “Yes.”
“But, Mairi…there’s the newest one by Julia James…”
Oh, Mandy and her horribly good memory, Mairi thought even as she kept her gaze straight ahead, never dipping down to where the books were.
“…and look, a Greek billionaire novel by Lynne Graham!”
She still wasn’t going to look, Mairi told herself. So her favorite Harlequin author had written another Greek billionaire romance. Big deal. It wasn’t—
Velvet wagged the book in front of Mairi.
Her control broke. “Oh, fine, if you insist!” Mairi grabbed the book. It really was about another Greek billionaire by Lynne Graham, she mused wonderingly as she started to walk back towards the counter, where she could check the book out. If she read this, she could pretend she was the heroine and—
“Another Harlequin novel?” The librarian, Carrie, teased.
“Yeah.” She was red-faced with embarrassment even though she knew no one in school except for her friends were aware of what went on between Mairi and her own Greek billionaire.
As she waited for Carrie to input the book’s details in her library account, her gaze strayed around the newspapers and magazines on display next to the counter. There was one already half open, showing a full-page spread of what seemed like a party—
Her heart stuttered to a stop when she realized what she was looking at. Slowly, she walked towards the newspaper stand, feeling like she was walking the Green Mile as she did.
Mairi picked up the newspaper.
“That’s one of our student’s brothers,” Carrie said helpfully from behind. “Two-thirds of Greece’s female population is heartbroken now because he’s finally picked a date for the wedding. The remaining one-third can’t confess to being sad since they’re all married.”
The photo wasn’t grainy at all like most other black-and-white newspaper photos. The Leventis money at work, she thought dully as her eyes glossed past Damen’s face, not wanting to really look at him.