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Elina

CHAPTER TEN

I'm more than used to maintaining a facade of indifference, no matter how difficult the situation is, but after what he's just said, I take unsteady steps backwards and sit on my bedroom armchair because I don't know how much longer my legs will last, one bump after another.

Did I hear him right?

I look at my hands in my lap, and they are shaking.

How could my life have turned so quickly into this storm?

It's true that I've never experienced great emotions. I haven’t experienced anything, but at least, so far, my existence has been secure. I could get up in the morning and look after my horses. I'm not used to talking to people, anyway. My parents were never ones to interact with us much, even when we were little. So I got used to not talking, whether to acquaintances or strangers.

Now I'm in my room, in the only house I've known since I was born, and this man, Odin Lykaios, the same man who messed up my world, offers me a job?

Thinking rationally, in my current situation, that would be the only way to keep me going. I need to eat and dress like everyone else, but can I do that? Go to work, have a normal life, be my own master ?

I lift my head to face him, and he's looking at me intensely. There's an energy between us, and I can't seem to make it go away. Despite everything he did to my father, leaving him in misery, Odin so far seems to have been honest. Even when he saved me, he said he wasn't my friend or hero, which I already knew. He’s never tried to pass himself off as a good person, hasn’t even said sweet words to try and win my trust.

I’m well-acquainted with lying. I grew up watching a man pretending and manipulating whenever he was after something.

You might think that being an impersonator makes me a self-serving woman, as if I try to please people to get something in return, but you couldn't be more wrong. I just want them to leave me alone. When I fake some feeling or emotion, when I say what I think people want to hear, it's purely and simply so they won't disturb me.

My father, however, is a master of the art of useful deception, the kind used to get what he wants. He used that on all of us, but I learned pretty quickly.

The first and only time that I remember him tricking me was when I was about ten years old. I'd had candy before dinner, which was forbidden and a mortal sin by his rules.

I happen to have a sweet tooth and have always been crazy about melomakarona . I looked forward to eating the cookies covered in chopped almonds, but it was rare for my father to allow the maid to make them for us, because he said he didn't want fat people in our house.

I liked to dip mine in honey. To this day, my mouth waters when I remember it.

That day, I went to the kitchen and got one before dinner. I remember the exact sensation when the taste hit my tongue. It was like tasting a piece of paradise, and despite being afraid of the consequences, I didn't regret it.

I thought I had committed the perfect crime.

I was wrong.

There was no one in the room, but somehow Leandros found out.

Of course, he didn't have proof, but he was good at convincing people. He called me to the library and started asking me questions. I was already learning how to fake it, so I tried to hide and avoid giving answers.

My dad seemed to change the subject, chatting with me about other things, and he even smiled as if we were spending a normal father-daughter afternoon together.

It was so rare—having someone pay attention to me—that I forgot about everything else.

Then, out of nowhere, he went back to asking about the cookie. He said it didn't matter if I’d eaten it and that there shouldn't be any secrets between us. He promised that I would not suffer any punishment.

I believed him.

I was so eager to please him that I told him I had eaten just one. I remember the almost instantaneous change of expression on his face. The smile was gone, and his features returned to their usual indifference.

He stood up and, without any warning, slapped me so hard I hit my head against the back of the chair.

On that day, I realized who I was.

From the age of eight he explained to me that I would be useless in life, that the only thing I had left was my beauty, so it didn't surprise me when, after beating me, he started saying all those things again.

I think the fact that verbal violence joined physical violence, however, was what marked me the most. He usually chose one of the two.

After beating me, he fired the maid because I had stolen the cookie. She had just had a baby, and I kept thinking about how she would leave our house with two kids in the middle of the night.

I felt very guilty and cried myself to sleep.

From that moment on, I learned not to trust anyone.

People smile and they can be nice when they want something from you, but that doesn't mean they're nice.

“I don't trust you,” I say, echoing my thoughts.

“You don't have to trust me, but what option do you have but to come with me?”He looks a little irritated now, and I have a feeling it's because he's not used to being toyed with.

I, on the other hand, don't like being manipulated.

I've struggled since I was little to understand how my father's mind worked, and I know that when something seems too good to be true, it usually is.

Despite this, for all the dread of leaving the island and the heartache of having to say goodbye to my animals, what will I do to survive if I refuse his proposal? There's still Naim. Who will defend me after Odin is gone?

And there's something else. If I'm being honest, there's a part of me that's excited about going to the States.

I've watched many movies that are set there.

Where will I live?

Will I adapt?

Maybe, finally, I can live a little bit.

The anticipation is frightening, but at the same time it stirs emotions inside me.

What if he's not telling the truth? If it's just a way he’s found to get to my father? What if he just wants to get me out of Greece and then leave me alone in a strange country?

I heard my parents talking last night. Leandros still owes Odin a lot of money. Even though he has already lost the island and all its possessions, he's still in Lykaios's hands.

If I had listened to the entire conversation, I might have known they intended to run away and leave me behind.

On the other hand, what good would that have done? I would never have begged them to take me. I will never beg anyone.

“You can hire whomever you want, so why me? I'm not a professional. The parties I’ve organized were family-friendly, even though we always had a lot of guests. What if I do something wrong?”

“I'll put a team at your disposal. I have to host several receptions at least once a month, and I also organize fundraising dinners. I know you're used to doing that here. Your father's parties were always talked about in high society.”

I don't even try to ask how he knows that. I have a feeling that Odin knows everything about our lives. To disguise my nervousness, I look for an alternative route. “What do you work with?”

“Computer programs, among other things,” he replies vaguely.

“Why, Odin? Why are you trying to help me when you destroyed my father in front of everyone last night?”

“My problem with your father has nothing to do with you. I won't argue with you about it.”

“But you’re enemies,” I say, just as a matter of fact, because I already know it’s true. I could feel the hatred between the two yesterday, and now I know that my father did not spontaneously give up the space for Odin to build on the island. He lost his land to the bank.

“I'll have to leave Greece in two or three days. That should be enough time to organize your departure, if you accept it. However, if you want to stay here, I will wash my hands of your safety. You’ll have to face the fury of Naim alone.”

I hold my breath, wondering how I could get past the sheik's attack again and survive.

“Think about it, Elina. What's left for you here in Greece? Don't you feel like trying something different?"His voice is like a siren's song. He's tempting me and he knows it.

“Where am I going to live? I’ve never left my country. I don't even have a passport.” Against my will, I feel my cheeks heating up. This is just another way for him to know how dependent I still am on my parents.

“I'll accommodate you in an apartment. I have several.”

“I don't want any favors. If you're going to give me a job, I can pay rent.”

He shrugs. “We'll talk about that later. These are mere details. As for the passport, I can get one in twenty-four hours.”

I get up again and, for the first time, take the initiative to approach him. I stop a few steps away. “I want your word that our agreement does not include sexual favors. I'm not going to trade my virginity for a job.”

He looks at me as if a third eye has burst out of my forehead. What did I say wrong?

Greek high society knows that all my sisters married as virgins. There would be no other possibility. My father would have killed us if we’d had a lover before marriage. I've had several suitors since I was eighteen, but I've never been interested in any of them.

“If you can't give your word, I won't go,” I insist, and to my surprise, he laughs.

“I'm not going to lie and say I don't want you. I want you. I want to taste your mouth and every bit of your body, and judging by your reaction every time we're close, you feel the same way, but I don't need to offer a woman a job to take her to bed. I have ways of persuading you to do so. Much more pleasurable means." He lets his gaze roam over my body, and strangely, I don't feel insulted.

On the contrary, it excites me to know that he wants me.

“I have a hunch about the two of us, Elina." His voice is hoarse, unlike what it has been so far. “No, in fact, I'm sure that if we decide to indulge our desires, it will be delicious."

I swallow hard as an image of me and him naked flashes through my brain.

We stare at each other, and I think he knows exactly what I'm thinking because he smiles back.

“Yet, me lusting after you has nothing to do with the job offer. I already needed someone to take care of the parties, and I don't like hiring companies that do it impersonally. I want each of the impeccable and unique receptions to be remembered.”

Can I believe him? Can I believe the man who hates my father?

“By the way, it'll save you from a risky situation. In my opinion, we both win.”

I know I don't have many alternatives, but I still feel insecure. “What you said about the two of us...our attraction...” I don't even try to deny it, because I realize he's an experienced man and would laugh if I pretended not to be attracted. “I prefer to keep things professional. But you're right about the job. I don't have many options left, so I accept it.”I'm really scared, but I don't know what else to do, so I'm taking a chance.

“Don't you want to know how much you'll earn?”

“No. I know you'll value my work properly. I don't need anything more than a place to live and food on my plate.”I'm not ashamed to say that. It's my reality now.

“You'll have more than enough to live in a dignified manner.” He looks embarrassed but quickly disguises it before continuing to speak. “I need your documents to arrange the passport. We'll leave the day after tomorrow. We'll go through Athens first, as I have some things to sort out there. I also want you to take the necessary tests to see how your head is doing.”He says it all at once, leaving no room for me to deny it, which irritates me.

Next, I remember what really matters.

He's already turning his back to leave, but I call out to him, “Odin?”

“Yes?”

“Can you promise me someone will ride the horses? My animals also like to be talked to in the morning. I always go to the stalls as soon as the sun comes up.” I try to keep the feeling of detachment away from my voice, but my heart is aching.

What does it say about me that being cut off from my horses causes me more sadness than being abandoned by my parents?

He turns to look at me. “You have my word. They'll be well taken care of.”