by Holly Rayner
“Helga says you’re not supposed to be going up and downstairs yet,” Kally reminded him, gratefully taking the offered cup.”
“Helga has said many things. Most of which I intend to ignore. For instance, I was having a talk with my staff about knocking before they enter, and she insisted that it wouldn’t matter after a week or two,” Alexandros said.
Kally laughed between sips of tea, remembering the incident in the panic room. “Listen to your nurse, Alex,” she said as he sat down beside her. “I’m going to need you in one piece for the foreseeable future.”
Before he could get out his reply, three sharp knocks rang out on the study door.
“We’re not home,” Alexandros answered promptly, but Kally told the knocker to come in.
“I thought you should hear it from me,” Helga began, “before the press show up.” Her expression was a sort of stony professionalism that worried Kally the moment she saw it. “Someone has leaked the fact that Ms. Jones is pregnant. The tabloids are having a field day. They’ve been calling Ms. Jones several things I won’t repeat. It’s utter pandemonium out there.”
Kally swore loudly as anger rose within her. Almost at once, her phone blared into life. She snatched it up and saw Beth’s name on the screen.
“Ignore it, Kally,” Alexandros advised, but she was not in the mood to be reasonable. She answered her phone, and within four seconds of doing so, she earnestly wished she had listened to Alexandros.
“Is it true?” Beth asked incredulously. “Kal, he destroyed our lives. How could you possibly… For God’s sake, it's because of him that you leave your hometown. I miss you. Walt misses you. Noah misses you, Kal. How could you work for that man? How could you, how could you…”
“It’s none of your business who I work for,” Kally roared back. “I don’t pry into your sex life, Beth, so stay the hell out of mine!”
“Miss?” Helga interjected, advancing warily. “Maybe I should…”
Kally gave her a look that stopped the words in her throat.
“It must have been hilarious for you,” Beth cried. She wasn’t on speakerphone, but still Alexandros could hear every word. “You listen to me tell you how I’m barely holding it together, then you go screw the guy who made that happen. Has it been fun spending his money? Because the three of us are on food stamps now. Turns out it’s nearly impossible to take care of two adults and a baby on thirty-six bucks a day. Walter can’t work because then who would watch Noah? Daycare costs way more than we have, but that’s okay, because you’re working on something big. Well, it’s perfectly obvious what that was.”
“Don’t talk to her like that!” Alexandros shouted into the phone, fuming. He'd moved so fast Kally could not remember seeing him take it from her. “That is the mother of my child, and the woman I love! If you want to yell at someone, talk to me!”
“Get the hell off the line!” Kally demanded, snatching her phone back from Alexandros. It slipped between their fingers, hit the table, and fell to the floor, and when Kally retrieved it the screen was covered in cracks that looked almost exactly like a spider web.
Without another word, Kally stormed out of the house, and despite Alexandros’ protests, ordered a cab back to her apartment. She had to fight her way through paparazzi when she arrived at her building, and by the time she was in her own room, she was in an evil temper.
She took a long shower before climbing into bed and calling building security. That eventually took care of the people banging on her door. Layla called, followed by Dr. Hall, and both of them got their heads bitten off for their trouble.
“What the hell was that about?” Kally sighed, glaring at her broken phone. “Beth wouldn’t listen to a word I said. How can I explain anything when she won't let me talk?” Her phone rang again, and she shoved it away.
***
Kally awoke to tiredness and nausea. Her body ached horribly. Her mind replayed everything that had happened as she dressed, and she knew it would all be waiting for her the moment she stepped outside. And it wasn’t going to stop when the pregnancy story got old. From now on, every single thing she did was going to come under scrutiny. Loving Alexandros was going to mean living the rest of her life in the spotlight, but for him, she was sure she could handle the pressure. At that thought, there was a knock on her door, and she rushed over to it.
It’s a great day to cuss out a reporter, she thought to herself, but when she opened the door, her mouth fell open in shock.
Alexandros was slumped against her doorpost, quietly snoring and seemingly lost to care. It was obvious he had been there for some time, and Kally wondered at the sight of him.
“He came to apologize,” a voice explained, startling Kally. She looked up to see a single security guard standing behind Alexandros. “Things were kind of rowdy when he got here, so he decided to stand guard. I’m guessing the medication's got the better of him.”
“Why on earth didn’t you knock and bring him in?” Kally demanded.
“In all honesty, Ms. Jones, it didn’t seem safe. We all saw what happened when Helga tried to keep you from getting into that cab yesterday.”
“Help me bring him in,” Kally said, and the pair of them lifted Alexandros onto her living room sofa. The guard then had the awkward job of guarding the sofa until Alexandros woke up, some time later.
“Some parents we’ve turned out to be,” Alexandros laughed weakly when the guard excused himself. “Kally, I'm so sorry for what happened yesterday, and for snatching your phone. I was just so upset. The things she was calling you...”
“You were just trying to help,” Kally conceded. “But I’m a big girl. I can look after myself. I shouldn’t have taken it out on you, though. Beth was being impossible, not you. How on earth am I going to deal with this?” she suddenly burst out. “I’m pregnant, and it’s a national story. I have people I’ve never met before calling me a gold digger. There are people banging on the doors at night. How are we going to raise a child like this?”
“It’s not easy,” Alexandros replied sympathetically. “When Stefania came to me, I had to do a lot to protect her. I paid people to keep her name out of the press. I sued the tabloids whenever they tried to exploit her, and I kept her out of their reach as much as I could. I will do the same for our child, and for you, Kally, but even with all that, it’s still going to be hard. I can’t promise that things like this won’t happen again, but I can promise that you’ll always find me sleeping outside your door.”
Kally laughed at that, and the rest of the day went better than she had expected. They released their first joint statement to the press, before disappearing into the mansion together, hand in hand.
FIFTEEN
It took two months for Kally’s work to weave its way through the legal department of Standard, Ayers, and Associates and onto bookshelves, but when it did, it disappeared rapidly. Digital sales were breaking records, and the stories of Alexandros’ life filled the headlines.
Reporters suddenly wanted to know how it felt to compete for food, whether he would ever reconcile with his siblings, and whether he had kept in touch with the man he had saved.
A rare thing had happened following the charity launch: despite the board’s objections, the programs Alexandros outlined were implemented. The last two months had seen the rise of the Blood Diamond Campaign. Social media and cable news networks were suddenly focused on the diamond industry in West Africa. Protests were flaring up in New York, Washington DC, and in several West African countries. The heads of huge companies were suddenly meeting with agents backed by Alexandros’ charity, and news agencies seemed to be impressed with the effort.
“A full-court press of this magnitude has rarely been seen in our country’s history,” The Informer proclaimed. “It is clear that Mr. Stratos aims to right some of the wrongs to which he has admitted.”
Similar sentiments were echoed online and off, and public opinion began to swing in favor of Alexandros and his work. Kally was amazed t
o see the fruits of their efforts blossoming after everything that had happened. She was sitting in the living room of the Stratos mansion, slowly rocking a baby boy in her arms.
“Did you miss Aunty Kally, Noah?” she cooed, tickling the little boy every few moments, and thoroughly enjoying his resulted peals of laughter. “Aunty Kally missed you!” She kissed one of his cheeks, and looked up at his mother with a warm smile. “He’s adorable, Beth. Absolutely precious. I can’t wait for my little girl to get here.”
“Neither can I,” Beth agreed, glancing at Kally’s stomach. “And Walt’s just beside himself. What can I say? The guy loves kids. You ought to hear him tell Noah a bedtime story. He gets deep into it. Does the voices and everything.” As they sat together, happily chatting about children, it was almost impossible to remember the unpleasantness that had occurred before.
Kally, Beth and Alexandros had spent two weeks working through their issues once everyone had calmed down. Alexandros had apologized profusely to Beth, before an idea that should have been far more obvious came into his mind. Under Drexel Omnimedia, Alexandros owned a local New York paper called the Manhattan Voice. He had Beth apply to become one of its writers. Between her experience and his prodding, she had gotten the job, and moved her family to the city. She was getting a significant raise, and moving from part time to full time work, but what Kally and Beth appreciated most of all was that they were together again.
Lather that evening, Kally relaxed and let herself be wined and dined by her billionaire lover. They were back at The Three Rivers, drinking vodka martinis.
“I remember the last time we were here,” intoned Alexandros. “I couldn’t get you to stay for dinner. I suppose you’ll stay this time, and we can celebrate at last,” he joked.
“Of course I’m staying,” Kally returned. “We’ve got a hell of a lot more to celebrate now.”
“Like the fact that you’re becoming a syndicated columnist for The Informer in a few days' time?” Alexandros asked with a smile.
“How on earth do you know that? I just got the call five minutes ago!”
“Yes, but you weren’t very quiet about it. Congratulations, Kally. I know that’s been your dream.”
“My dream is to grow old in this house, with you at my side, after our daughter moves into that big white house on Pennsylvania Avenue.”
“That’s a coincidence, then,” Alexandros replied, kissing her gently. “That’s my dream too. Except that our daughter is living in Maximos Mansion.”
“You want her to be prime minister of Greece?”
“Sure. Why not? In fact, I don’t see why she can’t do both!”
The next course arrived, followed by two more, and when dinner was finished, they headed back to the mansion together. There was a sign on their bedroom door that evening that read “I don’t care if the house is on fire. Do not disturb.”
SIXTEEN
THREE MONTHS LATER
“I don’t know how I can still fit through doors!” Kally exclaimed, coming out of her bedroom. She had grown exponentially over the past few months, and it felt to her as if her belly arrived before she did. Beth and Walt were visiting almost daily now, and Noah had a habit of feeling Kally’s stomach. Whenever he was allowed, he would put his ear to it, as if he were trying to hear the baby inside.
“I wish I could record this and put it on YouTube,” Beth said pleadingly.
Beth's hand was almost unconsciously moving for her smartphone, but Kally shook her head. She sympathized with her friend; Noah was being unbearably cute, and the moment begged to be preserved for all time. But she simply couldn’t risk it. As far as she was concerned, her life was public enough. She was still getting used to having her own security team. Her column was actually winning The Informer subscribers, and creating a great deal of interest in her other memoirs. People recognized her in the street now. Occasionally she signed autographs. She didn’t want any part of her being put online where she couldn’t control it or get it back if she changed her mind.
She and Beth played with Noah for the next half hour or so, and discussed the imminent arrival of little Grace Elizabeth Stratos. Alexandros was at his offices, where he’d been for the better part of the last four days. The memoir, the charity, and the imminent arrival of the baby were occupying a great deal of his time, and he had to make up for it if he didn’t want his company stolen from under him. There was a team of people actively looking for some way to remove him from power, and halt the charity’s efforts. Alexandros could not allow that to happen. He had to secure the future for his daughter. Besides which, the pressure was finally working. Three of the world’s largest diamond companies were due to announce major changes in three days’ time.
One by one, they had called to express their displeasure at Alexandros’ relentless campaign. The constant demonstrations and social media attention were beginning to affect sales. These days, the first thing a young couple thought of when they saw a commercial for diamonds was mutilation. They had agreed to announce twenty-seven new reforms aimed at preventing senseless violence, and taking better care of workers. Together, they would set a pretty powerful industry standard that would be hard for smaller companies to ignore. It was what Alexandros had dreamed of when he had sat in this very office with Kally, working to tell the world his story. In a few short days, he would finally do something significant to remedy the worst mistake of his life. Soon, when Kally came to his side and told him it was time for their daughter to be born, he would be able to hold her, and look into her eyes with a clearer conscience than ever before.
Alexandros and Kally were not the only ones thinking about Grace. Every news outlet was running stories about her. Even the ones Alexandros owned couldn't afford to ignore the public’s interest in their boss’ baby. As yet, no one had managed to get a word out of Kally. She’d been so tight-lipped that the public was unaware that her baby already had a name. Undaunted, they swarmed her office at The Informer, and staked out the mansion. That afternoon, Kally submitted a tongue-in-cheek article to her editor with the provocative title of Mind Your Own Damn Business. She was only half joking, and more than half of her wished her editor had let the article run.
“Maybe we should slip off to Greece,” she told Alexandros when he arrived home late that evening.
“The only difference would be you wouldn’t understand the people who were pestering you,” Alexandros replied. “Besides, Grace needs to be born here if you want her to be president,” he smiled.
An assistant suddenly knocked and entered, wearing a cautious expression on his face. “Sir, your brothers and sister are out front. They say they’d like to talk to you.”
The expression that crossed Alexandros’ face was indecipherable. What could his siblings possibly want to talk about now? He had been shot, and none of them had flown out then. His first impulse was anger, but as he looked into Kally’s loving eyes, he saw they were telling him that the quality of mercy is twice blessed. With a sigh, he sent his assistant to invite his brothers and sister up.
The meeting took place in Alexandros’ office. His siblings piled in, and the air was filled with tension. After a long moment of silence, Darius spoke first.
“We’ve had a hard life together,” he began in quiet tones. He was taller and thinner than all of his siblings, and his hair was black like his mother’s had been. “We haven’t always seen eye to eye, and I’m fairly certain that feeling is mutual, but we’re here because we all agree it has to change. We can’t keep hating each other because of what our father did. You’re the first one of us to be a father, Alexandros, but you will not be the last. I don’t want the hatred that kept me from coming to see you when you were shot to pass on to our children. Our father did a terrible thing to all of us. I want us to try and undo it.” As he said this, his lean face contorted in an obvious attempt to hold back tears.
The hours that followed were filled with tears, quiet memories, accusations, and a good deal of shouting, but everyone
was sincere in the effort. With occasional help from Kally, they eventually reached a truce. Alexandros hugged his sister, something he hadn’t done since he was five years old. Darius, whom Alexandros had cheated out of his fortune, gently patted his brother on the back as he left. Peter, once mousy and positively anemic, was now nearly as round as Kally. He fished a small item out of his coat pocket, and stealthily handed it to Alexandros. It was a hard red rubber ball, one of the few toys Alexandros had ever owned. It had been given to him by his mother, and promptly stolen by Peter.
“I never gave it back to you,” he said gruffly, “but I brought it back for Grace.”
Alexandros said nothing, but he had never loved his younger brother as much as he did at that very moment. He set the ball on his desk, next to the photograph of Stefania, and turned to look at Kally, who was shedding silent tears.
“She’s not even here yet, and she’s already working miracles,” she breathed once Alexandros’ relatives had gone.
