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Chapter 17
She said: To wed a Greek billionaire, one must be ready of exes dropping by...all the time.
(Long pause)
He said: Technically, she was not an ex-girlfriend. Rather, she was my ex-fiancée.
She said: And the distinction is a good thing because?
He said: You truly have to ask, sweetheart? She became my fiancée for purely practical reasons. You were my only girlfriend – the only woman I chose with my heart and not my head.
(Long pause)
(Note to Editor: Could you take that out? I think that ended up sounding too sappy.)
(Note to Editor: Willow, I’ll be forever in your debt if you keep that line.)
(Editor’s Note: We’ll keep this. I estimate additional one week on the NYT bestselling list if I use it as a new excerpt for the book.)
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“IMUST CONFESS I HADexpected you to contact me a lot earlier than this.” Damen took the initiative to speak first, mincing no words as he did.
Seated across him, Alina Kokinos was as beautiful and elegant as ever, her every movement graceful and precise as she curled her fingers around the stem of her wineglass to take a sip. Her face was expressionless, but her stiff posture belied her inner tension.
The restaurant they were in was dim and low-key, its tables and chairs, made of varnished pallets and glass, projecting a rustic chic charm. But more importantly than that, its location was obscure and frequented only by town locals, making it the perfect place for Damen to meet the woman he had once used to make Mairi feel worthless. The memory of it still stung, enough to have Damen take a sip of his wine as well.
When he lowered his wine glass, he saw Alina gazing at him. The vulnerability he glimpsed in her eyes had Damen consciously softening his tone as he said, “We can postpone this if you want.” Even though it was unlikely for him and Alina to resume the friendship they once had when he was still reeling from Mairi’s loss, he would always consider himself indebted to the younger woman. She had been one of the reasons that he had not stopped looking for Mairi, Alina’s silent support giving Damen reason to hope that maybe...maybe he was not such an evil man that Mairi would be unable to forgive him.
The gentleness of Damen’s tone enabled Alina to smile even as her heart continued to ache at the mere sight of him. He was dressed in another one of his exquisite handmade suits, his hair styled perfectly. The latter was rare for Damen, who she knew had not one vain bone in his body. It prompted her to ask haltingly, “Do you have somewhere important to go to after this?”
Damen’s lips curved in a slight smile. “Is it that obvious I took the time to comb my hair?”
Alina’s own smile widened, and the world around her seemed to be just a bit more colorful at the sight of Damen’s amusement. Oh God, she was so hopelessly in love with him.
If only there was something she could do to make Damen Leventis feel the same about her.
Swallowing back the lump of pain in her throat, Alina said teasingly, “I wasn’t even sure you were Damen Leventis when I first saw you.”
Damen feigned a grimace. “Ah. That bad then.” He watched Alina laugh, the tension gradually leaving her body. An air of fragility surrounded her, and it had him biding his time. He didn’t want to accidentally say or do something that could have her walls crumbling down.
When the sound of her laughter faded, Damen took it as his cue to speak and he asked carefully, “Are you still living in Stavros’ apartment?”
“No. I’m staying at one of my friends’ apartment.” She paused. “I don’t think I’ll ever come back to my father’s house. It might be more comfortable there, but it really was like a gilded cage. I like my life better now. I like being able to make my own decisions.”
He nodded. “That is how it should be.”
An uneasy silence fell between them. Alina placed her hands on her lap so Damen wouldn’t see her wringing them. Esther Leventis’ words echoed in her brain.
Damen will never listen to me, and I cannot blame him. I have betrayed him too many times. But you, Alina, he trusts you. You must make him see reason. You must make him see the truth about the woman he’s married. You must be the one to protect him because no one else can.
“Alina—-”