The Greek Billionair's Marriage Matchmaker(12)

     



 



One of the pair that was still arguing with the receptionist, a tall,  tanned man with neatly-cropped blond hair, began making an obvious  attempt to seduce Ms. Bransford. Zoey was fairly certain the  receptionist could see right through him, but she was also a lonely  woman who hadn't had a date in close to a year. Ms. Bransford was  standing firm so far, but Zoey knew she would capitulate eventually. She  needed to get to her mother before her receptionist gave in; the last  thing Melinda needed to be doing was having a conversation with the  press.



Zoey had yet to be noticed by the reporters so she went a block down, to  a nearby bank. She snuck into the alley behind that building, running  down it until she came to a chain link fence. Thanking God that she  hadn't worn heels, she climbed over it and into the alleyway that ran  behind Melinda Forde. Dashing to a back entrance, Zoey used her key to  enter the maintenance area of the building. A few minutes of navigating  through that badly-lit area let her into one of the building's main  hallways.



Moments later, she was standing in front of her mother's office, a  rather large affair hidden away on the second floor. Its door and  windows were made of frosted glass, framed in an elegant hardwood  border. The door bore the agency's logo in silver, and the inscription  "Melinda Diana Forde, CEO" in gold.



Zoey went inside and saw that the elegant black sofa to the right of the  door was covered in a mess of papers and office boxes. The gray marble  coffee table in front of it was similarly weighted down, as was the  receptionist's desk in the center of the office. A woman named Maria  normally occupied that post, serving as Melinda's personal secretary,  but by the looks of things she was out today, and Melinda was clearly  starting to panic.



"Mom," Zoey called out as she headed for the back office, a small windowless room tucked away in the rear.



There was no reply, but the door was cracked open, and Zoey let herself in, shutting the door behind her.



Melinda sat behind a small office desk, a pair of reading glasses  perched on her nose. Across from her, a flat-screen television was  broadcasting the news, but Melinda didn't seem to be paying attention to  it. She was staring intently at a sheaf of papers she was holding, as  if they were the only thing in the room.



Zoey had to call her mother twice more before the woman responded.



"Oh, good morning, Zoey," she said, without looking up. "I've just been  looking through these papers that came yesterday. Apparently, your  ‘boyfriend' works fast. According to this letter, he's already assembled  his legal team. Discovery will start soon, and the trial will follow  shortly after. It's going to be hell fighting against this guy. I've  been going through the files this morning. I want to see if I can find  anything damaging before Team Zakiridis shows up."



"You shouldn't fight him, Mom. You just need to take down the ads. We're  not gonna win this one any other way. We don't have the money, he has  access to better resources, and on top of that, you have no case."



"Whose side are you on, Zoey? Your own mother's or some guy you met a  few days ago? The advertising is accurate, and he's a public figure.  Paparazzi snap pictures of people and sell them all the time. Tabloids  use those pictures for stories that usually aren't even true. None of  those people have been stopped from profiting from a person's image  without their permission. All I've really done here is report a fact.  Stelios can't shut me down for that. I'm not hurting anyone."



"You're hurting me!" Zoey shot back, beginning to feel exasperated. "I  can't be with the man I want because there's no way I can abandon you."



"Zoey, you only think … "



"No, Mom, I know. And if you were there, you would know it, too. He's a  gentle and thoughtful person, and it's obvious that he cares a great  deal for me."



"Because he took you to dinner? Anyone can do that, Zoey."



"He didn't just take me to dinner. He shut down his restaurant so he could make it himself."         

     



 



"Now that's just bullshit. I've met this man, and men like him don't  cook. Their personal chefs do. They tell naïve young women that they  slaved over a hot stove or some nonsense before they show up, but … "



"He was in the kitchen when I got there. He'd burned the meal he was  making because he was nervous. We had to work together to fix it, and  while we were doing that, we talked about his family, and our lives, and  about the future. That man is alone in the world. Sure, he's got a  fortune, and a lot of people who follow him around because of it, but  all he really wants is someone … "



"Who loves him for who he really is? You bought that drivel? Why, your  father … " At that, Melinda abruptly fell silent. Her face tightened, her  lips pursed, and her eyelids squeezed shut. For a moment, she quivered  badly, but by degrees, seemed to rein in her emotions. "Men lie," she  breathed quietly. "They seem sincere, and under the moonlight, or in a  cozy room in front of a fire, it may be hard to remember that, but I  know it now, and I'm trying to tell you before it gets to be too late. I  don't want anyone to hurt you that way."



Zoey slowly moved to her mother's side and embraced her, hugging her  tightly. Melinda would never have acknowledged it, but Zoey could feel  hot tears staining her blouse. They stayed that way for a while, each  woman silently venting her soul.



Eventually, Zoey let her mother go, and with tears in her eyes, she  found her voice. "I know Dad hurt you, Mom. He hurt me, too. It was  inhuman, the way he treated you. He never showed any remorse. He never  tried to work anything out. He just cast us aside, took everything, and  walked away. Believe me, Mom. I know it hurts, but you can't let that  man do this to you. You used to be so loving and full of hope. You used  to believe in two people bringing each other happiness. I told Stelios  about all the times you made me happy as a child. Like the time we made  those brownies … "



"You remember that?" Melinda interrupted, clearly surprised. She let a small laugh escape her.



"I do," Zoey nodded quietly. "I wouldn't let you help me, even though  the batter was too tough to stir. You kept cheering me on."



"Keep it up, Zoey!" she smiled. "You can do it!"



"I miss the days when you used to be that happy. I've seen his eyes,  Mom, and it's no joke. He really likes me. I hate Dad for taking that  feeling away from you. Please don't take it away from me."



Zoey was openly crying now, and Melinda drew her daughter close.



"I want to believe. I really do. I just can't Zoey. I've heard too many  lies. I know that if I surrender, if I give in, he's eventually going to  leave you for someone else. Men really only use us for sport. I know  that, Zoey, and deep down you do, too."



"But Stelios isn't like that," Zoey replied, and she believed it, but  for a split second she couldn't help thinking of Blake, the man who had  forgotten her.



At that moment, something on television caught their attention: one of the reporters had said Stelios' name.



Turning to the screen, they saw Dawn Gibbons, host of the news show  America This Morning. Beside her, looking dapper as always, was Stelios  himself. They were standing outside of 10 Rockefeller Plaza, and  barricades stood in front of them to keep the audience in check.



When the noise from the crowd died down, Dawn began her interview.



"Good morning, Mr. Zakiridis. It's a pleasure to have you on the program."



"It's my pleasure to be here, Dawn, and please, call me Stelios."



"All right, Stelios, as I'm sure everyone knows, you've built a real  estate empire in the last eight years. Talk about the challenges  involved in maintaining something that massive, especially in a city  like this one."



"Sure. It really comes down to authenticity and devotion. You have to be  motivated to keep on task at all times. You need to develop a rapport  with each of your clients, and that requires a great deal of effort.  When I bought Xenia, my biggest challenge was convincing the officials I  could turn it into something more than an eyesore. But we worked  together, and the results speak for themselves."         

     



 



"That's fascinating," Dawn said. "Speaking of Xenia, rumor has it you  were there with Miss Zoey Forde a few days ago, which brings me to … "



"A clever segue," Stelios finished with a smile.



The audience laughed, and Dawn joined in.



"Yes, well, we had to talk about it at some point or my producers would  kill me. So talk to me about the lawsuit you filed yesterday against  Melinda Forde Singles."