The Art of Trusting a Greek Billionaire

  The Art of Trusting a Greek Billionaire (Book 2)

  By Marian Tee

  Copyright 2013 by Streak Digital Publishing

  All rights reserved. This book or any portion thereof may not be reproduced or used in any manner whatsoever without the express written permission of the publisher except for the use of brief quotations in a book review.

  All characters appearing in this work are fictitious. Any resemblance to real persons, living or dead, is purely coincidental.

  Once upon a time, there was an ordinary girl who grew up listening to bedtime stories where there were no knights in shining armor or Prince Charming. Instead, it had Greek billionaires and this little girl dreamt she’d one day have Her Own Greek Billionaire to live happily ever after with.

  When this little girl grew up, she found what she was looking for – but he did not believe in the same bedtime stories.

  When she told him she loved him at first sight because he was a Greek billionaire, he did not think she was a hopeless romantic. Instead, he thought she was a gold digger.

  This is my story.

  I mean your story.

  I mean, Mairi Tanner's story.

  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.

  The caption was direct to the point. Kokinos heiress, presenting Damen Leventis with his own engagement ring, possibly starting a new tradition in Greek high society.

  Memories burned her mind, of herself in the arms of the man who now belonged to another woman – who had always belonged to another woman, even when he had taken her virginity.

  She returned the newspaper to its stand, taking her time because with the way her hands were shaking, she might end up dropping it – or tearing it into pieces.

  “I don’t think I’m going to borrow that after all, Carrie,” she heard herself saying faintly.

  “Oh? Why not?”

  “I think…I’m in the mood for some Stephen King instead. Or maybe some Romeo and Juliet. Anything where somebody dies please.”

  Chapter Two

  To trust a Greek billionaire, one must remember that he is the type to always go after you.

  She said: And most times, it’s to remind a girl that she’s “lucky” to have them.

  He said: I am a changed man now, matakia mou. These days, I am willing to wait until you admit it is so.

  Damen nodded his thanks to the principal before walking past her, doing his best to keep his stride at a regular pace even though his heart was beating a little faster. He told himself it was just his imagination, but he knew it wasn’t.

  No one looking at him would know he was uneasy. Everyone would have thought he was cool and collected, no different from how he typically appeared on TV or print.

  He was also dressed exquisitely, his Italian suit handmade and somehow making him sexier than a guy in swimming trunks. There was just something about a man capable of carrying a ten-thousand-dollar suit without any difficulty that was infinitely appealing, breathlessly so if the gasps of the teachers and students who spotted him were anything to go by.

  Again, he relied on his GPS to search for his sister, and it took him out of the school building and into an old but picturesque stone path that led to a greenhouse. As he came closer, its glass walls revealed its occupants, which were Diana and…

  ****

  “You don’t say…yay anymore.”

  Mairi glanced up, startled, and then she was tempted to look away again when she realized it was Damen’s younger sister talking to her. Diana strongly resembled Damen in looks – strong enough that it made her remember what she had been trying for so many sleepless nights to forget.

  The dark-haired girl had an uncertain smile on her face, forcing Mairi to muster a smile of her own. Diana’s shyness came from having an unsupportive mother, and having met Esther Leventis herself, Mairi could certainly relate.

  “You mean I say it less than a hundred times a day?” She wanted to sound lighthearted, but her voice cracked at the end.

  “Something like that.”

  Diana was still at the entrance of the greenhouse, hovering, and Mairi waved at her to come in. A feeling of déjà vu struck her, but she pushed it aside.

  Her student came to her side, quietly gazing as Mairi continued to arrange the newly transplanted roses. The head gardener had used a small portion of the monthly budget to replace old and broken pots with beautiful clay ones, and Mairi had volunteered to take over the arrangement.

  These days, she liked volunteering for anything. It helped take her mind off things, never mind if it also added permanent dark circles under her eyes.

  “Are you homesick?” Diana asked. She missed the old Ms. Yay, the one that kept them laughing, deliberately or accidentally. But nowadays, the older woman appeared sadder, weaker, and thinner – like someone wilting away.

  “Yes,” Mairi lied.

  There was a small noise behind them, the glass doors sliding open once more. Thinking it was the head gardener, Mairi turned, a proud smile on her face because she truly thought she did a good job with the arrangement.

  But it was not the head gardener.

  Rather, it was the guy messing with her head.

  Damen Leventis walked towards them with an air of arrogance and icy hauteur. He looked more gorgeous than she had allowed herself to recall, more masculine, more sophisticated – more everything than she wanted him to be.

  It made her extra conscious of how less she was, compared to the old her. Mairi was also underdressed compared to him, in an oversized baseball shirt and an old pair of flannel pants.

  From now on, I’m going to do gardening in Chanel and Louboutin heels, Mairi told herself even as she felt herself getting paler and paler the closer Damen got to them.

  Finally, he stopped at his sister’s side. His lips curved into a warm smile as he bent down to receive Diana’s kiss on his cheek, her face glowing with surprised pleasure.

  “What brings you here?” Diana asked excitedly.

  He smiled briefly before turning to Mairi. It was the only time he allowed himself to fully take in how she was, and the sight of her was like a punch to the stomach.

  It wasn’t because she was more beautiful or sexier. If anything, she had become a paler version of herself. But what stunned Damen was how much he had missed her.

  And he did, more than he thought possible. He looked at her and he wanted to kiss her, wanted to take her into his arms and lose himself in her scent, her touch, her passion.

  He wanted so many things, but the moment their gazes met, another feeling struck him. Guilt. The hot and shameful kind, making Damen feel defensive and causing him to sound chillingly polite as he said, “Ms. Tanner.”

  He was speaking to her as if nothing had happened. It made her feel cheap and stupid. How could he speak to her like that? She opened her mouth to try and do the same, be polite and not let his sister and student know that they had a past.

  But no words came out.

  Because at that moment, she saw the ring around his finger, gleaming under the strong and powerful lights of the greenhouse.

  When she had gotten back to her room from the library that night, the first thing Mairi had done was research about the party the couple had thrown. She had been hoping for a simple article, but with just one search she had gotten the worst results – official video coverage of the event, posted on the Leventis Incorporated’s website.

  She had watched with eyes blinded with tears and a heart that kept bleeding as Alina Kokinos had offered a ring to Damen.

  “…a small token of my deep happiness and the honor and privilege I feel for being your future wife.”

  But it had hurt even worse when Damen had taken the ring and worn it, saying amidst thunderous applause, “I am honored by your token and will treasure it always.”

  A small pain-filled cry escaped her, the memory like a knife stab to the heart.

  She tried to speak, but no words came out because there really wasn’t anything to say. He did not think of her as someone worthy of marrying, of loving – of respecting.

  He saw the way Mairi’s eyes teared up, and he understood – he goddamn understood each and every feeling in the hundreds of emotions that misted her gaze.

  “Mairi—”

  She spun away and walked out as quickly as she could. She knew by doing so she was giving herself away, but she just couldn’t be in the same room he was in and not die. She wished it was an exaggeration, but it was not.

  He made herself feel like the worst kind of character in a novel – the girl who would never be the heroine because she was not the kind that any hero could ever love.

  As her teacher left in a hurry, the look on her face was horribly easy to read. A gasp came out of Diana’s mouth, and when her brother started after Ms. Yay, Diana cried out, “No!”

  Damen stilled.

  Running in front of him, she burst out furiously, “How could you?” She couldn’t recall being this angry with her brother. Throughout the years, she had seen him coldly break women’s hearts, dozens of them, and she had thought the women were stupid for falling for him in the first place.

  But now that it
was someone she knew – someone Diana liked, respected, and cared for – she finally had an inkling of what those women had gone through and could empathize with them.

  When Damen didn’t answer but instead tried to move past her again, she blocked his way, protesting, “No!”

  “This is none of your business—”

  “She’s my teacher!”

  “She’s my lover!”

  Diana shut up, stunned not by the words but by the tone of possessiveness that underscored it. Even so, she could not get Ms. Yay’s face out of her mind.

  “Don’t go after her. I’ll go talk to her instead. You don’t deserve—”

  He cut her off flatly. “I may not deserve her, but I will still go after her.” For a moment, he wasn’t speaking to Diana as a brother, but as a man whose hold over his woman was being threatened – a man who would do anything to keep his woman in his possession.

  “I’ll warn you just this once, Diana. Do not interfere. This is our business alone, not yours.”

  Chapter Three

  To trust a Greek billionaire, one must remember that he does not ever mean to hurt you. He only thinks he’s always right.

  She said: Always.

  He said: You will not get an argument from me about that.

  Mairi stopped moving only when her ill-exercised limbs were no longer able to work and her chest was heaving too hard for her to breathe properly.

  She looked around, realizing a second later that she had run blindly to the back of the school, with the beach near enough that she could smell the salt in the air.

  Hearing the lightest footsteps, Mairi assumed it was Diana looking for her and as she turned around, she tried to think of what to say that would not make her look like the fool she really was.

  But again, Damen ended up surprising her.

  “You!” She backed away immediately at the look of resolve on Damen’s face. Why was he here? Why had he come after her? What did he want?