not interested in discussing my father, his company, or the past. Since Rhea holds voting privileges for majority stock in Dioletis Industries, whatever she wants to happen to the company is what is going to happen.”
Eber could still kick up a fuss by revoking his proxy from his daughter, but by the time the paperwork cleared, Ariston’s acquisition of his company would already have gone through. Possession was considered nine-tenths of the law by most people. For a Spiridakou? It was the law.
He wasn’t giving up what was his. Not even his ex-wife.
“You do not expect to get anything out of this deal personally?” he asked, knowing the answer even as he did so.
“No.”
It was so damn Chloe, and so not a woman who would enter a contract with the intent to defraud the other party. He’d allowed himself to forget the woman he had spent three years living with and replaced her in his mind with a caricature that did not fit Chloe Spiridakou at all.
Even the Chloe Spiridakou who had lied and used birth control to circumvent their original contract. There were motivations here he still did not understand, but he would.
It was in his nature to keep at a problem until he had it solved. Something told him he’d just begun to scratch the surface of the problem of the woman he’d married.
His plans would give him all the time he needed to dig deeper.
“And if I want something personal?” he asked smoothly.
For several long seconds, Chloe could do nothing but gape at her ex-husband. This is what all the questions were leading to, and the sex, and probably even the specially flavored coffee! He’d been setting her up.
Because he wanted something from her. He’d already gotten the sex. What else could it be? Maybe he wanted more?
“You’re saying you want something personally, for you?” she asked, clarifying.
“I’m saying I want something personal for me from you.”
Well, there could be no mistaking his intention with those words. “But what exactly?”
She still couldn’t fathom anything he could possibly want from her that he couldn’t get with a lot less effort and money than it would take to save Dioletis Industries.
“What if I were to tell you that I want something similar to the agreement five years ago?”
“Is that what you’re telling me?” she asked, not sure she could believe what her ears were telling her.
He’d had the divorce papers drawn up and ready for use, not her. And he’d made absolutely zero effort to contact her after she walked out of their apartment in Athens. She might have left him, but he’d shown no interest in getting her back.
And she was just now realizing how much she’d been hoping he would.
“Ne.” Definite. Affirmative. And in Greek.
He meant business. Literally.
“You want to marry me again?” Shock coursed through her and made her voice break.
It was quickly followed by sick dread as her imagination ran wild. Maybe he wanted to try the business-arrangement marriage again, but this time with her sister? And he needed Chloe to help him convince Rhea.
Only, hadn’t she made it clear that she was meeting him in the first place because ultimately Chloe wanted to see her sister’s marriage saved? Not destroyed by another business deal meant to save Dioletis Industries.
Ariston had said he knew everything about his business interests; perhaps he’d known about the cracks in Rhea’s marriage before even Chloe. And was counting on them?
They’d always gotten along, Rhea and Ariston. They had so much in common. More than she and Ariston had ever had.
Would Rhea do it? Marry Chloe’s ex, if it meant saving their father’s empire? She wouldn’t give Samuel up for the company, would she? Only a sinking feeling in Chloe’s gut said that Rhea just might.
She’d darn near done it already.
“Chloe … yineka mou … are you well?” Suddenly Ariston was there. Squatting in his sharply tailored suit and fresh shirt beside her dining chair.
His hand cupped her cheek oh so carefully, his cerulean eyes filled with a concern she knew she couldn’t let herself believe in.
“What is the matter?” he demanded.
She almost laughed, but was afraid if she started, she wouldn’t stop until the tears came. “You said … marry …”
And her brain had taken wing to a dark, ugly place, Chloe never, ever, ever wanted to live.
“Not marriage … not exactly.”
“Not exactly.” Not with Rhea? “What then, exactly?”
His hand dropped, but he remained where he was, his gaze boring into hers. “I want you in my bed.”
It didn’t