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An hour and a half later, inside the aircraft, Bia looks at me in shock. “I don’t even know where to start, but I’ll try to organize my thoughts. The first thing I must say is that I am now sure you being hired was no accident. He still wants you.”
I’ve already come to that conclusion, too. It’s not that he wants me, because despite his desire, there is a lot of pent-up anger, but my hiring wasn’t fate’s doing.
“Did you run away from him because of your friend? Look, I’m sorry, Zoe, but Christos Lykaios is a well-known figure not only in the fashion world but as a billionaire philanthropist. I’ve dealt with rich people for a long time, and I’ve never seen his name in the midst of rumors of illegal practices. I’m talking about drugs, mostly. Look at him. Sound like someone who takes drugs to escape reality, gets into a car, causes an accident, and evades accountability?”
“No. He doesn’t.”
“Quite the contrary, the man is a dominant. He looks like he wants to have control of the world in the palm of his hand.”
“I know, and even when I was young, I did research to check that story. But as Ernestine said, the deal they made was behind closed doors. I’m so confused.”
“You were too young. What you experienced was surreal, but I promise I’ll dig deeper. Where did you say the accident happened?”
“In Boston. According to Ernestine, he was a college student and Pauline was very young.”
“I have an ex-boyfriend who is a police detective and has contacts within the DA’s office. I promise I will find out the truth. Now, let’s get to the money in the envelope. Okay, it wasn’t nice that you woke up and he wasn’t there, but I blame your youth again for a lot of what you felt. Honestly, I’m going to play the devil’s advocate here, but Lykaios doesn’t have to offend a woman to get rid of her.”
“Not even pay her?”
“With those looks? Baby, I bet even if he was a beggar, he’d have fans after him. With all due respect, the beauty of that man could turn the world around.”
“You don’t have to apologize to me; he’s not mine.”
“If you say so . . . The fact is, I have many more years on the road than you do, Zoe, and I can say, without fear, the man wants you. And judging by the state you were in, it’s reciprocal.”
“There’s still Pauline’s matter.”
“Yes, there is, and I promised I’d investigate. But what if it was all just a lie from that woman? For God’s sake, she gave you back to the orphanage when you were a little girl.”
“She and several other families. It’s more common than you might think, Bia. And I swear I’m not trying to defend her; I’m saying this because it’s a fact. In her case, there was never any intention of adopting me; I just didn’t expect to be returned so quickly because I loved Pauline. I still love her.”
“The purest friendship in the world: between two children. Innocent hearts.”
“She was beautiful and so happy. Paulineis my best childhood memory. Even after she was gone, I kept talking to her in my thoughts, celebrating each achievement with her. That’s why I was so horrified when I found out who Christos was.”
“I’ll look into it, Zoe, but even if I don’t have solid information, I can assure you that whatever happened wasn’t what that Ernestine woman told you.”
Christos
CHAPTER TWENTY-THREE
I plan everything.
Aside from Zoe—the way we met and my spontaneous invitation for her to spend the summer with me—I’m not an impulsive man. My life is basically a file, with each folder labeled and in its proper place.
Attack the enemy at their weak point. Don’t let anyone be prepared or anticipate my moves so the punishment is as painful as possible; that’s who I am. Right now, though, I want to go after Mike Howard and wring his neck for beating her. Feel the pleasure of hearing him crack in my hands.
I pick up my phone and call the one person who won’t judge me.
“What’s up, friend?” he answers. “I know that when you look for me, it’s because you don’t see any other way out. You’re the hero; I’m the villain.”
“There’s nothing heroic about me, and we both know it.”
“But you’re not quite the bad apple, either, like I am.”
“I need you to find out everything you can about Mike Howard. He’s a professor atMassachusetts College.”
“Her husband,” he says because the man just seems to know everything.
