‘And how did you garner such unquestioning loyalty?’ I semi-taunted, a little too eager to get beneath his skin the way he so effortlessly got beneath mine.
‘By giving them what their grasping little hearts desire, of course. Isn’t that the way to command most people’s allegiance? Something in return for something more?’
Flint-hard bitterness glazed his words, triggering a burst of alarm.
Something in return for something more.
Wasn’t that what my father had orchestrated for himself with his own family? A calculated means to an end?
Neo couldn’t have made his endgame clearer. So why was I plagued with the urge to be sure? ‘Does that apply to you too?’
The faintest ripple whispered over his jaw. ‘We’re not talking about me.’
‘Aren’t we?’ I asked.
But when he started to speak, I shook my head to pre-empt him. To mitigate the ball of hurt that far too closely resembled the pain I’d felt at my father’s actions.
‘I’m not sure what happened to you to make you believe that’s how everyone ticks—’
His eyes grew icily livid as he stared me down. ‘I do not require your pity. Not now or ever,’ he stated through gritted teeth.
Aware I’d touched on a raw nerve, I breathed in, curled my hands in my lap to stop them from reaching out for him. ‘It wasn’t pity. It was a need to understand—’
‘Again, this isn’t a lesson in dissecting my character, Sadie.’
Aware we were now drawing his parents’ gaze, I took another breath. ‘Fine. When will I start work?’
Scepticism and suspicion glinted in his eyes. ‘So eager to get down to business?’ he drawled. ‘Not even time to entertain the idea of a honeymoon? You are aware that, as Mrs Xenakis, you now have the power to command my pilot to take you anywhere in the world your heart desires?’
I forced a shrug, and the uncanny sense that this was some kind of test intensified the chaos inside me. ‘As tempting as that is, what’s the point? We both know what this is. What my heart desires is to get started on my internship and finish my degree.’
The tic in his jaw returned, a little more insistent this time. ‘You don’t need reminding, I hope, that taking care of yourself and the baby is your number one priority?’
My fingers tightened. ‘No, I don’t. And you’re beginning to sound like a broken record.’
‘If you wish me to lay off, then have some food. It will please me,’ he tossed in silkily, offering the succulent chicken again.
But my appetite had disappeared.
‘If you’re so interested in the chicken, Neo, then you have it. I’m going to powder my nose. And, in case you don’t get that, it’s a euphemism for I need some space.’
The briefest flare of his nostrils was the only sign he was displeased. In that moment I didn’t care. I walked away, making a beeline for the wide opening of the living room wing. With the glass doors folded back and tucked out of sight, and late-afternoon sunlight spilling in through the glass ceiling onto the stylish grey and white Cycladic furnishings, the inside was a breathtaking extension of the outside.
Despite the chaos reigning inside me, I couldn’t help but be affected by the stunning beauty surrounding me. But it only lasted for a minute—then reality came crashing back.
I blindly turned down one hallway, relieved when a half-open door revealed the sanctuary I was looking for. Shutting myself in, I attempted to regulate my breathing as questions ricocheted in my head.
The postcard my father left me had testified to the fact that selfishness and greed were his mainstays. But what had happened to Neo to fuel his actions?
Over the last week I’d given in to curiosity and done more internet searching. Very few details had been forthcoming regarding his broken engagement to Anneka. Even the circumstances of his accident were obfuscated. Although about the tall, Dutch beauty herself there’d been reams and reams, prompting in me even more questions as to why two people who’d outwardly looked like the kind of couple romance novels portrayed had parted ways.
I wanted to tell myself I didn’t care. Again, my very emotions mocked me. The need to know, to see beneath the surface of the man I’d married, clawed at me.
Ten minutes dragged by. Knowing I couldn’t remain hidden in the bathroom for ever, I splashed cool water over my hands, dabbed a few drops at my throat before exiting—just in time to see Callie Xenakis enter the living room, carrying baby Andreos.
She spotted me and smiled. ‘I came in here to escape the heat for a few minutes. Won’t you join me?’ she invited, her movements graceful as she sank into one sumptuous sofa.
For some reason I hesitated, my gaze darting outside to where Neo stood with his brother. There were similar intense expressions on their ruggedly handsome faces as they spoke.