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Esther whitened at the implications. If Cimon’s secretary ever went to Damen, it could be all over. “Find her. I don’t give a damn what you have to do, but you must find her and make sure she doesn’t speak.Permanently.”
Cimon’s eyes widened, realizing the meaning behind Esther’s words. “You can’t be serious—-”
“It’s either that or we both go down.”
Cimon stared at Esther for a long moment, waiting and wishing for her to change her mind and leaving only when it was obvious she wasn’t going to.This was too much,Cimon thought to himself, fear causing his hand to tremble as he pressed the button for the elevator at the executive floor to open its doors.
His gaze strayed to Damen Leventis’ office, which had been padlocked since the day he had been voted out by the board. Was a seat at the board worth risking his life? Was it worth risking Damen’s wrath on him when the latter found out what Cimon had done?
Alone in her office, Esther could feel an invisible noose around her neck tightening ever slowly, as if controlled by a cruelly taunting Damen. The thought made her hiss. “No!” Esther sent papers on her desk flying with an angry sweep of her hand.
Impossible,she told herself. None of this was the work of Damen. Her son might be more cunning than most, but he was also dirt poor right now. A man without the resources he had grown up with and been long used to.
Forcing herself to think methodically like she always did, Esther considered her steps, considered her nemesis, and came to a decision.
Thirty minutes later, she was seated in the backseat of her limousine, parked near the gates of Damen’s house. The property was the only one that the bank hadn’t been able to take away from her son.If only they had, Esther thought. Maybe he would be less proud and more inclined to surrender.
Per her orders, Esther’s chauffeur stepped out of the limousine and opened the door for her when he saw a cab come to a stop in front of the gate. His employer’s son and daughter-in-law stepped out.
Esther’s face was a picture of remorse when she approached Damen. “May we speak privately?”
Damen looked at Drake, and the other man nodded, murmuring to Mairi, “I believe it would be safer if we have you inside now.”
Mairi shook her head, her gaze trained at Damen, the cold fury in his face worrying her. The anger was well-deserved, but Mairi also knew that such anger only hurt Damen more than it did Esther. The other woman simply did not have any kind of maternal instinct at all while Damen, albeit appearing strong and powerful, was no different from any son. Damen had always wanted a parent’s love, and the fact that his parents were incapable of it would always make a part of him blame himself for it.
Damen frowned at Mairi’s silent refusal. “Don’t be disobedient now,matakia mou.”
She bit her lip, almost blurting out that she wasn’t being disobedient. She was only worried about him. Finally, she said, “I’ll go inside if you promise Drake gets to stay here with you.”
Both men turned to her incredulously.
Not looking at Esther, Mairi kept her gaze at her husband as she said stubbornly, “I want him to make sure that you’re not hurt.”
Esther let out a gasp. “Damen, would you really let her insinuate that I could hurt you?”
Damen didn’t bother answering, didn’t even glance at his mother. His eyes bored through Mairi, as if telling her how silly her words were.If you do not want me hurt, you should fire him right away.
She colored at the silent message in his gaze but insisted, “I mean it. I don’t want her to make you lose sight of everything we’ve worked so hard for.”
Seeing the set jaw on Mairi’s face, Damen knew there was no changing his wife’s mind. He said reluctantly, “Fine. Go in now and Morrison will stay with me.”
Drake deadpanned, “I have never babysat for an ex-billionaire before, but I will do my best.”
In the same tone, Damen answered, “Go to hell.”
Esther had to exert a conscious effort not to speak. It offended her how the men appeared to lavishly pamper the slut her son had married. She was no one. No one! Why was it that none of these supposedly smart men understood that?
Damen waited for the doors to close behind Mairi before turning back to face Esther. “Why are you here?”
Genuine contrition was an emotion foreign to her, but Esther’s survival instincts made her strive to mimic it as she raised her hand in an appealing gesture to Damen. “This war between us is senseless. I see it now, Damen.” She waited for him to speak, but he didn’t. Trying again, she murmured, “I realize I was wrong to not let you explain yourself—-”
A mirthless laugh slipped past his lips. “We both know there is nothing for me to explain. I have always acted for the good of the company—-” His lip curled in distaste. “—-despite the false evidence presented against me.”
“I can make the evidence disappear—-”
His tone bored, he cut her off, saying, “Please don’t, Mother. I’m having too much fun now. It would be my greatest pleasure to rip your side’sevidenceinto pieces and expose it for the lies they truly are.”
Panic stirred inside Esther at Damen’s words. “We can still work together on this—-”