The Greeks Demand

Chapter 7

Arabelle stared at herself in the mirror. She looked a disaster. Her eyes were puffy, her hair messy from tossing and turning all night, she had pillow impressions on her cheek and was wearing overly big pajamas that she had worn when she was pregnant. This girl is not one that is acceptable to date Niklas. When they were together she was thin and sexy now she skinny and okay.

Suffer Niklas! She thought as she walked down the stairs in her messed up glory. She stumbled into the kitchen to find Demetreus sitting at the breakfast bar drinking coffee.

“Why does a 14 year old need coffee so early in the morning?” He looked up at her and smiled.

“Don’t laugh, but Camelia always makes breakfast or we get room service. I don’t know where anything is. The coffee was already on.”

“Come on, Demetreus I’m no fool, you are just to lazy! What do you want the works?”

“That sounds grand.” She started throwing breakfast together. When she was done she handed Demetreus his and sat down to join him.

“So…How is school?” She couldn’t take the silence, not from a boy she raised for a period of time.

“Schools cool.” What a dead end conversation.

“What’s new in your life?” Arabelle tried to break the silence again.

“Let’s see, everything is new in my life as you haven’t been apart of it for three years! I have been moved a million times, have jumped school more than it should be possible…”

“Come on Demetreus it couldn’t all have been that bad.” How could he be so angry with her. It’s not like it was easy for her to walk out on them, but it was a bad situation that didn’t have a win side.

“Now you care, you didn’t care what happened to me three years ago and now you just want to come back and act like nothing happened…Mom. Is it fine if I call you that? Or should I wait for the wedding.” Sarcasm was spit at her word for word.

“What are you talking about?” Demetreus got up and threw a newspaper at her. He was nice to her when he wanted breakfast and now he is being so aggressive towards her. 

Rekindled love - The Greek and the business woman.

All can recall three years back Greek tycoon Niklas Liakoss was particular fond of one girl, Arabelle De Lancret. Their affair didn’t last, but three years later they have found each other again. In an exclusive interview Niklas disclosed how he had ran into his old fling at her restaurant and they reminisced about their time together.

“We never did anything slow even back then we moved in together only after 6 months. After a year I knew she was the girl I wanted to marry.” Niklas had said he continued to explain that unfavourable situations had caused their affair to end, but he is a man that believes in fate and second chances. Which is why their relationship had grown.

“I can’t express how it felt when Arabelle agreed to become my wife, She is the only girl for me and I don’t intend to ever let her go again.” it is clear that our playboy Greek is officially an unavailable man.

Arabelle had started ripping the newspaper sides as she read. It painted them as an engaged couple in love, where in reality she wanted to kill him.

“Niklas!!!” She heard his footsteps as he ran to her. She couldn’t help, but pace like a mad women.

“What the hell is this!” He looked uninterested as he poured himself a cup of coffee.

“What is the problem this time, I don’t recall that you were this fussy the first time around.” She stopped to glare at him. He made up a fake engagement and then he has the nerve to judge her, because she is upset and she has an opinion about it.

“It says we’re engaged!” She yelled at him outraged at his behavior.

“You wanted a committed relationship that protected your reputation and integrity.” Where does he get this confidence from, this utter believe that he can do whatever he wants, without any regard for her.

“Niklas I’m not marrying you!” She wish he could get it into his head that she wasn’t going to stay with him. As soon as she can she is running far away from him. She needs to protect her heart against him.

“Arabelle I have warned you you about Demetreus hearing you! I don’t want him involved!” She understood his wishes, but she was to angry to care. How did he think she would act at finding out the news?

“I’m not doing it, I’m staying for three months and then I’m leaving! I have a life back in Manchester!” Niklas was starting to loose his temper there just is no way to please her. She wanted this, sure he did it according to what he wanted out of this, but still she could appreciate the trouble he went through for her.

“So you are leaving us again. I should have guessed! It seems its all you’re good in.” Demetreus shot through the kitchen and up the stairs clearly upset by what he had overheard just now.

“Are you happy now! You are going to fix this! You signed a legal contract and as of now we are engaged!” Niklas said with finality in his voice. He was serious about not evolving Demetreus in this farce of a relationship. He wanted him to believe it is all real, because real is what it is going to be.

“I signed a contract to be your girlfriend!” Niklas let out a laugh. He had purposely made the contract to benefit him as much as possible.

“No sweetheart you signed to be in an exclusive relationship with me. What says exclusivity better than marriage.” He had her right where he wanted her and there isn’t anything she could really do about it. She signed a legal binding contract. It’s not like she wants anyone to know so that means that she wouldn’t take legal action.

“I’m not marrying you!” Arabelle said in her clearest voice leaving no space for argument.

“I won’t force you to marry me, but we are engaged and you’ll have to go through the motions of that. One of them being meeting my parents and acting like you’re madly in love with me and excited about our wedding. As for now go upstairs and fix things with Demetreus.” She stormed up the stairs to Demetreus room, She knocked on the door, but he didn’t answer, so she went inside. Once inside she saw him on his bed with earphones in, she pulled them out of his ears and sat on the edge of the bed.

“What do you want?” He sneered at Arabelle. His hostility clearer than day.

“You only got the short end of that conversation. Your father has a way of bullying me into things…in a good way. I always over think things, so by announcing our engagement I can’t get scared and run. I do have a life in Manchester, a restaurant that I need to run and a niece I need to take care of. I can’t change my whole life so in three months I’m moving back there, your father and you can come too.” She lied through her teeth trying to make sense of the conversation he heard downstairs.

“I don’t care get out!” She got up what else can she do. As her weight lifted from the bed a pack of cigarettes fell on the floor.

“You smoke?” She couldn’t decide between being shocked or furious. He is only 14 how did this happen. The Demetreus she helped to raise would have never smoked.

“That’s not mine, they are my friends!” The classic excuse. He couldn’t even have come up with something more original.

“Oh please, I was young to that is the age old excuse! You’re only 14! What are you thinking! Do you know what you’re doing to your body!” It saddened her that this angry kid is the bright young boy she once knew.

“Please don’t tell my father, Belle…please!” Now he wants to be nice.

“I have too. If he found out that I knew and didn’t tell him! I don’t even know what he’ll do.” She found herself thinking that Niklas would go insane. He’d probably ship Demetreus back to boarding school.

“I promise I’ll stop! I don’t like it anyways. I only did it to impress a smoker girl.” He was killing his lungs in order to impress a girl? Arabelle thought that it was insane, but this is the perfect situation to get him to behave.

“Demetreus if I catch you I’ll tell your father! You can be assured of that! Also I need you to stop with the attitude. At least when you’re dad is around! Now get ready we’re going to your grandparents.” Arabelle stormed out of the room slamming the door, she stopped in the hall to catch her breath and wiped away the tears that had come to her eyes. She felt sick to her stomach, was this partly her fault or even completely. Did he stray because she had left, is that a possible scenario. She has to work with a plan. She needs to find out what happened these last three years not only with Demetreus but with Niklas too. Neither of them are the same they were three years ago.

Arabelle walked down the elegant stairs her fingers tracing along the railing. She needs to find stable ground within this relationship or these 3 months will be tough. She saw Niklas leaning against the counter his whole body on show, she use to find it difficult to comprehend how one man could be so beautiful. He represents the old Greek gods to a fault: he has Zeus power, Poseidon’s temper, Hades’ dark side, Aphrodite’s beauty, Athena’s Strategy and wisdom, Nemisis’ urge for revenge, Hephaestas’ jealousy and Tyche’s fortune.

“Agapi mou, how did it go?” Arabelle should have just told him at that moment, but she couldn’t so she went for the vague approach.

“It went fine, we talked and made some promises and now he’s getting ready.”

“Really? He hardly ever does what I ask him to do. He isn’t a bad kid and I don’t want to be hard on him…he’s a real hard worker, trust me it takes a certain talent to do the complete opposite of what I tell him every single time, He let’s the act drop at times, but it’s part of growing up. He is trying to fit in and make friends. He is trying to find his place in life…parents are the enemy at this stage.”

“Niklas you don’t have to explain to me. I know Demetreus and I can see right through the act.” At least she hope she still can. She hopes that she has scared him straight now.

“It started when we moved to Australia. It was a new place a new school and he made the wrong friends. He was in trouble every single day. Once he got expelled in his first month at the school I saw it as a sign and moved us back. Things have gotten better.” Arabelle felt the invisible tug, Niklas was pulling on the cord attached to her heart. She walked over to him, folding her arms around him. She knew he needed reassurance.

“You’re a great father. He’s lucky to have you.” He took her chin lifting her head so that she looked up at him.

“And I am lucky to have you.” She knew what would happen next, his head leaned down, his lips mere millimeters away, his dark eyes staring into her light ones. She could pull away and avoid it, this will be a mistake, she knows it. Then why did she go on her toes forcing the space between their lips to disappear. His arms went around her pulling her tight against his body. Her arms wrapped around his neck, her fingers working their way into his soft dark hair. The kiss said hello, it followed a pattern of familiarity. Something Arabelle didn’t want so she forced his head down more, kissing him harder, she bit his lip and the kiss deepened. She heard the growl rumpling from deep in his chest, his grip tightened as he spun them around. He now had her pinned against the counter. It was a match they both played well together. Her nails dug into his shoulders as he lifted her up onto the counter. Their lips not parting for a second. She wrapped her legs around his middle, pulling him closer to her. His arms pulled her against his chest, not even a spec of dust could pass in between them.

He started to trail kisses down her neck as she dragged her nails down his back. Her breathing was uneven and her thoughts were a thing of the past.

“What the hell! This is a kitchen, we eat in here! What’s wrong with you two!’ Niklas jumped away at his sons outrage, which made Arabelle fall from the counter. Niklas grabbed her arm to steady her.

“Don’t make me be the adult in this house. Arabelle go and get ready.” She just got scolded by a 14 year old, she feels like a teenager being sent to her room. She ran up the stairs slightly mortified. She can’t believe Demetreus saw that, She can’t believe she let it go so far.