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“Good evening, you must be Zoe.”
I turn my head to the side, wondering how he knows my name, but then I remember the visitor Dad was expecting. “Yes, it’s me. And you are Mr. Mike Howard?”
“Just Mike, please. It’s bad enough that my students call me that.”
“I didn’t mean to offend you,” I say.
“I wasn’t offended, Zoe. I just don’t want to look so old.”
“You’re not,” I say sincerely. “Oh my God. I think I’m making it worse. I’m really bad at socializing.”
“Don’t apologize. With me, you can always act like yourself.”
I smile, believing it. I also believed many of the lies he told me until it was too late.
Christos
CHAPTER SEVENTEEN
Seven Months Later
NEW YORK
“Beautiful, isn’t she?”Yuri, my assistant for nearly a decade, asks from behind my chair at my office headquarters.
I’m not a man who usually gives away what he thinks, but I’m so overwhelmed by the sight of her that I can’t fake it. Yuri must see from the look on my face that I can’t ignore the perfection in female form in the portfolio photos in front of me.
“Very,” I say as if I don’t know her, as if the woman hasn’t been tattooed on every cell of my body for nearly two years, as if I haven’t fought the desire for her with military discipline.
I followed her career and, of course, her rise. From the first time I saw her, I had no doubt that Zoe Turner would be perfect for catwalks and cameras.
Several times, I’ve been tempted to force a date so I could look into her eyes and understand what the hell went wrong that night, but I’ve never humbled myself for anyone, and I don’t intend to now. So instead, I stayed backstage, watching her from afar, wanting her in silence.
I’ve spent a long time deciding what to do because I was sure neither of us would get any closure. I planned the logical path: lock her into a contract with one of my brands and keep her close until my obsession wears off.
I had already made the offer when she got married about six months ago, surprising the whole world.
I was a covert stalker but attentive enough to be sure she wasn’t even dating, so when I saw on the news that it was an all-of-a-sudden secret notary marriage, I was shocked.
I feel as if I have a ball of iron lodged in my stomach when I remember that she’s now committed to another man, because one word has been hammering nonstop in my brain since that night in Barcelona.
Mine.
Mike Howard, that’s the asshole’s name. A teacher twenty years older than her.
“I can’t believe we finally managed to sign her. Zoe Turner has been hunted by several brands, and getting her to be exclusive to our group will take us even higher. It’s an excellent deal for both parties.”
I know what he’s talking about. Yuri has as much knowledge about the fashion world as I do. In a short time, Zoe became a phenomenon. Now, she is one of the best-paid models in the world because she’s signed a million-dollar contract with me.
No, she has no idea that my companies are behind it because I made one of my smallest brands, which most people are not aware belongs to me, appear as the contracting party. I’ve saved the surprise—and the shock, I’d say—of seeing her again for now that she’s already signed.
There is even a meeting scheduled in a few days.
“And you know what’s more incredible?” Yuri asks, having no idea where my thoughts are headed. “Despite her success, she’s as sweet as a pot of honey. Kind, polite, shy. Incredibly, she hasn’t been tainted by the arrogance that people with her type of beauty usually have.”
I think about what he’s saying, and I can’t disagree. Despite the way she left me without an eye-to-eye conversation, Zoe has traits that made her admired in the fashion world: she doesn’t have fits of stardom, and according to what is being said, she’s very easy to work with.
The only thing no one suspects is that there is a block of ice where her heart is supposed to be.
