บททั้งหมดของ Keeping a secret from the Greek Tycoon: บทที่ 71 - บทที่ 80

JUSTINA"Oh, please." Marina popped open her door, the hinges groaning softly. "You're doing a terrible job of hiding it."I followed her out, my sneakers scuffing against the concrete. The parking garage smelled of exhaust and a slight chill. Marina locked the car with a sharp beep and headed toward the elevator, her heels clicking steadily against the floor.She was right. I knew she was right.But that wasn't why my stomach was knotted, or why my hands wouldn't stop trembling inside my pockets. It wasn't the date.It was the ticking. The damn countdown.Victor's voice on the phone… I could still hear it… the way he'd said forty-eight hours as casually as if he were ordering takeout.We had already burned through two of those hours.I followed Marina into the elevator. The doors slid shut with a whisper, leaving me alone with my reflection once more, but this time in the polished steel. I looked pale and drawn, shadows gathered beneath my eyes that I was certain that even makeup cou

CHARISSAShe didn't get me there. No one did. I booked editorial work, yes, the kind that paid in exposure and prestige rather than actual money. I stood in freezing studios wearing couture that I had to return immediately after the shoot, my nipples hard and aching beneath silk that cost more than my rent. I smiled until my jaw ached while photographers shouted at their assistants and makeup artists complained about matching foundation to my "unusual" undertones.I was still fresh meat by industry standards when I met Gregor. I was in the prime of my youth, twenty-something and hardly old enough to know what I was doing with my life, yet the industry had already decided I was over the hill. Sixteen-year-olds from Eastern Europe were edging me out, girls who didn't speak English but knew exactly how to look fragile, lost, and worth saving.The party was at a rooftop bar in Athens, some launch event for a watch brand that had hired me to stand near the product and look available. I was

JUSTINAOne of the three said something to her friends in a low voice, and though I couldn't make out the words, the way their eyes flicked back to me told me enough.Marina's hand found my wrist under the table's edge and stayed there."Ignore them," she said, quiet enough that only I could hear it."I wasn't planning on doing anything.""I know. I'm not talking about you." Her thumb moved once against my pulse point, an absent, anxious little motion, like she was the one who needed steadying. "I just don't want this turning into something.""I do not go looking for trouble, Marina, and they're just standing there.""For now." She glanced at the women again, then back at me, and some of the tightness in her jaw eased when she saw I wasn't about to give anyone a scene. "Let's just get through the facial. We don't owe them a reaction."That… I agreed with. So we did just that.The robe clung to my damp skin as I settled onto the treatment table. The paper liner crinkled beneath my shou

JUSTINAThe blonde opened her mouth, then closed it. Her shoulders dropped. She turned to her attendant. "Fine. Continue."The attendant looked at Stacia, who nodded. The woman approached cautiously, resuming the facial with trembling hands.Marina sat back down at her table, a smug smile playing at her lips. She caught my eye and winked. Grudging respect warmed my chest. She was good. Better than good. She was terrifying in the most useful way.For a few minutes, the room settled into an uneasy truce. The sound of gentle music played from hidden speakers, something with flutes and running water. The attendants worked in silence. I closed my eyes, trying to find that relaxation Marina had mentioned, but my muscles remained coiled tight.Then the blonde spoke again."Oh, shut it, chink," she snarled at her attendant, who had apparently asked her to tilt her head back. "I will move at my own fucking pace."The attendant flinched, her hands going still on the blonde's temple. Something c

GREGORHe looked up at her, then at me, then back at her. "Yes, ma'am."The ma'am sounded wrong in his mouth, too formal, too careful. My mother's smile flickered, uncertain how to process this small, polite child who wasn't rushing to embrace her."Well… I'm your grandmother," she added, as if he might have forgotten."I know." Adonis tried to smile. It didn't reach his eyes, but it was enough. It was brave.My mother reached out and took his hand in hers. Her fingers engulfed his, making him look even smaller, more fragile. She turned to the housekeeper who had appeared in the doorway. "When we get inside, take him upstairs and get him into something appropriate," she instructed. "The blue set I bought should fit."The housekeeper, a woman named Clara who had worked for my mother for over ten years, nodded and reached for Adonis.I stepped forward. "What's wrong with what he's wearing?"My mother turned, her eyebrows arching. "Polyester, Gregor. He's wearing polyester."I laughed de