‘You have made a name for yourself outside his acts. Your father is an aberration. What he did is deplorable, but you’re not him. Nor is your brother. You have made it clear with your business choices that you are legitimate and law-abiding.’
‘You are in the minority, I think.’
‘I don’t believe that.’
Thanos pierced her with the intensity of his stare. ‘Playboy reputation or not, do you not think Kosta would have sold P & A to me a long time ago, were it not for my father’s criminality?’
‘I don’t know,’ she said quietly.
‘Of course he would have. He doesn’t approve of how I live my life, but what he really fears is the stain of illegality attaching itself to his legacy.’
Alice mulled this over thoughtfully. ‘In which case, does marrying me do anything to change his mind?’
Thanos lifted his shoulders. ‘It shows him how much I want the company. It shows him I want to be the kind of man he thinks of as respectable and wholesome.’ He said the last two words with disdain.
Alice’s heart worked overtime to keep her blood pumping.
‘I think,’ she said, eventually, ‘that you are, and always would have been, more than enough for him. His hang-ups are his problem, not yours.’
Thanos’s jaw tightened as her words landed around him. ‘Perhaps.’ He lifted his hand to hers, curving his fingers over it. ‘But one way or another, in two days I intend to have his agreement to sell the company back to me.’
A swooping feeling dropped through Alice’s stomach. ‘And I’ll do whatever I can to help you.’
* * *
Kalatheros was only a short flight from Thanos’s private island. Alice thought, as they lifted up, how accustomed she was becoming to flying in helicopters. The first time they’d lifted off, she’d been a little uncertain about how to buckle herself in, but now, she managed it all like a pro. She even knew which levers and knobs Thanos had to turn to get the big bird into the sky.
The scenery was utterly sublime, and Alice spent much of the short flight with her forehead pressed to her window, staring down at the sparkling ocean and the hundreds of tiny islands that dotted their way across its depths. There was something magical about the Mediterranean.
The helicopter dipped a little lower as they approached the tip of the mainland, which was shaped like an arrow, and a few minutes later, a clearing came into view. He brought the helicopter lower, and lower, so Alice could see the tops of the trees, and then the house in the distance, and, finally, Thanos cut the engines. Alice disconnected her headset and put her hand on the door.
Only, Thanos reached across, stilling her, so she turned back to face him.
‘I have something for you.’
The words surprised her. She smiled, in silent invitation for him to continue.
‘Here.’
He reached into his pocket and pulled out a velvet pouch. With a look of curiosity, Alice took it and slipped her finger into the drawstring, opening the mouth and upending it into her palm.
‘Oh.’ She blinked, the necklace the last thing she’d expected. It was simple, and very beautiful, a single diamond solitaire, almost as large as her engagement ring, suspended on a fine platinum chain. ‘It’s...stunning,’ she said, honestly. ‘But you didn’t have to get me that. It’s too much.’
Thanos reached for the necklace, shaking his head as he did so. ‘You are Mrs Thanos Stathakis now, remember. Kosta will expect you to be adorned with jewels such as this.’
‘Oh, of course.’ Heat spread through Alice’s cheeks at the fact she’d almost forgotten that she’d need props for this play-acting. That it was play-acting. ‘I’ll give it back to you once we’re—when this is over,’ she said.
It was the first time since their wedding that either of them had really referred to the end point of their marriage so pointedly. In the midst of their easy interaction, the reminder that it was temporary sat like a jagged rock.
‘That’s not necessary. I bought it for you.’
Alice’s smile was just a lift of her lips and she chose to make light of the situation rather than go down the rabbit hole of how she was feeling and why. ‘You don’t have to buy me jewels, Thanos. When we’re divorced, I can buy my own ridiculously huge diamond necklaces.’
He didn’t laugh, at first. He simply stared at her almost as though he hadn’t heard, and when finally he spoke, his voice was gravelled and deep. ‘It suits you.’
He came around to her side of the helicopter, opening the door at the same time she stepped out, so their bodies were brought close together, and desire throbbed low in her abdomen.
Thanos’s hand lifted to her cheek, his thumb stroking her flesh there. ‘Alice?’