Page 5 of Her Greek Inheritance

Chapter 1

Thessaloniki, Greece

Present day…

Leonidis Moustakas, known to friends and family alike as Leo, stared at his father in disbelief. “What do you mean, the search is over?”

Vasil Moustakas, the current CEO of Moustakas Shipping and Leo’s father, declined to respond.

Leo was left to speculate the reason behind his devastating words, just as the corporate attorney and other employees in the boardroom were. He shook his head in disbelief.They’re no longer going to search for Alexi? How can that be?

His twin brother, Alexi, was lost at sea. His yacht disappeared in the South Pacific Ocean. It was three weeks since anyone had heard from him. The transponder beacon had long since stopped transmitting any sort of signal. A freak storm was to blame. While Alexi was an excellent sailor, he’d not been able to weather the sudden storm. He’d only had two crew members with him, long-time employees of the Moustakas family. Leo and his parents had done everything they could to give the families of the others hope, but it seemed they had none left for themselves.Aparádektos! This cannot be happening!

“We have to keep looking,” Leo insisted. “We have it narrowed down to a hundred square miles—”

“Of open ocean with several currents. Not to mention the storms that have been through there since his last transmission. It is like looking for a mustard seed on a sandy beach. It’s simply adýnatos—impossible.” The man in charge of the search gave them all a sympathetic look and shook his head. “It simply can’t be done. After this many weeks…there would be no survivors.”

His father looked at Leo, unshed tears in his eyes. “Your brother is not coming back. It is time to deal with that and move forward.” Vasil Moustakas was a proud man and, at the age of sixty-nine, one of the most powerful and wealthiest men in this part of Greece. He and his brother had built their shipping company into an empire, one Alexi had been thrilled to take over one day.

Over the last few years, Leo had been forced to give up some of his playtime in order to help his brother manage the growing shipping empire. Alexi had expanded the company to the Middle East, and then to Russia. Now they were heavily present in Asia, a truly international company and one of the wealthiest in all of Greece. Leo had taken over some aspects of their European market, but now it looked like even more responsibility was going to fall on him.

“The board needs your brother’s stock certificates before we can move forward.” Vasil’s tone was weary. “I’ve had his housekeeper search the house here.”

Leo shrugged. “They are probably in his safety deposit box.”

The attorney shook his head. “We’ve already emptied that and the safe at his apartment. The stock certificates were nowhere to be found.”

Leo’s brow wrinkled. “I don’t understand. Where else could they be?”

The attorney answered, “Your brother conducted most of the company business from his home in Paris. Your parents believe he must have taken papers he considered important there.”

“So, have someone empty out his apartment and send the papers here.” Leo’s mind went to his brother. Alexi had been a very hands-on company man. More than once Leo had discovered him dressed like a longshoreman and working alongside their employees on the deck of a ship. He’d tried telling Alexi this wasn’t proper behavior for the future CEO of Moustakas Shipping, but Alexi had laughed his concerns off.

Since being the target of an attempted kidnapping while he’d been visiting the United States, Alexi had become more secretive about his schedule. He rarely announced his arrival in Greece, only letting his parents know he was coming home for a visit from the airport as he was getting into a limo. Leo had never understood why Alexi changed so much, but the fear of endangering others or being kidnapped successfully seemed ever present in his mind. Nothing Leo had said could change that.Now it’s too late!

Leo realized everyone else in the room was watching him and he schooled his features, ready for whatever was coming next. “Did I say something wrong?”

Vasil’s face took on a hard look as he watched his only remaining son. “You will go to Paris and bring the papers back. I can’t… Your mother and I cannot deal with the thought of some stranger going through your brother’s things.” When Leo opened his mouth, his father spoke again. “This is not a request as much as an order. We need closure and cannot have that until your brother’s belongings are back here in Greece.”

Leo shook his head. “Without a body for a proper funeral there will be no closure.”

Several of the board members and longtime family friends present made noises of shock. Leo didn’t care. He wasn’t onboard with stopping the search for his brother’s body. He still held out hope that somehow Alexi had survived. As twins, he and Alexi shared a bond that no one else could understand. Deep in his heart, Leo just couldn’t believe his brother was dead. He didn’t feel it, but he kept that to himself—especially around his distraught parents. He couldn’t give his mother false hope, and seeing the devastation in his father’s eyes kept him silent on that front as well.

“Fine,” Leo conceded. “I’ll leave for Paris this afternoon. I shouldn’t be gone more than a day or two.”

The attorney handed him a folder containing all of the legal documents that would be required to close out any financial accounts Alexi had created in Paris and to gain access to his apartment. “Good luck.”

Leo nodded wordlessly. He gave his father one last look, and left the boardroom. Sending word to have his private jet fueled up and ready to leave within the hour, he packed a small bag, and headed for the private airstrip where all of the Moustakas’ jets were kept. He’d make a quick trip to Paris, load up all of Alexi’s papers, clean out his bank accounts, and return. Once the important things were secured, a moving company could take care of the rest of his brother’s belongings. The attorney and his parents could sort through everything.

Three hours later, Leo stared at the papers in his hand in disbelief. Gaining access to his brother’s apartment in Paris had been very easy, the doorman having been told to expect him sometime this afternoon. Alexi had always been organized. Finding the stock certificates was as easy as opening the floor safe and pulling out the right folder. It was the paper attached to them that caused Leo to pause:

Transfer paperwork showing that all of his stock in the family company had been transferred to a G. Larsen who resided in America. The ink was smeared and the rest of the first name was unidentifiable. Leo couldn’t even tell if G. Larsen was male or female.

Leo was dumbfounded.Since when did Alexi know any Americans—let alone an American he’d leave a billion dollars of stock to?The paperwork clearly stated that this was a woman. Leo wondered how Alexi could have been involved with a woman this closely and no one in the family had known. The date was several months after his attempted kidnapping, which made even less sense.Alexi, my adelfós. What was going on with you? Why didn’t you tell me any of this?

He sat there for almost an hour, searching his brother’s computer for anything related to G. Larsen, but he kept coming up empty handed. Finally, with no other options available to him, he packed the papers up and headed back to the airport. The rest of Alexi’s belongings could wait. This latest situation could not.

On his way back to Greece, he called the attorney and apprised him of the situation. He knew his father would be furious that he hadn’t been told first, but Leo wasn’t about to be responsible for causing his father to have a heart attack over the phone. No, telling this news was better done in person. The attorney told him to go straight to the company headquarters upon his arrival and that he would make sure his father was there waiting for him.