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“She chose to come here,” Nico replied, doing his best to hang on to the last threads of his composure. “In fact, she was the one who suggested we get married and live like a family.”
Julian’s face twitched. Was he not aware of that fact? “She doesn’t love you.”
That’s when the motivation became clear. There wasn’t any mention of the child, of the stability and opportunities Nico would provide. It was all about Marianna. Julian was in love with her.
For some reason, this only made Nico angrier. Julian had obviously come a long way to have this discussion. Was he going to try and lure Marianna away? Was he going to convince her to leave Nico and go back to Australia with him?
“And you think she loves you?” Nico asked.
Julian’s cheeks were scarlet now. He dropped his hands down by his sides and clenched his fists. He wouldn’t want to take a swing unless he was happy to be on the receiving end as well. Nico had been in enough schoolyard fights in his time to know how to throw a punch. And judging by Julian’s smooth, callous-free hands and slight frame, he wouldn’t be much of an opponent.
“I know she does.” Julian stayed rooted to the spot. “She’s been confiding in me ever since she got here, but she’s too scared you’re going to come after the baby.”
“What kind of father would I be if I wasn’t prepared to fight for my child?”
“Is it your child? You have proof of that?”
His blood ran cold. Hadn’t Dion asked him the same question up front when he’d believed Marianna. And if the kid pops out to be some blond-haired blue-eyed little bundle of joy?
He still believed her…didn’t he?
“Why would she be here if it wasn’t?” Nico said.
“Interesting answer.” Julian took a step forward, a mean smirk crossing his lips. “I’d have thought someone like you would demand a DNA test.”
Someone like you.
The phrase was like a flashing cape to a bull, and it made him want to throw things. Because he’d heard that very same thing the last time his life had turned to shit. I don’t want my daughter to be with someone like you.
Pauper.
Orphan.
Nobody.
Nico was about to rain hellfire down on this asshole who dared insult him in his own home, but the slam of a car door outside the house stopped him. A second later, the tinkling sound of Marianna’s voice got louder. She was practicing Greek vocabulary. Hearing his language falling from her lips, with some damn good pronunciation as well, made his chest tighten. But a seed of doubt had been planted by Julian’s words, and he couldn’t shake it.
The front door opened, and Nico’s driver motioned for her to enter ahead of him. “Very good, Mrs. Gallinas. Your studies are coming along well.”
“Efharistó polí,” she replied, smiling, but the smile morphed into shock when she saw Julian. “Jules!”
The giant smile that followed was like a blade slashing across Nico’s heart, and the cuts only got worse when she flung herself into his arms. They stood there for a moment, wrapped in one another while Nico burned bright with jealousy and frustration. But nobody would see it. He’d make sure of that.
“Oh my god, I had no idea you were coming to visit.” She shook her head and cupped his face. “I can’t believe it. You came all this way to see me!”
“I would have flown to Mars to see you, Marianna.” Julian’s eyes flicked to Nico for a brief second. “I’m staying in town.”
“Nonsense,” she said. “You should stay here. We have plenty of space. Right, Nico?”
“Of course,” he replied, deciding to nip the issue in the bud. Having Julian in the house would mean he could keep an eye on him. “Any friend of Marianna’s is welcome in our house.”
Julian’s eyes narrowed, but he didn’t contradict Nico’s words. At least now, if he tried to claim Nico had been unwelcoming it wouldn’t be supported by anything.
“I’ll have Lydia set up a room,” Nico added. “Our driver can take you to the hotel to get your things and help you cancel your reservation. In the meantime, Marianna and I will organize somewhere for us to all have dinner.”
At least now, he had control over the situation again. Nico had enough experience in business negotiations to know that getting the upper hand early was critical. This way Marianna would stay with him while Julian sorted out his things, so he could talk to her alone. Everything would be fine so long as he and Marianna were on the same page.
But despite his desire to be logical and calm, his gut told him that something about this situation wasn’t quite right.
…
Marianna decided to hold off talking to Nico about Alethea until the following day. There was already a strange feeling in the house with Jules’s surprise arrival, which resulted in a tension between the two men that Marianna couldn’t quite figure out.
Rather than potentially pouring kerosene on a fire, Marianna had kept her mouth shut. But after an awkward meal with them both, they’d all come back to the house and gone to bed. Nico had tried to kiss her, but she’d developed a very real headache from the strain of the meal and feigned fatigue. The look of worry on his face had made her feel like crap, but she needed space to think, and if there was one thing she knew, Nico was a master at obliterating her ability to concentrate.
