“Stavros.”
Their handshake was brief, and the Greek billionaire’s eyes were noticeably cool as they met Willem’s gaze.
“I had not thought our next meeting would be under such circumstances.” Stavros’ tone was grim.
He knew then. Willem was not sure how much Stavros knew of his situation with Serenity, but he could see that his friend knew enough to view him with distrust and disapproval. He said with quiet honesty, “I was a fool.”
Stavros didn’t answer right away. Instead, he gazed at his friend for a long time, and Willem met his gaze straight on, hiding nothing. Stavros inhaled heavily. Pain and regret were all he saw, but even so, he could not make himself forget Serenity’s admission.
“How could you have done something like that to her?” he demanded under his breath. “She’s just nineteen, for heaven’s sake.”
A muscle started ticking in Willem’s jaw. “I know that. Do you think I don’t know that? Do you think I’ve never considered that it might be better to leave her alone and let her lead her life—”
“Then why don’t you?” Stavros charged.
“Because I owe it to her to try,” Willem snapped. Even this very second, even without closing his eyes, he still saw her on the floor. He still heard her begging for him—
Please.
Please wait.
Please.
The memories ripped his heart, but the knowledge that Serenity had to be suffering even more was what killed him and brought Willem all the way to Greece.
“She deserves to have me crawling on my knees,” he said tautly. “Even if nothing comes out of it, I owe this to her.”
Stavros slowly shook his head. He had never seen his friend this humbled, but he had never seen Serenity Raleigh so broken either. He said finally, “She’s coming down to meet you, but I have been asked to be your chaperone.”
Willem’s lips twisted. “Your wife’s orders, no doubt?”
“She’s as protective of your ex-intern as Serenity was of her in the past.”
Willem inclined his head. “Understandable. They share a remarkably poor taste in men, I’ve noticed.”
Stavros had to smile at that. “I have to agree.” He and Willow might be happily married now, but he would never allow himself to forget the pain and suffering he had put his own wife through because of his stubborn blindness.
Before either of them could speak again, they heard the door open, and Stavros said tensely under his breath, “Don’t hurt her again, or I’ll have to come after you personally.” Then he was walking away to meet Serenity halfway across the room.
He saw immediately that her eyes were faintly swollen, her nose red, her face pale, and knew that she had not been able to completely control her tears when she had gone to her room to change.
“I will be right outside the door,” he told her gently.
She fidgeted in her feet. “You don’t really have to—”
He tried to make light of the situation, saying easily, “Unfortunately, my wife’s condition requires that I do. Whatever she asks right now, I give her, and you know she asked that I do not leave either of you alone.” He nodded towards the hallway. “I understand your need for privacy so I’ll be right outside, making calls—” His tone became faintly apologetic.
“Willow told you to leave the door open?” she guessed.
“I’m afraid so.” Turning towards Willem, Stavros said, “I’ll be leaving the two of you then.”
She stared at Stavros as he walked away, a part of her wanting to follow him out. She should just leave, pretend Willem hadn’t ever come, and it would be all over. That was what she should do, but she just…couldn’t.
“Serenity?”
Willem’s tone was quiet, almost hesitant, and her heart skipped a beat at hearing the Dutch billionaire sound so. It was all an act, she told herself fiercely. He had made love to two sisters in one night. No man who could do that could ever be capable of love.
Taking a deep breath, she slowly turned around to meet Willem’s gaze—
He held flowers in one hand.
Flowers.
He had never personally given her flowers before.
He had sent her a lot of gifts over the years, for every occasion in her life, but none of them had been flowers that he had personally given to her.
Until now.
An act, it’s just an act, just an act, she told herself feverishly even as she wanted to cry at the way her heart kept racing faster and faster the longer she stared at him.
He was walking towards her now, slowly. It was as if he was giving her all the time in the world to escape him, and it was at that moment she really did cry. The tears fell, fast and furiously, and she could no longer stop crying.
By the time he reached her, Serenity’s shoulders were rocking hard at the strength of her sobs, and she was too weak to struggle away as his arms closed around her.
In his embrace, she cried harder.
She cried at the way her heart continued to beat for him, cried at the way her heart couldn’t seem to understand that all this was an act.
It was just an act.
But then Willem said in a raw whisper, “I’m so damn sorry, engel.”
She shuddered.
The endearment used to make her feel special, but now it made her feel like the cheap, stupid whore Shane told her she was.
Engel.
It was supposed to be a secret they shared, but he had told Shane about it.
How could she ever believe him again after the way he had betrayed her?
“Please give me a chance to make it up to you.”
She took a deep breath.
One word, and she could put an end to all of the heartbreak. One word, and she could forget him and move on. One word that would decide everything else—
“Yes,” she heard himself whisper.
One word, and there was no turning back.
Her youth, inexperience, and the devastating pain that had afflicted Serenity since he had left made the decision for her.
She would make him fall, and she would ruin him, just like he had stolen and broken her heart.
****
He came to meet her the next day at work. He had texted her, asking what she was doing at the corporate headquarters of Acheron Simonides instead of school, but she had chosen not to reply.
At one in the afternoon, reception told her she had a visitor at the lobby, and she asked the staff to relay the message for her visitor to be shown to waiting area. A part of her wondered if the Dutch billionaire would indeed go to such a place. After all, people like Willem de Konigh were not at all used to waiting.
But less than a minute had passed when her phone buzzed with Willem’s text message—
Take your time. I will not impose on your schedule.
Serenity promptly deleted the message. It’s all an act, she told herself harshly. It was just an act. She was still scowling down at her iPhone when her boss strode out of his office. A tall, dark-haired, lethally built man with smoldering good looks, Acheron Simonides was a legend among his peers, having clawed his way to the top with a mixture of hard work, genius, and ruthlessness.
Scandals had always dogged his name, with rumors abounding about his connections to Greece’s criminal underworld. Although he was rich and powerful in his own right, Greek society had always avoided him. It was only when he was declared the rightful heir to the Kokinos’ empire did Acheron become fully accepted into their fold, but it was a privilege he had neither sought nor cared for.
Acheron halted in front of Serenity’s desk, curious at the battle-like expression on his normally serene intern’s face. She was an exquisitely beautiful blonde girl, and it had been one of the reasons he had hired her. His previous life had created a hunger in him for the most beautiful baubles, and originally, that was all Serenity was supposed to be.