Page 121 of In Love with a Cruel Billionaire

“Are you talking about what happened between us in high school?”

“What else?” he said bitterly. “I still can’t believe everything was based on a fucking catch-a-billionaire strategy a teenager—-”

Stavros snapped, “It isn’t like that.” Not waiting for Damen to argue with him, Stavros told the man who was once his close friend everything he knew of Mairi and the childhood she had.

Gnawing dread ate Damen as Stavros’ words eventually painted the picture of a young girl who had dared to dream and had not let anyone’s malicious jealousy stop her from viewing the world with rose-colored glasses.

“It was never about the money,” Stavros grated. “If she only wanted a Greek billionaire, don’t you think she would have continued to pursue me? Or Vlahos? It was about a dream...a fucking dream of true love and she thoughtyouwere the embodiment of that dream.”

Damen said rawly, “Where is she now?”

“She took a flight home.”

Everything in him demanded that he say no more, but Stavros was a fair man. Damen had been an idiot, but he had lashed out in his pain. Only a man who was so in love could be that vengeful. He said reluctantly, “It will not be simple finding her if she does not want to be found.”

“I won’t stop—-”

“That’s exactly what you have to do if Mairi chooses to disappear. I searched for her for years, and I am no poor man without resources. Her aunts have connections and they’re...good. I only recently learned that they had studied my every movement and by doing so, they were able to prevent me from uncovering any lead that would take me to Mairi.”

“But you found her—-”

“Because they let me,” Stavros finished. “So you must pray to all the gods that they would want you to find her, even if it’s only for Mairi to shoot you in the head for what you did to her.”

Damen whispered, “Even if she did, it would not be enough to undo the harm I have caused her.”

Chapter 18

IT WAS LATE MORNINGthe next day when their solicitors succeeded in getting Stavros and Damen released. The two Greek billionaires shook hands, a mutual understanding having formed between them. Damen would grovel, and Stavros would be there watching.

“Drive me home.”

It was a good half hour before they reached his home. As he retraced his steps to the front door, his heart began to beat faster and faster – and it was not doing so in a good way.

With every beat of his heart, he felt like he was suffocating.

By the time he reached the front door, Damen was on his knees.

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