A vintage sedan gleamed on its rotating platform at the center of the reception area, bathed in dramatic spotlighting like a museum piece. Framed racing photographs lined the walls, chronicling the Christakis family’s history with speed. Everything spoke of power, tradition, and masculine confidence.
Aris steered me toward his office, his hand never leaving my body. When he opened the door, I saw floor-to-ceiling windows overlooking Athens. His desk was a massive slab of dark wood with everything neatly arranged.
He closed the door behind us, sealing us into this private space. He positioned the stroller near his desk, then turned to me.
Aris led me to his leather chair and settled into it first, then drew me onto his lap. His arms wrapped around me, giving me the feeling of safety I needed right now.
“Comfortable?” he murmured against my hair.
I nodded. “I’m fine. Now talk.”
“Phoibe, she was my father’s assistant during his last years as CEO. We had a brief sexual relationship at the time. When she began talking about marriage and children, I broke it off. She was fine, and we moved on with our lives, yes? She got married and became a mother. Then my father died, and I inherited her as my assistant when I became CEO because my previous assistant, he had passed away.”
Six years ago.That was long before me, before us. But the fact that she was still in his life, still working so closely with him...
“Keep going.” I prompted.
“She was a good worker. Professional. She knew her job and still does. For years, there were no issues. But this past year...” His arms tightened around me. “Since her divorce, her behavior, it changed.”
“When her divorce started, she began finding excuses to be near me.” He shifted his hand to rest on my thigh. “Small things at first. Bringing me lunch when I had not asked. Calling instead of texting when a message would suffice. Staying late when there was no work that required it.”
I stayed quiet, letting him continue.
“She video-called me while I was in Montrose one night. Said her ex-husband had hit her during an argument over their divorce settlement. She was crying, wearing lingerie under a silk robe, and asked me to come back to Athens to comfort her. Itold her to call the police and offered her access to the company’s attorneys. She became angry and ended the call.”
I stiffened in his lap. “You never told me any of this.”
“No. I documented that call with HR immediately and began the process of finding her replacement.”
“Good. That was smart,” I said, nodding. At least he’d been thinking ahead.
“I have seen too many men ruin their careers and family lives over their... impulses. I was not about to allow the same thing to happen to me. I knew I needed a safety net, so I had cameras installed throughout my office.”
I glanced around, but saw nothing obvious. “Where?”
“They are built into the fixtures and look like standard office equipment.”
“So you have video evidence of everything she did in here,” I said. That was the protection he needed. “Why didn’t you fire her?”
“Because I kept thinking about your story. What you survived as a single mother. How easy it would have been for someone to write you off when you were struggling.” He exhaled slowly. “Phoibe was going through a divorce. I thought maybe she was just in a dark place emotionally, and her judgment was clouded by what she was dealing with at home. I wanted to believe that if I gave her time, she’d pull herself together. Like you did.
He’d carried my story with him into a decision that had nothing to do with me, and it had cost him. I couldn’t decide if that made me proud or furious.
“I love that you thought of me. That you wanted to show her grace.” I kissed his jaw. “But honey, when I was a struggling single mom, do you know what I did? I showed up to work on time. I did my job. I went home to my daughter. I didn’t call my boss in lingerie in the middle of the night. That’s not struggling. That’s scheming.”
“That is exactly the difference, yes?” He turned his head to press a kiss to my palm. “You struggled with integrity, while she is weaponizing her situation. I projected your strength onto someone who had none of it.”
Part of me wanted to crawl deeper into his chest for being the kind of man who heard a woman’s pain and carried it forward. The other part wanted to shake him for not seeing the difference between a woman surviving and a woman performing.
I smoothed down his silk tie. “But why is she doing this now?”
“Dimitrios thinks it’s envy. When she showed up at the hospital and learned about our marriage and the pregnancy, she completely unraveled.”
I remembered the blonde woman who’d strode into the private waiting room with flowers in her hand, her face shifting from shock to fury after Aris announced our marriage. She wanted Aris, and seeing me pregnant had shattered that illusion. Now she was out for revenge.
“A lawsuit like this could affect the company’s reputation.” I’d seen it happen before, watched executives get forced out over allegations that were never even proven. “What does this mean for Olympus Motors?”
“Nothing. The board, it is family. Though PR suggested I step down while the lawsuit is in progress.”
