The Greek Tycoon's Tarnished Bride (Men of the Zodiac) Read Free Page A

want you to say what you ’ ve come to say and then leave.”
    “Okay. I ’ m here regarding the child you have, the year-old baby that is Yannis ’ s only child. Your son.”
    It felt like the Victorian plaster ceiling had suddenly caved in on her, but she did her best to hide the sickening anxiety rising in her by tossing back her head and sighing loudly. “ I don’ t know what you ’ re talking about.”
    The tall Greek picked up a packet of baby wipes from the kitchen table and made a show of turning it over in his hands. “Yes you do. Births, marriages, deaths…all public documents. And you named Yannis Frangos as the father on the birth certificate even though he wasn ’ t there to countersign.”
    “Okay…” Panic was now building like a silent toxin inside her. “I only did that for Nick, for when he was older and in case his useless father ever took an interest in him. I couldn ’ t deny him his heritage, a path to his roots if anything ever happened to me.”
    He looked down at her with a questioning expression. “You called him Nick?”
    “Short for Nikolaos, Yannis ’ s father. It was sentimental of me, I realize that now…”
    He blinked slowly, and she noticed for the first time how very long and thick his eyelashes were. “It was a selfless, thoughtful thing to do.”
    “Yes, it was considering Yannis broke off all contact when I was three months pregnant. The money dried up, his promises turned out to be a bloody joke… I tried everything to contact him, which wasn ’ t very dignified, but my conscience is clear on that front. So why now? What does he want?” She let out a hollow laugh. “Marriage?”
    “ Yannis died. ”
    “What do you mean he died ?”
    His jaw tightened, and she could see tension bunching in the muscles of his shoulders beneath his coat. “A bomb at a wedding eighteen months ago.”
    Shock kicked in and her voice became shaky. “That ’ s when the contact stopped.”
    “Yes.”
    “But I left messages on his phone, his Facebook account—”
    He stepped forward and lightly touched her forearm with the broad palm of his hand. “The phone was with him when it happened, and it was felt that all his social networks should be closed under the circumstances. It has taken this long for the lawyers to sort out the family estate and allow access to his personal effects. I ’ m sorry.”
    She looked down at where their bodies were joined in a gesture of comfort and solidarity. She didn ’ t shake him off immediately; her limbs felt like water. “It ’ s a lot to take in.”
    “You must be shocked, but there was no other way to do this.”
    Her throat tightened. “No, I understand. So we missed his funeral…”
    He nodded. “But it was an empty coffin anyway.”
    Erica eased back so that his hand fell away, and then every part of her felt as cold as ice. “ I feel sick. ”
    “I ’ m sorry.”
    “Thank you for coming all this way to let me know. It means a lot.” She rubbed at her forehead, willing the fuzz of incomprehension to clear. “If there ’ s any way our child, Nick, could maintain some kind of link to his father ’ s family—”
    “That ’ s the reason I ’ m here.” His chin jutted up and his green gaze fixed hers for a tense moment before he continued. “There is a legacy.”
    “A legacy?” This was another bolt out of the blue. “But Yannis told me he was a student with no assets and no permanent job, that ’ s why there could be no us . His family would disown him. A good marriage with a good Greek girl had already been arranged…”
    “The world is now a different place. It ’ s turned on its axis for Nick. Four generations of the male side of the Frangos family were wiped out that day. He is the sole heir to a multi-billion euro fortune.”
    She shook her head and let out a harsh laugh. “ I don’ t believe you. This is some kind of sick joke.”
    “No.” He pulled a sheaf of documents out from his inside pocket. “Here