was the child issue, she supposed. For him, that was clearly the bigger one.
“Mistress is an old-fashioned term that implies I have other conjugal responsibilities. I do not. You would be my lover, and should you get pregnant—”
“And carry the baby to term.” They couldn’t forget that little gem of a caveat.
“Ne. Yes, and give birth to my child …”
“I would then be expected to marry you,” she finished for him.
He nodded. “And should you be tempted to renegotiate terms at that time, we will have the aforementioned ironclad contract, witnessed in both New York and Athens, in place.”
“And presumably, I will sign this contract for the sake of the hundreds of employees of Dioletis Industries and their families that would be adversely affected if you don’t do your business voodoo with Dioletis Industries.”
“And your sister. You’ve said you would do anything to help her save her marriage and maintain her own happiness. This is your opportunity to prove the veracity of your words.”
Wow. So, yeah … they’d never really been in the same place. She was convinced that since reaching adulthood, and probably a good time before that, this man had never been as vulnerable to someone else’s whims as Chloe had at twenty.
“Doesn’t it bother you to take advantage of someone else like this?” And how different from her father was Ariston really if he could do it so easily?
There was no mistaking the look of offense sliding over his features. “You’ll become the wife of a billionaire. I do not see where that is taking advantage.”
The man really was too arrogant for words.
“Right. What’s yet another relationship between us without love?”
“Again with the love thing? Understand this—I do not believe in it.”
“Why not?” She had her own ideas about it, but wanted to hear his own words on the subject.
“I have seen too much evidence that love makes the worst basis possible for marriage. My father has claimed to love every one of his six wives, and my mother loves every man she takes to her bed. Love is at best an excuse to follow one’s libido. A contract, when each side cannot mistake the terms, is a much better basis for marriage.”
“Wow.” Cynical much? Though she really couldn’t blame him. “Not everyone loves like your parents.” And the contract thing sure hadn’t worked for them the first time around.
Though if she were to say that, she had no doubt he’d blame her for subverting the terms.
“Shannon claimed to love me and I was certain that I loved her, but when I discovered her perfidy, I was far more angry than hurt.”
Chloe had no doubt Ariston had loved the schemer, because the relationship had had way too big an impact on him for anything but real emotion. She didn’t contradict him, though.
She found the idea of trying to convince Ariston he had in fact loved another woman nausea-producing.
Regardless, considering his views on the subject, she didn’t think bringing up her love for him would help their current situation, or dialogue.
She knew Ariston loved his grandfather. Maybe the old Greek was the only person Ariston was capable of feeling such a tender emotion toward nowadays.
He had no affectionate feelings for his parents that she’d ever been able to discern. Not that they had done anything to engender even a mild liking. Balios and Evia Spiridakou were sociopathically selfish and always had been from everything she’d heard. They were certainly worse than neglectful parents to Ariston.
The American socialite and the Greek playboy had divorced when Ariston was young, splitting custody equally between them. He’d grown up living half the year in New York and half the year in Athens. The latter half was better, according to Ariston, because he’d spent those months living in his grandfather’s home with his father popping in and out like a self-centered genie.
Ariston had never shared what he’d suffered because of them, but he’d told Chloe once that the only place he felt safe as a child was with his grandfather.
They arrived at their destination and she realized it was her hotel. Despite their family’s dwindling coffers, her sister had booked Chloe in at a five-star hotel. Rhea was insistent that appearances had to be maintained for the sake of the business.
Ariston moved as if to exit the car with her. “I’ll see you inside. We still have much to discuss.”
If he came up to her room, they might well talk, but she wasn’t naive enough to believe that was all that would happen.