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I believe so. It will therefore appear legal at present and though I am confident I’ll be able to expose this as being invalid, it will take some time.” Again, his voice trailed off uncomfortably.
    Damen said abruptly, “While it is still enforced, all assets I have tied to the business will be out of my reach.”
    “I am sorry, Mr. Leventis, but yes, you have it correct.”
    A few months ago, this would not have been a problem. His personal wealth had always been significant and independent of the assets of the family’s business empire. But with the merger between the Kokinos and Leventis not pushing through, Damen had been forced to use his own money to keep their corporation afloat while searching for new investment partners. The search had been time-consuming and difficult, for Damen had not only needed to find someone with serious wealth but also one who would not mind going against the Kokinos.
    “Essentially,” Damen said flatly, “you are telling me I am temporarily broke.” He had a few thousand dollars left in his private account, but such funds would not last him forever, considering that the costs associated with searching for new business partners were significant.
    Pippo mumbled, “Yes, Mr. Leventis.” He had always wanted a chance to prove himself to his billionaire employer, but not like this. Never like this.
    Damen’s lips twisted. “I guess I should be thankful the woman I love is not a gold-digger then.”
    Pippo paled. The indirect mention of Mairi Tanner reminded him of another unfortunate piece of news he had to deliver to his employer. “About that, sir…I have received the latest report from our newest team of investigators. They, too, have hit a dead end. They cannot find any sign of her.”
    When his lawyer paused, Damen asked sardonically, “You do not need to go easy on me. Tell me the worst.”
    “The cost of having them continue searching for her might not be something you can afford at the moment.”
    “Then it only means one thing,” Damen answered stoically. “I will need to look for her myself.”

Alina
    ~ Seven ~
     
    One month earlier
     
    “You really have no need to accompany me to the airport.” Damen Leventis’ words were spoken in a gently admonishing voice as he gazed at Alina with wryly amused eyes.
    When she reached him, she said breathlessly, “Of course I had to. I know how spoiled you are. You might faint dead away after your first encounter with the public airport lounge.” She managed to deliver the joke in a perfectly light voice, hoping to lighten the mood.
    She succeeded, and Damen’s lips curved into a slight smile. His smiles had always been rare, but now they were even rarer still.  
    Upon watching her interview, Alina’s father had not hesitated in disinheriting her but even so, she had not regretted a single thing. She had been ready to carve her own future, but to her surprise, Damen had been the first to offer her help, generously allowing her to stay in his home while she tried to figure out how life would be for her now that she was no longer the Kokinos heiress.
    She had enough friends left to feed her closely guarded news, and from them she learned that Damen had found himself in a plight similar to hers. But in his case, it was sheer deception that had made the former billionaire unexpectedly bankrupt.  
    Alina wondered if she should try to engage him with more small talk, but the decision was taken out of her hands when his cab arrived. Her throat worked painfully as she watched Damen thank the driver before loading his own luggage.  
    A few months ago, this would – could – never have happened. Damen Leventis was one of the world’s richest men, one of the most powerful billionaires in Greece. He did not need to carry his own luggage, and he certainly had no need to call for a cab when his own fleet of cars numbered in the dozens.
    And yet now, he was reduced to doing exactly that, but there was not even the tiniest hint of