***
“I’m fed up with him,” Alexandros turned to his wife, Penelope. “He’s nothing but a nuisance. He needs to start working.”
“You’re right, my dear,” Penelope tried to sweet talk him. “But a clerk?” she asked, shaking her head back and forth disapprovingly.
“Yes!” the old man stubbornly insisted. “He needs to start at the bottom!” he cried out with his face red from anger.
“But, darling…” she tried to reason with him.
“I’ve made up my mind and nothing will change it!” he stated and walked out the room, slamming the door behind him.
Penelope stood there, staring after him. She had to do everything in her power to make him reconsider. She couldn’t allow her grandson to work as a simple clerk in her husband’s empire.
He deserves to be at the top, she thought stubbornly and drew a deep breath to control her temper. Jonathan should be the one running the business, not that bastard Mark.
Knowing her husband well enough, though, she realized that confronting him right now would be wrong. It would only make matters worse. She had to wait until after he calmed down and try to reason with him. She had come too far to let anything stop her right now. With Helena Taylor— Alexandros’ sister—out of the way, she was the mistress of the house. Of course, there were a few more things to take care of, but one thing at a time, she thought and smiled.
***
Around two o’clock in the afternoon, Mark and Alexandra boarded the company’s private jet at JFK airport. It would take about nine hours to arrive in Athens.
Mixed feelings of excitement, anxiety, and nervousness tormented Alexandra.
She was glad Mark persuaded her at the very last minute to change into a pair of blue comfortable pants and a soft, white cotton blouse. He’d explained that Catherine had gone out that morning and bought some things for her until she received the clothes Holly was sending.
Alexandra was thankful he was so considerate. She glanced at him in his black jeans and white polo shirt and couldn’t help but admire him. He looked great. Even in his jeans, he still had that air of wealth and power around him, which made people treat him with the utmost respect—not just the people who knew him or worked for him, but strangers as well. And there was something else, Alexandra observed. People who worked for him seemed to adore him. She saw how Pauline, the maids at the apartment, and even the security guards acted around Mark, showering him with respect and loyalty. But he was nice to them, as well. He was demanding all right, but he was always polite and considerate.
Alexandra turned to glance at Michael, who escorted them from the apartment and had boarded the plane with them. Mark had introduced him to her right before they left the apartment, since yesterday she had been in no position to speak to anyone.
Michael was a nice man—well-built and handsome—who made Alexandra feel at ease.
“As long as Michael is around, you have nothing to worry about,” Mark had told her right after introducing him.
She had felt kind of uncomfortable at first. She didn’t need a bodyguard. But then again, she thought about yesterday’s attempt and a shiver caressed her spine.
“Don’t worry,” Mark had reassured her. “I’m not going to let you out of my sight, and, when I’m not around, Michael will be watching over you.”
Alexandra was thinking about all that now as the three of them were on their way to Athens.
***
About nine hours later, Mark told her they were approaching their destination. Even though Alexandra was exhausted from the long flight, her heart thundered in her chest.
She couldn’t wait to disembark from the plane. She took a glimpse outside. In the first morning light, the view was breathtaking. The plane was flying over the crystal clear, blue water of the Aegean, which was sparkling like liquid gold from the reflection of the sunrays. Alexandra stared in amazement as they flew over numerous islands, scattered everywhere like water lilies in a pond. Where is the mainland? she wondered. How long before we arrive in Athens?
All of a sudden, the awe-inspiring view of a large, mostly submerged caldera took her breath away. Alexandra stared speechless as the plane approached a lagoon and a crescent-shaped island with spectacular rock formations, impressive lunar landscapes, and breathtaking red and black sand beaches. What on earth? This isn’t Athens.
Dumbfounded, she turned and stared at Mark. “Where are we?” she managed to whisper, even though she already knew.
Alexandra shuddered as the plane flew over the lagoon formed above the crater and approached Santorini—a precious gem in the Aegean that was still an active volcano; probably the only volcano in the world whose crater was in the sea. She didn’t remember much of the island since her first and only visit here when she was around seven years old. But she had seen numerous photos over the years and had researched the history of the island—her mother’s birthplace, considered by many as the most likely site of Atlantis. This was Santorini, all right. Alexandra was sure of it. No other place in the world could come close to this astonishing sight.
“We’re here,” she heard him say as the plane was landing. “Welcome to Santorini, Alexandra.”
She remained silent, too overwhelmed to utter a word. What am I going to do? Could this be a far-fetched coincidence?
Feeling numb inside, she followed Mark and Michael outside. Stepping out the door, she noticed that the small airport was built close to the water. She could see the beautiful, blue waters of the Aegean and realized they were on the other side of the island—the one sloping down to the sea and not the lagoon. Taking a deep breath, she let her eyes wander over the magnificent view, fighting back the tears welling up in her eyes.
“Come on,” Mark urged her, and absentmindedly, she followed him down the ladder.
As soon as they stepped on the ground, a silver Mercedes approached and stopped right in front of them. Mark held the door for Alexandra to climb inside, while Michael put Alexandra’s suitcase in the trunk. Michael didn’t have any luggage, and Mark was only carrying his briefcase. They obviously travel a lot, Alexandra thought, and they keep clothes here, in New York, and wherever else they go.
Mark sat next to Alexandra in the back seat, and Michael sat in the front next to the driver. Alexandra kept staring outside while they drove away from the airport.
She was feeling quite tense, and glancing over at Mark, she noticed he seemed preoccupied with something.
“Something wrong?” she asked.
“No, everything’s fine,” he reassured her and exchanged a glance with Michael, who turned to look at them.
However, Alexandra sensed he was lying. She paid closer attention and saw that all three men in her car kept checking the rearview mirrors. She turned back and scanned the road. There were quite a few cars behind them, but her eyes rested on a black BMW driving a little farther back.
A few minutes later, they turned into a smaller road, and turning back, Alexandra noticed that the BMW was still behind them.
She glanced over at Mark, alarmed. He looked back at her, squeezing her hand reassuringly.
After a while, they pulled onto another road along the beach and followed it for a while. She glanced back a couple of times but didn’t see the BMW any more.
“Was that BMW following us?” she asked.
“Probably,” Mark replied simply, and Alexandra shifted uncomfortably in her seat. “Don’t worry,” he added. “Everything’s under control.”
I seriously doubt that, Alexandra thought and took a deep breath, letting it out slowly to calm down. She felt restless and wasn’t sure how to handle the situation. A car following them was upsetting, especially after what had happened in New York, but Alexandra had far more to worry about. What are we doing here? she kept wondering. It was strange that, out of all places, the mysterious president was going to meet her on Santorini. But then again, that wasn’t the only strange thing in this whole deal. Well, I’m here now, she decided, and
there isn’t much I can do about it. I’ll just play along and see what happens.
She lie back in her seat and let her eyes wander over the imposing lunar scenery, slopping down to the incredible blue waters of the sea. She had to admit that, no matter what, this was an amazing experience.
“It’s breathtaking, isn’t it?” Mark commented.
“Yes,” she admitted, truthfully. “I don’t believe there’s another place in the world quite like it.”
“You’re probably wondering why you had to fly over here…”
“I’m wondering about a lot of things,” she pointed out and turned to look at him.
“Well, you see the president spends as much time as possible at his mansion here.”
“And he usually flies his business associates half way around the world just to meet with them?”
“As a matter of fact, yes,” Mark replied. “The president holds a lot of important business meetings here.”
Alexandra didn’t miss the way he emphasized the word important. Am I considered that important? She seriously doubted it. But then again, she decided to remain silent.
A few minutes later, they pulled in front of two impressive, black iron gates. The driver opened them with a remote control. They followed a driveway paved with black pebbles, leading to a huge, two-story mansion with white marble columns up the front and manicured lawns. Alexandra drew a deep breath. It’s magnificent, she thought, and the memory of another similar house, also built next to the water, flashed in her mind. Her heart skipped a beat, and she glanced around her, worried as the car pulled up the front and stopped. The front door of the mansion opened, and an older lady with gray hair, dressed in a dark blue dress, came outside to welcome them.
“This is Martha, our housekeeper,” Mark introduced the lady, and Alexandra was surprised to see him taking her in his arms and kissing her on both cheeks.
Martha seemed thrilled to see Mark, and she kept him in her arms for a couple of minutes before she turned to welcome Michael and Alexandra. Her kind, brown eyes rested on Alexandra for a minute, and then with a big smile on her face, she opened her arms and surprised Alexandra with a warm welcome hug.
“Welcome, my child,” she said in English with a heavy Greek accent.
“Thank you,” Alexandra whispered and felt overwhelmed by the lady’s attitude.
The inside of the house was even more impressive than the outside. Alexandra walked into a huge, round foyer with an amazing black-and- white-checkered marble floor and a high ceiling decorated with beautiful trimmings. A crystal chandelier was hanging in the middle, and striking vitro windows were creating spectrum reflections of the sunlight. A marble staircase led to the second floor, and another one with only three steps led to a sunken living room. The view of the sea from the living room was magnificent.
“Let me show you to your room,” Martha told Alexandra and led her up the staircase to the second floor and down a hallway to a huge master bedroom.
Seeing the beautiful room, Alexandra drew a deep breath. The furniture was made of oak, and the curtains and bedspread were decorated with peach and white floral patterns. Huge glass doors led to a private round balcony, overlooking the garden that stretched all the way down to the beach.
“This is beautiful!” she said.
“I’m glad you like it,” Martha replied with a sweet smile. “We haven’t changed anything. We kept it as it was.”
Alexandra gave her a puzzled look, not making any sense out of what Martha was saying.
“Is everything all right?” Mark inquired, walking inside the room, not giving Alexandra time to ask any questions.
“Yes, it’s absolutely beautiful,” Alexandra said and thanked Martha, who left them alone. “I can’t believe this place. It’s immaculate!” she added.
“Yes, it is,” he agreed. “I’ll let you rest for a while. Lunch will be ready around twelve, but you can have something to eat before that if you like since it is still early.”
“No, thank you,” Alexandra replied.
“Are you tired?”
“To be honest, I’m exhausted from being up all night,” she admitted.
“Why don’t you lie down for a while?” he suggested.
“But what about the president?”
“He won’t be here for a while,” Mark replied.
“Well, okay,” Alexandra agreed, too tired to think.
“All right then, if you need anything, just push that,” Mark said and pointed to a button on the wall next to the light switch.
Alexandra watched him leave and then let her eyes wander around the room. She was thrilled with the beauty surrounding her, but also exhausted from the long flight during the night. She walked to the bathroom and saw that it was enormous, with a marble bathtub in the middle and a separate shower in the corner. The tub has to wait, she thought. She was too tired for anything. She took off her clothes, took a quick shower, and went to bed.
***
“Have they arrived?” Penelope asked, with that irritating tone she used every time she talked to the staff.
Martha sighed. She had never liked her new mistress. From the moment Penelope arrived at this house five years ago, she treated everybody like dirt and expected to be treated like a queen. Some queen! Martha thought. Coming from a poor family of farmers and widow to an ex-accountant of Vassiliou, Martha couldn’t believe Penelope was able to catch Vassiliou in her web. Ever since she’d married him, she’d been trying to be accepted into high society and establish her greedy grandson, Jonathan, in her husband’s company, as well as in his mansion.
Martha thought about her first mistress, Marianna. She was such a wonderful person. Vassiliou adored her and almost went crazy when she was killed in a plane crash twenty years ago. Everybody had worried that he was going to kill himself. It was his beloved sister, Helena Taylor, who helped him pull himself together and go on with his life.
Then, seven years ago, he met Penelope. Martha was sure this woman had her eye on him right from the start, even before her previous husband’s death. If only Helena hadn’t died, Martha thought wishfully. She was sure that if Helena were still alive, Penelope would have never stepped foot inside this house. However, her heart failed her six years ago, and then Vassiliou married Penelope.
“Are you deaf?” Penelope asked irritated.
Martha was brought back to reality.
“Yes, Mrs. Vassiliou,” she responded quietly. Penelope insisted on being called Mrs. Vassiliou by everybody, as if she couldn’t believe it herself and needed constant reassurance.
“And where is the girl?” Penelope insisted.
“She’s in her room. She was tired from the long flight,” Martha responded coldly and turned to head towards the kitchen, trying to put an end to the interrogation.
“Is Mark staying here?”
“I don’t know,” Martha responded, flatly. She was lying, of course, but she didn’t care to answer any more of Penelope’s questions.
Penelope let out a deep breath and headed for the glass doors leading to the backyard. “I’ll take my tea by the pool,” she yelled over her shoulders.
Martha didn’t respond to her mistress. She turned, irritated, and headed for the kitchen. She was going to send Maria with the tea. She couldn’t put up with Penelope anymore.
Maybe it’s time for me to retire, Martha thought. But then again, what about Alexandra? She couldn’t leave her alone in this house with everything going on right now. She owed that much to Anastasia. The old lady smiled thinking of her favorite little girl. She remembered her running around the house, filling the place with laughter. Alexandros and Marianna adored their children. When Dimitris was born, they were very happy, and then Anastasia came, and their happiness was complete.
Martha shook her head, remembering all the happiness and laughter that once filled this house. And then, everything fell apart, she thought bitterly. Vassiliou is now married to Penelope. What did he ever see in her? Martha wondered. She
was attractive all right and twelve years younger than him, but they had nothing in common. On the outside, she looked a little like her first mistress, Marianna, but their similarities ended there. She had nothing of Marianna’s spirit, kindness, or grace.
Martha shook her head to clear her thoughts and walked to the kitchen to find Maria. She glanced at the young maid and sighed. Poor girl, she thought. So much pain and suffering, so much hate.
***
Mark walked into the study on the first floor of the mansion with Michael following right behind him. He picked up the phone and called his boss.
“We’re here,” he reported.
“I’m glad,” Alexandros responded. “I still have a few things to take care off. I should be there tomorrow, early in the afternoon.”
“Okay,” Mark replied. “I told her that you’re in Japan… I had to come up with something to explain why you didn’t meet her in New York and we had to fly to Greece.”
“That’s fine,” Alexandros replied. “I need you to stay there. I don’t want her left alone with them.”
“I know,” Mark agreed. He had no intention of leaving anyway. Not with Alexandra totally unaware of the danger hovering over the family.
“I’ll have Martha prepare one of the guestrooms for you,” Mark told Michael, as soon as he hung up the phone.
“You still don’t trust him,” Michael said, searching Mark’s face.
“Let’s say he’s on the top of my list. Jonathan would do anything for money,” Mark replied and gritted his teeth.
“And what about the maid?” Michael inquired.
“We just have to keep an eye on her, too,” Mark replied. “I don’t think she suspects anything. No matter what though, we need to be careful.”
Chapter Twelve
ALEXANDRA WOKE UP in a beautiful but unfamiliar room and stared around her disoriented, trying to figure out where she was. Reality came crushing down on her, and she jumped out of bed. Glancing at the clock on the bedside table, she saw it was five o’clock in the afternoon. Oh, my God! she thought. I slept all day! What an impression I’m going to make to the president! she reprimanded herself.