Total pages in book: 26
Estimated words: 24269 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 121(@200wpm)___ 97(@250wpm)___ 81(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 24269 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 121(@200wpm)___ 97(@250wpm)___ 81(@300wpm)
“What’s this thing about you being engaged?” she shrieks. “You’re getting married to another woman, that’s what this is about!”
Oh shit. She found out, and I knew it was going to happen sooner or later. I just didn’t want it to be like this.
“Petunia, I can explain–” I begin but she cuts me off with a loud snort.
“Fuck you, Nico! What explanation could there possibly be? You’re engaged to another woman, and I’ve been played for a fool. You came here in search of some random slut to get off with, and I guess you found one, huh? I guess that’s what Sanctum provides, right? Well guess what? The street works both ways because I don’t want to see you anymore. So sayonara!” she huffs before reaching for her bag and making to leave the suite. But I block her with my big body.
“No, Petunia, listen,” I begin.
Unfortunately, the woman’s on a roll.
“I guess this was your last big ‘hurrah’ before marriage, huh? It was your chance to get your jollies off by fucking a strange woman before you’re off the market for good, huh? God, Nico, how could you do this? How could you do this to her? Does she even know? I pity the poor girl.”
I fix her with a look.
“Yes, but do you know who my fiancée is?”
“I don’t know and I don’t care!” she screams, her face mottled with unhappiness and rage. “Some Greek heiress named Persephone is what the article said!”
I hold up a hand, preventing her from going further.
“Petunia, you are the mysterious Greek heiress,” I finally manage to interject in a deadpan voice. “Your name is Persephone Christos. Petunia is just a fake name your adoptive dad gave you.”
The curvy girl opens her mouth to scream again, but then stops. Literally, her lips are still quivering as her mouth snaps shut, staring at me.
“What?”
I sigh.
“This is not how I wanted you to find out, but here we are,” I say in a rueful tone. “Goddamn.”
After a few moments, Petunia shakes her head and lets out a stuttered moan. “Don’t be ridiculous, Nico. You don’t have to make up stories, much less totally outlandish ones. I mean–”
But I shake my head again.
“It’s true,” I say in a slow tone. “You are Persephone, Petunia.”
She shakes her head again, refusing to believe the truth.
“No, that can’t be. I’m Petunia Pappas, and I’ve been Petunia Pappas my whole life. My adoptive father is Andreas Pappas, and he’s Greek, sure. But he’s my adoptive father, not my biological father. I’m not Greek. I’m just some unwanted child from New Jersey, and I’m as American as apple pie.”
“Petunia–” I sigh.
“I mean, I’m just a normal girl from New Jersey,” she continues to ramble, her eyes starting to look wild. “I’m not from Europe, so what are you talking about? Out of all the lies and excuses that you could have come up with, this is the one that you chose to go with? I’m Persephone? I’m your mysterious fiancée? This is ridiculous!” she continues in an unsteady voice.
That’s when I push her to sit on the couch before taking a seat beside her.
“Petunia, I know this discovery must be a shock to you, but your real name is Persephone Christos. You are a scion of the Christos family of Greece, who are billionaire shipping magnates. Penelope and Stavros Christos had a baby girl some two decades ago, and that baby is you.”
She stares at me.
“I don’t understand,” she whispers. “How can this be happening?”
I forge ahead, taking her small hand in mine. It’s cold and limp and I squeeze it with encouragement.
“The Christos family is extraordinarily wealthy, and that very wealth made them into targets. You can’t imagine what it was like: kidnapping attempts, assassination attempts, not to mention good old-fashioned swindlers of all sorts swarming about them at all times. Things started getting worse around the time your mother was pregnant with you. An uncle was held for ransom by unknown associates, and Penelope and Stavros were scared shitless. As a result, after much deliberation, they decided that Penelope should come to the United States to give birth to you. It’s safer here, and everything took place in secret.
“But–”
“Let me finish,” I say gently. “You were born here, but the family announced that you’d died. Then, your family asked Andreas, a trusted bodyguard, to raise you as his adoptive daughter here in the United States.”
Realization dawns in her eyes.
“Andreas,” she whispers. “My dad is my parents’ bodyguard.”
I nod.
“That’s right. Remember how you always wondered how an infant was placed for adoption with a single man?” I send her a pointed look. “Well, now you know. You were never put up for adoption, honey. Instead, Andreas took up residence in a New Jersey trailer park in order to throw off the scent. He raised you as his own, without the notice of the world outside.”