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Nikolaos
I sat back at my desk and sighed.
I probably shouldn’t have told the Secretary-General off like that. It hadn’t been one of my finest moments.
As a direct result of that meeting, there had been sudden, unexplained delays in getting approvals for new projects, a large amount of highly unusual scrutiny of our financial transactions, and a marked increase in regulatory audits—all of which could be traced back to the influence of the Ministry.
I felt a twinge of regret for how the meeting had unfolded. My reaction, though justified in defense of Maci, was impulsive—a deviation from the calculated and disciplined approach that had always guided my actions. This wasn’t the first time either. Blowing up the Stefanidis’ ships, though a strategic move, was a bold play that invited scrutiny and risk at a much higher level than I allowed typically, and then there was the incident with Alexios Demetriou at the charity ball…
I’d paid off his father, and with his agreement, we’d pushed it under the rug.
I had always prided myself on being a disciplined man, one who weighed every decision with precision and foresight. But ever since Maci came into my life, I found this discipline slipping. It was as if her presence had awakened a different side of me, one that acted on emotion rather than cold logic.
I didn’t like it.
“What’s happened to you, Nikolaos?” I muttered to myself, feeling the weight of my own question. Maci had become my weakness, a chink in my armor that others could exploit. I had let my guard down, allowing personal feelings to influence my decisions in a realm where such emotions could be costly.
There was a knock on the door.
“Come in,” I called out.
Andreas walked in and took a seat opposite me as I let out a heavy breath. I had already told him about the outcome of the meeting days ago and he hadn’t been happy about it either, which honestly was a fair reaction when I considered it.
“We need to talk about a few things, boss,” he began.
“Go ahead,” I sighed. I knew that it probably wasn’t good news, especially by the look on his face.
“We’ve hit a few snags in getting the new shipping licenses,” he explained, his frustration evident. “The process, which used to be straightforward, has become unnecessarily complicated. The paperwork has doubled, and there are constant requests for additional documentation, some of which seems irrelevant to the actual licensing requirements. It’s as if every step forward is met with a new hurdle.”
“Is that all?” I pressed, my heavy sigh echoing throughout the room.
“There’s also the issue of our regular tax audits, which used to be routine and predictable. Now, they’ve turned into something much more invasive. It’s like they are digging for something, scrutinizing every transaction, every record, far beyond the usual scope. It’s become an inquisition rather than an audit. This level of scrutiny is unprecedented,” he continued.
With a heavy sigh, I pressed my hand to my forehead in frustration.
“It’s retaliation, Niko. You already know why.” Andreas offered, lifting his eyebrows in a bit of chiding way. He was the only person in the world that could get away with that, especially when he was right. Even so, a sliver of annoyance raced through me, and I swallowed it down. He was simply the messenger, and this was one hundred fucking percent my fault.
“We need to strategize. Push back against these bureaucratic games without escalating things further,” I replied with a curt nod, my hands clasped together on the desk.
“Listen Niko… We need to talk about Maci,” he replied quietly.
“What about her?” I said quickly, immediately feeling myself go on the defensive.
“If she’s the reason you’re this fired up, why not just go all in? Marry her. Flip everybody the bird and show them she’s more than what they paint her to be. Who cares what they think? You’re Nikolaos Kaligaris. Put your fucking dick on the table and show them who you are. Make her your fucking wife.”
His suggestion caught me off guard.
Why couldn’t I marry her?
The more I considered it, the more it made sense. Marrying her wouldn’t just be about protecting her or making a statement. It would be about accepting that she was as much a part of my world as I was, and that together, we were stronger.
It didn’t just make sense, it felt right.
Like everything had suddenly just fallen into place and I knew why.
Because not only did I love her, but she also deserved it.
“You know, Andreas, you might be onto something,” I said, a new sense of clarity emerging.
