Page 31 of Her Greek Inheritance
Tressa reached for her hand. Tears welled in her own eyes. “Alexi was lost at sea. He is presumed dead.”
Gemma stared at her. The words registered, but she couldn’t have heard them properly. She looked at Alexi.No! That’s not right! Who is he?“Who—”
The man who’d been pretending to be Alexi stepped forward. He gave her a slight bow. “My name is Leonidis Moustakas. Alexi was my twin brother. My friends and family call me Leo.”
“Twins?” she stammered, disbelief muddling her thought processes.
“Identical twins,” Tressa added.
Gemma squeezed Damien. She looked at his parents, whispering brokenly, “You knew he was deceiving me?”
Tressa nodded with unshed tears in her eyes, but there was no hint of emotion in Vasil’s eyes. “Miss Larsen,” he began.
Gemma couldn’t hear any excuses right now. She shook her head, backing away from them. “I need time to think.” She fled with Damien to the suite of rooms she’d been using since her arrival. She heard Leo call after her, but she ignored him.
She barricaded herself in the suite of rooms, alternating between crying and despair for the rest of the day. A maid brought up a tray of food later and she helped Damien eat, but she herself couldn’t even think about eating.
Guilt rested like acid in her stomach. She’d slept with both Alexi and Leo. The slight personality differences she’d picked up on now made perfect sense, but left her wondering who she’d slept with that fateful night two years earlier. She was upset with herself and with Leo…Why couldn’t he have just told me who he was? Why couldn’t he have just explained?
She was still pondering this decision when Tressa and Leo entered her suite of rooms through a side door. She gasped, jumping to her feet. “Get out!”
“Gemma, my mother wishes to speak with you. I also need to explain…”
Gemma shook her head, her feelings of betrayal warring with the romantic feelings she’d held for Alexi and the way Leo made her feel. “I don’t—please, just leave me alone.”
Leo stepped towards her. His expression fell as she backed away from him. He stopped, holding out a folder of papers. “I just came to give you these. Since these are what sent me after you, I think you should be aware of all the facts.”
He stared at her a moment and then placed the folder on the coffee table. He shoved his hands into his pockets. “I should apologize for deceiving you, but I cannot in all honesty say I am sorry. The chemistry between us is like nothing I’ve ever experienced. I envy the relationship you had with my brother.”
He paused seemingly waiting for her response. Gemma stared back at him. She would not give him that satisfaction.
Leo seemed to realise he was waiting in vain. “I will leave you to look at that folder. My mother is here to answer any questions you may have. I will speak with you tomorrow.” He turned and left the same way he’d entered, leaving Gemma and his mother staring at each other.
Gemma glanced at the folder as if it were a snake. “What’s in there?”
Tressa gave her a soft smile and then sat down on a couch, patting the area beside her. “Please. Sit.”
Gemma did so, afraid to reach for the folder. Tressa seemed content to wait. Finally, Gemma’s curiosity got the best of her. She opened the folder and saw a sheath of papers. They looked like certificates of some sort. A piece of paper, written in Alexi’s familiar scrawl was attached to the front. It was smeared in several places, but Gemma thought she could make out the gist of it. She picked it up and read it quietly to herself, her eyes growing bigger with each word she read.
I, Alexi Moustakas, being of sound mind and body, do hereby authorize the transfer of ownership of the following stock certificates in Moustakas Shipping to one Gemma Larsen, of Washington, D.C. in their entirety. This transfer will be complete upon the event of my death, or at a time I declare is right.
A signature was at the bottom, as was a notary seal and block.
Gemma turned to Tressa. “I’m not sure I understand.”
The older woman inclined her head. “That is why I insisted on being here. Alexi and you had a relationship?”
Gemma’s shoulders slumped. “I thought so. We were together for about three weeks two years ago, but then he said he had to go away on business and never returned.” She paused, her next words laced with the defeat and betrayal that still felt raw. “He didn’t even give me his real name. I tried to find him after I found out I was pregnant with Damien, but the private detective I hired couldn’t come up with anything.” Gemma laughed sadly. “I knew he was of Mediterranean descent, but not that he was Greek. Not until…until Leo found me.”
“Did Leo introduce himself as Alexi?”
Gemma shook her head, “No. I thought he was Alexi.” She blushed. “I fainted when I saw him. But he could have corrected my thinking at any time.”
Tressa nodded her head, “Maybe. He was tasked with getting the stock back into the company. His father confided in me earlier that Leo is being blackmailed by the board of directors.”
“Blackmailed?” Gemma turned to stare at the door Leo had left through.“He doesn’t seem the kind of man to allow that to happen to him.”
“No, but family loyalty is a strong force. Leo’s uncle is prepared to gift Petrina with his share of the company stock upon the event of her marriage to Leo. Regardless of whether the stock Alexi held was returned or not, Leo would then have enough stock to control the company.”