CHAPTER 24

" I love you, Yuri. " She whispered.

" I love you too. "

But this time, it hurt to say the words.

He didn't know why, but worse, he didn't know either that Kathy had heard the pain in his voice.

And it hurt her.

Leaving their suite, Yuri went directly to the private library for the officers and placed a call to the one person he thought he would never have any reason to contact.

Dr. Simon Corba answered at the first ring. " Mr. Athanas. What may I do for you? "

" I'll keep this brief. "

Dr. Simon listened, patiently, and when the younger man has done speaking, he answered, pouring his poison into Yuri Daniel Athanas mind just as patiently.

Anytime now, he thought triumphantly when the Greek Scion ended the call.

He just had to continue biding his time, and once the first domino fell, everything would follow. Yuri Daniel Athanas would be out of the picture, and Kathryn Ice Rewis would be his.

Dr. Simon Corba's lips tightened. And this time, he wouldn't treat her as gently. She would still be his wife, but only because of the money. But this time, he would treat her like a whore.

" Are you sure you're up to this? " Yuri asked hours later as they changed for dinner.

Kathy only nodded, but the stubborn glint in her violet eyes told him there was no talking her out of it.

He sighed. " You know this may be another opportunity for me to tell you I told you so. " But he only said it to tease the darkness out of her gaze, and he succeeded somewhat. Kathy was smiling at him, and the brightness of it managed to dispel most of the shadows that still haunted her gaze.

" I want to be a normal. "

He wondered if she realized how her words had changed. It used to be she had only been different and special. Now, that was gone.

She was facing the full length mirror in his suite, clipping pearl earrings into place. She wore a high-collared white dress, with long billowing sleeves, and a bronze belt cinched around her slim waist. And in her two-inch kitten heels, she was a lot taller and looked fit to walk the runaway.

But the beauty was lost on him.

For the first time, Yuri realized uneasily that he wasn't seeing Kathy when he looked at her. Instead, he saw the young, fourteen-year-old Kathy, whose soul had still been chained to the past because of Madame's Antonia cruelty.

The realization made him guilty, and he looked away abruptly.

He completely missed seeing the pain in Kathy's eyes as he turned away.

" Shall we go? "

" Yes. "

At dinner, Kathy and Yuri barely spoke, and their tension permeated the atmosphere in the room despite every awkward attempt of their friends to ease the strain between them.

" A call for you at the library, Sir Athanas. " A volunteer informed him.

Yuri stood up, feeling privately relieved to have an excuse to leave the room. He needed...space. He needed time to think things through. " Kathy, I'll be taking this call. "

She nodded slowly, but fear had started clouding her eyes again.

" I'm not going away. I'm just going to take a call. I'll be back in a couple of minutes. " Turning away, he felt Kathy's gaze on his back as he headed to the door. It's going to be okay, he told himself firmly.

But it was not.

When he came back, it was chaos.

The officers were on their feet, and there was a volunteer, sobbing.

" I didn't do anything! " She cried. " I just tripped. You all saw me! I didn't mean to trip and then she... " Her eyes flew to the far end of the room, and that was when Yuri saw Kathy standing stiff and alone, her beautiful face pale, stony, and remorseless.

" She slapped me for no reason! "

Kathy's lips moved.

Yuri read the silently spoken word.

Liar.

Yuri strode forward. " I'm sorry, Claire Jane. " If it had been the other volunteer, Lily Anne Smith, he would have thought it was a setup. But it wasn't, and now he knew he had to withhold his judgement until he heard Kathy's side.

" I will speak to my fianceé about this. " He continued quietly. His gaze sought Kathy's over the volunteer's head, and Kathy returned his gaze unblinkingly.

He turned to Kellion and repeated his apologies.

Kellion shook his head. " You know we all understand. I'll handle this. You have someone else to look after. "

His lips twisted, and his voice was uncharacteristically hard as he said. " Kathy told me herself she doesn't need my help. "

Kellion gazed at him oddly. " I'm not sure what you're trying to say, but whatever it is... " The president's voice was blunt. " you sound like an asshole.

And when he turned to face Kathy and saw that she had heard him speak, he did feel like an asshole.

He took her to the private dining room in their floor and for once, Kathy didn't volunteer to make a bento for them, leaving Yuri to scrounge through the freezer for food. Finally, he found pasta and salad to microwave and had them steaming and ready to eat ten minutes later.

Kathy started eating, swiftly and gracefully.

" You want to tell me what happened? " He asked finally.

" The volunteer said, Madame Antonia is coming. "

He frowned. " She specifically said, Madame Antonia? "

She nodded.

Yuri stared at her.

She stared back at him.

Could she be crazy after all?

He pushed the thought away as soon as it occured, but it was too late, even though he hadn't known it.

Kathy had seen it.

Have lost his appetite, Yuri pushed his plate away and said slowly. " According to the volunteer, she tripped, stumbled against your chair, and accidentally hit your head. That's when you slapped her. She was already apologizing, but you still slapped her. "

Kathy slowly lowered her fork. " She was lying. " Her voice was perfectly composed. If Kristina Rewis had been alive, she would have known this was Kathy at her bravest and...most terrified. This was Kathy back when she was still it and under Madame Antonia's thumb.

" I see. " But he didn't. All he knew was that he had two versions of the incident, and Kathy's rang more like fiction than the truth.

When they went to bed, they kept the lights on at Kathy's request. It was also the first time they had their backs to each other.

" Yuri? "

His guilt increased at the sound of her whisper, and he almost hated her for it. For almost his whole life he had lived with guilt, and here she was, fucking adding to it.

" What is it? "

" Please don't look at me like that again. "

He didn't answer, knowing exactly what she was talking about.

" I'm not crazy, but you make believe me I am. "

Finally, he said. " I'm sorry. " He could say the words because they were true. He did mean them. He was sorry, but it wasn't just for the things Kathy thought he ought to be sorry about.

For one thing, he was sorry for who he was because it was beginning to be clear to him that he might not be the right man for Kathy.

He had loved his father, Nathaniel Athanas, for years, and it had blinded him nearly to the point of causing his sister, Hallie Daena Athanas irreparable harm.

But Kathryn Ice Rewis?

She wasn't even related to him by blood. He had only even known her for weeks.

And yet here he was, wanting to lie to himself and to everyone else.

He would kill anyone who told him Kathy wasn't normal, would kill anyone who tried to take her away from him.

But would that be the right kind of love?

He stared sightlessly at the ceiling.

How the hell could someone like Kathy survive without him?

How the hell could a broken man like Yuri protect her?

" Do you believe me? "

Leo Blaze Arlotta settled back against his seat. When he had come to walk her to class early this morning, he had been surprised when the heiress asked him if he knew a quiet place for them to be alone.

If he were honest, there had been a smallest part of him that thought it would lead to an assignation, and so he had brought her to the small office the school administration had given to him.

When he had her comfortable in her seat, he had asked her how she was doing, thinking she would tell him about her beach getaway, which the university had been enviously talking about the entire weekend.

Instead, she had given him her life story.

Every painful, incredible part of it.

He said finally. " Yes, I believe you. " This time, because he knew how much honesty meant to Kathy, he only spoke the truth. " I'm not sure why I find it easy to believe you, but I just do. "

" Then you do not think I'm crazy? ".

He slowly shook his head. " No, I don't. " He paused. " But you have to give the biker some slack. Everything that's happened seems designed to make you look insane. "

Kathy nodded. " I feel it here, you know. " Her fist banged against her chest, surprising Leo. " Madame Antonia is dead, " she whispered. " but her evil is everywhere, like a parasite on people's souls. "

" Have you talked to anyone about this besides Yuri and your therapist? "

She shook her head. " It would be disloyal, " she said simply. " to talk to his friends about my doubts. Its only because you are my friend that I have told you this. "

He hesitated then asked abruptly. " Is there anything I can do? "

She, too, hesitated and nodded.

" I...think so. " She opened her bag and rummaged through it until she found a business card. She handed it to him. " Could you please contact this man? He is my family's lawyer. Simply tell him I have asked you to help me, and he will assist you. "

He frowned. " I'm not sure what you want me to do. "

" Find out the truth for me. " Her voice caught. " Because right now... I no longer trust myself. I sometimes think... I am under stress and that I have indeed imagined everything. And If I try to find the truth on my own, people might not believe me. "

Ah.

His fists clenched. He wanted to hold her in his arms, just to give her some kind of comfort, but he didn't. There was just something about Kathryn Ice Rewis that was too pure for the likes of him. Or maybe everyone else, including the biker who was taking her for granted.

" Don't blame Athanas for not believing you." He said gruffly. " Based on what you've told me, he's got his own share of scars to heal from. "

" I understand. "

But he saw in her eyes that she was trying but failing to understand. In her eyes, he saw hurt, and it blinded her like a child, leaving her unable to see anything past the pain. He said uneasily. " Don't do anything crazy.." Shit! He realized that right away he had chosen the wrong word. " Kathy, you know... I don't... "

" Of course. " She said politely.

After, when Kathy was long gone, he continued to think about her.

He had to do whatever he could as fast as possible.

The more he thought about Kathy, the more he thought that he hadn't seen anyone looking so damn alone as she did.
Greek Biker Billionaire: Yuri
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