Master Of Games

by Sienna Snow

  “Where was Yia Yia?”

  “She was there. She told me it was good to make others smile.”

  Oh, did she? Mama and I were going to have a nice chat when Little Man wasn’t around.

  “I like him. He said I was the exact person who could cheer him up. He bought me ice cream. He made me laugh with all kinds of silly jokes. He told me not to call him Mr. Lykaios. He said it sounded too formal. I’m supposed to call him Pappous since he doesn’t have any grandsons yet. Did you know he has horses and cows and sheep on a ranch he owns? I can’t wait to go riding on a horse like a cowboy. Pappous Collin said he would teach me to ride as he taught his sons. I can’t wait to get there.”

  I let Christopher continue to ramble and swallowed the anxiety bubbling up inside me.

  I’d known what would happen when I let Christopher join the photo shoot. Now it was time to face the consequences of all my past decisions. First, I had to face Pierce, then it was only right to tell Collin. The man needed family, even if it was a grandson who lived an ocean away.

  “Mama, will you let me ride horses? Please…pretty please? And I can’t wait to go to that hotel with the roller coaster. I saw it on the Internet. And there’s a moat with millions of fountains. I have to go there.”

  Deciding to change the subject and stop Christopher’s stream-of-consciousness chatter, I asked, “How’s your last week of school going?”

  He groaned, effectively ending his excitement. “It’s okay. I can’t wait until I don’t have to learn stupid Latin. I can speak Greek and English. Why do I need to learn Latin?”

  “Because it makes you smarter, and knowledge is power. You can lose all your money and possessions, but you can’t—”

  “—lose your education,” Christopher finished with an exaggerated huff. “I know. I just wish I was like Nickolas. He has a tutor and never goes to school. I want a tutor, then I’d never, ever, ever have to go to stupid school.”

  “Hate to break it to you, but a tutor is a teacher. And Nickolas’s teacher lives with him in his house and goes everywhere Nickolas does. That means he has school year round and even on vacations.”

  I could almost see Christopher scrunch his face in disgust.

  “Oh no, I don’t want that.”

  “Figures.” I couldn’t help myself and laughed.

  In the background, I heard a quick succession of Greek and expected my mom to take the phone any second.

  “Mama. I have to go. Yia Yia wants me to put on my shoes so Pappous can take me to school.”

  “Okay, baby. I’ll call you tomorrow. Give the phone to Yia Yia. I want to say hi.”

  “Bye, Mama. Love you.”

  “I love you too, sweetheart.”

  “Yassoo, Amelia.”

  “Hi, Mama. So when did Collin meet Christopher?” I responded in Greek, unable to hide my irritation. “He told me all about Pappous Collin and his son who was in the Olympics.”

  “That boy talks too much. I swear he cannot keep a secret for the life of him.”

  “Mama!”

  “What is the big deal? He looked so lonely by himself on the edge of the pond. There is nothing wrong with a little boy bringing some happiness with his joy.”

  I released a sigh. I couldn’t fault her for having sympathy for the man. I felt the same way every time I was around him. The formidable and scary man of my past was gone. And in his place was a man full of regrets, wanting to make amends for all his wrongdoings.

  “I guess you’re right. Christopher can put a smile on anyone’s face.”

  “Of course, I’m right. Don’t question your Mama.”

  I shook my head at the indignation in her voice. “I promise never to do it again.”

  “Until the next time it happens,” she muttered. “Now, I want to know how you are.”

  I exhaled. “I’m good. A little tired—it is past two in the morning here.”

  “No. I mean how are you?” She emphasized the “you” part. “I know when you are upset.”

  “I guess I am as well as I can be. At times it is like we never left and others, it feels like everything has changed.”

  “I mean, how are you handling Pierce?”

  I shifted the phone. “What is there to handle? He manages Hugo. I manage Apollo. End of story.”

  “Amelia Christina Nephus Thanos.”

  I cringed hearing her use my full name. Well, I’d just pissed off my mother.

  “What?”

  “Did you tell him that he is Christopher’s father?”

  I sat up and prepared myself for a lecture. “Not yet.”

  “And why not? I will never understand why you continue to let him believe you were sleeping with him and Stavros at the same time. Isn’t it time to end the charade? Haven’t you suffered enough?”

  I hated thinking about how the media had eviscerated me when the news broke that I was pregnant. I was called everything from a child screaming for help to the whore of the sports world. My parents were my rock, pushing aside their super-conservative Greek beliefs and suffering through the scrutiny, while never leaving my side.

  “Is that why you invited Rhea Lykaios to visit when I was pregnant? Did you tell her Christopher was her grandson?”

  “You think I don’t know you’re trying to put the spotlight on me?”

  I stayed quiet until I heard my mother huff and start talking again. “I swear you are as stubborn as your Papa. Rhea was my friend, despite what her husband did to us. She never gave any indication she knew, but deep down I was positive she did. One thing Rhea was good at was keeping secrets.”

  “Like?”

  “It is not your concern. What you need to focus on is Pierce. He has a right to know the truth.”

  “Mama,” I grumbled, “I will tell him, but I have to get my bearings here.” All of a sudden my voice cracked and a flood of emotions erupted. “It was so hard seeing him. And the worst part is I feel so disloyal to Stavros.”

  “Oh, gliko mou, love doesn’t just stop. Pierce was your first love. Stavros understood this when he married you. There is no disloyalty in this situation.”

  “I really need a hug right now.”

  “Soon,” she soothed.

  “I love you, Mama.”

  “And I you.”

  There was loud chatter in the background, telling me Christopher was leaving. As soon as I heard the sound of the door closing, Mama returned.

  “Now that the house is quiet, I need to tell you a story. Something I should have told you years ago. It will help you understand so many things from the past and the events that led to us returning to Greece.”

  Chapter Seven

  Pierce

  * * *

  “We need to talk.”

  I looked up at Hagen as he walked up to my desk and set his phone on top of the papers I was reviewing.

  It was an article from an online celebrity news magazine with an image of Amelia and me from a few nights ago. My thumb was on her lower lip as she gazed up at me. There was intense emotion in her eyes, almost like the way she’d looked at me when I thought we were in love.

  “So what? You were there.”

  “I thought you were just dancing. I was in the back with Starlight. I didn’t think you were trying to get in her pants.”

  “If she’s willing, why are you bothered? It’s not like I hid my plans from you, in the first place.”

  “Don’t fuck with her, Pierce. She’s been through enough. I know you said you were going to get your son, but this isn’t the way to do it.”

  I leaned back in my chair. “And what, exactly, am I doing?”

  Hagen slammed his hands on the desk. “You will not seduce her and then break it off. I know that’s your plan. She was eighteen when all of it went down.”

  “And now she’s twenty-eight.”

  “You’re an asshole.”

  I shrugged. “Why are you involved?”

  “Because Amelia is Starlight’s best friend. Hurting her
will affect Starlight, and I will fucking rearrange your face before I let that happen.”

  “Speaking of Penny, did you discuss why she helped Amelia keep my son from me?”

  I tried not to focus on the fact my own mother had suspected the truth and kept it from me too.

  “Do you really think that shit? She’s been our number-one defender for years.” Hagen shook his head. “It killed her not to say anything. Amelia never outright told Penny. She started suspecting the truth as Christopher grew but saw the life Amelia had with Stavros and decided to keep her thoughts to herself until six months ago. Amelia and Stavros were good parents to Christopher.”

  “I would have been a good father to him.”

  “Come off of your high horse. Back then, all you saw was the next meet, the next record to conquer. You were so self-centered that it shocked everyone that Amelia had the ability to ground your hothead nature.

  “A baby would have taken Amelia’s attention away from you, and you would have resented having a newborn stifle your life. And believe me, you would have had to make sacrifices you couldn’t handle.”

  It hurt to know Hagen was probably right. I was a self-centered bastard. Being a nineteen-year-old hothead athlete with an eighteen-year-old pregnant girlfriend wouldn’t have helped my career. But then again, I’d destroyed my career when I couldn’t deal with losing Amelia.

  “It would have been my choice. She took that from me.”

  “I repeat. You’re an asshole.”

  “We established that already.”

  “This isn’t about Christopher at all, is it? It’s about your broken fucking heart and making her pay.”

  I glared at Hagen. The dick was towering over me like I was ten years old and scared shitless of him. Yeah, he could probably kick my ass, but I’d give him a good fight.

  “You think you have all the answers. You’re wrong. I want to be a part of my child’s life.”

  “Then you better not use his mother.”

  “I have rights.” No one could deny that, but what was the point of rights when I could only pursue them by hurting the very child I wanted?

  “Legally you have rights, but remember we lived through what happened when the anger between our parents tainted everything in their children’s lives. There are reasons why our lives went the way they did.”

  I clenched my jaw. That was another thing I avoided thinking about. I hadn’t known until recently the reason behind my parents’ tumultuous relationship.

  My memories of my early childhood were of parents who adored each other. The house was full of laughter and happiness. Then things changed around the time Collin had decided to expand his real-estate business to Las Vegas. He’d organized funding through an investor back in Greece who demanded results, and therefore Collin had to put in long hours, essentially living at work. At the same time, my mother withdrew from him, focusing on her sons and her friends.

  Then, when I was a little over ten, my mother up and disappeared for five months, saying she had the opportunity to travel with her friends. It seemed strange at the time. Mama never went anywhere without us in tow. She would call us her loveable luggage.

  When she returned, life was completely different. Collin had become an angry man, and the love I’d known between my parents had disappeared. In its place was resentment and bitterness.

  It wasn’t until a few months ago when I’d had a blow-up with Hagen for rekindling his relationship with Collin that I learned that Mama had cheated on Collin with his best friend, Victor Anthony. An affair that lasted years and led to not only an embezzlement scandal where Collin lost millions, but also the birth of a child who wasn’t his.

  It had been like a gut punch to learn that Collin was as much a victim of the relationship as Mama. It didn’t excuse Collin for all the shit he put my brothers and me through, but it explained a lot.

  I still felt like there was more to the story, but Hagen hadn’t divulged anything else.

  “What aren’t you telling me? That Collin was forced to throw each of us out in order to protect our illegitimate baby sister? A sister you haven’t seen fit to reveal.”

  For a brief second, shock passed in Hagen’s eyes. “You could say that.”

  Hagen sat on the chair across from my desk and ran a frustrated hand through his black hair.

  “Pour us a drink. This is going to take some time and will add context to Collin’s letter and everything that happened with Amelia.”

  I stood, going to the bar I had in the corner of my office, poured two tumblers of whiskey, set one in front of Hagen, and braced myself for another bombshell.

  “Go on,” I pushed.

  Hagen threw back the alcohol as if it were water and pulled out his phone, scrolling through his pictures until he landed on one of Penny, Amelia, Henna, and a much younger Anaya.

  “One of these girls is our sister.”

  I knew who it was, immediately. How the hell had I never noticed? She looked like Mama. The same hazel eyes and the Cupid’s-bow mouth. It was as if I were seeing a mini version of Mama. The only difference was her caramel-toned skin that she’d inherited from Victor Anthony’s Indian heritage.

  Swallowing the lump in my throat, I said, “Well, we know Penny and Ame are out. I can see you’re into some sick shit, but fucking your sister isn’t one of them.”

  “Asshole.”

  “Does Penny know?”

  “Yes.”

  Of course, she did. The man kept nothing from her.

  “What about Henna?”

  “How the fuck do I know? Starlight says Henna has never, ever mentioned it. But I can only assume she does. It would be odd to have your mom be skinny and shaped like a supermodel and then turn up the next month looking the same but with a new baby sister.”

  “Do you think Anaya knows?”

  “I doubt it. From what I’ve gathered, Anaya has a hatred for her father for all the pain he put her mother through. She is extremely protective of Lena Anthony, to the point of being overbearing. Those are Starlight’s words, not mine.”

  “Are we going to tell Zack?”

  Hagen shook his head. “Not yet. He isn’t ready. It’s going to take him some time to digest the news about Mama. Telling him that Anaya is the product of her cheating isn’t going to go down well, especially with this love-hate thing he has going on with her sister.”

  People thought I was the volatile one of the three brothers, but in truth that was Zack. He was impulsive in a way I could never be, and when pushed he took risks that made me worry for his safety. Hagen may have worked for the mob, but Zack was the guy who would try to take on the mob.

  “Christ.” I ran a hand over my face. “She was in front of us on and off for years. Hell, the number of times she’s been at our monthly poker games with Henna. How the hell did we not see it? She has so many of our features.”

  “I’ve been asking myself that for months.”

  “There’s more, I can feel it. Collin protected the Anthony women. I want to know why.”

  “I think you need to bring the whiskey decanter here. It’s going to take the whole bottle to get through this.”

  I got up and grabbed two from the bar in the corner, handed one to Hagen, and then set one in front of me.

  “So the story starts and ends with Draco Jackson.”

  Amelia

  * * *

  “Penny, I swear this dress looks like it is going to fall off my body. I’m never letting you or Henna pick another one of my outfits.” I double-checked the clip on the back of my neck, holding my halter-style custom-designed Badgley Mischka gown. It was black with a slight shimmer and an open back that went almost to the upper curve of my ass. Then there was the slit that went so high, it made me worry I would expose my goods if I moved wrong.

  “Whatever.” Penny smoothed her strapless Valentino gown and reached for the purse sitting on the coffee table of her penthouse living room. “I think it looks perfect. Besides, it’s not like you hav
e someone who’s going to lose his shit that you wore it.”

  I knew she was referring to the dress Henna and I had picked for the opening of the hotel side of the Ida resort. From what Henna had relayed, Hagen about threw Penny over his shoulder when he saw her wearing the gown that displayed her assets. The magazines had applauded Penny’s style as classy yet daring. They also noted the scowl on Hagen’s face whenever anyone looked in Penny’s direction.

  “When I had the gown altered for your short self, you weren’t with him.” I defended my choice. “If I remember the tabloid pictures, I’m positive the outfit got you thoroughly fucked.”

  Penny’s face flushed, making her green eyes grow brighter. “Yeah, well. This dress may help get you laid tonight.”

  “Fat chance. Tonight is not about pleasure. It’s to focus on all the media and sponsorship bigwigs that will promote the fight.”

  “From the way it looked the other night, there was a certain promoter who wanted in your pants in an intense way.”

  Penny mentioning Pierce had my core clenching. Despite all the drama and fallout awaiting me, I couldn’t get him, or the memories of everything we’d done together, out of my mind. For the last few days, he’d haunted my dreams and even my waking thoughts.

  Going to bed with Pierce was the last thing I planned to do, but fantasizing about him was another matter altogether.

  “I won’t lie. The attraction is still there.”

  Penny smirked. “Can we say understatement? I saw the pictures from the club. It’s a wonder you two didn’t burn the place down.”

  “What pictures?” I turned to look at her.

  “Seriously?” Penny glared at me and walked to the end table in the living room, picked up her phone, and typed in a web address before handing the device to me. “I know you don’t share my love of tabloid gossip, but you could at least keep up with the local news.”

  I studied the screen, and immediately, my stomach dropped. Pierce and I looked like lovers, so into each other that the world had disappeared.

  The headline read: “Is History Repeating Itself?”

  Fuck. That’s what I got for unplugging from all things media for a few days.