Ugh. “I wonder what she wants.”
“I can send her away,” suggests Irina with an unaccustomed hardness in her gaze.
Shrugging, I figure I should deal with it. “Thank you, but no. I’ll see what she wants. I might as well get it over with.” After the display Jayson and I gave her at Sophie’s party, I half-expected a confrontation with Maia.
I take a moment to comb my fingers through my hair and gather my wits. My stomach clenches with nervousness as I leave the bedroom and walk downstairs to the salon. With each step, I try to remind myself that Maia can’t hurt me, no matter how catty she might become. After all, I have the man Maia wants, so I’m the ultimate winner in any battle.
Maia has draped herself artfully on a sofa, the white fabric highlighting her golden-brown skin and turquoise sundress that looks deceptively casual—meaning it probably costs a fortune. She swings one foot, encased in silver sandals with dangerously high heels, as though she hasn’t a care in the world.
Hovering in the doorway for a second, I force myself to enter the room and take a seat across from the other woman. “Hello,” I say with as much coolness as I can muster. “To what do I owe this pleasure?”
Maia’s eyes narrow, but then her mouth curves into a satisfied smile. She leans forward slightly, as though preparing to attack. “I knew there had to be a reason.”
“That’s what I’m trying to discern. What is the reason for your visit?”
Maia wrinkles her nose. “I meant there had to be a reason for your marriage. Specifically, for Jayson playing the doting husband.” She taps her long nails, painted silver, against the glass of the coffee table. “I could think of several scenarios for why he would marry you, but not why he would pretend to be happy about it.”
“Perhaps you should consider that he’s not pretending.” I’m proud of myself for not betraying any reaction, though my stomach tightens again. Maia is much too pleased to have news that would be good for me.
Maia’s cold laugh holds more scorn than amusement. “You poor, deluded fool. Do you think Jayson’s fallen in love with you?” She rakes a contemptuous glance over me, clad in khaki shorts and a pale pink tank top. “Did you sway him with your impeccable sense of fashion?” Her lids lower slightly. “Or maybe it was your prowess in the bedroom?”
I shift slightly. “I’m sure there’s a point to your visit, so can you please get to it?”
Maia’s expression is so malicious that it contorts her face into something not even remotely beautiful. “Here is the reason for your marriage.” She lifts a manila envelope from the table and tosses it at me. “I can assure you it has nothing to do with love, you little fool.”
12
Harper
I catch the envelope automatically. My first instinct is to drop it on the floor and refuse to see the contents, but I don’t. I have to know what’s made Maia so happy. With shaking hands, I lift the flap and pull out a thin sheaf of papers. A cursory glance reveals legal jargon. “What is this?”
“Those are the papers that allow Jayson, as your husband, to act as a voting proxy for your shares of Satyros Corporation.”
I shake my head. “You’re crazy. I don’t own any Satyros stock.”
“Wrong.” Maia laughs, clearly enjoying her revelations. “Dmitri gave your father ten percent of the company ages ago. That came to you upon his death, and you blindly handed over the control to your husband.” She shakes her head, sending glossy strands cascading over her shoulder. “Did you really think he loved you?”
It takes every ounce of control, but I manage to hide my bewilderment and the stirrings of anger. “I allowed Jayson to vote for me because he knows the company,” I bluff. “Besides, I hardly think he would have tied himself to me just to get back my ten percent. He could have bought me out.”
“Not then, he couldn’t. When Dmitri died, the company was in trouble. Jayson’s managed to turn it around, but the company couldn’t have absorbed the costs of buying you out, and Jayson was using his own money to finance the day-to-day expenses of the company and of caring for Dmitri’s daughter.”
My chest aches with a hollow pain, and I find it more difficult to maintain a calm façade. “My share would hardly matter. I couldn’t do anything with ten percent.”
Maia shakes her head. “Kostas had given away other shares before Dmitri took over, shortly after he started the company. He was the son of a poor fisherman and didn’t have the necessary capital. His partners had shares in the company.”
“What does this have to do with me?” I ask her coldly, desperate to be rid of Maia.
“Kostas purchased back much of the stock he’d used for collateral, but there remained bits and pieces among friends and family. Dmitri attempted to buy back the shares when the company was strong, but a few refused to sell.” Maia leans a little closer. “The other shareholders were pressuring Dmitri to take the company public. He remained steadfast about keeping it a private corporation, and he had your father’s full support. However, when they died, you were left with enough shares to secure a majority share of the company if you threw in with the others.”
My head spins, and I shake it, trying to clear my thoughts. “You’re lying. Jayson didn’t even want to run Satyros Corporation.”
“True.” Maia shrugs. “Nevertheless, he is Greek and knows the importance of family. He wanted to honor Dmitri’s plans for the company.” She grimaces. “Jayson was willing to do anything, apparently.”
“Get out.” I’ve stopped caring about hiding my reactions. I get to my feet, letting the envelope scatter on the marble floor.
Maia regards me coolly. “I will leave, but I’m sure I’ll be back before long. Now that you know the truth, you have no reason to stay.”
I straighten my shoulders. “Jayson still needs to control my shares.”