The Tycoon's Pregnant Mistress (The Anetakis Tycoons #1)(51)

So anxious was she to prove her devotion to Chrysander, that she didn’t realize she’d admitted to selling his plans to his competitor.

“So you stole the plans and gave them to Marcelli.” His voice was like ice, and she flinched at his tone. Her face whitened as she realized just what she’d confessed to.

“You then framed Marley, thinking not only would you have the proceeds from selling me out to my competitor, but then you would have Marley out of the way so you could move into her place.”

Her mouth opened and closed, and he could see the realization settle in that he’d duped her and was furious.

“And then when the ransom demands were delivered to my office, you destroyed them, hoping what, Roslyn, that they would kill her? Permanently remove her from the picture?”

He was shaking he was so angry. She simmered before him in a red haze. All he could see was Marley alone and frightened. Pregnant with his child and vulnerable. Thinking that not only did he hate her but that he’d simply left her to her fate. He wanted to weep.

Roslyn seemed to recover her composure, and she looked scornfully at him. “You’ll never prove it.”

“I don’t have to,” he said softly. He pressed the small intercom button on his desk. “You may come in now, Detective.”

Roslyn swayed as three policemen entered the room, their expressions grim.

“You can’t do this!” she shrieked. “I love you, Chrysander. I would have done anything for you.”

He shook his head and turned away from her rantings as she was escorted away in handcuffs. He had no desire to listen to her. He wanted to return to Marley.

“Forgive me, agape mou,” he whispered.

Marley was dimly aware that she was being carried yet again. It wasn’t Chrysander. She was intimately familiar with his touch. For a moment she panicked, and then she heard comforting words being spoken in Greek and then in English.“Rest easy, little sister. You are safe.”

“Where are we going?” she asked weakly.

“Someplace safe,” he soothed. “Chrysander won’t allow anything to happen to you.”

She wanted to protest that Chrysander wouldn’t do anything for her, but she couldn’t muster the energy. At some point, she heard Chrysander, and she cursed the fact that she immediately felt safer and that some of the panic abated.

She felt the brush of lips against her forehead and then firm hands tucking her into bed. Fingers stroked through her hair, and warmth enveloped her.

“You are safe, agape mou. I’ll never allow anyone to hurt you again.”

“Don’t call me that,” she cried. “Never again.” But she held to Chrysander’s promise even as her heart screamed in protest. He’d lied to her. She couldn’t believe anything he said. And yet she relaxed and settled into a dreamless sleep.

When Marley next awoke, there was a crispness to her mind that had been absent since the day she’d regained her memory. No longer did fog shroud her memories. She both welcomed and cursed the new awareness. Gone was any confusion, but with that new clarity came inevitable heartbreak.She felt alert, as though she’d slept a week. And maybe she had. She had no idea how much time had passed, and while her past was no longer a mystery, the events of the last few days were hazy and fractured.

With a reluctant sigh, she pushed back the covers and eased her legs over the side of the bed. As she glanced around, she realized she had no idea where she was. The room was spacious and cheerful, with several windows to allow natural lighting.

She pushed herself up and walked into the adjoining bathroom, her eyes widening at the size and luxury. She eyed the Jacuzzi tub with longing. While she might not know how many days had passed—they’d all been a blur—she did know that she hadn’t had a bath in a while, and she couldn’t wait to feel clean and refreshed again.

Bracing her foot on the step to the tub, she leaned over and turned the handle to start the water. When she looked up, she saw Chrysander standing in the doorway. A startled gasp escaped her.

He started forward immediately and grasped her arm to steady her. “I’m sorry for frightening you, pedhaki mou. It was not my intention. I worried when I came in to check on you and you were not in bed.”

“I just wanted a bath,” she said in a low voice.

“I do not want you to be in here alone,” he said. “I’ll summon Mrs. Cahill so that if you have need of anything, you can just call out.”

She closed her eyes for a moment and drew in a steadying breath. Then she met his gaze. “Please, Chrysander, let’s not have any further lies between us. There’s no need for you to pretend that I’m important to you…that I matter.”

Bleakness entered his eyes, and his face grayed underneath the olive tone of his skin. “You matter very much to me, agape mou.”

Before she could respond, he retreated from the bathroom, and a moment later, Patrice bustled in. In a matter of minutes, Marley found herself stripped and settled into a warm bath. Not too hot, Patrice assured, since overly hot baths were not good for a pregnant woman.

As Marley settled into the fragrant bubbles, she leaned her head back against the rim of the tub and glanced over at Patrice. “Where are we? And how did you get here? I thought you were in Athens with Dr. Karounis.”

“Mr. Anetakis asked me to fly back so I could be with you,” she said soothingly. “He was quite desperate. The idea of returning to the apartment upset you so badly that he brought you here.”