The Greek Tycoon Box Set: The Complete Serial: Books 1-10 (45 page)

“
Never!
” Atreus said.

Serene looked around the courtroom with wide eyes, clearly trying to make everyone feel sorry for her. It was then her eyes fell upon Carla.
 

“Look, there she is!
She
broke up our marriage.”

The magistrate glanced up at Carla then sighed.
 

“Ms. Palios, this is between you and Mr. Kostas.”

Carla’s heart felt like it had stopped beating, but at the magistrate’s word she got a little relief. If she had to speak out for Atreus and Dios she would, but she remembered Theo’s warning.

“May I say something more?” Atreus asked.

The magistrate nodded.

“I know this is not about Carla, but I just want to mention her.”

Carla saw Theo’s eyes widen, and he tugged on Atreus’ sleeve, but Atreus ignored him.

“I was trying to save my marriage to Serene Palios, which started well and ended up being pretty bad,” Atreus said. “I thought Dios would bring us closer together, but Serene left one night, leaving a note to say she’d gone with Nikolas and she did not want to be a mother. Since then, she seems to have changed her mind, and I understand that must be difficult for her. But Dios is happy. I am to marry Carla. She is pregnant with another child. We have become a family, Dios included, and she has accepted Dios just like he is her own. Why, right now, he’s with her grandparents who he calls Grandma and Granddad.”

When he said that it brought to mind the stilted way Dios said it, and tears rose up in her eyes.

“To be truthful I would prefer to never see Serene again,” said Atreus. “But I understand she is Dios’ mother, even though she said previously that she did not want that title
or
responsibility. I would be willing to facilitate her to come to where we live in Scotland, every week or every month or whatever she wants, to have supervised contact. But, I am worried she will take Dios away if allowed to visit freely. The truth of it is, I think she will let him down.”

“Nonsense,” Serene said. “A child is meant to be with his mother. I’m taking him back to our villa in Greece.”

“It is no longer your villa,” Atreus said. “You signed it over to me in the divorce.”

Serene’s voice rose.
 

“I want it back.”

“This is not about a villa,” said the magistrate. “Now, based on all the information I’ve been given, the copy of the note Ms. Palios left when she disappeared, the copy of the note Ms. Palios handed Atreus in Dubai, along with the divorce papers and other documents, it is clear that Serene Palios leads a chaotic, disordered lifestyle at present. This is not a lifestyle suitable for a child.”

“What?” Serene said. “This is absolutely ridicu—”

“I think Mr. Kostas’ offer sounds reasonable. Dios will remain at his home in Scotland with his father. If Ms. Palios wants to visit Dios, she can do so once a week or less. She must give Mr. Kostas a weeks’ notice to allow him time to set up a meeting at a contact center. Is this clear to everyone?”

Atreus looked back at Carla, beaming from ear to ear. She only then noticed that silent tears were falling down her cheeks. She had never felt such elation in all her life.

“You expect me to
visit
my child?” Serene said as if visit was a disgusting swearword. “My
own child?
”

“Yes, Ms. Palios,” the magistrate said. “It is a common arrangement with parents who do not live with their children.”

“No,” Serene said, shaking her head violently. “No, no, no. I want my son all the time or not at all. All or nothing. I don’t want to share him with my pathetic excuse of an ex-husband and his English whore.”

Carla expected Atreus to jump to his feet and defend her honor, but he sat back in his chair and smiled. He looked over at Carla with a look that said,
It’s not worth it. We’ve won.

He then put his hands together and made the sign of the cross on his chest.
 

“Praise God.”

*****

Chapter 8

The gardens were more beautiful than Carla had ever seen them, and as she made her procession through to where the ceremony was all set out and ready to begin, she let out a little gasp of delight. Cressida and the rest had insisted on keeping this part from her so that it would be a surprise, and they had done the most glorious job.
 

It appeared that, as well as the pinkish oriental fountain grasses that lined each side, they had brought in a whole host of other plants, with wildflower arrangements and beautiful flowers blooming in pots. There were pale blue asters with their long, delicate petals, a whole swamp of vividly purple verbena, as well as purple emperors and violet-blue Michaelmas daisies.
 

When they’d asked her what color scheme the wedding would have, she’d smiled and looked at the vibrant colors of the garden blooming around her. “Beauty,” she’d said. “Any color in the world, as long as it’s beautiful.”

And this certainly was.

She turned to smile at her granddad, who stood tall as he walked arm and arm with her. He looked like he hadn’t had any illness at all and she was so proud he was there to walk her down the aisle. She thought of her parents, a fleeting thought that twisted in her stomach. She knew they would have been so happy to be there, and she imagined her Mum wiping away tears as her father smiled proudly. All she could hope was that they would be looking down from heaven, or wherever they were in the vast universe, looking down upon her and smiling. She just knew they’d love Atreus, and Dios, of course.

Felix Swanson-Jessup played the harp so beautifully it made Carla’s heart ache. The dips and surges in his interpretation captured perfectly what she felt—the glory of the final victory of love, and how deeply it ran within her, chasing the pain of the past away.

She wiped her eyes and turned back to smile at her bridesmaids, hoping they would snap her out of her tears and into smiles. Angelique, Onella, Marina, Theodora, and her old friend Fiona followed her down the grassy aisle, each of them in a floor length dress of soft blue. Angelique caught her eye and grinned from ear to ear. Carla grinned back and turned, feeling like she was on top of the world.

There were so many who had come to see them be married, but all she could fix her eyes on was Atreus, standing at the front with Dios on his hip. He wore a suit of soft gray and had a gentle smile on his face. Carla could not believe it was finally happening. How had she been so blessed to find a man so sweet and kind, as well as powerful and capable?

It was only when she got to the front and stood across from the love of her life that it truly sunk in. Atreus and Dios, standing in front of her, and the baby inside her. She felt wonder and awe grow in her heart as she looked at them, as she laid her hand upon her belly.
Her family
. Her beautiful, precious family.

As the pastor spoke about them all being together today and the sanctity of marriage, she looked around at all their guests and friends.

Jules and Felix Swanson-Jessup, who so graciously forgave them and befriended them. Onella, who had supported her brother through thick and thin. She had come with a friend, Evangelos, and Carla could see the sparks flying between them. Onella’s sweet daughters, Marina and Theodora, who grinned and watched with love-struck eyes. Angelique, who had been so kind to Carla and truly wiggled her way into her heart. Theo, who had helped them keep Dios in the best home for him. Hugo and Olivia, who were starry-eyed and clearly beginning their own fledgling romance. Carla’s grandparents, Mary and Charles, who had been their most ardent supporters. Andria, who had always made Carla feel part of the family. Carla felt like the most loved person in the world right then.

Andria offered to take Dios, but Atreus shook his head. He carried the little boy on his side for the whole ceremony.

When the vows came, she felt her heart might just overflow with love. They had written their own. She was called upon to speak first, and the vows she had written and remembered came pouring out of her mouth without her even having to think.

“Atreus,” she said, looking deep into his eyes, “you are my best friend. I promise to cry with you, to laugh with you, to grow with you. I will always love you. I promise to support your dreams and to respect the difference between us. I will be by your side through all the days and nights of our life together.”

The pastor nodded.
 

“Now, Atreus, would you like to say yours?”

Atreus took one of Carla’s hands. His eyes had nothing but truth in them.

“Today, Carla, I promise you this. I will comfort you in times of sorrow, and laugh with you in times of joy. I will share in your dreams and support you as you work to achieve your goals. I will listen to you with understanding and compassion, and speak words of encouragement to you.”

He hoisted Dios up on his hip.

“Together, let us build a home filled with laughter, love, learning, and light, shared freely with all who live there and all who visit. We are going to make this world a better place together. Let us be partners, lovers, and best friends, today, and all the days that make up the rest of our lives. I love you, Carla, and I feel so honored to finally be your husband.”

Carla knew it was not her turn to speak but her joy bubbled up in her so intensely she had no choice but to speak.

“I adore you, Atreus. I love you. And there is nothing in this world that would make me happier than to be your wife.”

THE END!

*****

Continue on for a note from Kay Brody…

One More Thing…

If you would
RETURN TO AMAZON
to give this book a positive review, I would
really
appreciate it!
 
Thank you so much!
 

And continue on for that note…

A Note From Kay Brody

Thanking you for reading my story.
 
It means so much to me that you’d spend your valuable time and hard-earned money on something I wrote.
 
While I always dreamed of becoming a writer, I never realized it would be this fun & rewarding!

If you are new to this serial, you picked a good time to join in on the fun.
 
Not only have I included the
Prelude To The Greek Tycoon
, previously only available as a free gift to those who joined my mailing list, but I have also updated the original versions of all ten original parts to make them even more sexy & suspenseful.
 
While you won’t know what you missed the first time around, I hope you enjoyed reading this super-charged version!

If you are reading this after having followed along with the original version, first of all
Thank You!
 
I appreciate you not only sticking with me through the first round but caring enough to take the journey with me again!
 
I wonder if you are missing Atreus as much as I already am; he became such a big part of my life for quite a while!

Sadly, however, at this point, I am taking a break from rich, Greek men!
 
But that doesn’t mean
you
have to!
 
In fact, I have already completed
two
spinoff
serials based on this original series that I have begun releasing on Amazon (you can check them out by clicking on each serial’s name in the next sentence).
 
They each center on a character you met in this original series (Atreus’ masseuse, Angelique, in
Angelique’s Greek
& Atreus’ sister, Onella, in
Finding Her Greek
) and, if you enjoyed the main series, I have a feeling you will like them, as well!

As for Atreus, Carla and the rest of the family, I wouldn’t be comfortable telling you that they are gone forever!
 
I had so much fun writing about them that I am already playing with some ideas that may allow me to bring them back in a fun & satisfying way.
 
I promise to keep you updated on any developments (be sure to follow my author profile on Amazon
and
sign up for my newsletter below so you are the first to hear when that time comes)!

Until then, I will be working on several exciting projects including my new, full-length time-travel romance series, Love In Another Time.
 
I have also begun writing cozy mystery stories under a new pen name, Nancy McGovern, and have been having a
blast
in the process!
 
If I love anything as much as romance, it’s mysteries, and I’ve found that I enjoy
writing
in both genres far more than
reading
in them (though I still do plenty of that, too)!
 
Now I just have to find a way to combine them!

Thank you again for reading what I write!
 
I have worked so hard for so long to get to this point and it is because of you that it is finally paying off.
 
You’ve made my dreams come true and I will continue writing the best stories I can in an effort to repay you for your interest & dedication.
 
I truly appreciate it.

With Love & Passion,

Kay

My Website