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Dionysus

CHAPTER FIFTY-TWO

“What type of meeting were you in?” Zeus asks on the phone. “I couldn’t reach you on the phone, and the secretary said she was ordered not to interrupt you.”

“I had to deal with a problem of gigantic proportions. I spent the morning meeting the lawyers. One of our group executives is being accused of sexual harassment by his secretary.”

“Fuck! Who?”

“I prefer to talk about this in person. Now tell me the reason for the urgency to find me.”

“I’ve got nothing good for you, either.”

“I suppose not. When I picked up the phone, I had six calls: two from Odin, yours, and one from Christos, Hades, and Ares each. What the hell happened? Did the Third World War break out?”

“You can’t stay incommunicado with a pregnant bride, Dionysus.”

“I know Cecily is fine, as is Joseph, otherwise the bodyguards would have found a way to contact me.”

“What I have to tell you is about your fiancée. Her stepsister gave an interview saying a bunch of shit, including that Cecily came to New York looking for a rich husband.”

“What?”

“She gave details of conversations between the two of them. She’s probably jealous and angry after what happened during the benefit. She was arrested for assaulting Cecily, which couldn’t have been good for business,” he says sardonically.

Call girls cannot attract attention. Especially the luxury ones, like Peyton. The men who pay to go out with them require, above all, discretion.

“I’m going home. Cecily must not have thought it important, or she would have called me. There is no missed call from her.”

“You’ve changed.”

“Why do you say that?”

“Just a short while ago, you would have been suspicious of your fiancée.”

“I trust Cecily. Peyton is a vile human being. She doesn’t deserve any credence. But she will pay this time.”

“What do you intend to do?”

“Repay evil for evil. The one who forgives is God. I settle accounts. Do me a favor: call our lawyers and ask them to take action. I want any news items about Cecily to be hushed up.”

“Already did that. Odin is also investigating further, and we know that when he’s done, no stone will be left unturned.”

After I say goodbye to my brother, I think about calling Cecily, but I decide to go home and talk to her in person. She must be upset.

I left Anderson at her disposal, so I decide to text the bodyguards to give me a ride home. I arrange for them to pick me up in front of the bank.

As soon as I get to the ground floor, I walk to the main door, but before I reach it, one of the security guards stops me.

“Mr. Dionysus, can I speak to you?”

I try to remember his name, but I can’t. I look at the badge.

Allen.

“Good morning, Allen. Actually, I’m in a hurry. Is it quick?”

“Yes, it is, and it is also of interest to you.” He looks around, looking awkward, as if he’s afraid someone will hear us.

Irritated but keeping my expression neutral, I gesture my head towards a corner of the lobby, where there are no people. “I cannot take long. I have an urgent appointment.”

“It’s about your fiancée.”

“What?”

“I swear to all that is holy that I’m not trying to gossip, but after the report earlier today...”

I feel my irritation rising. Loyalty to Cecily makes me come to her defense. “Be careful what you say. It may cost you your job.”

“I’ve been working here for twenty years, sir. Even when your grandfather and father were still alive. I am a loyal employee, not a gossip, and I will do what my conscience tells me. I saw, as I think the whole world did, the announcement of your engagement to Miss Bradley, and although she looked more dressed up in the newspaper photos, I recognized her immediately.”

“You recognized her?”

He nods. “I thought it was strange because I never saw her here at the bank, so how could you be engaged? Then I understood that she must come with Anderson, going straight into the garage and then on the private elevator.”

“What the hell are you talking about?”

“The romantic story of how you met that the newspaper published, about her being run over, is perhaps not such a coincidence. That afternoon, before the accident, Miss Bradley tried to enter the bank. She came here looking specifically for you.”

I feel my blood run cold, distrust spreading through my blood like poison. “Continue.”

“So when I saw that you were engaged, I was suspicious. I don’t believe in coincidences, sir. I remember the conversation I had with her that day. I advised her against trying to find you. I told her to go back to the small town she came from. She thanked me and left. I felt sorry for her. The image of the red-haired girl pulling the suitcase made me sleepless that night because I thought I should have offered help. She looked alone.”

“Summarize, Allen.”

“I’ve carried this feeling of injustice with me ever since, but...” He scratches his head, clearly uncomfortable. “There was the report today with the stepsister saying that Miss Bradley came from Kansas to get a rich husband. You can fire me if you want, Mr. Kostanidis, but I needed to warn you that you might be walking into a trap.”

I tighten my jaw so hard that my teeth grind together. “Thanks.”

I walk towards my car, without seeing or hearing the people around me, but when I arrive at the vehicle, before getting in, my head bodyguard says, “Anderson has just arrived with Miss Bradley. They entered through the garage. She’s in your office waiting for you, sir. Do you still want us to take you home?”

“No. I’m going to find her.”

My office is on the twelfth floor. I could take the private elevator, but this time, I choose to take the stairs.

I need to calm down. I must keep in mind that no matter what she has done, Cecily is pregnant with my child.

As I slowly climb up, I mentally review what we’ve experienced since the day Anderson ran her over.

Afterwards, she offered to be Joseph’s nanny. It was a way to insert herself into my home.

I remember our conversations, and I remember the day she asked me not to hate her.

“Swear you’ll never hate me.”

“Why not ask me to love you?”

“Because love can’t be requested. Hatred can be negotiated because it is a choice. Don’t hate me, Dionysus. It would break my heart.”

The feeling of being betrayed is not something I can deal with, especially from the woman I am completely in love with. The one I chose to be my life partner, to form a family with, to grow old by my side.

I arrive at my destination, and for a moment, I want to go back in time. Not listen to what Allen said.

And continue to let her deceive you forever?

I feel contempt for myself for even considering such a hypothesis. If what Allen said is true, Cecily lied the whole time.

I open the door that leads to the reception and dismiss the secretary. My expression must be shit because she doesn’t argue. She doesn’t open her mouth to say she let Cecily in. She just takes her bag and leaves.

I grip the door handle, feeling myself bleed inside. I have the certainty that my entire future will change as soon as we are face-to-face.

Her back is turned, and she’s looking out the window, but when she hears me enter, she turns around.

Her face is pale, and she gives me a weak, unsure smile.

I watch her from afar, and the love I feel is so great that a kind of physical pain hits me, preventing me from going to her.

“Dionysus . . .”

“Who are you, Harper Cecily Bradley?”

She rocks on her legs, as if she’s going to lose her balance, but then straightens up again. “You know who I am. You couldn’t have believed Peyton’s lies.”

“And your lies? Should I believe those?” I cross my arms in front of my chest, pretending to be calm, that I’m far from feeling anything. “I’m only going to ask you once, so be careful what you answer: when you were run over by Anderson . . . was it by chance?”

I see her eyes fill with tears, and it’s like someone has stuck a knife in my chest. Before she even opens her mouth, I already have my answer.

Still, I wait until she says, “No, it wasn’t by chance.”