Page 2

Six Years Later

GREECE

He’s dying.

The only person who knows what I’ve become is dying.

I don’t know if I love him. I don’t think I can actually love anyone anymore, but he saved me—not only took care of me until I was healed but also helped me be reborn.

My savior paid for my studies and taught me four more languages beyond the ones I already knew, those I inherited from my parents. In addition to Norwegian and Greek, I’m now fluent in English, German, French, and Italian.

I underwent two regenerative plastic surgeries, but incredibly, the fire didn’t disfigure my face. The worst hit area was my back. I still have some scars.

I covered them up with a tattoo before I went to live on that bastard’s island.

I don't mind being marked. The scars on my skin are nothing compared to what I have in my memory. I only got the tattoo so as not to arouse suspicion.

For all intents and purposes, I’m only Odin Lykaios. No one knows my middle name is Hagebak, except my savior and Aristeu, my father’s cousin, whom I moved in with about a year ago, after I fully recovered.

Living on the island of Leandros Argyros was a decision my savior and I made. I needed to study the enemy closely, and my father’s cousin is his head gardener.

Even though this closeness poisons my blood every day, I’ve learned a lot since I arrived.

“How is everything going?”

I take a look at the man who is more bones than skin, and I know he won’t be living much longer. Yet on his deathbed, he seems as focused as ever on helping me get my revenge.

“I’m leaving in two weeks.”I got a scholarship to study at a university in the United States. That was part of our plans too. Part of our script which would end with destroying Leandros.

I went to high school in Athens and only moved in with Aristeu when I was in my senior year.

I don’t know how he managed to do it, but my savior not only provided all my documents, he also legally adopted me.

He’s not Greek. When I asked where his last name came from, he only said that he came from somewhere in Scandinavia.

Was that why he continued to help me? Did the fact that I was born to a Norwegian mother make him think there was a bond between us? I don't know for sure, but I don’t care either, to be honest. There’s nothing I really care about other than making Leandros Argyros pay.

Our plan started when I moved to Athens. There, I started playing basketball, and it wasn’t difficult to stand out, given my height.

My grades have always been excellent too.

I had nothing else to do but study, play basketball, and fuel my hate.

Even so, I returned to the island every weekend. Always watchful. Always with both eyes on that damn bastard.

“All I have will be yours.”

I don’t thank him or say I don’t need his help. I always knew I would be his heir. It’s not the first time we’re talking about it. As he told me, he has no living relatives, and naturally, receiving this initial sponsorship will facilitate my plans.

“But you must promise me that you will never back down. Don’t feel sorry for anyone, Odin. They didn’t feel sorry for you.”

I stare at the gaunt-skinned man. “Why are you like this?”There is no accusation in my question, just curiosity. I know why I’m empty. I know why there’s so much hate inside me, but now I can see that he also has a story behind his desire to help me.

“It doesn’t matter. I don’t have much time left. Just promise me you won’t give up.”

“I couldn’t give up, even if I wanted to. I need to be able to go back to sleep, and that will only happen when it’s all over.”

“You must be merciless.”

“There is no room for pity inside me.”

“Great, now I can die in peace.”

“But I want answers. So far I've followed your lead, but there’s a reason you hate him too. Why is that?”

“How do you know I hate him?”

I don’t bother to answer. I just stare at him, and after a while, he finally gives in.

“At the right moment, you will know everything. Along with my will, you shall receive a letter. Give me your word that you won't read it until your revenge is complete.”

“Why?”

“You’ve trusted me until now. I just need you to have a little more faith. Don’t try to find out my motives beforehand. When it’s all over, I promise you’ll find the answers you want.”

“You have my word.”

GREECE

I don’t usually walk around the island.

I can’t draw attention, even though I’m sure he doesn’t know who I am.

Lucky for me, despite being half-Scandinavian, my appearance is Greek. There’s nothing that betrays my Nordic ancestry, other than the name.

Still, I don't trust myself not to try and kill him right away, so I keep myself out of the spotlight.

Death is not enough for him.

There has to be public humiliation, the loss of everything he has built, his honor, and, finally, his life.

Today, however, I had to walk.

It’s the anniversary of my rebirth.

The date I lost my family and was rescued to avenge them.

My savior died the same night I went to visit him but not before we went over our entire plan. Soon I will leave Greece and be away for a long time, so I decided to take a stroll, to say goodbye to my land.

I'm sitting on the beach when I see a pureblood Arabian horse trotting across the sand, right next to the waterline.

I love to ride. It was one of the many things my savior taught me, but because of my secret, I can’t allow myself to be exposed.

With fascination, I observe the elegance of the horse-riding Amazon. She rides it without a saddle, and even before she's close enough, I know who she is.

Elina.

The eldest daughter of my enemy. Her blonde beauty has always mesmerized me.

The girl doesn’t look Greek.

Every time I get the chance, I watch her from afar.

I reckon she can’t be more than thirteen, so our age difference is about five years. She looks like her mother, but her skin has nuances of mixed races.

Like me, Elina is not one hundred percent Greek. Cinthya, her mother, is English. Unlike her sisters, she’s tall .

I don’t speak to any of the Argyroses—not even Theodoro, who is my cousin Orien’s best friend—but I’ve studied them as carefully as their parents.

Elina’s sisters have matriarchal personalities and submissive postures.

The blonde is different, though. She demonstrates independence, a desire for freedom that shines through, especially when she’s horse-riding.

I follow her with my eyes, and I know that the moment she passes me, she will turn her head to look.

She always does.

As for me, even though I really want to continue admiring her, I pretend to pay no attention. There would be only one reason I would approach an Argyros: to destroy her father.

There is no room in me for feelings other than hate—at least until my revenge is carried out.

I have no intention of involving the bastard’s children in my plans, unless absolutely necessary. It’s not their fault they were born to him. I too will have children one day, and I don’t want them to be held responsible for my sins.

Despite planning for a family, I don’t think I’ll ever be able to love a woman like my father loved my mother.

When all this is over, I'll find a wife to carry on my last name. Nothing involving feelings, only a deal we could both profit from.

As soon as I believe that she can't see me anymore, I turn in the direction she's gone. However, to my surprise, I notice that she's dismounted from her horse and is walking towards me.

I'm so shocked I can't move, but when I see her smiling, I know I must act.

I get up and start walking in the opposite direction, but she doesn't seem willing to give up.

“Is your name Odin?”

I stop walking and wait.

It's funny how she talks—quite slowly, as if testing every word. I've never heard anyone talking like that .

“Theo said you came to live here only a year ago. Where are you from?”

I turn around, and for the first time, I can get a good look at her face. She's at that intermediate stage between being a teenager and a woman, but you can already tell she's going to be stunning.

Blonde hair with an almost golden tone, flawless skin, and the most beautiful green eyes I've ever seen.

She is smiling and bears an disarming expression.

I find myself almost smiling back.

The girl is cute.

Then my savior's voice appears in my mind and I remember who she is.

Who we are.

“Why would that be any of your business?”

Her face instantly reddens, but she doesn't flinch, which, I must confess, is admirable.

“Why are you talking to me like that? I didn't mean to offend you. I was just trying to make friends.”

I stare for a moment at the innocent girl in silence. For the first time, I'm confused about what to do. But in the end, I know which way to go.

“And who says I want to be friends with you? Find a child your own age to play with. I'm not interested in stupid little girls.”

She takes two steps back as if she has been physically assaulted, and I feel ashamed of myself, but I don't want any ties to the Argyroses.

“I'm sorry,” she says and lowers her head, but then she lifts it again, and when she moves her whole posture changes. “I'm not stupid. I was just trying to be nice, but I shouldn't expect anything different from an employee. You people have no idea how one should behave in polite society.”

I'm not offended by what she says—I don't expect anything different from an Argyros—but the fact that she's so young and already resorts to a defensive demeanor amazes me.

I think any other girl her age who heard what I said would have burst into tears.

So while I don't want to approach her for the simple reason that she was born under the Argyros name, a small part of me admires her .

“One day I'll make you swallow every single one of those words,” I promise.

Her chin rises even higher. “I'll be waiting.”

United States’ Departure Day

GREECE

“Are you sure about this, son? I don't feel good knowing you’ll be on the other side of the world.”

I face the humble man who, along with my two cousins, is the only family I have left in Greece.

As far as I know, the part of my maternal family that lives in Scandinavia doesn't give a damn whether I'm alive or dead.

“I can’t stay. I need to study.”

“And that's the only reason you're leaving, Odin?"

He's never asked me directly about my plans for the future, but I suspect he knows.

When I came to live here a year ago, Aristeu told me that he searched for me for a long time when he heard about the fire that killed my family, and that he had already lost hope that I had survived it.

We lived on another island, and even when they were alive, my parents and Aristeu were never close. As far as I know, Mom and Dad visited him only once, and I wasn't with them when it happened.

My savior said that Leandros doesn't even know I exist. His people didn't see me on the day of the fire, so they have no idea there was a survivor.

Keeping myself isolated while I recovered was a major concern of my savior; we couldn't risk anyone getting suspicious.

When I came here, I asked Aristeu to say that I was a distant nephew, explaining to my uncle that we couldn’t really know whether whoever killed my parents would come after me .

I said that I was supposed to stay under the radar until I was ready. That way, I could start working on my revenge.

I don't know if Aristeu really believed that, but maybe he did. He’s a man with a generous heart and, like all good people, gullible.

“Tell me the truth: are you going to look for whoever set your house on fire? Do you know who he is? Does this person live in the United States?”

He's never asked me so many questions directly, and while a part of me feels guilty for leaving him in the dark, keeping him ignorant of the facts surrounding my relatives' deaths is also a way of protecting him.

“I don't want to lie to you. Don't ask me something I can't answer right now.”

“Revenge leads nowhere, son.”

“I don't care what name you call it, but I made a promise and nothing will change my mind.”

“Promise? To whom?”

I don’t answer.

“You don't know anyone there. This idea of living in America is crazy. You're just a boy,” he insists.

“I’ll survive. You don’t need to worry about me.”

“How can you be so sure you'll find what you're looking for there?”

Before I can control myself—because until now, I've never shown any feelings in front of anyone other than my savior—I say, “Because hatred moves me. Every day I get out of bed, every time I walk upon this ground, I don't allow myself to forget.”

At first, he looks genuinely scared, but he recovers quickly. “That's not healthy, Odin. Cultivating pain, feeding anger... This feeling is only poisoning you, son.”

“Aristeu, There’s no cure for me. Take care of Orien and Milena. I’ll be fine. When I finally get what I want, I’m going to get you and my cousins out of here.”

“I'm not going anywhere. This is where the love of my life is buried. I can't go far from her grave.”

“I won’t argue with you. Take care of yourself and take care of my cousins. Especially Milena. If I can give you some advice, send her away. You mentioned once that her mother has family on Kea Island. Send her there until she has completed her studies. She’s not safe here.”

"What do you mean, she’s not safe? She was born here. Besides, Milena doesn't want to study. All she wants is to find a good husband to take care of her.” He looks at me. “You found out something about your parents' deaths, didn't you? I know you didn't tell me everything. Who’s responsible, Odin?”

“You don't need to know that.”

“I can't stop you from leaving, but I want you to go reassured that you are like a son to me and that I will miss you.”

“I'll be back. I can't specify a time frame right now, but I'll be coming back to Greece one day.”

He continues to move his head from one side to the other, but finally he looks resigned. “God bless you, son.”

“It would be a novelty.”

“Don't say such a thing.”

“Why? It’s the truth. It would be rather surprising if he started blessing me now.”

“I will pray for you. I'm going to ask for a light to come into your heart. I know that what you went through was horrible, but maybe those who were responsible for it are already dead.”

Again, I maintain my silence because it's not my role to let him down. He hugs me and I allow it. However, I don't feel like hugging him back. After looking at him for the last time, I turn my back without saying goodbye.

From now on, I'm on my own.

This is the day I've been waiting for a long time.

Not only making plans but acting on them.

At this exact moment, Leandros Argyros’ life begins its countdown.