Total pages in book: 78
Estimated words: 74766 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 374(@200wpm)___ 299(@250wpm)___ 249(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 74766 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 374(@200wpm)___ 299(@250wpm)___ 249(@300wpm)
Your pride is just making you think you want him, but you really don't!
You love D, not him!
And as D's mother, there is only one right thing to do.
Chapter Eight
LUKAS: You told her she was RIGHT?
Charlotte: Well, she is, isn't she? YOU bought all that stuff for her son, and aren't you also the man she's contracted to marry?
Lukas: You're having fun with this, aren't you?
Charlotte: No one's stopping you from clearing things up, Lukas. The question is: why aren't you?
BETSY: Hi, Charlotte. I hope I'm not catching you at a bad time. And please don't feel the need to reply right away or anything. I just wanted to ask if there's anything you can tell me about my future husband. I know that my not knowing his identity is part of how your agency works, and I totally understand. But I guess I just want to...picture him better. And maybe find out if there are things I should learn or practice so I can be a better wife to him.
Charlotte: That's so very sweet of you, Betsy. Your future husband is so lucky to have you! And let me see. I guess it's safe for me to tell you that he's the quintessential tall, dark, and handsome type.
Betsy: That kinda worries me. What if I'm not pretty enough for him? Has that ever happened to any of your clients?
Charlotte: Never.
Betsy: So you really think he'll like me?
Charlotte: Absolutely.
Betsy: What about his likes and dislikes? Does he have hobbies that maybe I can learn to share?
Charlotte: He loves to read business books, I think? Oh, and he loves Mediterranean cuisine! He also speaks fluent Italian, Spanish, and Greek. Aside from English, I mean.
Betsy: Gotcha! That's a huge help. I think I'm starting to picture him. Thank you, Charlotte. And I'm sorry if I sound impatient or ungrateful, but I'm just...curious, I guess? Is this how it usually works? Is there always an interval of sorts between selecting couples for marriage and actually getting them married by proxy?
Charlotte: It's not the rule per se, but it does happen more often than you think. For a variety of reasons. But it's not something for you to worry about, I promise.
LUKAS: I'll be away for work for about a week.
Betsy: Understood, sir.
Lukas: I've already made arrangements with the bank to issue you a card under my account. It should be delivered within the day. Use it as often as needed, and be sure to buy something for your son, too. That's an order.
Betsy: Thank you for being so, so generous to D.
Lukas: I should be since he could be my future heir.
Lukas: I've always been generous to your son. Which you would've known if you hadn't assumed my gifts for him were from someone else.
Lukas: It's part of your compensation package.
ATHENS' HIGH SOCIETY was abuzz at Lukas' unexpected return. Rumors about a rekindled romance between him and Lydia Rubio immediately started flying, but nothing could be further from the truth.
His office staff, on the other hand, was under the impression he was here for work. But this, too, was not the reason behind his overseas trip.
Lukas was here simply because Betsy was not, and he had been hoping the distance would help clear his mind. But instead, it was the opposite. He actually found himself missing not just Betsy, but D as well. How the hell was that possible when he had only known them for a day?
His inability to make a decision chafed at him and it was only on his fifth night in his hometown that he saw a glimmer of hope.
News of Kyrillos Gazis' megayacht docking on one of Athens' private ports had spread like wildfire, and Lukas immediately made plans to pay his friend a visit.
Kyr was the one person he trusted to ask about his situation with Betsy. More importantly, the other man's advice was guaranteed to be invaluable, with Kyr being the only man Lukas knew who was happily married.
Chapter Nine
IT WAS AN EXTREMELY lucky day for the handful of reporters hanging around the docks. Lukas Tsaldaris was one of Athens' most elusive tycoons, and his sudden appearance sent everyone into a frenzy. Photos of him had always been in demand, but more so since the billionaire had relocated his company to the States.
The noise coming from the mob of photographers and reporters had reached explosive levels by the time Kyr welcomed his friend aboard.
"You must be dating someone new," Kyr joked, "for the paps to be this excited."
Lukas' lip curled. "They think Lydia and I are getting back together."
Kyr didn't say anything else, since his friend's tone made it exceptionally clear that such a thing was not a possibility.
Lukas glanced around, unused to seeing his friend without the family he was famously known to dote on. "Where are Polly and the kids?"