Alexandra hesitated for a moment, glancing from the one man to the other, and then went up the stairs and straight to her room. She needed to talk to someone, and who else could she call besides John?
***
“What do you want?” Mark turned to Jonathan with hostility in his voice.
“I need protection,” Jonathan replied.
“Protection from what?” Mark laughed ironically.
“Someone just killed my grandmother,” Jonathan insisted. “I might be in danger, too.”
“Nobody’s going to bother messing with you,” Mark remarked sarcastically and turned towards the stairs to leave.
“There have been several murder attempts, and now my grandmother is dead,” Jonathan insisted. “And the killer is still on the loose.”
“Is there something you’re trying to tell me?” Mark inquired carefully.
“I believe it’s her!” Jonathan said, and Mark stopped and turned to face him, waiting for him to go on.
“I believe it’s the maid!” Jonathan went on.
“Martha?” Mark asked on purpose to see his reactions.
“Don’t play games with me, Mark!” Jonathan burst out. “I’m talking about Maria, Dimitris’ bastard daughter!”
Mark stared at him for a minute. “What are you talking about?”
“Oh, come on, Mark!” Jonathan lost his patience. “You think I didn’t know?”
“How do you know about that?” Mark asked and watched Jonathan carefully, studying his reactions.
“Everybody knows,” he replied.
“Everybody? What do you mean everybody?”
Jonathan laughed bitterly. “You people think that you’re so smart, huh?” he remarked ironically. “A maid thrown out of a mansion, carrying the bastard of her employer, isn’t something one can keep a secret. The staff back then knew, and so did a lot of other people.”
Mark grabbed him by the arms and shook him. “Who else knows?” he asked.
“Don’t yell at me!” Jonathan screamed, twisting to free himself. “Alexandros has a lot of enemies, and they all know about her!”
“Names!” Mark insisted, tightening his grasp.
“Nicholas Dourakis!” Jonathan hissed, his face distorted from pain.
Mark let out a deep breath and pushed him back. Jonathan almost lost his balance and grabbed hold of an armchair to prevent the fall.
“You’re crazy,” Mark bluffed, trying to get as much information as he could. “How would Nicholas know about Maria?”
“Oh, but he does,” Jonathan insisted. “And not only that,” he went on, “he has a lot to do with what’s going on around here lately.”
“This is ridiculous,” Mark said, pretending to dismiss the thought, to make Jonathan say more. “How could Nicholas have access to this house and kill your grandmother or poison Alexandros’ steak?”
“Oh, but he does!” Jonathan insisted and straightened his body to face Mark. “You pretend to be some kind of hero who knows everything,” he went on, “and you don’t even know what’s going on right underneath your nose!”
Mark peered at him closely. “You better start talking,” he said in a threatening tone, “before I lose my patience!”
“Maria is the mistress of George Ioannou, you fool!” Jonathan cried out and looked at Mark with an expression of triumph on his face. “Do you understand that?” he went on. “George Ioannou—KatiaDourakis’ husband—is having an affair with Maria! Does that tell you anything?”
“How do you know that?” Mark asked cautiously.
“I’ve seen them,” Jonathan replied.
“I don’t believe you,” Mark said. “George is not that stupid!”
“Nobody said he’s stupid! Quite the opposite!” Jonathan went on. “Can you imagine getting Alexandros and Katia out of the way? George would inherit the Dourakis’ fortune and Maria would inherit the Vassiliou’s fortune. What a couple, huh?” he asked and laughed ironically.
Mark was puzzled. He had to admit he had missed that. How could he be so careless? George Ioannou? He thought of the sleazy attorney married to the oldest granddaughter of Constantinos Dourakis and realized he was the kind of person who would do anything for money. It was common knowledge he had married Katia—who was thirteen years older than him—for her inheritance.
Mark was overwhelmed. These two families—the Vassiliou and the Dourakis—had so much going for them, and, despite all the power and all the money, there was nothing but pain, suffering, sadness, and deceit in their lives.
All of a sudden, they heard noises from the corridor leading to the kitchen, and they turned to see a policeman escorting Maria to the study.
“What did I tell you?” Jonathan asked with a big smile on his face.
Mark turned and walked up the stairs, ignoring him. He couldn’t stand him any longer. He went straight to Alexandra’s room, and, from the open door, he saw her talking on the phone. She was whispering and stopped the moment she saw him standing at the door. He felt the bitter sting of jealousy. She’s talking to John Harrison, he realized. He turned on his heel to leave when Alexandra called him back.
“Mark, wait! I’m finished,” she said and hung up the phone.
He glanced back at her, silently. Seeing her face turning red, he felt his heart sinking. I was right, he realized. She’s in love with him.
***
Alexandra stared at him curiously. She had called John to tell him what was going on here, but he was so happy she didn’t want to alarm him. He had finally confessed he was in love with Holly, and they were planning on getting married as soon as Alexandra arrived back in the States.
Alexandra, on the other hand, had confided to him her feelings for Mark, but now she felt embarrassed for not telling John the entire truth. She couldn’t tell him that Mark was her cousin. Oh, God! What a mess! she thought and let out a deep breath.
“Everything okay?” Mark asked cautiously.
“Yes,” she lied. “How about you? What did he want?”
Mark was suddenly brought back to reality and remembered that he had to make a phone call. It was amazing how this girl could throw him off balance and make him forget about everything else. He was going to fight for her, he decided. They were meant to be together.
“What did he want?” she insisted, impatiently.
“I don’t have time to explain right now,” he said. “There are so many things you don’t know.”
“Then tell me,” she said stubbornly.
“Not now, Alexandra!” he insisted. “I have to make a phone call.”
He walked to his bedroom and picked up the phone. He dialed the number and turned to stare at Alexandra, who had followed him. She stood there, watching him, and didn’t seem willing to leave. Mark shifted uncomfortably. She can be so stubborn sometimes, he thought and felt the urge to pull her into his arms.
“It’s me,” he said when his call was answered. “Check on George Ioannou. He’s having an affair with Maria.”
“I know,” he continued after a few minutes. “This changes everything.”
***
When he finally hung up the phone, Alexandra peered at him curiously. “Are you going to explain what’s going on?” she asked. “Who is George Ioannou, and who is Maria?”
Mark walked over to the window. “I really don’t know where to start,” he admitted.
“Then start from the beginning,” she said and went to sit in an armchair.
Alexandra was amazed to hear the story about Constantinos Dourakis and her grandfather—two men who used to be best friends and partners and ended up worst enemies—trying to destroy each other. After Constantinos lost a large part of his fortune on bad investments, Alexandros bought him out and forced him out of the business.
“I can’t believe someone would do this to his best friend,” Alexandra pointed out, shocked by everything. “Not even someone as ruthless as my grandfather.”
“Well, you don’t know the whole story,”
Mark said. “The truth is that Constantinos was desperately in love with Marianna Vassiliou, Alexandros’ wife.”
Alexandra drew a deep breath. “Oh, my God!” she whispered. “What a mess!”
“Exactly!” Mark agreed. “When Alexandros found out about it, he was furious and wouldn’t lift a finger to help his partner. He wanted him out of his business and out of his life.”
“I can understand that,” Alexandra said, skeptically.
“Of course, Constantinos managed to rebuild his fortune after a while,” Mark went on. “He turned to the shipping business and built an empire. However, he never forgave Alexandros for not helping him out and, above all, for marrying Marianna.”
Alexandra was amazed, listening to him.
Then Mark explained to her about Maria.
“You mean to tell me that this girl working here as a maid is my cousin—Alexandros’ other granddaughter?” she asked surprised.
“Yes,” Mark admitted. “She’s the illegitimate child of Dimitris— Alexandros’ son.”
“But, why?” she asked. “Why wouldn’t my grandfather accept her?”
“Alexandra, this is Greece. Honor and tradition are extremely important here, especially two decades ago. A man in your grandfather’s position couldn’t allow a scandal like this to break up his family. His son was married, and the fact that a maid was carrying his child had to be kept secret.”
Alexandra felt her heart reaching out to that girl, who was deprived of her father’s name and everything that was rightfully hers. All of a sudden, she realized that this girl had a lot of reasons to hate Alexandros.
“Do you think it’s her?” she asked.
“I’m not sure,” Mark admitted. “She does have a lot of reasons to want to kill Alexandros. She could do it for the money or just for revenge,” he added. “However, I’m not sure if she’s capable of murder.”
“And who is George Ioannou?” Alexandra asked, and Mark glanced at her silently for a minute. “I heard you talking about him on the phone.”
“He’s married to Katia Dourakis, Nicholas’ daughter and Constantinos’ oldest granddaughter,” Mark replied.
“And?” Alexandra insisted.
“And, from what Jonathan is saying, he’s having an affair with Maria.”
Alexandra stared at him shocked. “What a mess!” she burst out, her head spinning.
“I know,” Mark admitted. “The police are questioning Maria right now, and they will probably question George next.”
“I hope it’s not her,” Alexandra said, and Mark looked at her, puzzled. “I hope so for grandfather’s sake. It wouldn’t be easy to accept that your own granddaughter is trying to kill you.”
“You’re probably right,” Mark admitted. “However, I don’t believe Alexandros has any feelings for the girl. He never really considered her family.”
“This is so sad,” Alexandra said, feeling all tangled up inside.
They suddenly heard commotion downstairs and rushed to see what was going on. Coming down the stairway, they heard female voices arguing in Greek.
“I told you he’s busy.” Martha’s irritated voice came from the front door.
“I couldn’t care less!” Alexandra heard a female voice yelling. A woman pushed the front door open and walked right by Martha into the living room, with a younger one following right behind her.
“Oh, there you are!” she yelled at Mark, seeing him coming down the stairs with Alexandra. “Can you explain to me what the hell is going on?”
“Hello, Katia,” Mark said, keeping his voice calm. “Hello, Jessica.” He turned to the other one.
“Hi, Mark,” the girl responded and glanced at him and then at Alexandra with an expression of curiosity on her face.
“The police came to my house and took George in for questioning!” Katia went on. “Can you explain why?” she asked.
“What is going on here?” Alexandros cut in, coming out of the study. “What the hell are you doing in my house?” he burst out, seeing the two women.
“Don’t you yell at me,” Katia snapped back. “You don’t scare me a bit. I want to know what kind of game you’re playing, and why did the police arrest my husband?” she asked, furiously.
“Why don’t you ask him?” Alexandros suggested, ironically.
Katia stared at him with fire in her eyes, and then she turned to face Mark. She was about to say something but was suddenly interrupted by Jessica.
“Who is she?” Jessica, who hadn’t taken her eyes of Alexandra, asked Mark.
“This is Alexandra,” Mark replied.
“The long-lost granddaughter?” Jessica asked curiously.
“Yes,” Mark replied and turned to Katia. “Why don’t we all sit down?” he said.
“I don’t want to sit down,” Katia snapped. “I want you to leave my husband alone!”
“We’re not the ones messing around with your husband,” Alexandros pointed out.
She stared at him suspiciously. “What do you mean by that?” she asked.
“I told you: why don’t you ask him?” he insisted and withdrew towards the study. “I want you out of my house right this minute!” he yelled over his shoulder.
“I’m not going anywhere until I find out what’s going on,” Katia burst out, and, turning to Mark, she asked, “It has to do with that maid, right?”
Mark stared at her puzzled.
“Yes, I know about her,” she went on. “I’m not stupid. I just thought it would pass, like all the other times,” she said, and her voice broke down.
Alexandra felt sorry for her. Katia knew her husband was cheating on her. That had to be an awful feeling.
Katia sank into an armchair, and Jessica went and wrapped her arms around her shoulders. “Don’t cry,” she said. “He’s not worth it!”
“How would you know?” Katia snapped, pushing Jessica’s hand away.
“Katia, he’s no good!” Jessica insisted. “He’s nothing but a crook, and you’re a lot smarter than to fall in a trap like this.”
“Stop lecturing me!” Katia yelled. “You’re not that smart either, falling in love with your own flesh and blood!”
Jessica drew back as if she had been bitten by a snake and stared at Katia with hatred in her eyes. “You’re no sister of mine! You’re nothing but a worm!” she burst out. “At least, the man I’m in love with isn’t trying to kill me!” she yelled and ran to the front door and outside the house.
Katia was left staring after her sister.
***
“Katia…” Mark started, but she interrupted him.
“It’s true!” she said, turning to him. “She’s in love with you!” she said accusingly.
Mark stared at her shocked. “What are you talking about?” he asked, trying at the same time to comprehend what was going on. All of a sudden, he realized that Katia knew, which meant that her husband also knew, and that made him even more dangerous.
Mark turned to Alexandra, who seemed pale and ready to faint. He reached for her when Katia started gasping for air. He turned abruptly and kneeled down in front of Katia. “She’s probably having an asthma attack!” he yelled at Martha. “Call Jessica! She’ll know where her respirator is!”
***
Hours later, Alexandra was sitting in the armchair next to the window in her bedroom. She felt numb, lost in her thoughts, trying to comprehend what happened. Everything seemed wrapped in a fog. Jessica had brought the device to help her sister breathe, and it took Mark a few minutes to help Katia breathe normally. Alexandros and the police chief had rushed from the study to help. All of a sudden, Katia saw Maria and attacked her, accusing her of seducing her husband.
Now, a few hours after Martha had escorted her to her room, Alexandra still felt lost with everything happening around her. And then she remembered Katia accusing her sister of being in love with a relative and turning to Mark.
She stood up and went to the bathroom to find an aspirin. She already had a terrible
headache.
Hearing a knock on the door, she remained silent. She didn’t want to see anybody right now.
“Alexandra,” she heard her grandfather’s voice.
She walked to the door and opened it to find her grandfather standing there.
“I need to talk to you,” he said.
Alexandra turned and walked to her seat by the window, leaving the door open.
Alexandros walked inside the room, closing the door behind him. “I understand you must feel confused,” he said.
“That’s a major understatement,” she admitted.
“Listen,” he said. “I’m sorry about Katia. She’s a hot-tempered woman and wouldn’t miss a chance to pick a fight with me.” He was silent for a moment, and then he added, “She hates me.”
“I can understand that,” Alexandra said and saw him drawing a deep breath and turning red.
He managed to control his temper and went on, “I know Mark explained to you about Constantinos and me. He also told you about Maria.”
“Yes, he did,” she admitted.
“I know it’s hard to explain,” he started. “But I had to do it. I had to protect my family’s honor and reputation.”
“She’s your granddaughter!” Alexandra retorted.
“She was,” he said softly, and Alexandra stared at him shocked. “She killed herself…”
“She did what?” Alexandra asked shocked.
“She killed herself,” he repeated, sadly. “While Marcos was questioning her, she asked to go to the bathroom. We were worried after a while and went searching for her. The bathroom door was locked, and by the time we managed to break in, it was already too late. She had emptied a bottle of poison.”
“Poison again,” Alexandra thought out loud.
“Yes,” Alexandros said. “The police think that it’s the same one she used on my steak six week ago.”
“So it was her!” Alexandra said.
“I’m afraid so,” he admitted. “But I’m not so sure about the yacht. I don’t think she could accomplish something like this. But then again, it could have been her boyfriend, George.”
“And what about the people who tried to kidnap me in New York?” Alexandra asked suddenly.