The Greek Billionaire's Marriage Matchmaker (11 page)

“That’s exactly how I felt eight years ago, when I had to take over Dolphin Realty. It’s always hard to establish yourself at first. You have to learn everything at the same time as you’re doing it. It’s going to be rough at first, but I know you’re going to make it work, Zo’. There’s no better feeling than watching something you build succeed. Well, except, of course, for the one I get whenever I’m around you.”

“Flattery will get you everywhere,” Zoey quipped, but deep down she was really touched by what he had said. “This new arrangement is going to mean a whole lot of changes in my life. I told my mother I want to reform things from the ground up. We need to change the pricing structure so that we can help ordinary people, not just cater to the wealthy. We need to filter out people who aren’t really looking for a relationship, and we need to embrace new technologies to stay relevant in the relationship services industry. There’s a girl in China who has just developed an app that matches people based on their behavior patterns. I asked my mom to send someone to look into it two days ago. If the reports come back positive, I’m going to try to acquire it.”

Stelios looked on approvingly, filling Zoey with the affirmation she needed.

The plane flew on until the sun began to sink in the sky. The horizon dazzled Zoey and Stelios as it danced through shades of gold, red and purple.

At last, twilight crept across the evening sky, and Zoey turned to Stelios wearing an expression of awe.

“Aren’t you glad you didn’t miss that?” she asked, patting him on the shoulder.

“You can see the sky just as easily from the ground, and you don’t have to worry about falling onto it. Still, I never could have lived with myself if I hadn’t done this. I’m truly thankful to be going home while my grandparents are still alive. It’s always bothered me that I didn’t see them after my parents died.”

“But you will now and—” Zoey was cut off by the jet this time.

The cabin shook violently for several seconds, and Stelios swore loudly, instinctively regaining his seat and fastening himself into it with shaky fingers.

“This is your captain speaking, sir,” Fulton announced over the intercom. “That was just a little turbulence, a perfectly normal occurrence up here, and nothing to worry about.”

“The hell you say!” cried Stelios.

“Based on current climate conditions, chances are excellent that we won’t experience any more turbulence prior to landing.”

“Right,” Stelios muttered, releasing himself.

After that scare, the Greek was far more alert than he had been for several hours. Zoey tried to stay awake and keep him company, but it became more and more difficult as the hour grew later.

At about two in the morning, Zoey simply couldn’t hold out any longer. Without even realizing it, she fell into a deep and powerful sleep, and Stelios was left to his own devices.

***

At first, it was pretty touch and go. With no one to distract him from the fact that he was in a metal tube, thousands of feet above the sea, Stelios’ mind began to wander toward everything that could still go wrong. He made a valiant effort to keep thoughts in check, though, and an hour or so in, it was beginning to pay off. And then, another person entered the cabin—the very last one Stelios expected to see.

It was Fulton, ostensibly on his way to the bathroom.

Stelios eyed him with alarm. “If you’re here, Fulton, who’s flying the plane?”

“The very best autopilot money can buy, sir. And before you ask, I have the co-pilot watching the autopilot, and a system in place to alert a reserve pilot in case something happens to
him
. How are you holding up, anyway, sir? I had an idea that the young lady would be tuckered out by now.”

“I’m managing,” Stelios replied evenly. “Though I’m pretty sure I need a pilot up there more than a babysitter back here.”

“Well,” Fulton replied, “I just want you to know there're only a few more hours of this foolishness. Then we’ll be on terra firma again, and you won’t need to worry about flying again for a solid week.”

“Thank you,” Stelios replied. It was a tiny comfort, but in his heart of hearts, he was glad to have it.

Fulton hung around for a few more minutes, before using the bathroom and heading back to the flight deck.

When he’d left, Stelios went fishing around in the cabinets, eventually retrieving a luxurious-looking blanket. Very gently, he wrapped it around the woman he loved, taking extra care not to wake her up.

EIGHTEEN

In the wee hours of the morning, as the sun began to peek over the horizon, fatigue finally hit Stelios like a mallet over the head. When he finally surrendered to sleep, silence fell over the cabin, and it wasn’t broken until half past twelve, when Zoey awoke with a yawn. She stretched as far as she could, and then she pulled off the blanket, folding it and setting it aside. She was certain she knew where the blanket had come from, and walked over to Stelios, still knocked out in his seat. She leaned over and kissed his cheek.

“Good morning, honey,” she said brightly as he let out a sputtered yawn and shook himself awake.

“Morning,” he answered, rubbing his eyes, and slowly getting to his feet. “I’m guessing you slept well?” he asked, and Zoey nodded. “Then I do believe it’s high time for breakfast. Would you care to join me in the dining area?”

“I certainly would,” Zoey replied, and Stelios led her to the rear of the cabin.

Zoey had expected to see a small folding table for the pair of them to share. Instead, she found an alcove that held a full-sized dining table. It was covered with a cream-colored tablecloth, and a crystal chandelier hung overhead. The stewardess, Marcella, a sharp-eyed Midwestern woman in her thirties, appeared to take their order, and several minutes later, the table was piled high with omelets, home fries, coffee, bacon and scones.

They ate slowly, trading stories between bites, and discussing the glorious country they were rapidly approaching. Stelios was talking excitedly about his childhood in Greece, visiting villages with his mother, and sampling exotic new foods. He described the rich gardens he had seen, and told her how it felt to run over the grass-covered hills. Midway through these stories, Zoey began to wish the plane would fly even faster than it already was. In reality, one or two more hours had passed before the intercom system came alive again.

“Passengers are advised to find your seats and fasten your safety belts. We’re getting ready to descend. We will be landing on the east coast of Chios, in the Aegean Sea. For those of you who haven’t experienced it in a while, allow me to warn you that the descent will feel a little weird, but I want to stress that you’re in no danger, and it will all be over quite soon.”

“I’m struggling to make myself believe that,” Stelios remarked, instinctively taking Zoey’s hand. He was careful to be more gentle this time, and Zoey appreciated not having her fingers gripped in a vise.

“Well, it’s perfectly true,” she said encouragingly. “This is the last little bit that we have to deal with, and then we’ll be off to meet your grandparents. Do they live on the mainland or one of the islands?”

“The mainland,” Stelios answered, but he didn’t elaborate.

Stelios felt as if he were falling and the floor had suddenly decided to go on strike. His instinct was to drive his heels into the floor, but he knew that wouldn’t halt the sensation. So he did what Zoey was telling him to do, and tried to focus his mind on the temple that stood in the center of his little man-made island. At first, no clear image would form, or rather, no clear image that he wanted to see. But gradually, he marshaled his will, and as Zoey whispered encouragement in his ear, he was able to picture the scene, and slowly, very slowly, a sense of calm claimed his body.

“That’s it, Stelios. I knew you could do it,” Zoey was saying. “Now I want you to see those beautiful olive trees. Their gnarled limbs are reaching into the sky like children reaching out to their mothers…”

Zoey kept up her guided imagery until the plane touched down smoothly and began to taxi down the runway.

The moment the plane touched down, Stelios seemed to come alive. His eyes lit up, and he looked at Zoey, patting her hand gently.

“I wouldn’t be here without you, Zo’. One of these days, I’m going to thank you for that properly.”

“You’ve done that already, just by being in my life,” Zoey replied, and as she did so the plane came to a halt.

“Thank you for choosing the Skylander for all your travel needs,” Fulton boomed over the intercom. “We’d like to be the first to welcome you to Greece. The boarding ramp is now in place. Please exit the plane in an orderly fashion, and have an excellent day.”

“He really went through the whole routine, didn’t he?” Zoey remarked, grinning.

“Fulton likes to devote himself completely to everything he does, but I think he’s also doing it to help me feel better. I’ve employed a lot of people in my time, but he is really more than an employee to me. In the years I’ve known him, he’s become someone I am proud to call my friend.”

“You’re lucky to have someone like that in your life,” Zoey replied.

“No, I’m thankful I have Fulton. I’m lucky to have you.”

On that note, the lovers moved to the front of the cabin and descended the boarding ramp with eager steps. Zoey was sure that she would feel a new thrill the moment her feet touched Grecian soil, but she had only gone four steps away from the plane when all thought of the wonders of Greece was knocked right out of her. For a full minute, she stood as still as if she had been turned to salt, paralyzed by the kind of shock people experience once in a lifetime.

The plane was sitting on a long runway that cut a path through seemingly endless fields of emerald grass. There were no buildings or roads of any kind nearby. Besides the plane and a few olive trees, there was nothing to block the view of the horizon. Wildflowers dotted the landscape, and birds sailed to and fro, singing to the sun as they went. Far off in the distance was a breathtaking mountain range, its stunning peaks bathed in the light of the sun. Taken together, it was a master stroke of nature; the kind of jaw-dropping beauty that inspires legends and songs.

But it wasn’t this halcyon scene that had caught Zoey’s attention. It was a thing that, at first, looked as if it didn’t belong there at all. It was a billboard. A rather large, but otherwise ordinary, billboard. There was nothing special about it in the least. Compared to the beauty surrounding it, it should hardly have been noticed, but this one had captivated Zoey instantly.

It was one of Melinda’s advertisements. The ones she had made without anyone’s permission, to promote the fact that Zoey and Stelios were seeing each other as a Melinda Forde success story. The picture was the same: Zoey and Stelios smiling serenely beside each other, with Melinda’s silver logo overhead. But unlike the others, this billboard had a caption, and it was that fact that so affected Zoey when she stepped off the plane. It read:

“Zoey and Stelios, successfully matched by Melinda Forde Singles, are to be married.”

When Zoey could move again, she turned round and received a second shock. Stelios was down on one knee in the grass, holding an open jewel box, which contained a glittering ring. It was gold, with a tiny emerald set on each side of the massive diamond in the center.

“I lied,” Stelios admitted. “This is my little secret.”

Zoey couldn’t speak. She could barely believe what seemed to be happening.

“Meeting you, Zoey, has been without doubt the most fulfilling experience of my life. More than anyone, you’ve been my strength through every dark hour. You’ve helped me to achieve things that I thought were impossible. The way I feel when we’re together is indescribable, and I want you by my side for all of eternity. I will never meet a woman who is wiser, funnier, or more beautiful than you are, Zoey. You’ve done so much for me already, but I have one more favor to ask you. Zoey Amelia Forde, will you marry me?”

For a moment, there was silence. The birds ceased their chirping, and not one sound could be heard from the plane and its crew.

The air crackled with tension as Zoey struggled to master her voice and tears cascaded down her cheeks. Then she bent down to the grass and embraced her lover, hugging and kissing him with all the joy in her heart.

“Yes,” she breathed at last. “Yes, Stelios. I’ll marry you!”

The billionaire whooped for joy, and lifted her into the air, holding her close as if his life depended on it.

Suddenly, there came a smattering of applause, and the couple turned to see Fulton and the crew of the Skylander shouting out their congratulations

Slowly, the billionaire took the ring out of its jewel box. He held Zoey’s right hand aloft and slipped the ring onto her finger.

The crowd erupted in cheers as the two of them kissed with the kind of eagerness usually reserved for moments without six spectators watching and cheering one’s every move.

Zoey beamed as they stood arm in arm, surrounded by nature, sure in the knowledge that whatever lay ahead, they were ready to face it, and were bound to triumph—because there was nothing that they couldn’t do together.

Holly Rayner

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