AllFreeNovel
Share Us
For a moment, he said nothing. In the silence, the melodic chatter of two of Nico’s staff members in Greek got louder as they walked down the hall, and Marianna recognized the words for “dinner” and “lamb” from the small bit of study she’d fit into the last few weeks.
“What makes you think you’ll be meeting people?”
“I told you I won’t be shoved into a corner.” She didn’t even bother to keep the edge out of her voice.
Nico’s lips lifted into a smirk, the first returning glimpse of the man she’d clumsily seduced almost three months ago. “I simply meant that I don’t get out much, therefore you won’t need to, either. I don’t plan to parade you around like some trophy.”
She wasn’t sure how to feel about it. On one hand, she wasn’t exactly a whiz at parties and small talk. But on the other hand, that meant being alone. A lot. And Marianna hadn’t ever been left to her own devices before. She wasn’t sure how she would even fill her hours without someone checking in on her. Especially since Nico had made it clear he didn’t want their marriage to be anything but the paper bearing their signatures.
“Is that your way of saying you don’t have a lot of friends?” she asked, trying to sound sarcastic instead of curious, like she really was. She’d never met a man like Nico before—one who was so unabashedly remote. “I can’t imagine why.”
He ignored her dig. “I live a solitary life, and I like it that way. Fewer people means fewer problems.”
“That’s a sad outlook,” she replied. “But I suppose it explains a lot.”
He looked as though he might retort for a minute, but instead he said, “I should get back to work.”
The man was a mystery. A puzzle. And for some strange reason, curiosity tugged at her like a puppet master pulling her strings.
After unpacking and showering, she padded into the bedroom with a towel around her waist and another encasing her hair. A lot could be learned about a person by observing their space. Nico had claimed he was “very particular” about how things were set up.
As someone with good attention to detail, she noticed the careful styling. Only things which were held in the highest regard would be added to this sanctuary—a prized personal photo, linens of the highest quality. One or two trinkets which symbolized something important.
Marianna wandered over to the side of the bed closest to the window. It appeared to be Nico’s preferred side. A box containing three expensive-looking watches was flanked by a stack of old books, the kind that were one uniform color all over with the title printed in gold on the spine. They must have lost their dust jackets. She scanned the titles: The Wealth of Nations, The Prince, and On Certainty. Classic nonfiction.
Atop the pile of books was a small porcelain cat. The black enamel marking its nose was chipped away. Marianna picked it up. Who had it belonged to? Because it wasn’t the kind of item that belonged in this meditative, thinking space unless it had some significance.
Gently, she placed the cat back down and turned it to face the window. “There you go, kitty. Now you can enjoy the sunshine.”
She’d have a hard task ahead of her. But Nico Gallinas could be certain of one thing: his wife was going to be part of his life…whether he liked it or not.
Chapter Eight
“I can’t believe you went through with it,” Dion said.
Nico was still in his suit from the wedding. Despite the heat, he hadn’t changed out of it the second he’d gotten home like he’d planned. Maybe it was because stripping off the jacket and pants would be like admitting it was over and done with. He was married. Something he never thought he would be.
Dion had called not long after he’d left Marianna to unpack in his—their—bedroom.
“I mean, I know you’re a man of your word but…fuck.” Dion let out a raw laugh. “This isn’t 1950. Just because a woman gets pregnant doesn’t mean you need to marry her.”
“You know it’s already done, right? You watched me sign the papers,” Nico drawled. “This is a pointless conversation.”
“I’m shocked, that’s all.”
Nico had told Dion the whole story, unfiltered. Everything from Marianna’s terrible flirting, to him getting swept up in her beauty and uniqueness. To the fact he had his suspicions about her brother’s involvement. All of it.
“And you know as well as I do that bastard children are treated differently here,” Nico said. “What about that lady who worked for you, huh? You heard the old women in accounts gossiping about her. I can guarantee it would be the same outside of work. The world has moved on, but Corfu…”
It hadn’t. Traditional values were still held in the highest regard. And he wasn’t about to leave the empire he’d built here to go and live somewhere else.
“You don’t even have proof it’s your kid,” Dion said.
“She signed a prenup that gives her literally nothing except the contents of the suitcase she brought with her. No power, no access to my money. No claim on the company. If she walks out on me, she’ll be walking away empty-handed.” Nico drummed his fingers against the desktop. “Why would she do that if it wasn’t my kid?”
