“There’s an American woman at the front gate in a waiting taxi. She claims... she says... she’s Mr. Dimitrios’s wife.”
I heard my mother choke on her tea, and I glanced at her with concern, but Irida was already attending to her.
“His wife?” Kostas repeated into the stunned silence. “Did she provide a name?”
“Yes. Nadège Mondesir Christakis.”
“I’ve accessed the camera feed at the gate. I can’t verify the ‘wife’ part yet, but there are two women in the car and they’re not alone,” Matt added.
“Who’s with them?” Chrysanthos asked.
“A young boy. And he looks like Dimi. Like a Christakis.”
The silence that fell over the breakfast room was absolute. Even the babies seemed to sense the shift, falling quiet in their grandmothers’ arms.
“A son,” my mother whispered. “Dimitrios has a son?”
“That’s impossible,” Konstantin said. “He would have told us. He wouldn’t...”
But even as my brother spoke, I saw the doubt in his eyes. We both knew how well our family members could keep secrets.
“Instruct the guards to admit them,” I directed. “Someone should locate Dimitrios immediately.”
This was his story to tell, his situation to handle. But a Christakis child, if the boy truly was one of ours, that affected the entire family. Dimitrios would need to explain himself, and soon.
As the rest of the family erupted into speculation, I excused myself to finish preparing for the press conference.
When I entered our bedroom, the scent of coconut oil and shea butter filled the air. Dede sat on the edge of our bed in my monogrammed bathrobe, her braids neatly piled on top of her head, one leg extended as she smoothed moisturizer along her calf.
She looked up at the sound of the door, and her face immediately brightened with a smile. The world might be in tatters, but returning to her settled everything into place.
“There you are,” she said softly. “Where are the babies?”
“With Mother and Aunt Irida,” I assured her, crossing the room in a few strides. “They are being thoroughly spoiled as we speak.”
I sat beside her. Her robe had slipped off one shoulder, and I pressed a kiss to the exposed skin. When I pulled back, she was staring at me.
“You’ve got that look.” She reached up to touch my cheek. “The one that means there’s a Christakis family situation brewing.”
I captured her hand and pressed a kiss to her palm. “There is always situation. However, I am happy to have you to myself.”
She laughed. “Tell me what’s happening while I finish my routine.”
I watched as she returned to applying her moisturizer. “Matt leaked the footage from my office to the press.”
Her hands paused. “I bet that’s actually working in our favor, isn’t it?”
“It seems to be, yes,” I admitted. “Public opinion is already shifting.”
“I support your graceful approach, you know I do, but I can’t say I’m unhappy Matt fought fire with fire. That woman didn’t deserve the courtesy you’ve been extending her.”
She always found a way to validate both my principles and the reality of the situation, never making me feel foolish for either. It was one of the countless reasons I loved her.
“There is more,” I continued. “A woman has arrived at our gate claiming to be Dimitrios’s wife. She has a child.”
Dede’s eyes widened. “Dimitrios is married?”
“This is what she claims.”
