Nik Alexandropoulos led Alyx into his private office, tall, handsome, and unsmiling in a dark gray suit. “Please have a seat.” He gestured towards the couch, asking, “Would you like something to drink?”

She shook her head, watching him all the while, and waiting. There were so many things this man shared with Nathan Callis, and it wasn’t just because they were both Greek billionaires and as such, powerful and arrogant to a fault.

And yet---

“Do you mind if I drink?”

“Not at all.” Alyx’s voice was faint. Her head was reeling, and she wondered if she was suffering from shock. Her trembling hand went to her chest, and she felt her heart thudding harder than ever against it.

But that was the thing.

It wasn’t racing madly in excitement, but instead it was beating hard and fast…out of relief.

Across her, Nik settled himself on the armchair, a shot of whiskey in his hand, which he downed swiftly in one gulp. Tension was etched on his face, and she quickly looked away, suddenly feeling like a voyeur.

Once, seeing him in pain would have meant the world to her because it meant he knew she existed.

But it was different now. She looked around his office, which she had been to a few times in the past years. It hadn’t changed at all. It was still vast and luxurious, still decorated in his favorite colors – but now the fact that she knew what those shades were only gave her discomfort.

“So…” Nik’s polite drawl had Alyx looking back at him, and she saw the Greek billionaire leaning forward, his elbows settling on his knees as he clasped his hands together.

Her heart used to jump at seeing him like that, Alyx thought, and that it no longer did now only made her feel more lightheaded.

At the back of her mind, the meaning behind such changes lingered, waiting to be acknowledged---

Not yet, Alyx thought vaguely. Not just yet.

Forcing herself to meet Nik’s gaze, she said quietly, “I’m sorry.” Nik was a really smart man, and she knew she didn’t have to say anything else for the Greek billionaire to understand what the apology was for.

“You’re forgiven.” And without missing a beat, the Greek billionaire deadpanned, “I’ve always known I’m irresistible, so things like this tend to happen.”

Alyx fought against the urge to gnash her teeth. For all the trouble she had caused him – something they both knew he didn’t deserve in any way – she owed it to Nik Alexandropoulos to just let that one go.

His lips twitched. “No need to control yourself, Alyx.”

She gave him a strained smile. “It’s my penance.”

He laughed, and the sound was---

It wasn’t anything special.

Her head fell down, and she heard herself ask, “Will you tell Daria?”

A pause, and then Nik asked levelly, “Do you believe I’ll have a reason to?”

Ah. She could read between the lines easily enough, and she knew he was asking if she believed there was a chance for her feelings to come back. And slowly, she shook her head. “No.” Her voice caught as she suddenly found herself overwhelmed by emotions.

Relief, gratitude, joy, love---

“I thought,” she choked out, “my whole world ended when I didn’t see you as just another Greek jerk.”

“I see.”

She choked back a laugh at Nik’s polite murmur, and lifting her head, she told him feelingly, “I’m just so glad…so damn glad I look at you now, and all I see is this chauvinistic, obnoxious, power-tripping---”

“I get the picture,” Nik said dryly.

But he was smiling, and a tremulous smile formed on her lips in response.

“I hope you don’t take this the wrong way, but I’m glad it’s over.”

She nodded jerkily. “Me, too.”

“And because things usually work this way, I’m supposing you’ve met someone?” The Greek billionaire paused before asking slyly, “By the name of Nathan Callis perhaps?”

Alyx scowled. “So you’re not only a jerk now, but you’ve added gossiping to your long list of vices?’

Nik smirked. “I’ll take that as a yes.”

She jumped to her feet, muttering, “I think I need a drink.” She stalked to the billionaire’s mini-bar, but changed her mind last minute and reached for a can of soda instead of the wine she had her eye on. Things happened the one time she had drunk an entire glass of wine, and she definitely didn’t need a repeat of it now.

As she pulled the tab from the can, she heard herself ask, “Can you tell me…” Alyx swallowed. “Can you tell me how do I know if he’s the one?” She took a gulp of soda, but the silence only stretched between them.

And then she heard Nik say, “If your feelings for him scare you so much it’s making you ask me that – I think you already have your answer.”

Oh God, she really hated it when Nik Alexandropoulos sounded so much wiser than her.

As she stalked out of his office, Nik called out, “Anytime you need love advice about keeping a man, just give me or Daria a call.”

Aaaargh!

She slammed the door shut as hard as she could, but it was too late. Everyone outside his office had heard him, and she could feel his executive staff gawking at her as she hurried to the elevator. Knowing how fast news traveled, she knew she had no choice but to tell Nathan about this visit.

Just as Alyx reached to press the down button, she heard a familiar voice call her name out, and she stiffened.

When she turned around, it was just in time to see Daria flying towards her.

Daria caughther in a bear hug, saying tearfully, “I missed you so much, Alyx.”

She could only stand stiffly in her best friend’s arms, not knowing what she deserved to say or do.

“And for all your bitchy words,” Daria whispered, “I always knew we had the same taste in jerks.”

Oh.

And she realized then that Nik had lied. Daria had always known about her. He hadn’t kept anything from her – as he shouldn’t have. When Daria pulled away, she pulled her back, not wanting her friend to see her fighting back tears.

“I’m sorry,” she choked out. “I’m so damn sorry, Daria. I never wanted it to happen.”

“You don’t have to be,” Daria said softly just as she pulled away. “You needed to meet your fair share of frogs, too, and it just so happened that my prince was your frog.”

The words were more than she deserved, but that was the way Daria had always been. She loved selflessly, even those who didn’t deserve her love.

By the time she stepped into the elevator and the doors started to close, the last glimpse she caught was of Nik walking towards Daria, and the smile she sent his way.

* * *

Victoria Harbour sparkled like a jewel in the night, its still waters reflecting the brilliant cityscape of the two islands that bordered it – Kowloon on one side, and Hong Kong on the other. Unfortunately, the breathtaking view, made even more stunning by the light-and-music show that took place every evening, was wasted on a certain pair of occupants inside a luxurious hotel suite.

One of them was Rima Callis, who at thirty-three looked a decade younger than her age, with her silky blonde hair and a figure that remained as svelte as it had been when she left her modeling days for good to marry her prominent doctor husband.

That man was Aetes Callis, twenty years Rima’s senior, who also happened to be Nathan’s father.

As she let the curtains fall from her fingers, Rima turned away from the prized balcony view of her suite, its beauty leaving her cold. It was hard to appreciate such things when the man she loved was too busy to keep her company. Such was the story of her life ever since she had married less than a decade ago.

In one corner of the room, her stepson Nathan was busy packing his things, something he could have assigned one of the staff to do but didn’t. He had always been that way, self-reliant almost to a fault, and she remembered how when she had first moved in with Aetes as his fiancée, a solitary and studious 18-year-old Nathan had sought to ignore her, thinking she was a gold-digger. But then he had seen her clumsy but dedicated efforts at housekeeping, had seen the way she loved to fuss over his darling father every time he came home late from work---

And that was that, Rima reminisced fondly. Exasperated at her numerous mishaps in the kitchen, Nathan had slowly and grudgingly taken Rima under his wing, and when he had learned from his father that Rima was even wealthier than their family, the remaining doubts about her gold-digging ways had been effectively dispelled.

If only Nathan would live with them again, Rima thought with a sigh, then maybe she wouldn’t be so bored.

When his stepmother sighed for the third time in the last five minutes, Nathan was forced to set aside his packing. Straightening, he asked bluntly, “What is it?”

“You know what I want.”

“Out of the question.”

“Please!” Rushing towards him, she tugged on his sleeve, saying in an imploring voice, “Just stay another night.”

“Stop being a baby.” Nathan was exasperated. “Being alone for a few hours won’t kill you.”

His stepmother pouted. “But it’s so boring.” She took a seat on the edge of his bed, her gaze following Nathan’s movements as he resumed packing and folded his last suit back into his suitcase.

“Only because you chose not to do anything but wait for my father. There’s the committee meeting between doctors’ wives next door to the conference, isn’t there? Why don’t you join that?”

Rima made a face. “Those women are horrible to me, and you know it.”

“But you can win them over if you want to, and you know that, too.”

“Hmph.” Rima uncrossed and crossed her long legs, laid bare by the short dress that she wore.

And she wondered why those women were horrible to her, Nathan thought. She was young, beautiful, and sexy, more so than most doctors’ wives, and to make it worse, none of those other women could even make themselves feel better that Rima had only married his father for money.

“You know what it meant to be a doctor’s wife.” Nathan’s tone was pragmatic. “You can’t say I didn’t warn you.”

Rima sighed. “I thought I could change him.”

“I also told you my mother thought the same thing.”

“I know.” Her tone was wry. “I know you did your very best to make sure my eyes were wide open when I married your father, and they were. I knew what to expect, but it didn’t stop me from hoping things could be different.”

His jaw clenched at the look on Rima’s face.

“Anyway…” Rima gave him a smile that didn’t quite reach her eyes. “At least let me drive you to the airport.”

Nathan was stunned. “He lets you drive abroad?”

Rima laughed. “I can see that shocks you.” Shaking her head, she said chidingly, “You should give me more credit, you know. Not counting your own mother, I’ve lasted longer than his other wives.”

And so she had, Nathan thought. And he realized then that she was also right, and that he should give her more credit. He had neglected to for all the usual reasons, such as the fact that she had always appeared a fragile little thing to him, someone he had thought wouldn’t be a good match for his father’s icy temperament.

Walking towards the door, she said over her shoulder, “Let’s leave in half an hour.”

“You don’t need to drive me.”

“Relax, sugar. I’m not going to kill you.” Rima’s laugh trailed after her, and as it often turned out, his stepmother ended up getting her way. Exactly thirty minutes later, Nathan found himself in the unusual position of taking the passenger seat while a woman slid behind the wheel.

“Seatbelt, please.”

“Don’t treat me like a kid,” Nathan snapped.

“But you are my kid in some ways,” she teased.

Nathan sighed, unwilling to be provoked by Rima when she was in this impish mood of hers. “Just drive.” A large part of him expected the ride would be rather bumpy and speedy, reflecting Rima’s tendency to make snap decisions, but it was surprisingly smooth instead and he gradually allowed himself to relax.

When the light turned red, she glanced at him with twinkling blue eyes. “It’s okay, Nates.” She was the only one who had ever called him that. “You don’t have to say it.”

“Say what?”

“Because I already know.”

“Know what?” Nathan was exasperated and amused. This was one thing that hadn’t changed about Rima, with her love for turning conversations into guessing games.

She turned her attention back to the road, saying cheerfully, “That you think I’m a good driver.” And then she suddenly stepped on the gas, causing the car to rocket past the other cars, and Nathan cursed.

Rima’s laughter filled the car.

“Dammit, Rima.”

“You were begging for it,” she told him laughingly. “Quit looking so serious.”

“When I get out of this death trap, I will,” he retorted.

“So talk to me. You never tell Aetes or me anything about your life in Miami.”

“Because there’s nothing to say that hasn’t been reported on the Internet.”

“Oooooh.” She threw him a curious look. “So does that mean you’re really going out with that reporter?”

“Ex-reporter, and she’s more of a journalist. A news writer, to be specific.”

“Right. Right. The smart type, huh?”

“I suppose.” Nathan’s voice was curt. It didn’t feel right talking about Alyx to Rima.

Unfortunately, Rima wasn’t exactly known to pay attention to undercurrents, and throughout the ride she forced Nathan to affirm or deny all the rumors she had read about him and Alyx. By the time they reached the airport, Nathan was both mentally and physically exhausted, the former because of Rima’s ceaseless questions and the latter because Rima had kept him at the edge of his seat with the way she’d impulsively step on either the gas or the brakes, just to see him sweat.

Rima stepped out of the car when he did, watching from the sidelines as he took his luggage out of the trunk.

When he turned to her, he wasn’t too surprised to find her looking suddenly tearful. She had always been moody as hell, so this, too, hadn’t changed about her.

“So this is it, huh? You’re going to ignore us again.”

“I’ve not done any such thing,” Nathan countered mildly. “There’s not one invitation from you or Father that I’ve turned down.”

It was true, but Rima didn’t seem to be in the mood to hear the truth. “Your father and I miss you so much, Nates.”

And then she did something she hadn’t done in years---

Nathan stiffened as Rima suddenly threw herself at him, her slim arms going around his neck in a tight embrace. “I miss you, Nates,” she whispered. “I really miss you---”

He jerked away from her. “What the hell, Rima?” Nathan’s tone was harsh. “Why the fuck would you say something like that?”

Rima’s arms fell to her sides, a vulnerable look on her face even as she mumbled defensively, “Why shouldn’t I?” Gray eyes blazed at her in answer, and she took an involuntary step back.

“Because you chose him over me.”