The Greek Tycoon Read online

  “Thank you sweetheart.”

  “I wish I could come to the New Years party.”

  “You know you can’t. Good night baby, be good for Olympus. I’ll only be downstairs if you need me.”

  “Ok. Have fun.” Rhiannon kissed Katie

  * * *

  then Katie went downstairs to the huge ballroom where Andreus was talking to his parents and the first few guests, he looked over and excused himself from the group before walking over smiling.

  “How do I look?” Katie smiled.

  “Stunningly beautiful.” He kissed her.

  “Thank you. I’ve missed you today, I haven’t seen you since breakfast.”

  “I had a few errands to run whilst you were being pampered.”

  “Well I hope I will get at least a few minutes with you tonight.”

  “Of course sweetheart. You will be

  lucky if I let you out of my sight looking like that with the amount of men who will be coming.”

  “I only have eyes for one man.”

  “Really? Who’s that?”

  “Carlos, the stable boy of course.” She laughed.

  “Don’t tease me Katie, or I will drag you upstairs and show you exactly who you have eyes for.”

  “You are not a Neanderthal.”

  “I can be.” Andreus laughed.

  “Such promises Andreus.” Katie

  winked as the guests started arriving.

  * * *

  As Katie had expected they were

  separated quite regularly during the evening but she was enjoying herself mingling with the guests, drinking champagne and turning down offers of dances with countless men.

  She was standing alone for the first

  time that evening when a tall beautiful redhead walked towards her, she looked

  extremely striking in a full length tight white gown with a lace over lay. “So you are the English girlfriend who everyone is talking about?” She smiled. “I’m Courtney Lennox.”

  “Hi, it’s nice to meet you.”

  “Listen.” Courtney whispered coldly. “I hope you don’t think you are the only girlfriend Andreus has.” Katie looked taken aback. “Oh bless you do!” She laughed. “Well you are not. He has different women in each city he does business in.”

  “That’s rubbish! He spends every

  weekend in London with me.”

  “What do you think he does the rest of the week? Remain celibate? Grow up, he’s a man. He spends the rest of the week with Leoni, his Greek mistress. Then there is Giselle in Paris, Keeley in Sidney, Isabella in Milan and me in New York. Before you he had Sharron in London.”

  “I don’t believe you.”

  “Has he ever asked you to move to

  * * *

  Greece Katie?”

  “We are waiting because…”

  “We are all waiting, he’s told us all that eventually he will move us here and marry us. What makes you think you are so special?”

  “You’re a liar.”

  “He will never marry you Katie. Why would he want to marry a poor little single mother? If I were you I would leave before he makes you look an even bigger fool.”

  “Excuse me.” Katie calmly walked

  away and walked towards Sophia who was talking to an elderly guest.

  “I must say I was rather surprised when I heard Andreus had started seeing an English single mother.” She heard the elderly lady say.

  “Yes me too. Katie is a lovely girl and her daughter is adorable but I’m not very pleased about Andreus and Katie. I don’t want him marrying a single mother., women should stay innocent until marriage and she is certainly not that. And I really hoped Andreus would marry a Greek girl.” Katie felt the tears well in her eyes, she rushed out of the room and upstairs before they could fall.

  Once in Andreus’ bedroom she quickly changed into denim jeans and a roll neck jumper, called a taxi, wrote Andreus a quick letter and then went to wake Rhiannon up.

  * * *

  She dressed her quickly and quietly before going downstairs and outside to wait for the taxi. When it arrived she told the driver to take them to the airport.

  *

  Andreus was looking around the room

  for Katie, he hadn’t seen her for over an hour, it was ten minutes to midnight and he wanted to take her out to the garden to propose. He walked over to Sophia. “Mama, have you seen Katie?”

  “Not for a while. Maybe she has gone upstairs to check on Rhiannon.”

  “Ok thanks.” Andreus ran upstairs and went into their bedroom, her gown was laid on the bed with a note laying on the top. He felt his heart racing as he opened it.

  DEAR ANDREUS

  BY THE TIME YOU GET THIS

  NOTE I’M HOPING TO BE ON A FLIGHT

  TO LONDON.

  I KNOW YOUR DIRTY

  LITTLE SECRETS ABOUT HOW YOU

  TREAT YOUR DIFFERENT WOMEN IN

  DIFFERENT COUNTRIES AND I DO NOT

  WANT TO BE A PART OF THAT. MAYBE

  IF YOU HAD TOLD ME AT THE

  BEGINNING OF THE RELATIONSHIP

  * * *

  THAT YOU ONLY WANTED A CASUAL

  FLING I WOULD HAVE ACCEPTED THAT

  BUT YOU HAVE BLATANTLY LIED TO

  MY FACE EVERYDAY.

  I ALSO KNOW HOW YOUR

  PARENTS DISAPPROVE OF ME AND

  RHIANNON.

  DON’T COME AFTER ME OR

  CALL ME, IT’S OVER FOR GOOD THIS

  TIME. GOODBYE ANDREUS.

  FROM KATIE

  “What the hell!” Andreus threw the note on the bed and ran out of the room he went straight downstairs and bumped into his mother.

  “Did you find her?”

  “No, no thanks to you.”

  “Excuse me!” Sophia looked stunned.

  “We’ll talk later.” He picked up his car keys.

  “Where are you going?” She called.

  “The airport.” He raced to the airport and looked at the departure board for a flight to London, there wasn’t a flight so he ran over to the information desk. “Excuse me, has there been a flight to London tonight?”

  “The last flight left twenty minutes ago

  * * *

  sir.”

  “Was there a Katie and Rhiannon

  Marsden on the flight?”

  “I’m sorry sir, I cant give you that information.”

  “Please! They’re English I just want to make sure they are safe.”

  “Ok, I could lose my job for this.”

  “No one else will ever know.” Andreus smiled. She typed in the flight details.

  “Yes, they are both on that flight.”

  “Damn it!” Andreus punched the desk. “Thank you for your help.” He walked away with a heavy heart.

  When he arrived back at the mansion

  the guests had left and he found Theo and Sophia in the study, he walked in and went to the bar, pouring himself a whiskey. “Where did you run off to?” Theo asked.

  “The airport.”

  “Why?”

  “Katie and Rhiannon have gone back to London.”

  “Did you have an argument?”

  “No, some spiteful son of a bitch has been telling her a bunch of bullshit about me and she left without saying a word to me. I think it was one of you.”

  “What?” Theo stood up. “Why would

  * * *

  you think that?”

  “She left me a note saying she knew my dirty ways with women, that you two disapprove of her and that we’re over. Do you disapprove of my relationship with Kate?”

  “No!” Theo defended himself.

  “Mama?”

  “Well, I’m not thrilled about you being with a single mother…”

  “I’m thirty one years old! I make my own decisions. Did you tell her a pack of lies about me being with other women?”

  “No! Why would I?”

  “To separate us.”

  “I would nev
er do that Andreus!”

  “I’m telling you both right now, if I find out that either of you had anything to do with Katie leaving we’re finished, I’ll walk out of that door and I won’t come back. You can stick your business, your family values and the inheritance that I have never cared about. I’ll disown you both.”

  “Son, calm down.” Theo tried.

  “No I won’t! I was going to propose to her tonight but instead the woman and child I love have left me. Why should I calm down?”

  “Sophia did you talk to anyone about Katie tonight?” Theo asked.

  “N…no.” Sophia stumbled.

  * * *

  “Mama?”

  “Ok, I told Maggie Knight that Katie wouldn’t be a choice I would make for you because of Rhiannon, but I never said

  anything to Katie I swear! I like her I’d never want to hurt either of you.” She cried.

  “Did you say anything about other

  women?”

  “I didn’t know you had any other

  women!”

  “I don’t mama! Even if I was the type to cheat, when would I have had time? I want to know who would tell her such lies about me.”

  “I didn’t tell her anything I promise.” Andreus picked up his car keys. “Where are you going?”

  “To my apartment and then to London. I’ll be damned if I’m going to lose them again.”

  Chapter 22

  Katie woke up early the following

  morning after a restless night. They had arrived in London in the early hours of the morning, Rhiannon had hardly woken

  throughout the journey, she had managed to book them into a tiny room at a small bed and breakfast. Rhiannon woke up and looked

  * * *

  around, disorientated by the strange room. “Mummy, where are we?”

  “In a bed and breakfast in London

  sweetheart.”

  “Why?”

  “We had to leave Greece.”

  “But I didn’t say goodbye to Andreus.” She said sadly.

  “We wont be seeing Andreus again

  Rhiannon, he’s not a very nice man.”

  “Why?”

  “That doesn’t matter.”

  “But…”

  “Baby, I’m not going to talk about him ok?”

  “When are we going home?”

  “Soon, but we are going to go and see Auntie Claire and Auntie Tessa first, so go and wash your face then we will leave.”

  “I’m hungry.”

  “We will eat when we get there.”

  Twenty minutes later Katie and

  Rhiannon were knocking on Claire’s front door, Tessa was staying there whilst her flat was being decorated. Claire opened the door in her dressing gown, her hair was dishevelled and her eyes were sleepy. “Hi! What are you two doing here? You should be in Greece!”

  * * *

  “A change of plans.” Katie said as she followed Claire through to the kitchen.

  “What happened?”

  “I can’t say with madam here.”

  “Rhiannon if I make you some

  crumpets will you go in the living room and watch the cartoons please?”

  “Ok.”

  Tessa walked into the kitchen rubbing her eyes. “Hey what are you doing here?”

  Claire handed Rhiannon a plate and

  they watched her go into the living room, Katie shut the door.

  “So, what’s happened?” Claire asked as they sat at the kitchen table drinking coffee.

  “Andreus is a lying cheat and it turns out his parents disapproved of our relationship because I’m a single mother.”

  “What? Start at the beginning. What do you mean he’s a lying cheat?” Tessa asked.

  “It turns out he has a lover in every country they do business plus a Greek girl he spends the rest of his time with.”

  “Who told you this?”

  “His extremely charming American

  mistress. It also turns out he leads them all to believe that one day he will move them to Greece and marry them.” She laughed bitterly then started to cry.

  “Honey, you don’t think she was just

  * * *

  trying to cause trouble.” Claire said holding her hand. “Maybe he’s refused to be with her and she’s jealous.”

  “Claire why would he want a poor

  single mother when he could have her? She was stunning, elegant and wreaked of

  wealth.”

  “You are beautiful Katie.” Tessa

  smiled. “He loves you and that’s all that matters. So you’re not rich, he doesn’t need to find a woman with money he’s rich enough himself.”

  “She knew too much, she knew all the promises he’s made, she knew the other women by name. No one could make this

  stuff up.”

  “Oh honey!” Tessa pulled her into her arms as she sobbed. “How do you know his parents disapprove of you?”

  “I heard Sophia talking to a guest at the party, she said she wanted him to marry a Greek virgin and that although she could accept my nationality she believed a bride should be innocent and that I’m certainly not that.”

  “What a bitch!” Tessa exclaimed.

  “So it looks like I have had a lucky break, but I’m going to need a while to accept that.”

  * * *

  “What are you going to tell Mel?” Claire asked.

  “I’m not.”

  “What?”

  “She’s a part of their family now, knowing how they believe in family loyalty I would say our friendship is well and truly over.”

  “Katie no! She would never be like that with you.”

  “I’d appreciate it if you’d not mention Rhiannon or me to her.”

  “She’s going to ask questions Kate! You’ve been friends for so long!”

  “Well we aren’t anymore. Just tell her that we aren’t in contact anymore.”

  “So you’re cutting us off too?!”

  “No! But that is what we’ll have to tell her.”

  Meanwhile Andreus had just landed at

  Heathrow, after a sleepless night he didn’t trust himself to drive so he caught a taxi and gave the driver Katie’s address. He ran to the door and knocked hard. Gregory answered. “Andreus! What the hell are you doing here?”

  “I need to speak to Katie.” Gregory took in Andreus’ appearance, his jeans and jumper were creased, his hair un-brushed and he hadn’t shaved.

  * * *

  “She’s not here!”

  “Please! I can only guess what she has told you, but I need to speak to her.”

  “Andreus she is not here! What the hell have you done to my daughter?”

  “Nothing! There’s been a

  misunderstanding, she left Greece last night.”

  “For God’s sake. If anything has

  happened to my daughter and grand-daughter, I swear I will kill you. Get away from this house.”

  “Greg…”

  “Go Andreus!”

  “Will you text me when she gets in

  touch? So I know she’s ok at least.”

  “Fine!” Gregory shut the door in his face and ran upstairs. “Heather wake up.”

  “Hmmm….why?” She mumbled.

  “Kate and Rhiannon are missing.”

  “What?” She sat up abruptly. “What do you mean they are missing?”

  “Something happened last night and

  she left Greece. They should have been home hours ago.”

  “How do you know this?”

  “Andreus was just here.”

  “Is he still here now?”

  “No. Not a chance he was supposed to take care of them, Heather if he comes here

  * * *

  again I will kill him.” Gregory tried calling Katie’s mobile but it went straight to voicemail.

  Kate and Rhiannon arrived at the house at midday, they walked into the living room. “Oh my God!” Heather cried. “Where the hell have you two
been? We have been worried sick!”

  “What do you mean?”

  “Andreus came here this morning

  looking for you. What’s happened?” Katie sent Rhiannon upstairs then explained

  everything. Gregory picked up his mobile phone after she had finished talking and had gone upstairs to check on Rhiannon.

  FROM:-GREGORY

  TO:-ANDREUS

  THEY ARE HOME AND FINE. KATIE HAS

  TOLD US EVERYTHING. STAY AWAY

  FROM THEM ANDREUS

  FROM:-ANDREUS

  TO:-GREGORY

  GREG ITS ALL LIES, I NEED TO TALK TO

  HER

  FROM:-GREGORY

  TO:-ANDREUS

  * * *

  I DON’T GIVE A FUCK WHAT YOU

  NEED. U STAY AWAY FROM THEM

  Half an hour later there was a bang on the door. “Katie, let me in!” Andreus shouted.

  “I don’t want to talk to him.” Katie said as the banging persisted.

  “I am not leaving until you let me

  speak to you!” He shouted again.

  Greg went to the door and swung it

  open. “She doesn’t want to speak to you. Leave her alone.”

  “Greg please! Whoever told her those things about me was lying. I have never cheated on her.”

  “Go away Andreus.”

  “I’m not going anywhere until she lets me speak to her.”

  “Go or I will ring the police.”

  “I don’t care! I love her and I will not let those vicious lies ruin what we have.”

  “Andreus just leave. It’s over and the quicker you accept that the better for everyone involved.”

  “I’ll never accept that.”

  “Well you banging the door down isn’t going to help your cause is it? You’re just scaring Rhiannon.”

  “I need to see her.” Andreus cried.

  * * *

  “It’s not going to happen.”

  “Fine, I’ll go for now but I am not giving up.” Andreus walked away with his head down. Gregory went back to the living room.

  “Has he gone?” Katie asked.

  “For now. He’s not going to give up easily.”

  “He’ll have to eventually because I will never speak to him again.”