Stergios wandered into the music room a few minutes later. It had taken some time to purge the thought of Pagonis and rein in his emotions. Jodie had hit her mark and it appeared she had done so without any strategy. It was as though she could see through him however much he tried to dissemble.
He stood by the door as he watched one of the guests, yet another heiress and family friend, play his mother’s favorite sonata on the piano. Everyone seemed spellbound by the display of technical precision but the music didn’t reach him. Rarely did anything pierce through his armor these days. Just Jodie Little. Stergios frowned at that troubling thought.
“Stergios?” He turned and saw Zoi Volakis. He wasn’t sure how long she had been standing there. She was a petite woman with dramatic features who dressed just like every other female in his social circle. “I’ve been meaning to ask. What exactly is Jodie to this family?”
“She is Gregory’s daughter from his first marriage,” Stergios answered. He refused to say she was part of the family. Legally she was a relative but her actions proved otherwise. She wouldn’t think twice about destroying his family.
“She doesn’t look anything like him,” Zoi decided. “And they act like strangers.”
So he wasn’t the only one who noticed that. “They’re Americans. New Yorkers.”
She gave a wry chuckle. “That must explain it. How long does Jodie plan to stay?”
Her casual tone hit a wrong note and Stergios went on alert. “She hasn’t said. Why?”
Zoi hesitated, as if she was reluctant to say anything. “Jodie is very close to Dimos.”
He looked around the music room for his cousin. Frustration and something dark and dangerous bloomed inside him when he saw Dimos and Jodie standing by the windows, apart from the other guests. “They grew up as cousins in the same house.”
Stergios recognized Dimos’s awestruck look. He had seen that expression on his cousin’s face in a picture four years ago. Mairi had sent him a picture of a family event when he had been working on an assignment overseas. It was more than infatuation. He had known at that moment that Dimos wanted to claim Jodie.
And Stergios returned home immediately after seeing that picture. He had done everything in his power to keep Dimos and Jodie from getting together. Stergios could tell himself it was to protect the merger but there had been darker, more primal reasons he hadn’t wanted to explore.
“Is there anything I should know?” Zoi asked.
“No, of course not,” Stergios replied smoothly. “Dimos wants to marry you.”
She nodded her head but she didn’t appear relieved by his answer. “Dimos and I do not have a love match, but I take this commitment seriously,” Zoi said. “I’m getting married because it’s my duty to my family.”
Stergios tensed when he heard the warning underneath Zoi’s polite tone. He didn’t need this. Not now. “Dimos knows how important this merger is for both our families.”
“Good, but I am not as self-sacrificing as you may think.” She cast another glance in Dimos’s direction before she lifted her chin with injured pride. “I had tolerated the delays and setbacks before we got engaged, but I will not be humiliated by my husband’s wandering eye.”
Stergios gritted his teeth as he watched Zoi walk out of the music room. They were so close to getting this merger settled but it could all fall apart in the next few days. He took part of the blame. He had pushed Jodie too far and had hurt her feelings. She retaliated the only way she knew how.
He strode toward his cousin and Jodie. They seemed to be in a world of their own with their heads tilted close to each other. Dimos must have caught a glimpse of him. His forehead was creased with worry as he cautiously approached Stergios. “What’s wrong?”
“Stay away from Jodie,” he warned in a low, fierce tone.
Dimos flushed as he glowered at him. “Why? You can hate her all you want but—”
“She isn’t going to share her body or her bed with you.” Stergios watched with satisfaction as Jodie slipped out of the music room and hurried to the grand staircase. She wouldn’t be a concern for the rest of the night.
His cousin continued to splutter with outrage. “What the—”
“She’s leading you on because I told her not to,” Stergios said with brutal honesty. “Haven’t you learned anything about this woman?”
“You have no—”
Stergios leaned forward and watched with satisfaction as his cousin took a cautious step back. “And if this wedding doesn’t happen, if you try anything with Jodie, I will cut you out of this family.”