Her phone started to ring.
Pick up, ma petite.
But she did not.
He dialed her number again, his knuckles whitening with how hard he was gripping his phone.
Tell me I have not ruined our friendship, ma petite.
But she did not.
Chapter Four
“Mademoiselle Keanne has already left, I’m afraid.” Cathy Ellison did her best not to look guilty as she spoke the lie that her employer – or more specifically, her employer’s daughter – had asked her to speak in case the handsome Christakos heir dropped by in search of Keanne Summers.
“I see.” A mocking smile touched Jason Christakos’ lips, and though she had seen him quite often coming and going in Amie Summers’ magnificent home, Cathy still couldn’t prevent her heart from skipping a beat at the Greek billionaire’s sheer gorgeousness.
Unlike his twin, Nick Christakos, who was quite famous for his cool sophistication, Jason was all rugged sex appeal, dressed often in casual shirts and jeans. Occasionally – like now – he would be seen wearing a leather jacket, which only made him look even more irresistibly wicked.
For a moment, Jason considered charming or – hell – even seducing the truth out of Amie Summers’ personal assistant. The thought was rejected a second later, his common sense and understanding of how the Summers’ household operated reasserting itself. Although Amie may appear as a flamboyant rich widow in many people’s eyes, she was anything but weak and ruled her empire with an iron hand. She personally vetted every employee on her staff, which meant all of them were staunchly loyal to her.
“Would you like to leave a message?”
Jason looked up. “Please tell Mademoiselle Keanne that she cannot hide from me forever.”
****
Hidden indeed in her mother’s private study, Keanne let out a choked gasp as Jason Christakos’ searing blue eyes stared straight into the lobby’s CCTV camera.
The damn man knew she was watching him!
She shook her head, a sense of hysteria rising in her. What did he expect? That she would welcome him with open arms after his rejection?
She may be in love with him, but she would not let him treat her like that.
With that thought uppermost on her mind, Keanne threw herself back into her work. With only a few days left before her first year in college started, she had to hurry and finish her book. There would be even less time for her to draw once she had classes to attend.
Keanne drew for hours, a concentrated frown on her face as the little girl she once was and the sun god Jason had always been came to life on her sketch pad.
“Why do you push me away?” the little girl asked with a sniff.
The Sun God had a bleak look on his face, and his brightness faded in the face of the little girl’s sadness. “Because you forget who I am.”
“You are the Sun God. I know that.”
“Then, my beautiful little girl, you must remember that if you come too close, you will get burned, and I do not want that for you.”
Keanne straightened in her seat, unsurprised to find her fingers wet when she touched her face. Stupid drawings, Keanne thought even as the tears fell faster. They were supposed to cure Keanne’s misery, not make her more in love with Jason.
Someone knocked on the door and Keanne hastily wiped her tears away. Clearing her throat, she called out, “Come in.”
It was Cathy. “It’s already five in the afternoon, Mademoiselle. It is time to prepare for tonight’s show.”
“Oh.” She had forgotten all about the special one-night show staged by a popular European opera company. Amie was its major sponsor, with Keanne expected to attend in lieu of her mother.
“Will I be seated with anyone?”
“A box has been reserved for your private use.” Normally, Jason Christakos was Keanne’s escort to such events, but after what happened earlier today, Cathy was at a loss as to who would serve as the young girl’s date for the night. She said awkwardly, “Would you…” Her voice trailed off. What was the right thing to say here?
Parties such as tonight’s event were always an occasion for competition among the rich and famous. Keanne’s peers would always be vying against each other as to who would look the prettiest, who wore the most expensive jewelry and – most importantly of all – who had the most gorgeous date.
Everyone would expect Keanne to attend tonight’s event with Jason Christakos. Everyone would start talking behind her back if she came without him, and the only way to stop people from gossiping was for Keanne to find a date who could compare to the famous Greek billionaire.
But then, that wasn’t really possible, was it?