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"Acheron, my God!"

The look on Pippi's face was priceless, and as there was nothing like a common enemy - or, in this case, a common person to torment - to create strong bonds, by the time Acheron and Pippi had to leave for work, it was as if he was already one of them.

Rue made him promise to help her with schoolwork, Astrid insisted on giving him a packed lunch similar to Pippi's, and even her impudent trio of aunts had their moment, with Acheron given a list of what they wanted for tonight's dinner.

It was, all in all, a good way to start the day, Acheron reflected as he followed Pippi out of the house. Even her neighbors were a rather nice bunch, with the widow living across the street understandably giving him the evil eye the moment she saw him place his hand on the small of Pippi's back.

"Your neighbor looks like she's just one scowl away from calling 911 and reporting an abduction," he murmured.

"Well, youdidchoose a rather disreputable-looking disguise." A smile tugged at her lips as she looked at him. Fake, greasy, shoulder-length grey hair and a Jesus Christ beard, a metal choker and ripped jeans - he definitely didn't look anything like his usual self. "What exactly are you supposed to be anyway?" she couldn't help asking. "Mel Gibson turns aging rockstar?"

"Good description," he acknowledged, "but as it's also better to keep things simple, just think of me as Mr. William Harney, a struggling writer hoping to find inspiration in Isla de Flores."

"That'syour idea of a writer?" The sound of Pippi's laughter trailed after her as she stepped inside Wickham's car rental for the day, a ten-year-old Toyota with peeling faux leather seats and a Care Bears sticker on its rear windshield.

As Wickham turned the car around, Acheron saw one of Pippi's aunts coming out and waving at the suspicious-looking neighbor, effectively distracting the latter.

Smart of her, but more importantly, it also spoke volumes of how natural it was for Pippi's family to protect each other...unlike his own flesh and blood.

Pippi was startled when Acheron suddenly drew her close and felt his lips touch the top of her head. When she looked up at him in askance, he said rather gruffly, "I like your family a lot,mikrí mou."

Acheron felt a mixture of emotions at seeing Pippi's whole face light up at his words. The sight unintentionally reminded him of the many times his former lovers had looked him the same way, but they had only done so because he had gifted them with something extravagant.

But Pippi was different.

She had always been different, but whether that was a good thing or not...

Allá ti ei moi taùta perí drun e perí pétren,Acheron thought. It was a Greek saying similar to the English proverb that spoke of people making mountains out of molehills, and right now that was exactly what he intended to stop doing.

For now, it was best to take things one fucking day at a time.



















Twenty

PIPPI HAD FACED A GREATmany challenges in her career, but as it turned out, none of them proved as problematic as going to work with a secret.Especially since that secret happened to be a six-foot-plus Greek billionaire that went by the name of Acheron Simonides.

She had never really noticed it before, but his name and face seemed plastered everywhere in the building, and every time she saw either, her heart would stupidly skip a beat, and her guilt levels would shoot up like a rocket. It just didn't seem right, to feel so deliciously alive simply because she had seen her boyfriend's name printed on company letterheads.