She already knew why her. And no, his motives weren’t lily white, but at least he’d been up-front with her about them. She ignored Hercules and walked outside where she manufactured a smile for Dino as he opened the car door for her. She stole a calming breath as she slipped inside.
“Are you all right?” Leander asked as he came in behind her.
“Perfectly,” she lied because what was the use in admitting she was petrified? Hercules might not be very good at protecting her, but he was never wrong when he forewarned her.
“Did you read the press release?” Leander asked her as they got underway.
“I did. That date will work.” Even though it meant she had only three short weeks of freedom before she walked into a new cage. What was she doing with her life?
“I’ll tell Androu.” Leander placed the call as they drove. That didn’t surprise her. He was locking her into her decision. She understood that. It compressed the air in her lungs, but there was no going back. She knew that, too.
“Excellent news,” Leander said as he finished his call and tucked his phone away. “After he left us, Midas tried to stop my purchase of your shares. Rideaux squeezed another two percent out of me, but I only gave it on condition he rally the board by midnight. He rammed it through and those shares will be yours on our wedding day.”
“That is good news.” She forced the corners of her mouth upward. “My lawyer is working on the language to give you control of my shares in Pagonis. I can’t give them to you outright, but I can designate you to manage them and vote in my stead. She’ll forward my terms for the prenuptial agreement to your lawyer by the end of the week. For the most part, I suggest we retain the property we bring to the marriage so we’ll only have to split what we acquire jointly, like the house we purchase to share.”
“Agreed.”
So civilized.
Ilona supposed she should be grateful, but she had always imagined that if she did marry, it would be driven by a burning desire to be with that other person. Trust would be so deeply ingrained in the relationship, cold details like contracts and conditions for their divorce would be completely absent from the process.
Next time, she assured herself ironically while also feeling a pang that this marriage was temporary. He didn’t really want her and that was so much like the rest of her family, it scored deep lines behind her heart.
They arrived at the restaurant on Lycabettus Hill and caused a small stir as they were shown onto the terrace. Their table overlooked the twinkle of the city, the glowing Parthenon and the three-quarter moon casting its light on the smooth Aegean.
“Our reputation precedes us,” she murmured as he helped her with her light wrap. “I don’t suppose anyone will notice the view tonight.”
“I certainly won’t. You look lovely. Are you cold? Would you like to keep this?”
His casual compliment and the brush of his touch against her shoulders had caused goose bumps to rise on her skin.
Discomfited, she murmured, “I’m fine.”
He handed off her wrap to the hovering maître d’ before he held her chair for her.
Between his solicitous gesture and the melody of stringed instruments and the soft breeze, this was the most romantic date she’d ever been on. Yet it wasn’t that at all, she acknowledged with a pinch of melancholy.
Leander studied her as he took his seat, gaze delving into hers while his expression remained inscrutable.
“Second thoughts?” he asked as though he could read past the serene mask she had learned to wear in self-protection.
Her pulse tripped, but she pressed a light smile onto her lips. “And third, fourth and fifth. You?”
“None.”
His resolve made her nerves jangle.
“Shall we make this official?” he asked.
“I thought our lawyers were doing that?”
“I mean this.” He reached into his jacket pocket and set a velvet box beside the small lantern between them.
“Oh.” Her breath rushed out of her and, inexplicably, the backs of her eyes stung.
Gasps rose from nearby tables. Her throat went dry and she clenched her hands in her lap, but there was nothing to grasp on to. Her grip on her previous life was gone.
“You know how to keep an audience in suspense, don’t you?” he murmured when she only stared at the tiny box. “I was going to ask you to pick it yourself, but when I saw that it reminded me of the ring you were wearing this morning. See what you think.”