Page 70 of About Love and Revenge

"I want you."

He pulls away. “Say it again."

“I want you in me. Every night, all the time."

The predatory gaze that excites me so much appears. He starts walking towards the bedroom without letting me go, and I anticipate the delight of another night in his arms.

NEW YORK

We’ve just walked into a restaurant with two other couples.

Odin explained that it will be a business dinner. He's trying to buy the two brothers' company because he needs the parts they make for his computers to be produced on a large scale. As they don't have the capital to invest, Odin decided to make a purchase proposal.

He said that both brothers seem reluctant to give up the company, but that they are actually trying to get much more than the factory is really worth and they'll eventually give in. They are in debt and have no option but to sell or go bankrupt, but Odin also said that if the deal is not closed tonight, he'll start manufacturing the parts himself, which will force them to sell anyway.

I already suspected, based on the way he cleaned up my father's estate, that Odin was ruthless, but seeing him in action for the first time is exciting and terrifying at the same time.

I'm used to watching men do business, even though my father never bothered to explain to us where his money came from. I grew uparound ambition, but what I'm talking about now is power. Not stolen power, where you subdue people, like Leandros did, but the type that makes everyone respect you with a simple look.

It's mesmerizing to be around someone like that.

After the introductions, it doesn't take me long to understand the kind of people we are dealing with. They were born rich and cannot disguise their contempt for having to deal with what they call thenouveau riche.

Odin has never told me how he managed to assemble his fortune. In fact, although we talk a lot, he never tells me anything about his past. So I have no idea how he went from being a student basketball player to one of the richest men in America, as Cassandra told me, but there is one thing I'm sure of: He's totally focused. Once he sets a goal, he’s unstoppable.

When I hear him talking on the phone, I think about how bad it must be to have him as an enemy.

Speaking of enemies, today, after much delay, I called two of my sisters. First, the second oldest after me, Larissa.

I have the phone number of each of them on speed-dial. I can just place my finger on a button and the call is completed.

I wish the conversation had been as easy as making the call. When I summarized what had happened, everything, including Naim attacking me in Greece and whom I was with now, the kindest thing I heard was that I'm a traitor.

The cruelest? That I'm nothing but a luxury prostitute.

However, I'm not one to give up easily, so I tried to talk to Agatha.

It was the worst possible decision.

Neither of them asked how I was feeling. What it was like to leave our island to live in a strange place. They only saw our father's side. Unlike Theo, they didn't offer me any help. Agatha even called me foolish for not accepting the sheik as a husband.

They also didn't seem surprised that Leandros had run away. Apparently, I was the only one who hadn't known about his bankruptcy. They are married to rich men, and news like that travels quickly in their circles.

When I asked whether they were worried about our mother, they said that Leandros would never let anything happen to her.

I'm not so sure.

I've come to the conclusion that there is something very serious behind the story of Odin and my father. At first, I thought his anger was because Leandros had mistreated Aristeu, his uncle, humiliating him whenever he could and not paying him a fair salary. Only, that seems like too simple a reason for him to go after my father like he did.

Of course, there's Orien's death.

It would be logical to think that Odin bankrupted my father to avenge his cousin, except that the mansion on our land took a long time to be built, which means that Odin has been planning to destroy my father for many months, maybe years.

Even after what Theo told me, I haven’t spoken to Odin any more about his cousin's death. He has the right not to want to be reminded of that.

"Elina, how long have you and Odin been dating? I never knew he was in a relationship."

The question takes me completely by surprise, not only because of the ironic tone in which it was asked but also because of the woman's indiscretion.

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