‘And just what is that supposed to mean?’
Dredging up her courage, Sadie faced him across the clear sparkling surface of the water. Pride stiffened her spine and brought her chin up defiantly.
‘You talk about fighting for your family’s life, but it was really just to preserve some part of the family fortune.’
She’d missed something there. The sudden hard blink of those amazing eyes told her that she wasn’t actually in possession of all the facts. Once again Nikos had adjusted his expression, so that the one he showed to her was a carefully assumed mask, a polished veneer that hid reality behind it. But she couldn’t stop to think about what it might mean. So far Nikos had seemed to hold the upper hand, but in this at least there was something he didn’t know and she was determined to make sure he knew it.
‘And if I hadn’t done what I did then you would have lost everything. As it was, you were at least left with the Atlantis.’
As she named the one rather run-down hotel that was all her father had let Nikos and his family keep from their ruined estates, she knew that she had hit home. If her words had been a slap in his face, then he couldn’t have reacted more strongly. His whole body stilled in the water, his face freezing into a hard, set façade that gave away nothing of what he was thinking.
‘And what do you know about the Atlantis?’
But the sense of injustice that had buoyed her up until now had abruptly deserted Sadie, taking all her courage with it. She couldn’t take any more, couldn’t face that ruthlessly probing look, the way that his amazing eyes seemed to burn right into her.
‘Enough,’ was all she could manage, and at the sight of his frown, the way that his mouth opened to demand more of an answer, her nerve broke completely and she made a swift dive into the water, kicking out her legs and turning to swim away, heading for the far side of the pool as fast as she could.
But of course Nikos came after her, his stronger stroke and more powerful muscles driving him through the water so that he came up behind her fast, long arms reaching out to grab at her. He caught her just as she was about to scramble up the ladder on to the side, hauling her back against him and twisting her round in his arms so that she was forced to face him.
‘Explain,’ he snarled, issuing an order with no doubt at all that it would be obeyed.
But Sadie’s throat seemed to have closed up over the words she needed and she couldn’t get them out. She could only shake her head in despair, sending her soaking wet hair flying so that drops of water spun off and landed on Nikos’s face, close to his eyes. He dashed them away with a brusque movement of his head, refusing to let go of her arms in order to brush them aside. Instead his grip around her arms tightened and he gave her a rough little shake, pushing her to give him the answer he wanted.
‘Explain,’ he said again, and to her astonishment just a little of the attacking quality had gone out of his voice. ‘What you are saying doesn’t make sense. When your father set out to bring down the Konstantos Corporation, he damn nearly succeeded. In fact, we thought that he had done just that—taken everything. It was only later—after…’
Again he made a slight adjustment, as if there was something he was covering up, hiding from her.
‘Afterwards that I discovered Carteret had not quite managed to take everything. There was one little piece of the company left—something that had either been too small or, in his mind, not important enough to bother with…’
As he paused to stare into her eyes, Sadie found the strength to fill in the gap.
‘The Atlantis.’
Nikos nodded sombrely, his eyes never leaving her face. But she felt the way his hard grip on her arms had eased and knew it meant his mood had changed.
‘And you can only know about this because you were somehow involved in making sure that it was still ours. That it was the one thing your father didn’t get his hands on.’
It was a statement not a question. His tone of voice and the dark-eyed look was levelled on her face told her that he already knew the answer but he wanted her to confirm it.
‘Yes.’
As she nodded her head in response, she suddenly felt a rush of pride and determination come back to bring new strength to her mind and body.
‘Yes, I was involved. I could have saved the island for you—my father actually gave me the choice, and I considered it at first—but at the time I felt choosing the one small hotel that was the other thing he had been prepared to concede might actually be more practical help than the sentimental attachment you had to Icaros. And I was right, wasn’t I?’
Nikos nodded slowly, his expression unreadable, bronze eyes clouded and hooded, hiding his real feelings from her.
‘You were right.’
‘Of course I was right—and bloody stupid at the same time. I knew you and so I chose the Atlantis, giving you at least a small business—something to keep you and the Konstantos Corporation one step away from complete bankruptcy. I chose that and I gave you a small start on the path to building your fortune back up again. Of course I didn’t know how quickly and easily you would do it. Or how you would then use all that you’d gained—all the money, all the power—to turn the tables on me and my family. To have your revenge—’
‘My revenge on your father,’ Nikos put in, but she was too caught up in what she was saying, fighting too hard against the tide of pain and bitter memories that threatened to swamp her, to hear what he was saying or to understand the tone in which he’d said it.
‘And then when you’d succeeded in getting back everything you’d ever lost—and more—when you’d finished taking your revenge on my father—when he was dead and free from your cruel quest for vengeance—that was when Fate really dealt you an ace card. Because when you moved to take possession of Thorn Trees you just thought that you were going to throw us out. That you would kick us out of the family home and never see any of the damn Carterets any more. But of course I had to go and turn up in your office, begging for a chance to stay in the house—offering to do anything. And that…’
Her voice cracked on the words so that she had to struggle to go on.
‘And that was when you decided you could have it all. The money, the businesses, the house—and the ultimate satisfaction: your final, personal revenge on me.’
Nikos’s hands had fallen from her arms, setting her free, and so now, unable to bear the closeness to him any longer, she pulled away, swallowing hard to fight against the tears clogging her throat.
‘Well, you got what you wanted, Nikos—every last little bit of it. Two days ago you said that you weren’t satisfied—that the revenge you’d taken hadn’t been enough. Well, I hope to hell you’re satisfied now—you damn well ought to be, because to be honest there’s nothing left for you to take!’
She had to get away. Had to. If she stayed any longer then she was going to give herself away completely. Eyes stinging, vision blurred, she somehow managed to find the ladder out of the pool and scrambled up it.
‘No!’
But Nikos was only seconds behind her, vaulting out of the water and coming after her. He quickly caught up with her, grabbing her arm again to whirl her round to face him.
‘No, you’re wrong. Revenge doesn’t come into it any more.’
‘It doesn’t?’
‘No. It may have started that way but along the way things changed.’
‘Changed how?’
Nikos’s mouth twisted slightly, and just for a moment that clear golden gaze didn’t quite meet hers.
‘Along the way I abandoned revenge for something far more basic.’
Sadie