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Authors: Rebecca Winters

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BOOK: The Renegade Billionaire
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“Yes. In the front hall.”

“Did you hear anything?”

She darted Stavros a nervous glance. “Yes. She came to talk to him about her pregnancy. He denied being the father and asked her to leave.”

“Are you involved with him?”

Blood hammered in her ears. “We've spent a little time together, but I'll be in Brazil in a few more days with my father, where he has work.”

“You're resigning your job with PanHellenic Tours?”

“Yes.”

“Are you leaving because you believe Kyrie
Konstantinos is the father of the baby and you have no hope of marrying him for his money?”

“No!” Enraged by the question, she shot out of the chair, then realized where she was and sat down again. “I have no hope of anything!” Not without Stavros.

“I'm leaving because my father loves and needs me. As for Kyrie Konstantinos, he told me he has never loved her and ended their brief relationship over three months ago. I believe him. Besides my father, he's the most honorable man I've ever known.”

“Is there anything else you'd like to add or change to your testimony?”

“No.”

“Thank you.”

The screen went blank, but Andrea didn't notice because she'd already hidden her wet face in her hands.

CHAPTER EIGHT

I
HAVE
NO
hope of anything!

Andrea's plaintive cry resounded in Stavros's heart. He turned off the computer before pulling her into his arms. For a long time, he simply rocked her back and forth in an effort to give her comfort while he drew some solace from simply holding her. Those quiet little sobs shook him to the deepest recesses of his soul.

He kissed her forehead. “You didn't deserve any of this. I know that deposition was brutal, but Myron had to learn everything he could so he'll be prepared when he and I go before the judge. If Tina is pregnant, it's not mine. When a DNA test is done, then she'll have to come clean. If she isn't pregnant, she'll be cited for contempt.

“At that point my attorney will bring a lawsuit for perjury. In the end, her father will be the all-time loser, but I know that doesn't repair the damage this has done to you.” He kissed her eyes and cheeks. “There's no way to make this up to you, Andrea. Ask me for anything. If it's within my power to give, I'll do it.”

She sniffed and lifted her head. She looked at him through glazed eyes. “I know you would. What I need is to get back to Thessaloniki. Is your pilot down on the pad?”

His pain was worse than any the stingray had inflicted. “Yes.”

“Then I'd like to leave now.”

A great shudder racked his body before he released her and reached for his phone on the computer desk. He called the pilot and told him to get ready for takeoff. After he hung up, his gaze darted to hers. “Do you have everything packed?”

“Yes.”

With a sense of inevitability, Stavros picked up the duffel bag against her protest. Her nursing days were over. They walked through the house and down the back steps to the pad. When they reached it, he cupped her face in his hands and kissed her precious mouth one more time before helping her into the helicopter. Anything more and he wouldn't have been able to let her go.

“You'll be home before dark. There'll be a limo at the heliport waiting to drive you to your apartment.”

She wore a pained expression. “You don't have to do that.”

“After what you've lived through and sacrificed for me, you can say that? I want to give you everything. I'm the one who absconded with you on Friday after work and brought you into this hornet's nest. The least I can do is make certain you get home safely.”

He could tell she was struggling to swallow. “Thank you for everything, Stavros. I'll never forget.” Her voice trembled.

No. Stavros wouldn't forget either.

He shut the door and stepped away. The rotors started up and began to whine. He waved to her as the helicopter lifted off and swung in a northwesterly direction toward Thessaloniki.

Last night, their passion for each other had driven them over a threshold to a more precarious place. He knew it had shaken her. Though she'd professed her love for him, they were in an impossible situation because the bond with her father went fathoms deep.

Without a mother all her life, Andrea revered the man who'd raised her. She was so attached to her father, she wouldn't allow another man to come between them if it meant a separation.

I'm leaving because my father loves and needs me.

That said it all. Stavros didn't blame Andrea for anything, but he refused to pressure her. His parents had done that to him his whole life and it had caused a rift he doubted could ever be mended. Look what pressure had done to Tina.

Andrea would have to come to terms with her emotions on her own. Ferrante had recognized he wanted her enough to accommodate her. But Stavros didn't have that luxury. He'd started a new business. Hundreds of plant workers and truck drivers depended on him. If he wanted her with him, he would have to find a way, but there were certain things he needed to clear up first.

Stavros had achieved two of his lifelong dreams, but the third one still eluded him. To find the right woman was difficult enough, but to make a relationship work meant sacrifice on both parts to achieve real happiness.

When he couldn't see the helicopter any longer, he walked back in the house and headed for his den. His work was never ending. That was good because he doubted he'd be able to sleep. For the time being, Andrea was only as far away as Thessaloniki, but she might as well be on another planet.

After his flight to Kavala on Thursday for the hearing generated by evil design, he'd fly to Thessaloniki and see her one last time. He couldn't leave her hanging about the results of the hearing. She deserved to know the outcome from him in person. If he went to her office before she left work, she couldn't refuse to see him.

Once seated at his desk, he opened the accounts file. The difference between profit and loss was in the numbers, which he constantly scrutinized for errors. While he was deep in calculations, his cell phone rang. It couldn't be Andrea. She was still in the air, but just the thought of her caused his pulse to speed up.

He checked the caller ID and clicked on. “Leon?”

“Hey, bro. I heard old man Nasso served you with a breach of promise notice.”

“He did more than that. He named Andrea codefendant.”

“He's a sick man. Does Andrea know?”

“She was the one served when she answered my door.”

“Hell, Stav.”

“There's more. Myron deposed her on a Skype conference call so she won't have to appear at the hearing. The questions tore her apart. Right now she's flying home in the helicopter. In another few days, she'll be going to Brazil with her father.”

“I thought you loved her.”

His eyes closed tightly. “With every fiber of my being.”

“Then how come she's leaving?” When Stavros didn't answer, his brother called, “Stav?”

“I'm still here.”

“Does she know you love her?”

“Yes.”

“Does she love you?”

“Yes.”

“Then what in the hell is the problem?”

“Because she's leaving with her father, and my life is here.”

“You're serious.”

“Afraid so.” Stavros told his brother about Ferrante. “He gave up everything for her. It was the only way he could have her.”

Leon was quiet for a long time. “That's a tough one. I don't envy what you're going through. I wish there was something I could do to help.”

“Just be in my corner like you've always been.”

“Stav—I don't like the idea of you being in your hideaway all alone. Why don't you come to my house and stay with us and the kids. I'll go with you when it's time to see the judge.”

“Thanks for the offer, but I'm not fit company for anyone.”

“If you need me, call anytime, day or night. I mean that.”

“I know. Talk to you soon.”

The depression he'd lived with before Andrea had come into his life had descended on him like a paralyzing, impenetrable darkness.

* * *

Andrea had been home from work for only a few minutes on Wednesday evening when she heard a knock on the apartment door.

“Andrea?” a familiar voice called out.

“Dad!” She couldn't believe he was here.

He opened the door with his own key. “Hi, honey. I decided to surprise you.”

She flew into his arms and hugged him so hard, he laughed. “What's going on?” When she lifted her tearstained face, he frowned. “I thought you were happy to see me, but you look like the Wreck of the Hesperus.”

That was a playful expression of her father's he often used to make her laugh when she was upset. But she was in too much pain since leaving Stavros to respond.

He wiped the moisture from her cheeks. “Hey—this
is
serious. It's a good thing I was able to finish up my work early and get home to you.”

“Do you mean you're through at the mine? Literally?”

“Yes, honey. I told my superior I needed to help my daughter get ready for our move to Brazil.” There was more gray in his dark blond hair, but she hadn't noticed until he cocked his head. “How come I've walked in to find you in tears? Is this still about Ferrante?”

She shook her head.

“Do you enjoy your job so much it's going to be hard to leave?”

“That's not it, Dad, although I'll miss Sakis.”

“Okay. I'll stop playing twenty questions. For you to be in this kind of shape, your problem has to do with a man.”

“Yes.”

“He wouldn't by any chance be the mastermind behind that plant, would he?”

“Yes.”

Her father was so smart he could always divine what was wrong with her. “Those pictures you sent were pretty impressive. Come on. Out with it.” He put his arm around her shoulders and walked her over to the couch. Then he sat down in the chair near the coffee table.

“I don't know where to start.”

He leaned forward. “The beginning is always a good place. What's his name?”

“Stavros Konstantinos.”

“You're talking the Konstantinos Marble Corporation, of course.”

“That's the one, except that he no longer works for the family. He has started his own company.” Her father had opened the floodgate and it all came spilling out. Everything about the time she'd spent with him, the search for Darren, the problems with his parents, the hearing before the judge because she had been named codefendant.

“Unfortunately, having a name like Konstantinos and all the money that goes with it makes him a living target. Has he asked you to marry him, honey?”

“No.” Her voice shook. “He knows I'm leaving Greece with you.” She got up from the couch, unable to sit still.

“Does he know about Ferrante?”

“Everything.”

“Have you told Stavros you're dying of love for him?”

“Yes.”

“Then why are you going to Brazil with me?”

She wheeled around to stare at her father. “Because I love you and don't want you to be alone.”

He got a troubled look on his face. “Did you tell
him
that?”

“Yes. What's wrong?”

Her father stood up. “Honey—I hope you're not sacrificing your own happiness because you're worried about me.”

“Of course I'm worried about you. We've never been apart.”

“I'm afraid that's my fault. I think I've done a terrible thing to you without realizing it.”

“What do you mean?”

“Somewhere along the way you've decided you have to be my caretaker.”

“No, Dad. It's not like that.”

“It's exactly like that,” he countered. “So
that's
why Ferrante was willing to move around with us. I thought it odd, but you seemed so happy about it, I never questioned it.”

She was shocked. “Dad—”

“Honey, this is the last thing I ever wanted to happen. I raised you hoping that one day you'd get married. It broke my heart when Ferrante was killed. Now that you've met another wonderful man, I don't want to be the reason why you don't stay here and really get to know Stavros. You've known each other, what? All of two weeks? You need more time together.”

She couldn't believe he was saying these things. “But what will you do?”

“Without you?” He laughed. “I have my own life to lead, but we'll always have each other. If you love this man heart and soul, then you need to stay here and give it a chance. I'd give anything if your mother were here right now. If she were alive, she'd give you the same advice. Honey—you and I will get together whenever possible, right? But you need to pursue your own life.”

Andrea had never loved her father more than at this moment. “Yes! Oh, yes!”

He held out his arms and she ran into them. The tears kept coming. Just a different kind. “I want you to meet him. He's so wonderful, you can't imagine.”

“I think I got a clue when you sent me those pictures. Now how about showing me a picture of him?”

“I will, but first you need to know he's in trouble and I've been named codefendant because of that woman.”

“They mean business, don't they?”

“I'm afraid so.” For the next little while, she told him everything. “His father has never shown him love.”

“Some people don't know how, but he had to have loved him all these years, otherwise why would he let his son be the managing director of the corporation?”

She blinked. “You're right!” Her dad could always make her feel better. “But I can hardly stand how much he's been hurt. When you meet Stavros, you just won't believe how fantastic he is. For this woman's father to put pressure on Stavros's father and take him to court just tears me apart.”

“Sounds like this woman's father would do anything to have Stavros for a son-in-law.”

“He tried because Stavros is a breed apart from other men. But Stavros doesn't see himself as exceptional.”

“Maybe it'll be up to you to help him take off the blinders. Anyway, nothing at this hearing is going to stick. He says it's not his baby, so at some point it's all going to come out in the wash one way or another. I've been there and know it for a fact.”

She smiled up at him. “Your facts outweigh everyone else's. You've always been the smartest man I've ever known.”

“You mean until you collided with Stavros Konstantinos.”

“If you hadn't taken me to Thassos to visit the marble quarry, we would never have met.”

* * *

Elek Cadmus, the attorney for Draco Nasso, was known for his cutthroat tactics. Stavros didn't put anything past him. There were five of them in the judge's courtroom for the closed hearing Myron had insisted upon. But he couldn't prevent Tina from being present.

When Stavros saw her and her father sitting by the attorney, he thought she looked pale. Maybe she
was
pregnant and had morning sickness.

BOOK: The Renegade Billionaire
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