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She wondered if she should tell him about Mairi’s unsuccessful attempts to find work. Alina was no idiot, and she had her own eyes and ears spying for her. Everyone in the world – including her father – thought of her merely as the Kokinos heiress, a pawn to be married off for mergers, but what nobody knew was that she had always yearned to be the head of her family’s business, always wished she had been born a man rather than a woman so that she would be taken seriously. Certainly, most people in Greece’s high society would never think that she paid great attention to business rumors, and that from those rumors she was able to deduce the reason behind the falling stock prices of Leventis Inc. More importantly, her spies had also told her about Mairi Tanner’s current plight and how Damen Leventis still did not seem to know about it.
But he would know about that soon enough, Alina thought uneasily. It was only a matter of time, and when the truth came out, there would be many people paying dearly for being stupid enough to ally themselves with Esther Leventis and her own father.
“Is there anything else you wish to talk about?” Very polite. But with a tinge of impatience this time.
He really was a cold man. If Mairi Tanner was not the gold digger everyone painted her to be – and Alina liked to think the other girl wasn’t – then whatever did she see in Damen?
Alina said finally, and with great sincerity, “Thank you. And I really do wish the two of you well. I think it’s great that you made your love for her your first priority. I’m sure she loves you just as much.”
A self-mocking smile appeared on Damen’s handsome face, and the sight troubled her, especially when he said, “I’m sure it is so.”
Damen remained at their table a long time after Alina had already left. When his phone rang, he answered it almost reluctantly and when he heard who was on the other line, Damen wished he had indeed rejected the call instead.
“Is there any change?” Stavros Manolis asked. “Is she willing to speak to me now or perhaps more willing to consider it?”
“She is still hurt by what you did to her years ago,” he heard himself saying. “You must give her time.”
Chapter 11
To prevent herself from missing Damen too much and making herself sick with worry about what he and Alina Kokinos would talk about when they met for lunch, Mairi decided to accept double her usual number of article requests.
After her shower, Mairi had already dressed herself for another day at the library, choosing a pretty but modestly designed off-white dress, before changing her mind about going out.
Yesterday’s disguise had been an epic fail thanks to Damen’s entrance. Her lips quirked at the memory. He had walked towards them like he was Keanu Reeves in The Matrix. Was it a surprise people had gawked at him and realized he was “someone” even if they didn’t know his actual identity?
It was pure luck that no one had sent a photo of the three of them together – him, Ioniko, and her – to the press, but she was not going to take her chances again. She didn’t need more of the media’s attention, and Damen certainly needed it less, considering how sensitive negotiations seemed to be between his company and investment partners.
Mairi had devoured all the news reports she could about Leventis Inc., and all of it painted a grim picture for Damen’s business. And it was all because of her. She had turned him into the laughingstock of Greece’s business community, but he never said a word about it.
She would do her best not to add to his problems, Mairi swore to herself. And that meant she was going to work right here – even if it also equated to struggling with writer’s block more often.
Just the thought of having to get past writer’s block made Mairi sigh. At the library, she was surrounded by people, and the constant buzz and movement distracted her from dwelling too long and too often on her thoughts. But here at home, surrounded by Damen’s scent, she couldn’t help but think, couldn’t help but miss him, and she couldn’t help but worry.
Things had never been perfect between them, but something had changed and it wasn’t for the better.
With another sigh, Mairi headed for the study. There was no point dwelling on it. She just had to wait until Damen was ready to talk to her. For now, she was better off concentrating on her work.
And work she did, typing until almost every part of her body ached – her body, neck, shoulders, and oh, her poor fingers! They felt so stiff now it was a wonder she could still move them.
