Suddenly, her sentence on the island seemed much more bearable. She was hopeful that Susie was out of danger now Alex had spoken to the Comellis. Susie would find a way to marry Spiros despite her lack of identification. She was world-famous, so there had to be another way of establishing her identity.
‘Kirie told me to let you know you may use any of the facilities you like, but he asked me to remind you not to go swimming in the ocean at night.’
‘He told me that his mother drowned.’
‘Yes. That’s another Kristidis tragedy.’
‘Is there some curse on the Kristidis brides?’
‘Not that I know of,’ Anna laughed as they walked through the colourful grounds, then a moment or two later, her expression grew serious. ‘His mother drowned in a boating accident.’
‘In these waters?’
‘No.’ They turned and walked back to the house. ‘People say she married Alex’s father for his money and was constantly unfaithful to him. She went to the French Riviera to meet with a rich lover. She and her lover were in a boating accident, suffered from head injuries, and drowned.’
‘How awful,’ Leah said sadly. ‘How long ago was that?’
‘Must be eight years ago now. Kiria Kristidis — Christina — was still alive.’
‘How long ago did Christina die?’
‘Just over five years ago.’
‘What about Alex’s father? Is he still alive?’
‘Yes. He was devastated when his wife died. He lost his grip on life for a while, and in the process, lost his shipping company. He lives a fairly quiet life in Athens now, but he comes here to stay sometimes.’
Leah shook her head, feeling a surge of compassion for Alex. How awful for him to cope with his wife’s condition and his mother’s death. She wondered what sort of relationship existed between mother and son.
‘Was Alex close to his mother?’
‘No!’ Anna answered adamantly. ‘She was a cold woman. Heartless. Only Spiros claimed her affection.’
‘Is Alex close to his father?’
‘Very.’
They reached the house.
‘Thank you for showing me around, Anna.’ And for giving me so much insight into Alex’s life.
‘You’re welcome. I’ll see you after lunch.’
As they parted, the housekeeper met them. ‘You have a visitor, Miss Hamlin. She’s waiting in the library.’
Someone to see her? It must have been the drug counsellor Alex had promised to send. Her pulse skipped a beat. Would the counsellor be able to tell she wasn’t a recovering junkie?
The beautiful Greek girl waiting for her seemed way too young to be a drug counsellor.
Soula seemed uncomfortable as she made the introductions. ‘Miss Hamlin, this is Elena Moustakis.’
‘Hello, Susan.’
‘Elena? Not…’ Leah’s voice trailed off.
‘Yes. I’m Spiros’s fiancée.’
Chapter 5
The computer screen of Leah’s mind went blank, then her brain slowly rebooted. A huge cluster of diamonds sparkled on Elena’s ring finger. Leah’s stomach contracted then seemed to plummet toward her feet.
‘Excuse me.’ Soula shifted uneasily, averting her eyes. ‘Please call for me if you need anything.’
Elena nodded.
Leah was tense as the housekeeper left. She studied Elena, feature by feature, and was impressed by her extraordinary beauty. Dark black hair. Liquid brown eyes. A sensational figure.
Leah could see she was nervous about this meeting. The Greek woman had her head held high and kept her back straight, but she was shaking.
‘I get straight to the point,’ Elena’s accented voice quavered. ‘I want to know why you’re here.’
Leah felt awkward. ‘Alex arranged for me to be here.’
‘Where is Spiros?’
‘I honestly don’t know.’
‘But you know about me, yes?’
Leah nodded her head warily.
‘I heard of you too, Susan. I know Spiros’s been seeing you, but that is to end before we marry next month. I —’
‘Next month?’ Leah interrupted, aghast.
‘Yes,’ Elena confirmed. ‘You not know this?’
‘No.’ Her mind was in chaos.
‘The date’s been planned for a year.’
Leah’s mouth fell open. ‘Did you and Spiros set the date for the wedding together?’
‘But of course! I know Spiros all my life. We, how you say?’ She searched for the words. ‘Childhood sweethearts. We always plan to marry.’
Without responding, Leah’s heart constricted. She could see how brave Elena was being, coming to face the person she thought was her rival.
‘I love him with my whole heart.’ Elena’s voice caught on a slight sob, and Leah’s own heart lurched again at the raw pain she could see in the girl’s eyes. Everything in Leah felt empathy for this beautiful, brave Greek girl, but her compassion was tempered by the knowledge that Susie’s happiness was also at stake.
‘I’m sorry.’ The words were inadequate, but what else could she say?
‘I know you’re famous and talented. He’s captivated by you, but we plan our lives together.’ Elena took a deep breath. ‘I know it’s accepted for young Greek men to have affairs before marriage. Even mistress after marriage. But not for me. You not be Spiros’s mistress. You understand, yes?’
Leah almost cringed in shame. ‘I think you should talk to Spiros.’
‘No! You accept the affair with him is over.’
Leah swallowed down, trying to dislodge the thick mass of emotion clogging her throat. She was unable to think of a single response. The girl expected to be Mrs Spiros Kristidis in a month’s time. It would break her heart when she found out about Susie and Spiros.
How could Alex’s brother marry Susie without breaking up with Elena first? Was Alex right? Was Spiros only marrying Susie because of the baby?
‘Have you and he had a disagreement?’ Leah had to know whether there were problems between Spiros and Elena that she was glossing over.
‘No!’ Elena clenched her fists into balls at her side. ‘You caused the problems. You and Alex.’
‘Alex?’ Leah didn’t see how it could be Alex’s fault. He was doing everything he could to keep Spiros and Susie apart. ‘What’s Alex got to do with it?’
‘Alex promised his father he look after Spiros, but he’s too controlling. He treats Spiros like a child. Spiros loves me. He’s not interested in you, but he’s trying to prove Alex can no control him. That he is a man capable of his own decisions.’
‘But he’s hurting you.’
‘I understand why he does. It’s male pride. But you end the affair, yes?’
‘Elena, I’m sorry you’re suffering so much heartache —’
‘Then you end the affair!’
Leah swallowed hard. This was just too difficult to deal with. ‘I really think you need to talk to Spiros and tell him how you feel.’
‘He know how I feel. You say you’re sorry, but you lie!’
Leah’s shoulders sagged. She watched helplessly as Elena turned and fled the room in tears. Her first response was to go after her and comfort her. But what comfort could she offer?
Damn Spiros! Anger scorched through her veins. How could he let Elena continue to plan their wedding? It was heartless. Cruel. She was going to tell him exactly what she thought of him when she saw him again. He’d be lucky if she didn’t throttle him on behalf of both girls.
Damn men in general. While Leah had been dating Kyle, he’d slept with her best friend. Spiros was marrying Susie while he was engaged to Elena. Even her father had left her mother for a more outgoing, more outwardly attractive woman.
Needing an outlet for her anger, she began striding toward the door, intent on having a hard workout in Alex’s gym. His rowing machine would bear the brunt of her fury.
Returning to her room, she took the steps two at a time, but before she re
ached her destination another thought formed. Susie’s relationship with Spiros was still so new. Did he really love her, or was he using the relationship as an act of rebellion, as Alex and Elena, suggested? If he was marrying her only because she was pregnant, it wouldn’t be enough to sustain their relationship. If he didn’t stick by Susie, it might be enough to push her sister to suicide.
Elena’s stricken face also haunted her. Leah felt torn in two. Elena wasn’t just a name anymore. She was a real person, and she was hurting. As Spiros’s fiancée, Elena had every right to be planning her future with him.
Leah flopped down on her bed. Frustration welled up inside her. Her hands were tied. Her first loyalty was to her sister. She couldn’t tell Elena that Spiros may already be married because that might get back to Alex and alert him to the whole masquerade.
Her mouth set, she got up from the bed and rifled through the clothing Alex had provided, looking for something suitable for a workout. She repeated the vow she’d made to herself when she’d discovered Kyle’s betrayal. I’ll never get involved in another relationship and have my heart trampled on again.
It had been two days since Alex had left the island.
Leah had eaten a healthy breakfast each morning and followed it up by a mandatory visit from Anna to check on her health. She spent most of her day on the beach. She swam and read in the mornings, dozed for an hour or so in her bedroom after lunch, then headed to the indoor swimming pool and gym. Each evening, she soaked in the deep bath in her en suite with a book, before Soula served her dinner on the main terrace of the villa.
Leah succeeded in breaking through Soula’s reserve by offering to help her with a couple of her chores. The only drawback was having Soula wax lyrical about Alex’s generosity to her family and the local community. Leah heard how he’d invested in a single, failing hotel and had made it flourish, then built a multi-billion dollar business with a chain of five star hotels and resorts.
Despite herself, Leah found her admiration for Alex growing at each thing she heard. She kept reminding herself she didn’t want to like or respect anything about him. It was important to keep a mental barrier between herself and the man who threatened her sister.
She hauled her tired limbs out of the swimming pool, her concern for Elena uppermost in her mind. Having been betrayed by Kyle, she could understand what the girl was going through, yet she was sure this would be a thousand times worse for Elena.
Leah changed out of her bathing suit and started working out in the well-equipped gymnasium. She turned the problem of Elena over in her head as she worked up a sweat on the rowing machine, but was no closer to a solution twenty minutes later.
The fine hairs on the nape of her neck stood to attention. Her sixth sense told her she wasn’t alone any more, and her eyes widened with alarm as she turned her head. Alex was standing just inside the doorway, watching her. She stopped midway through a stroke and dropped the machine’s oars.
God, he’s good-looking.
Try as she might, she couldn’t stop her pulse from racing in reaction. She felt her nipples harden against the short crop gym top she was wearing. The heat of her flushed awareness scorched her neck and cheeks as she dragged her starving eyes away from the sheer perfection of him.
Rising to her feet she pulled a t-shirt over her exposed midriff. She scooped up a towel and prepared to leave the gym through a different exit, without speaking to him. She couldn’t face him. He was so experienced that he’d know she was attracted to him.
‘Hello, Susan.’
Something in his tone stopped her, and she looked at him with suspicion.
‘My jailer returns,’ she said, acknowledging his presence.
‘I’m touched you missed me.’
‘Like a proverbial hole in the head.’ She continued toward the opposite exit.
‘Aren’t you going to ask me whether I’ve heard from Spiros?’ he drawled.
She stopped. She was supposed to be Susie, anxiously awaiting for Spiros to arrive and whisk her away from Alex.
‘Have you?’ she asked belatedly.
‘No.’
She glared at him.
Almost casually, he said, ‘But I know he left the U.K. and travelled to Paris.’
Surely that meant he and Susie were safely married and on their honeymoon. Her tension eased a notch, but then returned. She didn’t know that for certain. She couldn’t afford to make assumptions and reveal her identity at this stage.
‘Can you tell me why my brother would fly to Paris?’ Alex asked.
‘How should I know?’
‘My young cousin told me you planned to elope. She also said you intended to travel to Paris for your honeymoon.’
‘I…’ she faltered, searching for a reasonable explanation. ‘When I didn’t show up at our arranged meeting, Spiros probably decided to head straight for Paris, thinking I’d meet him there.’
He considered that.
‘My security team are working on it. It’ll only be a matter of time before my brother is located. Then I’ll bring him home and talk some sense into him. He’ll marry Elena and forget this infatuation he has with you.’
‘You think so?’ She bristled at the arrogance in his tone. ‘I think letting Elena continue with her wedding plans is cruel. Spiros won’t be marrying her.’
‘That’s where you’re wrong. I’m here to make sure the two of them get married.’
‘You’re not doing Elena any favours! Every day she continues planning her wedding is only going to make her heartache worse when it doesn’t happen.’
He gave her a long, considering look. ‘You sound as though you care.’
‘Of course I care. She’s going to be devastated.’
‘You needn’t worry. Spiros will come to his senses and realise how lucky he is to have Elena in his life. They’ll marry.’
‘You’re not all-powerful, Alex. Your arrogance is your Achilles heel, and it’s going to be your downfall.’
Alex watched Susan walk away from him. He loosened the silk tie that was beginning to constrict his neck. The girl possessed a lot more spirit than he’d credited her with, and her last crack about his Achilles heel worried him.
On the surface, a strategist would agree that Alex was holding all the aces. The girl was staying in his home, which should give him the advantage, yet her attitude made him wonder whether she was hiding a winning card up her sleeve. Did she plan to leave the island and meet up with his brother?
He was growing more and more confused by her behaviour — she wasn’t doing anything he expected. The way she rejected him at the beach didn’t add up. On past occasions he knew she would’ve jumped at the opportunity to be his lover, yet just now, she’d grabbed for her top and covered up her deliciously well toned mid-riff. Did she realise now that men prefer a challenge? Was she playing hard to get, recognising that he preferred to do the chasing?
The daily reports he received from his staff indicated she was something of a health and fitness fanatic. Anna had told him that Susan was extremely healthy. There was no sign of withdrawal, or past addiction. He ran a hand through his hair. If so, why had she been carrying cocaine in her handbag when she’d been brought to him?
Lowering his head slightly, he massaged his temples to ease the tension. He’d wondered whether the pop star’s fitness regime was part of an eating disorder and had run that theory past Anna. The nurse thought an eating disorder was unlikely given Susan’s well-proportioned figure and healthy appetite.
He’d expected her to be aloof and demanding. Hearing that Susan had been pleasant and appreciative toward his staff had surprised him. In fact, none of his staff disliked her.
All the reports were so baffling that he’d decided to return to the island to pay closer attention to her. Now he was here, he still couldn’t work out what she was up to. Her calm reaction to the disappearance of his brother made him certain she knew where he was. She hadn’t seemed surprised to learn that Spiros was in Paris — sh
e’d almost seemed relieved at that news.
Alex pulled off his tie with one frustrated tug of his hand and scrunched the material up in his palm. He was missing a vital piece in the puzzle. Once found, he was sure the rest of the pieces would fall into place. For now, he felt like he was in a fog. If he was going to determine what she was up to, he’d have to try to spend more time with her.
Leah was tempted to refuse Alex’s invitation to join him for dinner. She was afraid he’d quiz her more about Spiros and try to trip her up, but Elena’s plight was weighing heavily on her mind. Perhaps over dinner she could convince Alex that Elena needed to be let down gently.
Dressed in a white slack suit with loose flowing trousers and a cool halter neck top, Leah studied her appearance in the ornate mirror and was pleased with the result. Then she pulled a face. What was she doing? Trying to impress Alex?
She closed her eyes tight. What she needed was to get a grip on herself. As a high school history teacher, she wasn’t as sophisticated or glamorous as Susie; she couldn’t let herself get carried away by silly fantasies. Anyway, she wasn’t about to let herself take another battering on the romance front, so she erected some mental barriers and went to face her jailer.
Alex was waiting for her on the terrace. Leah felt her limbs stiffen as soon as she became aware of his eagle eyes watching her. She felt as vulnerable as a mouse in an open field. Her eyes darted left and right, trying to find cover, even though she knew he’d already seen her.
‘Susan.’ His voice was as smooth as satin. It carried to her on the stillness of the evening air, gently caressing her. Her skin broke out in goose bumps, despite the temperate night.
He was arrestingly handsome. It was the first time she’d seen him dressed in casual clothes, and the result caused her heart to flip and launch into a series of wild callisthenics in her chest. Her lungs worked harder as the oxygen depleted from her bloodstream in response to his presence.
Mistaken Identity Page 7