Page 21

Thirteen

C ALISTA

Leon always minimized his estate, calling it modest and highlighting the grandness of Nikolas’s and Eli’s homes.

However, upon arriving at his Vouliagmeni residence for the first time today, I saw how much he had undervalued his property.

Having spent time in his beautiful house in Central Athens, I should have expected something truly remarkable.

My driver navigated the winding driveway at a leisurely pace, allowing me to absorb the sight that unfolded before me. Situated just east of central Athens, Leon’s estate was nestled on a cliff in the affluent suburb, where opulent estates dotted the rugged landscape.

The exterior showcased a stunning example of contemporary architecture, featuring a smooth, white stucco facade that appeared to harmoniously merge with the landscape.

It overlooked the vast expanse of the Saronic Gulf, where the turquoise waters shimmered under the sun.

The rhythmic crash of waves reverberated through the air, mingling with the briny scent of the sea and the gentle caress of the breeze.

The property was enveloped by lush, mature landscaping, creating an unexpected forest-like atmosphere despite its coastal location. Towering cypress trees swayed gracefully in the wind, their rustling leaves harmonizing with the ocean’s symphony.

Leon’s house was undeniably impressive, a testament to his wealth that he seemed to downplay with his modest demeanor. His natural humility made the opulence of his surroundings even more striking. I felt a sense of awe as I stepped out of the car, realizing that this would be my home one day too.

I felt a rush of excitement as I took in the angled lines of the house, the avant-garde sculptures placed strategically throughout the garden, and the short staircase leading to the entrance.

Large pots brimming with vivid pink bougainvillea adorned the landing, their vibrant blooms climbing the house’s facade.

The scene was breathtaking, and I couldn’t help but feel a flutter of nerves mixed with anticipation.

Sunlight filtered through the magnolia trees as I crouched beside Leo, my loyal Greek shepherd. Her tail swept the grass in broad, happy strokes while she sniffed the air, nostrils flaring as she drank in every new scent .

I slid my fingers through the soft waves of her curls, feeling the warmth radiate through her coat into my palm, steady and comforting. Each delicate pant against my hand reminded me that I wouldn’t face this next chapter alone.

Leaning back, I grinned down at her. “You know what, Leo? We’re going to live here soon.”

She tilted her head, one ear flipping forward, then let out a high-pitched whine.

“Don’t worry,” I said, brushing her ears. “You’re coming too, my love.” Her tail resumed its frantic wag as we looked up at the house ahead.

It was strange to think I’d be moving into a home this grand, especially without my sisters. They’d always been nearby. Vik too. It was going to take some getting used to, for sure.

I stood at the edge of Leon’s sprawling estate, tracing the elegant lines of his mansion, a postcard-perfect vision nestled among manicured gardens. The grandeur of the place seemed almost ethereal, a world away from anything I had known.

Papa had been wealthy, but his riches paled in comparison to the opulence before me. Marble columns, intricate ironwork, and sprawling lawns evoked a sense of timeless luxury beyond my wildest imaginings.

The sheer scale of the life Leon maintained seemed incomprehensible. He had inherited the mantle of his family’s business, a weighty responsibility for someone so young. I couldn’t imagine the immense effort and countless hard choices he’d made to keep his family’s empire together.

No wonder he’d garnered the formidable reputation surrounding him. As the head of a syndicate with such influence and power, it was inevitable.

Papa had once presided over a vast and critical region, a position that ultimately claimed his life.

Ruthless adversaries had gone to great lengths to annihilate him, leaving his loved ones vulnerable and destitute.

In this world, survival demanded a merciless nature.

You had to be unyielding, impenetrable, and perpetually vigilant.

Otherwise, you’d be crushed. The system operated with ruthless efficiency.

Avra had told Laya and me about our mother’s experiences. Mama often felt trapped, surrounded by an impenetrable wall of security, simply because she was married to the head of the Vitalis syndicate.

Papa was well aware that his enemies would seize any opportunity to reach him through her. Despite feeling like a prisoner, she accepted her lack of privacy out of love for him.

After our parents’ deaths, when we fled to Prague, I too began to feel the restrictions as I grew up.

Initially, I was too young, a mere child needing security and safety.

However, once I entered adolescence, I craved freedom and the need to spread my wings and not always be under Vik’s vigilant gaze.

Was I about to exchange one gilded cage for another?

A knot tightened in my stomach at the notion. Doubt crept in, whispering that perhaps this decision had been a mistake.

Just as uncertainty threatened to consume me, a blur of black fur catapulted toward us.

Leo tensed, ears pinned back in alarm, but soon relaxed, her tail wagging in delight as the fluffiest dog I’d ever seen pranced around us.

The dog’s glossy black coat was speckled with tiny white patches, a joyful distraction from my tumultuous thoughts.

“I see you’ve met Cosmo,” Leon called out.

There he stood, leaning casually against an arched doorway that led to the back of the house, his posture relaxed yet exuding a quiet confidence. The sunlight streamed down, casting a golden glow over him, and the vibrant pink blooms surrounding him seemed to amplify his striking presence.

“I think Cosmo met us?” I glanced down at the energetic ball of fur still circling our feet.

Leon’s gaze locked onto mine, his expression intense and smoldering, a contrast to the bright day that enveloped him.

My heart skipped a beat, and all the doubts that had been lingering in my mind began to dissolve like mist under the morning sun.

He dressed in casual jeans that hugged his frame just right, and a black button-down shirt with the sleeves rolled up to reveal the defined muscles of his forearms. The gentle breeze tousled his dark hair, a stray lock dancing over his forehead, accentuating the strong lines of his chiseled jawline.

A storm of emotions swirled in his deep brown eyes, mirroring the electric tension that seemed to vibrate in the air between us, leaving me a tad breathless.

The idea of being trapped in this moment with Leon, as if frozen in a secret moment of our own, suddenly thrilled me .

“Cosmo, come!” Leon commanded, his voice firm yet affectionate.

With a joyful bark, Cosmo bounded toward Leon, and Leo, who had been my shadow just moments before, eagerly followed, completely captivated by Cosmo’s antics.

Leo, it seemed, would fit right in here.

Leon secured the gate behind him, then sauntered over to me with a smile that made my heart flutter.

I tilted my face up to him, my skin already tingling with the anticipation of his touch, the sweetness of his impending kiss.

“Cali, I need to ask you a serious question,” he said, shifting the lighthearted mood instantly.

I blinked at Leon’s face just inches from mine. I swallowed, and my mind clouded with confusion and curiosity. His gaze drilled into me, silent yet insistent.

He didn’t wait.

“Tell me the truth,” he said, voice low and urgent. “If you had the choice, would you rather plunge the blade yourself into the chest of the man who orchestrated your pain, or would you prefer to have someone else do it—wrap his still-beating heart in cloth and deliver it to you as a gift?”

My jaw went slack. A gust of ocean breeze tugged at my hair, and my heart thundered in my ears.

I no longer felt bile rise at the thought of him. Instead, I envisioned revenge and breaking him, just as he had attempted to do to me.

His role as Elias’s father held no significance. Elias now viewed him solely as his genetic donor. He’d help me gut him if given the chance.

“Leon…” I managed to say, utterly unprepared for the question.

He straightened, dark curls brushing his temples. “Ozias Xenos doesn’t deserve another breath. I just need to know if it’ll be your hand or someone else’s.”

“Leon—” I shook my head. “I’m flattered, I am. But honestly, I just don’t know if revenge will change anything. I’ve spent so much time trying to move on with my life. Do you think it will make things easier?”

“I don’t know. Perhaps it will change nothing for you. But my question still stands, because again, that monster doesn’t deserve to draw another breath after what he did to you.”

I turned away to watch the ripples drifting toward the wooden dock. The water gleamed like molten silver, and my chest tightened as I wrestled with his words. My sisters and Vik had offered me the same choice: say the word, and Xenos would be dealt with.

I’d insisted I wanted to do it myself, “ when I am ready .”

Had I ever been honest?

Dark imaginings flickered through my mind: dragging him into a cold cellar, twisting a knife between his ribs, listening to his screams like steel on stone…or watching the life fade from his eyes as I toyed with him.

Each fantasy once blazed inside me. Lately, those visions felt like cold ashes, hollow and meaningless. Instead, I’d been painting my daydreams with brighter colors: cozy dinners by a fire with Leon, laughter spilling through sunlit rooms.

I craved a new chapter, a future untainted by blood. Could that future begin with my hands stained?

Well, there was only one way to know.

I drew in a slow, steady breath, tasting the crisp air.

Then I turned back to Leon, meeting his expectant gaze. A steely calm settled in my bones.

“Bring me his heart,” I whispered.

Leon’s grin was feral, his nod decisive. “Consider it done.”

Every beat of my heart thundered in my chest when he spoke.

Warmth radiated from my core. This was exactly the kind of marriage I craved: strong arms that guarded without smothering, thoughtfulness that slipped in like a gentle breeze, respect that never rang false.

Leon slid his hands around my waist, pulling me so close I could press my cheek against the firm line of his shoulder. His cologne—earthy sandalwood with a hint of spiced amber—drifted into my senses, and I savored the taut strength of his embrace.

“It’s so good to see you,” I murmured into the cotton of his crisp white shirt, my breath catching on each syllable.

He let out a low chuckle. “I’m not sure I can let you go now that you’re here.”

“Then don’t,” I whispered back, tilting my chin to meet his gaze.

He gave me that slow, tender smile he reserved just for me, the kind that made hope flood through every cell. “Come with me, please.”

He wove my fingers through his and led me past the iron gate where the dogs had scampered off—ears flopping, paws pounding the flagstone path.

Beyond the gate, the house revealed its secret face. The terrace dropped away into a vast panorama of cliff and sky, anchored by an infinity pool whose water merged with the ocean’s silken horizon.

Along the pool’s edge, terracotta pots overflowed with magenta bougainvillea and scarlet geraniums, their blossoms nodding in the sea breeze.

I paused, palm pressed against the smooth stone balustrade. “Leon, it’s breathtaking. Your description at lunch couldn’t begin to capture this.”

“I’m glad you think so,” he said. “I find great peace here. When I’m stressed out from work, I sit here in the garden by the pool and stare out at the sea. It’s so huge, it reminds me that whatever I’m dealing with is surely not as important as I’m making it out to be.”

He guided me toward a white gazebo tucked into the corner of the terrace. Three marble steps led up to its shaded platform, where sunlight filtered through intricately carved arches, painting lacework patterns on the flagstones.

In the center, a round table draped in moss-green linen held a banquet: a basket of freshly baked brioche, a silver ice bucket cradling chilled champagne, plates of ruby-red strawberries and slices of tropical mango, and at its heart a tall glass vase bursting with white lilies whose petals caught stray sunbeams.

My breath hitched. I spun in a slow circle, the hem of my dress swirling.

“This is pure magic,” I exclaimed. “I feel like I’ve stepped into a fairy tale.”

“Well, that’s convenient.” He sank to one knee so softly I barely heard the stone meet his tailored trousers. My spinning came to an abrupt halt.

A gasp escaped me when he opened a small black velvet box. Inside sat the most beautiful gold ring, adorned with an array of sparkling sapphires, rubies, and diamonds.

My heart skipped a beat, and I could barely breathe at the sight of it.

“Calista Vitalis,” he said, voice trembling with devotion, “would you do me the honor of becoming my wife?”

Tears blurred my vision as emotion pooled in my throat. “Oh, Leon…” I covered his hand with my own, feeling the warmth of his skin beneath my palm.

“I know you picked me first, Cali, but I would have chosen you over any other woman in the universe. I want you to know that.”

“Yes, of course! Yes!” I cried with joy.

He rose, the ring glinting between us, and slid it onto my finger.

I held my hand out, marveling at its weight and how the gems caught the light. “It’s perfect—just like you.”

Leon enveloped me in his embrace, and we shared a slow kiss, as the world faded away to the gentle connection of his lips on mine. When he eventually pulled away, I wiped the tears from my cheeks and kissed him again, resting my face against his chest.

“I hope you like it,” he whispered, his breath warm against my hair.

I said, my tears warm and bright, “I adore it.”

He pressed a tender kiss to my forehead. “I’m sorry it took me so long. I had it custom made—you deserve something as unique as you are.”

“Thank you.” I kissed him and then wrapped my arms around him. “You really aren’t evil incarnate after all. You’re more like a tender teddy bear.”

“Don’t say that around anyone else, please.” He brushed a kiss across my lips. “I’m only like this with you, my darling.”

“Lucky me,” I said as he kissed me again, his arms wrapped tightly around me, his ring wound firmly around my finger.