Self-made billionaire Alexander Kosta has come to the island of Lefkis for
revenge. He will see it destroyed, as it tried to destroy him...
He doesn’t count on feisty pint-sized beauty Ellie Mendoras to be the
thorn in his side! She’s sought refuge on the island to escape her troubled
past…now she’ll fight the gorgeous Greek tycoon with all her strength.
But there’s a dangerous smile on Alexander’s lips... As far as
he’s concerned Ellie’s a little firecracker who needs to be tamed.
He’ll seduce her into compliance, then buy her body and soul!!
The only time he relaxed was when he was here on the island of
Lefkis, but today was different…
Alexander Kosta, saviour of the island? The mayor speaking to the crowd was
calling him that. It was better that than the truth, Alexander supposed. A ruthless
tycoon who had identified an opportunity didn’t have quite the same ring
to it.
His gaze strayed beyond the canvas draped pavilion to the clear blue ocean
beyond the harbour. He noted how the sea turned broody and emerald in the distance,
and how sugared almond coloured houses clustered round the perfect horseshoe bay
had turned more vivid in the late afternoon sunshine. The island of Lefkis was
beautiful and unspoiled, and when it was put up for sale he had been ready.
He noticed everything, and today a young woman had distracted him. Standing
in the prow of an old fishing boat, the only flaw in an otherwise picture perfect
panorama, she was glaring at him. He had given instructions for the harbour to
be cleared of craft with shallow draft to make way for the super yachts, but she
was still there.
Ellie Foster, or Ellie Mendoras, as she called herself to honour her dead Greek
father, had been chosen by the islanders to voice their objections to his vision
of progress for the island. But she didn’t know the history behind his purchase,
and she clearly didn’t know what she was up against.
Perhaps he should be glad she had remained on her boat. The crowd was quiet,
but if she joined them that would change. Charm was his weapon of choice in a
situation like this, and he knew the dissenters would come round. The wealth he
could bring to their island was irresistible.
He looked at the girl again. Her very presence was an insult. Dressed drably
in what appeared to be a boiler suit she couldn’t have drawn a sharper contrast
to the glamour girls surrounding him. And could her scowl possibly deepen?
Everyone else was smiling at him… Everyone smiled at him all the time
now he came to think about it. Why wouldn’t they? The charisma of massive
wealth worked its magic everywhere he went. Alexander Kosta was the success story
everyone wanted a piece of. Born in a shack, he had learned at an early age that
the only certainty in life was the food he put on the table, and the
only love he could count on was the love that could be bought.
He could buy anything he wanted now, including an island. He had added Lefkis
to his property portfolio as he might have added a vase he coveted from the estate
of a man who in life had been both his greatest enemy and the greatest spur to
his ambition. He envisaged a mini Dubai springing up where once there had been
bare rock and poverty. It was a wonder the island had survived beneath the heel
of his predecessor, Demetrios Lindos.
The girl should thank him, Alexander thought, glancing at Ellie. The power
boat race was just the start of the improvements he intended to make. There would
be hotels, luxury spas, shopping malls… everyone would benefit, including
the trouble maker on her old fishing boat.
Hearing a few locals murmur against his scheme Alexander’s jaw firmed.
If they couldn’t see what he was trying to do- if she stopped them seeing
what he was trying to do…
She was preparing to disembark. Too far away for him to see her features clearly
the tilt of her chin told a story of its own. Did she really intending to confront
him? She had some nerve. The world measured him by what he owned and what he could
buy, and everyone listened when he spoke. She should be down on her knees rejoicing
he had arrived in time to save her tin pot island.
Alexander watched Ellie stride determinedly towards him down the quay. Her
God given certainty that she was on the side of the angels got right under his
skin.
As if reading his mind the crowd turned to look in the same direction. He could
feel the tension rising as if everyone sensed a storm brewing. They settled again,
reluctantly, and stared at him. They weren’t sure what to do. They’d
had a taste of his generosity in the free food and entertainment he’d provided,
and wanted more. In spite of the girl’s determination to disrupt the proceedings
he judged them more than ready to listen to his plan.
She was nothing to him; a nobody. He shut her out. The crowd was warming to
him. Sunlight bathed the scene, enhancing the colours of the bunting fluttering
over his head. The wind had dropped, turning the ocean into a limpid lake. This
was his island. This peaceful and lovely scene belonged to him now. Ellie Mendoras
had made her first big mistake, because if she was looking for trouble, she’d
found it.
Money-making was Alexander Kosta’s greatest skill in life. His only skill
in life, Ellie told herself contemptuously as she marched down the quay. In spite
of everything he had achieved he wasn’t satisfied. He was still hungry for
conquests, still searching for the next challenge; the next acquisition.
Well, he could keep his greedy hands off Lefkis. She had vowed to uproot and
dislodge him before the tentacles of his empire had the chance to squeeze the
life out of the island she loved.
But even as Ellie narrowed her eyes and dreamed of bringing the Greek tycoon
to his knees her heart rebelled and thundered a warning. She wasn’t brave.
She had never put her head above the parapet before. She lived quietly on the
island she loved, surrounded by the gentle people who had helped her heal after
a terrible experience back in England had nearly destroyed her.
Which was precisely why she had to help those people now, Ellie determined,
quickening her step. Maybe the islanders had mistaken her for her father Iannis
Mendoras, a true hero, but she wouldn’t let them down. Walking in the footsteps
of a giant was impossible, but she wouldn’t disgrace her father’s
name.
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