AllFreeNovel
Share Us
I clenched my jaw, struggling to process the unexpected blow. “What do you mean, gone?”
“A sudden heart attack, Nikolas. We rushed him to the hospital, but he didn’t make it.” Andreas’ voice, normally unshakable, wavered with a vulnerability that mirrored my own shock.
My mind raced, grappling with the enormity of what I’d just been told. The patriarch of the Kaligaris family was gone in the blink of an eye.
I knew what this meant.
The weight of responsibility, the mantle of leadership, and all the things that came with that suddenly fell upon me. I felt the room spinning, the ground beneath me shifting as I tried to come to terms with the sudden turn of events.
I am the patriarch now.
“Andreas, I… I need to come home,” I finally managed to say, the gravity of the situation settling over me like a hazy shroud.
“Yes, Nikolas. You need to come back. The family needs you now more than ever. The shipping business, the legacy your father built, it’s now yours to control.”
“Is the jet ready?” I asked, my tone clipped.
“It’s on the tarmac waiting for you,” he answered quickly.
“Good.”
CHAPTER 5
Six months later
Maci
We didn’t have dinner that night. In fact, the only word he’d sent was a note delivered on his behalf that had detailed that urgent business had come up, and he needed to leave immediately to return to Greece. A little part of me had been disappointed, but another part of me was relieved that I wouldn’t have to see him after what I’d done.
After I touched my pussy while thinking about him punishing me…
I shook my head and plunged my hands back into the dirt, digging another hole. When I was done, I leaned back and lifted my head, letting the sun’s rays beat down on me like they could burn away the wicked thoughts bouncing around in my head.
I focused on being grateful that I was free and had the sun beating down on my head in the first place.
My godfather’s team of lawyers had been an absolute godsend. Not only had they navigated the confusing labyrinth of the legal system for me, but they’d unearthed a simple technicality that got my entire case thrown out of court. I didn’t have to serve any time or even do any community service at all. It was as if the night had never even happened.
However, the same couldn’t be said for Ryan. The legal fallout hit him hard, and he bore the brunt of the consequences for our reckless night out. The judge slapped him with a considerable amount of jail time. I couldn’t do anything to help him. Even when I asked my lawyers for advice for him, they refused, and I realized that Nikolaos had probably forbidden them from doing anything to help the boy that had gotten me into all this trouble in the first place.
I sighed.
I needed to focus on things I could change rather than those I couldn’t. For instance, right now I was planting a row of sunflowers in hopes that the seeds would take root and bloom into beautiful blossoms in the coming months.
I’d gotten a job as a waitress at a local restaurant in town and was saving money to potentially go to college sometime in the future. I had decided that I did want to go, I just didn’t know when. A part of me wanted to take another year off and see the world, but I hadn’t done anything yet to actually take a step in that direction.
Maybe I’d visit Greece.
A familiar pair of dark, stormy grey eyes flashed before mine, and I flinched, thinking about touching myself with thoughts of him in my head again before bed tonight.
No. That had been a one-time thing, I lied to myself, even though I knew full well that it hadn’t. It had been several times, more than I could count on two hands and two feet number of times, and a rush of fiery heat flushed my face.
It was my dirty little secret.
I was lucky he lived overseas. I didn’t know if I could face him now, after everything I had done in the privacy of my very own bedroom.
I wiped the back of my hand across my brow, the sun hot overheard. With a determined resolve, I crouched down, feeling the cool soil against my fingertips. The vibrant yellow packets of sunflower seeds lay beside me, promising a burst of sunshine in the weeks to come. I couldn’t wait to watch them bloom, knowing I had planted them myself.
Dipping my fingers into the soil, I created small, welcoming pockets in the earth, each one a potential home for a sunflower to take root. The sun warmed my skin as I carefully placed the seeds into their designated spots. With each gentle press, I imagined the vibrant petals and the towering stems that would soon grace my backyard.
