Page 11 of The Kiss that Captured a Billionaire (Heart & Soul #2)

“Mr. Kallistratos!” she gasped. “I was just about to bring your coffee in.”

Theo chuckled as he grabbed a mug and poured himself coffee. “No need. I wanted to let you know there will be two for breakfast. Nikos and I have a meeting.”

Mrs. Hughes blinked, her gray curls bobbing slightly. “Shall I bring your breakfast to your office?”

“The dining room is fine,” he replied with a grin.

“I’ll add some nice pastries from the corner shop to the menu. Mr. Aetos loves those,” she said with a pleased smile.

He chuckled, the sound echoing slightly, as he exited the bright, modern kitchen. He was heading to the dining room when a brief, sharp knock and the distinct click of the penthouse door announced Nikos’s expected early arrival.

He paused, scrutinizing Nikos’s appearance. “Did you even go to bed last night, or did you just grab a shower?”

“I could ask you the same thing. I’m assuming since you’ve already texted me this morning, you’re up and dressed, and you’re in the penthouse instead of a hotel room that you weren’t able to sweet-talk your beautiful Rose into spending the night with you,” Nikos commented, not answering his question.

Theo shot Nikos a warning look but held back the sharp reply as Mrs. Hughes appeared. He motioned to Nikos to have a seat.

“When are you going to quit serving this horrid man and come work for me?” Nikos teased.

“When cows learn to fly,” Mrs. Hughes retorted.

Nikos laughed and placed his hand over his heart. “I’m wounded.”

“That’s why I had these delivered, to soften the blow,” Mrs. Hughes chuckled, lifting a silver lid to reveal the platter of pastries.

“I’m in love. Tell Mr. Hughes he is a very lucky man,” Nikos said with a delighted groan as he reached for an apricot-filled Danish.

“Oh, he knows,” Mrs. Hughes laughed before she left them alone.

“Are you finished trying to steal my housekeeper away?” Theo asked drily.

“Not even close,” Nikos replied. He lifted his fork and waved it at Theo. “So, your early morning text was a little vague— Breakfast, ASAP . There wasn’t much to go on there.”

Theo opened his laptop. The report he had requested from his PA in Greece was waiting for him. He opened the file, scanning it.

Within seconds, he was deep in a rabbit hole of old records, restoration permits, tax documents, and historic preservation grants.

The Gerster Theatre was a marvel—underfunded, underappreciated, but rich with legacy. With every photo he pulled up, every news article he scanned, his fascination deepened.

“It’s an old structure—original design from 1908. Hungarian architect. Amazing craftsmanship,” he said absently.

Nikos lifted an eyebrow. “This is about Rose, isn’t it?”

“She lives there. Works there. It’s her entire world.” Theo scrolled down.

“That’s… fascinating. What does this have to do with me being here at the crack of dawn?” Nikos asked dryly, stabbing a piece of bacon with his fork.

Theo shot him a look, unimpressed.

“Her grandfather, Alfred Smythe, immigrated from Scotland. Her grandmother, Iris, was Irish. They were performers before they transitioned to design and set building. That theatre—it’s a legacy project.”

Theo finally closed his laptop, rolled his shoulders and focused on his breakfast.

“Fascinating—and still doesn’t answer my question,” Nikos said, nodding at him with a curious expression. “What happened after I left last night? Did she slap you or kiss you?”

“Neither. She did agree to go out with me tonight.”

“I guess that’s progress—though, I have to say, this is a bit—unusual—for you,” Nikos murmured.

Theo scowled. “I’m going to surprise her this morning.”

Nikos set his fork down slowly. “Theo. What are you up to?”

“I have a meeting with Mimi Devan. The theatre director.”

Nikos’s eyes narrowed. “Why?”

“I’m going to make a sizable donation.”

“In exchange for what?”

Theo sipped his coffee. He didn’t answer right away. Instead, he leaned back in his chair, his gaze steady.

“I plan to woo Rose,” he said simply.

“That I can understand. She is the type of woman who needs wooing. It’s the undertone that I don’t like.” Nikos stared at him before he released a sigh and flatly asked, “In exchange for what? You don’t do anything without a purpose.”

Theo exhaled. “Time. I want Rose, and I can’t be with her if she is busy elsewhere.”

Nikos cursed softly in Greek and shook his head.

“Why do I get the sinking feeling I’m not going to like what you mean by that?”

He shrugged. When he saw a problem, he solved it. In this case, he wanted Rose. The problem was she was busy—and so was he. His need to travel around the world would cause issues. The simplest solution was to free Rose from her schedule—and offer her the world in return.

“I’m due in London, then Paris, Athens, and Rome. I need her free to come with me.”

“And you don’t see a problem with the fact that she might not want to go? What if she finds out you were behind her suddenly free schedule?”

Theo shrugged. “She won’t find out. And if she does—she’ll see it was for us.”

“Jesus, Theo. Try thinking with the head above your shoulders,” Nikos scowled.

Theo’s jaw flexed. “I know what I’m doing.”

“You don’t think this is a little arrogant? Even for you? You think she’ll be flattered? That you’ve traded money for time with her? What if she sees it as control? Manipulation?”

He didn’t flinch—outwardly. “It’s not manipulation. It’s speeding up the inevitable.”

“You’re making a lot of assumptions. I believe the term I’ve heard before is ‘Putting the cart before the horse’.

It might be better if you—I don’t know—maybe ask her what she wants,” Nikos muttered.

He stopped, released a low chuckle, and blew out a breath.

“Hell. What am I talking about? I wouldn’t know what to do if I had a woman playing hard to get.

It seems like too much work. Give me a nice, amiable woman who only wants one thing—as long as it isn’t marriage—and I’m happy.

Who knows, maybe everything will work out fine.

It did for Alexandros. All I’ve got to say is good luck. ”

“I need to ask a favor,” he said, breathing a sigh of relief as he changed the topic.

"Of course, provided it doesn't include abducting that beautiful young woman you're so enamored with.”

“I’d like you to review the leads I have so far on Lorenzo’s granddaughter. There isn’t much. I feel like I’m missing something,” he confessed.

“You could’ve handed this off to one of our teams,” Nikos pointed out.

“I would, but I promised Lorenzo I would keep this quiet. I don’t think he told Sophia, Lucinda, or Raff about the photo.”

Nikos nodded. “I can understand that. It would be terrible to say Livia had a child, only to discover there wasn’t one.”

“My thoughts exactly. I’ve added all my notes, including the interview with the old woman who lived next door to them into the file,” he said.

“Did she have any kids? If so, maybe one of them remembers more. I’ll do some more research and get back to you. Do you know what you’re going to do when you finally find her—if she exists that is?”

Theo shrugged and lifted an eyebrow. “What woman wouldn’t be thrilled to find out she’s the heir to a noble, obscenely wealthy Italian dynasty?”

Nikos threw back his head and laughed. “True. True.”