Page 4 of About Love and Revenge

My savior died the same night I went to visit him but not before we went over our entire plan. Soon I will leave Greece and be away for a long time, so I decided to take a stroll, to say goodbye to my land.

I'm sitting on the beach when I see a pureblood Arabian horse trotting across the sand, right next to the waterline.

I love to ride. It was one of the many things my savior taught me, but because of my secret, I can’t allow myself to be exposed.

With fascination, I observe the elegance of the horse-riding Amazon. She rides it without a saddle, and even before she's close enough, I know who she is.

Elina.

The eldest daughter of my enemy. Her blonde beauty has always mesmerized me.

The girl doesn’t look Greek.

Every time I get the chance, I watch her from afar.

I reckon she can’t be more than thirteen, so our age difference is about five years. She looks like her mother, but her skin has nuances of mixed races.

Like me, Elina is not one hundred percent Greek. Cinthya, her mother, is English. Unlike her sisters, she’s tall.

I don’t speak to any of the Argyroses—not even Theodoro, who is my cousin Orien’s best friend—but I’ve studied them as carefully as their parents.

Elina’s sisters have matriarchal personalities and submissive postures.

The blonde is different, though. She demonstrates independence, a desire for freedom that shines through, especially when she’s horse-riding.

I follow her with my eyes, and I know that the moment she passes me, she will turn her head to look.

She always does.

As for me, even though I really want to continue admiring her, I pretend to pay no attention. There would be only one reason I would approach an Argyros: to destroy her father.

There is no room in me for feelings other than hate—at least until my revenge is carried out.

I have no intention of involving the bastard’s children in my plans, unless absolutely necessary. It’s not their fault they were born to him. I too will have children one day, and I don’t want them to be held responsible for my sins.

Despite planning for a family, I don’t think I’ll ever be able to love a woman like my father loved my mother.

When all this is over, I'll find a wife to carry on my last name. Nothing involving feelings, only a deal we could both profit from.

As soon as I believe that she can't see me anymore, I turn in the direction she's gone. However, to my surprise, I notice that she's dismounted from her horse and is walking towards me.

I'm so shocked I can't move, but when I see her smiling, I know I must act.

I get up and start walking in the opposite direction, but she doesn't seem willing to give up.

“Is your name Odin?”

I stop walking and wait.

It's funny how she talks—quite slowly, as if testing every word. I've never heard anyone talking like that.

“Theo said you came to live here only a year ago. Where are you from?”

I turn around, and for the first time, I can get a good look at her face. She's at that intermediate stage between being a teenager and a woman, but you can already tell she's going to be stunning.

Blonde hair with an almost golden tone, flawless skin, and the most beautiful green eyes I've ever seen.

She is smiling and bears an disarming expression.

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