The Diakos Baby Scandal

‘Not by depriving a mother of her child,’ Kerry said.

For a moment she couldn’t help thinking about her own mother—how she’d been utterly devastated to have had her baby taken away from her. Feeling like a worthless failure at only sixteen years old had made it impossible for her to get herself back on track. Her life had spiralled into depression and self-abuse. She’d turned to drink, then drugs—and eventually died alone of an overdose in squalid conditions.

For Kerry it was made worse by the fact that she hadn’t even known who her mother was until it was too late to help her. Instead she’d been grudgingly looked after by her grandmother—the very person who had taken her away from her real mother. And for Kerry’s entire childhood she’d made her feel unwanted and unloved.

‘I know you are concerned about Hallie and Nicco.’ Theo’s clipped tones showed signs of tension. ‘My brother and I are in your debt for raising the alarm—if you hadn’t come to us so quickly things could have been much worse. But my conversation with Corban was private. How we choose to take care of our family is none of your concern.’

Kerry stared up at him. A muscle pulsed on his shadowed jawline. His eyes were dark and troubled. She had to tell him what she had done—but she was apprehensive about how he would react.

‘Hallie is my friend,’ she said. ‘Of course I care about her. And Nicco.’

‘You must trust me to do what is right for my family,’ Theo said, studying her intently. Suddenly his eyes narrowed and the set of his expression hardened.

‘You told her. Didn’t you?’ he demanded.

Kerry’s heart jolted and her eyes widened with alarm.

‘Yes.’ Her voice was hardly more than a whisper—but she held her head up and met his gaze steadily.

‘You had no business doing that.’ Theo’s expression was dark. ‘It did not concern you.’

‘Of course it concerned me!’ Kerry responded, suddenly filled with anger on her friend’s behalf—and on her own mother’s behalf.

‘No wonder you were so desperately worried—your actions put many people in danger tonight,’ he said. ‘Someone could have died. My nephew could have died!’

‘I didn’t realise she’d been drinking,’ Kerry said. ‘Not until—’

‘Don’t try to explain what you did.’ Theo’s voice cut through hers coldly. ‘I’m not interested.’

‘But—’

‘I’m not interested in your excuses,’ he said flatly. ‘You put my nephew in danger.’

‘I never meant to,’ she said. ‘That was the last thing I wanted.’

‘You listened to a private conversation that did not concern you,’ he said. ‘Then you went behind my back and took the situation into your own hands.’

‘Hallie is my friend,’ she said.

‘And what am I to you?’ he demanded. ‘You should have come to me first.’

‘You… I…’ She stumbled hesitantly, suddenly unsure of herself.

It was true that if she’d spoken to Theo about what she’d overheard then Hallie wouldn’t have taken Nicco in the car. But that didn’t change what she had heard. And Theo had made it clear that he saw nothing wrong with what he and his brother had been planning. They probably still intended to take Nicco away from his mother.

‘I no longer want you here.’ Theo spoke suddenly, his voice hard and controlled, his expression set in stone. ‘Pack your bags and get out.’

‘What? I don’t understand…’ Kerry’s voice trailed away and she stared at him in shock. But she did understand. Theo no longer wanted her.

He’d already turned his back on her and was walking away, as if from that moment she was dead to him. She was already out of his life.

‘Wait,’ she called. ‘There is something I have to tell you. It’s the reason I came to talk to you in your study in the first place.’

Theo spun on his heel and looked at her dispassionately. He was giving her a moment more of his time, and she knew she had to use it wisely.

‘This evening I found out—’

Kerry stopped speaking abruptly and covered her mouth with her hand. Suddenly she was afraid to tell him that she was pregnant.

After the events of the evening, it was almost as if Theo was a different man. She would never have thought him capable of taking a child from his mother—but he had defended his intentions even when Kerry had challenged him.

And if they planned to do that to Hallie—who’d been married to Corban for several years—what would happen to her if they found out she was carrying a Diakos baby? Theo had made it plain he didn’t want her. But would he want to take the baby?

‘Get on with it,’ Theo said, with undisguised impatience.

‘I don’t feel like I know you any more,’ she said.

‘The feeling is mutual,’ he replied coldly. ‘Now, get out.’

CHAPTER TWO

14 months later

‘THANK you for inviting me to your home.’ Theo held out his hand to the old man, who was sitting at a small wooden table drinking coffee under the shade of an ancient gnarled olive tree. ‘Your island is charming—a very peaceful place to live.’

Drakon Notara ignored Theo’s hand and snorted rudely, not looking up from his treacly Greek coffee. He was a moody and eccentric old man, but Theo had met him several times in Athens and was not fazed by his bad manners.

‘Don’t tell me you care about peace,’ Drakon said. ‘I know why you want to buy my island. You want to build one of your flashy hotels here—or maybe several. Bars, thumping music, people drunk and rowdy.’ He paused, finally lifting his head and meeting Theo’s eye. ‘I can’t have that happening here.’

Theo gritted his teeth and stared straight back, refusing to rise to the old man’s provocation. No one spoke to Theo Diakos with such disrespect and got away with it—but he had a compelling reason to do business with Drakon Notara.

Theo needed to buy this island. It was his only chance to fulfil his mother’s dying wish. And if he had to tread carefully to seal the deal, then that was what he would do.

He had not been invited to sit, nor offered any refreshment. The paving stones under the trees had not been swept before his arrival and were deep with browning piles of olive blossom. It was clear the old man was going to be as bloody-minded as usual, and was not going to make any transaction easy.

‘That’s not what I intend for the island at all,’ Theo said smoothly. ‘Perhaps if we talk—’

‘No,’ Drakon barked. ‘Talk is cheap. And so are the scandal sheets. Don’t think because I spend most of my time out here that I don’t know what your family is like—rich and spoiled, caring only about money and excitement. Your brother…his drunken wife crashing her car with that child on board.’

‘You have been misinformed.’ Theo’s tone was clipped as he suppressed the surge of anger that ripped through him. Whenever he thought about the night of the accident, which was over a year ago now, he felt his temper flare. ‘My family is not as the media has portrayed it. The newspapers do not always report things exactly as they are.’

‘Are you telling me it didn’t happen?’ the old man scoffed.

‘I’m saying that my personal affairs are not relevant to our business,’ Theo said. ‘However, if you will allow me to set out my proposal, I believe we will be able to come to an arrangement we are both happy with.’

‘I don’t want to talk to you now—I don’t want to hear the smooth and readymade business spiel you have prepared.’ Drakon leant heavily on the table and levered himself up. ‘If you’re serious about buying my island, come and stay for a few days—so I can find out what kind of man you really are. Bring your pretty girlfriend—the one I met last year. I liked her—no airs and graces, which I found surprising in someone associated with you and your family.’

For a fraction of a second Theo did not reply. The wily old fellow had completely wrong-footed him. He searched his memory, trying to recall any occasions when Kerry and Drakon might have met—and realised there had been several charity events when they could have spoken.