Page 6 of Secrets, Lies and Love

“I didn’t like her, if I may say so,” Anderson articulates my thoughts.

“Me neither, but she has an impressive resumé.”

“Children need much more than basic education.”

Yes, my brothers and I know that all too well. Although we had a happy childhood, what followed the end of our adolescence was the death of our mother in an accident and then our father’s suicide. It was a nightmare.

In the blink of an eye, we went from a close-knit family to four orphans whose patriarch—our grandfather—wasn’t exactly the model of love, even though he tried hard to balance his career with his dedication to his grandchildren. We’d barely recovered from the loss of our parents when Grandpa fell ill, and he didn’t last six months.

Zeus has done his best to keep us as a unit, but inside each of the Kostanidou there is an emotional hole that nothing can fill.

No, that is not true. I have my son, the child who came into my path by chance but whom I love as if he were a part of me.

“Maybe you should rethink this hire, then, sir,” he says, and although I’m not the type of man to accept opinions when it comes to my decisions, I know he’s only thinking about Joseph’s wellbeing. “I don’t think this constant turnover of people taking care of him is good for the boy.”

“I will analyze it calmly during this last interview. I haven’t decided anything yet.”

“Thank God!” he says, and what I see in his eyes in the rearview mirror conveys relief. “There’s something strange about that— Jesus!”

He brakes suddenly, and if I hadn’t been wearing my seatbelt, I would have been thrown into the front seat, distracted as I was sending a message to Hades.

I don’t even have time to ask what happened because Anderson is already outside the car.

What in the hell is going on?

Breaking all security protocols and certainly giving the head of my bodyguards—who’s in the vehicle behind us—gray hair, I also get out.

It feels like a fucking parallel universe when I see a woman slumped in front of the car.

“Did we hit her?” I ask in disbelief, already dialing an ambulance.

“It wasn’t my fault, Mr. Kostanidis. She threw herself in front of the car or crossed without looking. I’m not sure. In any case, the garage light that signals for vehicles to exit was on.”

He looks like he’s about to faint, and even though I didn’t witness the whole thing, I know he’s telling the truth. Anderson,like Larry, Zeus’s driver, has worked for our family since my grandfather was alive.

“I called an ambulance,” I tell him as I approach to try to check the woman’s vital signs. I know I shouldn’t move her because I might make her condition worse. Despite this, I bend down to see if she is conscious. It’s not in my nature to sit still, waiting for things to happen.

I hear voices around us. People crowd around, but I’m absolutely focused on her.

I can’t see her face, but rather a mass of red hair that covers it. Not the salon-made kind but a full, wavy mane that oscillates between shades of orange and red.

She appears fragile, with delicate limbs, very white skin, and freckles on her arms and neck. She’s so still that, for a moment, I think the worst.

There’s no blood, but I know that internal bleeding is much more serious, and even if Anderson wasn’t driving fast, the girl—yes, I think it’s a girl if you consider her body type and the way she dresses—looks much too delicate to withstand the impact of a car.

I move my fingers to her neck, praying that she’s alive, and I breathe again when I feel her pulse.

The girl’s skin is warm and smooth as silk, and I feel a little perverted for noticing that.

“She’s alive,” I say to reassure Anderson because otherwise we’ll have two people needing help instead of one.

I’ve never seen him so anxious.

At the same time, I can’t tear myself away from her, feeling connected to the fragile creature in a way I can’t understand.

I hear the sound of the ambulance, and I get ready to get up, but the girl grabs my hand.

“I’m actually a cat. I’ve already spent my second life. I have to be careful. There’s only seven left now.”

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