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Then she looked back at his face, and a bundle of nerves tightened inside her as she realised her relief had been misplaced. Despite the fact he’d finally bought the island he was furious.
‘Why aren’t you pleased?’ she asked. ‘You’ve got what you wanted.’
‘I wanted a wife who understood not to meddle in my affairs,’ he grated.
‘I didn’t meddle!’ she said incredulously, a spike of annoyance stabbing into her.
‘You told Drakon things that I’d told you in confidence,’ he said.
‘No, I didn’t!’ Kerry exclaimed. ‘Drakon already knew. He just wanted confirmation.’
‘So you gave it to him,’ Theo said stonily.
‘No, it wasn’t like that. He told me what he knew—which was everything,’ Kerry insisted. ‘I didn’t say anything—but I couldn’t deny what he’d said. Short of lying, there was nothing I could have done.’
‘You went against my wishes,’ Theo said. ‘Even though I made myself absolutely clear to you.’
‘Did you want me to lie to a sick old man—tell him he was wrong about something he already knew to be true?’ Kerry demanded.
‘Don’t try to turn this around,’ Theo grated. ‘You’re not the martyr here.’
‘And neither are you!’ Kerry threw back at him, suddenly furious with the way he was treating her. ‘You’re acting like I deliberately set out to defy you!’ she cried. ‘Nothing bad has happened. You should be pleased—you’ve finally bought the island you’ve wanted for years.’
‘Drakon would have sold to me sooner or later. That is not the issue,’ Theo said, stepping closer so that he was looming over her—a menacing physical presence. ‘The point is I cannot have a wife that I don’t trust.’ He moved closer. ‘And I don’t trust you.’
Kerry did not miss the threat in Theo’s words. But rather than make her nervous they sent a wave of anger rolling through her.
‘This isn’t about trust,’ she accused him. ‘This is about what kind of wife you want—someone who is quiet and biddable, someone who never expresses her own opinion.’ She paused for breath, still glaring up at him. ‘In fact you don’t want a wife at all. You want another employee—someone who’ll happily jump to do your bidding and never challenge you in any way!’
Theo was staring down at her, his dark eyes glinting dangerously. She could see a vein throbbing at his temple and a muscle pulsing in his jaw.
‘Whatever accusations you make—whatever defence you plead,’ he said coldly, ‘understand that I will not tolerate your continued interference in my affairs—private or business.’
‘Don’t try to intimidate me,’ Kerry said, placing her hands on her hips and standing her ground as he loomed over her. ‘A lot has happened since the night you threw me out—I’m not the same timid girl I was then.’
‘Really? Then why are we right back to square one—arguing about how you betrayed me?’ Theo demanded savagely.
‘I didn’t betray you—that’s just how you’ve chosen to interpret what happened,’ Kerry said. ‘It’s impossible for you to accept that anybody else can ever have a valid opinion or be well motivated.’
She turned to the side for a moment, dashing away the foolish tears that sprang into her eyes as she realised it didn’t matter what she said—Theo had already judged her. Whatever she did, he always construed it harshly. She drew in a steadying breath, lifted her head and looked him straight in the eye once more.
‘You are a control freak,’ she said. ‘Everything always has to be on your terms. No matter what, you’re always convinced that you know best—that your way is the right way.’
Theo glared at her, his heart thumping angrily in his chest. How dared she make such an accusation?
‘Demanding respect from the people around me and taking charge of my life does not make me a control freak,’ he said angrily.
‘Never accepting that anyone else can ever have a valid point of view, always insisting that everything happens in exactly the way you envision it—even when the outcome is the same—that makes you a control freak,’ she said.
‘However you try to turn this around—to point the blame at me—I will never tolerate your interference in my affairs,’ Theo bit out.
‘Don’t you realise how hypocritical you are being?’ Kerry asked, her voice rising with exasperation. ‘By wanting to control everything all the time you are the one guilty of interfering with other people’s lives. You told Corban to put Hallie in rehab. You bought the island for your aunt with the aim of totally changing her life. And you forced me to come to Greece to marry you.’
‘I want what is best for my family,’ Theo said. ‘There is nothing wrong with that.’
He’d only ever tried to do the right thing—for Hallie, for his aunt. And most importantly for Lucas. He would not permit Kerry to twist his good intentions.
‘It’s the way you go about it—refusing to see anything from anyone else’s perspective,’ she said. ‘You told me how you couldn’t stand your father meddling in your life. But I think you’ve put so much energy into single-handedly taking control, that you can never accept anyone else might have something to contribute.’
