Page 164 of Malicious Claim

Estele's expression did not change, but her tone lost its edge. "He was only four. Poor boy. Had his mother's eyes, but Makros' fire."

I swallowed, suddenly feeling the weight of my own presence press down on me. "I'm sure he loved them very much."

"He would have burned the world for them." Estele's gaze met mine. "And in a way, he did."

I looked down at my plate, my appetite was lost. "Did he ever speak of them? After?"

"He couldn't stop talking about them." Her answer was almost immediate as if she had been expecting the question. "I mean well not until after he met you."

Something tightened in my throat. I pushed my plate away and leaned back, absorbing her words. Makros had carried their ghosts in solitude, buried them beneath all that rage. And now I was here, tangled in a past neither of us could remake.

I met Estele's gaze again. "What do you think he sees when he looks at me?"

She studied me for a while before answering. "You are strong. And I think that is why he chose to marry you." Estele rose to her feet and inclined her head slightly. "I have to attend to the Don now."

"Thank you Estele."

I returned to my room, surprised that Nicolai was not following me. The peaceful feeling continued until I shut my door closed behind me and I turned to find Stefanos lurking behind the shadows.

"Fuck, you startled me," I said, placing a palm over my chest. "What do you want?"

"To confront you," he answered in a matter-of-fact tone.

"To confront me?" I echoed.

"You're playing a dangerous game," he said in a low voice. "Lying to Makros about us. Playing on his smartness. You think he won't catch on?"

I decided to play ball. "And exactly what am I lying about?"

"That I assisted you in your escape plans. That I warned the spy and therefore was compensated by Vincenzo. Leila, after all that which I have struggled to do for you, you took my key card and sought to frame me."

I arched an eyebrow. "Frame you?"

His teeth gritted with rage as he moved closer, intruding into my space, but I didn't budge. I raised my chin, looking him straight in the eye with all the defiance that I could muster.

"Don't you dare pretend you don't know what's going on," he snarled.

"If you don't leave me alone," I informed in a low and threatening voice, "I'll scream. Tell them you tried to rape me. Let's see how far you get then."

His expression shifted to shock, then to rage. His fists clenched by his side, but before he could react, the door opened.

Nicolai stood in the doorway. "Something wrong, senora?"

"That depends on him," I answered. "Is something wrong Stefanos?"

Stefanos tensed and retreated.

"Uh, Stefanos, weren't you told not to go near Makros's wife? Please, leave before he finds out about this." Nicolai gestured to the door.

Stefanos hesitated, and then left in a huff.

"Makros is keeping an eye on the two of you," Nicolai said as he shut the door.

I folded my arms. "Is that supposed to frighten me?"

"No." He studied me from head to toe. "But I know what you've been up to. How you're framing Stefanos. Covering your tracks. Don't deny it."

I stared into his eyes, preparing for a battle. "It's odd Stefanos came to me with the same charges. But I didn't frame him. Dimitri confirmed that it was Stefanos that tipped him off during the raid."

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