Page 166 of Love Among the Ruins
The layers were peeling off, the snake shedding its skin, and underneath it all, a snake was still a snake.
Thiswas the man who had lectured him about the virtues of family, the man who had proclaimed that behind every successful man was a strong woman.
This snake?
A married man, cheating on his wife, a man who had family, a man who’d had an affair with Eleni’s mother.
A man who then wanted his lover to abort their child.
And Eleni had no idea.
“Have you come here to talk about hair slides, Hector?”
“Who is she?” the old man asked.
“She is someone I met at a party, I told you.”
“I want to meet her.”
“You had plenty of opportunity at your nephew’s wedding, Hector.” There was no way he was going to let Eleni walk into the lion’s den. He hadn’t been able to protect her before, but he sure as hell was going to now. He swiped a hand over his face, unsure of what to do, or how to tell Eleni. “You’ve caught me at a bad time, Hector.” He lifted his paperwork and shuffled it into a neat pile. “I was hoping we would have been able to discuss things further at the wedding, and to come to an agreement, but I realize now that you were surrounded by family, and quite a large family at that. It was never going to be possible. That’s fine, we can meet later in the week. As you can appreciate, I have a lot to catch up with right now.”
The old man stared at him for the longest time.
Dominic scratched his jaw, trying to guess at his thoughts. The real reason why he was here. “I recall Eleni saying that her aunt gave her that piece.” He prayed that Eleni had an aunt. Or that Hector would not remember either way.
“Her aunt?”
Dominic nodded. “That’s what she said.”
The thick vertical line in the centre of Galatis’ forehead softened. He snorted, as if he’d come to some sort of conclusion, before pushing down on the armrests and slowly hauling himself to standing. “You must invest in some good seating, Dominic.”
Or you could lose some weight and get fit. Not be a walking heart attack risk.
“Send me your recommendations, Hector. I’ll make sure to accommodate you better next time.”
“Please do. There will be a next time. You will be pleased to know that I will be meeting with my lawyers this afternoon to draw up my response to your proposal. I don’t like the figure you mention for sharing profits. Perhaps we can find a figure that suits us both?”
“Your fleet is old, Hector. It’s not the prize jewel you think it is.”
The man lifted his head, his eyes narrowing. “The name Galatis means something in this business. I have made a fortune and I have a legacy that will never be forgotten.”
“The name Galatis will be forgotten if you don’t move into the new era. Steele Shipping can help you.”
“We shall see, Dominic.”
He walked Hector Galatis to the door, and felt a sense of relief, not because the man seemed to be moving closer to accepting the deal, but because he was glad to see the back of him.
