Page 50 of The Konstantos Marriage Demand

But of course Nikos came after her, his stronger stroke and more powerful muscles driving him through the water so that he came up behind her fast, long arms reaching out to grab at her. He caught her just as she was about to scramble up the ladder on to the side, hauling her back against him and twisting her round in his arms so that she was forced to face him.

‘Explain,’ he snarled, issuing an order with no doubt at all that it would be obeyed.

But Sadie’s throat seemed to have closed up over the words she needed and she couldn’t get them out. She could only shake her head in despair, sending her soaking wet hair flying so that drops of water spun off and landed on Nikos’s face, close to his eyes. He dashed them away with a brusque movement of his head, refusing to let go of her arms in order to brush them aside. Instead his grip around her arms tightened and he gave her a rough little shake, pushing her to give him the answer he wanted.

‘Explain,’ he said again, and to her astonishment just a little of the attacking quality had gone out of his voice. ‘What you are saying doesn’t make sense. When your father set out to bring down the Konstantos Corporation, he damn nearly succeeded. In fact, we thought that he had done just that—taken everything. It was only later—after…’

Again he made a slight adjustment, as if there was something he was covering up, hiding from her.

‘Afterwards that I discovered Carteret had not quite managed to take everything. There was one little piece of the company left—something that had either been too small or, in his mind, not important enough to bother with…’

As he paused to stare into her eyes, Sadie found the strength to fill in the gap.

‘The Atlantis.’

Nikos nodded sombrely, his eyes never leaving her face. But she felt the way his hard grip on her arms had eased and knew it meant his mood had changed.

‘And you can only know about this because you were somehow involved in making sure that it was still ours. That it was the one thing your father didn’t get his hands on.’

It was a statement not a question. His tone of voice and the dark-eyed look was levelled on her face told her that he already knew the answer but he wanted her to confirm it.

‘Yes.’

As she nodded her head in response, she suddenly felt a rush of pride and determination come back to bring new strength to her mind and body.

‘Yes, I was involved. I could have saved the island for you—my father actually gave me the choice, and I considered it at first—but at the time I felt choosing the one small hotel that was the other thing he had been prepared to concede might actually be more practical help than the sentimental attachment you had to Icaros. And I was right, wasn’t I?’

Nikos nodded slowly, his expression unreadable, bronze eyes clouded and hooded, hiding his real feelings from her.

‘You were right.’

‘Of course I was right—and bloody stupid at the same time. I knew you and so I chose the Atlantis, giving you at least a small business—something to keep you and the Konstantos Corporation one step away from complete bankruptcy. I chose that and I gave you a small start on the path to building your fortune back up again. Of course I didn’t know how quickly and easily you would do it. Or how you would then use all that you’d gained—all the money, all the power—to turn the tables on me and my family. To have your revenge—’

‘My revenge on your father,’ Nikos put in, but she was too caught up in what she was saying, fighting too hard against the tide of pain and bitter memories that threatened to swamp her, to hear what he was saying or to understand the tone in which he’d said it.

‘And then when you’d succeeded in getting back everything you’d ever lost—and more—when you’d finished taking your revenge on my father—when he was dead and free from your cruel quest for vengeance—that was when Fate really dealt you an ace card. Because when you moved to take possession of Thorn Trees you just thought that you were going to throw us out. That you would kick us out of the family home and never see any of the damn Carterets any more. But of course I had to go and turn up in your office, begging for a chance to stay in the house—offering to do anything. And that…’

Her voice cracked on the words so that she had to struggle to go on.

‘And that was when you decided you could have it all. The money, the businesses, the house—and the ultimate satisfaction: your final, personal revenge on me.’

Nikos’s hands had fallen from her arms, setting her free, and so now, unable to bear the closeness to him any longer, she pulled away, swallowing hard to fight against the tears clogging her throat.

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