Chapter 10
Olivia felt light andjust a little happier. More than she had been in weeks, anyway. The gloomy heaviness that had been dragging her down since her mistake made headlines had cleared some, and so the wheels in her head were spinning.
Could she really make this work? Would she dare go against her father’s wishes?
Nikos’ lips on her forehead added to the feeling of lightness she was experiencing. He had surprised her since he came into the room when she was singing. She didn’t know what to expect from him, as every move he had made was so unlike the man she had thought he was. Yet, she had loved every second. She couldn’t remember ever wanting to be this close to someone of the opposite sex. But with Nikos, she never wanted to leave this little cocoon he had created for them.
It was safe. And she needed safety.
It was dark outside and the only light they had was from the automatic lights outside the house, which switched on as soon as it got dark. This was all Olivia had to see Nikos’ face. The darkness from the inside battled with the small light from the outside, giving him a mysterious and almost comical look.
She would have liked to stay in the moment for much longer, except her rumbling stomach reminded her she had not eaten in a hot minute.
Nikos pulled back in surprise, and they both burst out in laughter as they came back to earth. “Let’s go grab something to eat,” he said as he finally dislodged them.
Olivia’s legs wobbled for a second for a lack of use, but Nikos supported her as he led her outside the room.
“I can’t imagine why you’d want to sell off this beautiful place,” Olivia randomly commented as she remembered what Nikos had said before. They were moving toward the dining area and the sound of the other guests made her stomach roll. But she didn’t want to run away like she had been since she came. So, she held her head high, ignoring the hushed whispers and pointing from the people she passed.
Brush it off, Olivia, brush it off.
“Well, the financial burden is too much,” he said in a way that made Olivia think he had rehearsed this one too many times.
“Financial burden?” She arched an eyebrow up at him, completely ignoring his arm around her or the fact that his fingers were rubbing her back in the same manner he had been earlier.
He hesitated, turning to glance down at her before he said, “Well, the upkeep of the hotel, maintenance costs, and other expenses—it’s a lot to handle.”
“Then think about cost-effective solutions,” Olivia said, her mind racing. “Maybe you can look at more service offerings to attract more guests, cut down unnecessary costs...” she trailed off when he turned at her with a raised eyebrow.
“It’s a combination of things, Liv.” He rubbed a hand down his face and, for the first time since she met him, she realized how weary he looked.
Olivia badly wanted to make him feel better like he had made her, so she tried to think of solutions for him. “Things like what?” she asked him, totally trying to ignore the butterflies in her stomach from the way Nikos was calling her Liv.
But he didn’t respond—at least, not right away.
They moved to get their food, Olivia painfully aware of the criticism being sent her way in the buzzing dining area, yet she ignored it all as she tried to keep her focus on Nikos and the food they were getting. Thankfully, Nikos led them outside to the side of the hotel grounds she hadn’t ventured to yet.
It was a quaint garden with gazebos all around that were designed for privacy. They took one furthest from everyone, and only then did Nikos speak. “I’m afraid of the burnout,” he said, his focus on his plate of food. “I once witnessed it with my father and granddad, and it was not pretty...” He lingered like he had more to say, but shook his head and stopped for a moment.
Olivia tried to think of what to say, but before she could, Nikos continued.
“More than anything,” he sighed, “there’s this feeling that the place doesn’t have the same charm it used to. I’m afraid that I’ll hate being back here full-time.”
“I think it’s not really about the place changing, but maybe how you are viewing it,” she stated, well aware that she had felt the same about her childhood home right before it was turned into the cold museum it is now.
“Maybe,” Nikos said, though he didn’t sound convinced.
“Alright, how about this?” Olivia tried. “How about I show you what I see? You know, just so you have a different perspective of the hotel? Maybe that will help.”
Nikos looked at her for a minute, his head tilted like he was trying to figure her out.
“Why do you care enough to help me gain a different perspective?” He looked genuinely confused, like he couldn’t understand why she would do that.
“Well, you helped me out, and now I think it’s time to help you, too. You said The Atlantis doesn’t hold the same charm, but all I see is charm. Let me help you.”
Nikos didn’t look completely on board with Olivia’s idea, but he went with it, letting her drag him every which way around the hotel as she told him about what she thought about the building.
She started by pointing out what she liked about the hotel and, at Nikos’ insistence, she also told him what she thought could change. He took it all in stride with a thoughtful look on his face that didn’t clear until long after their tour, but she had no way of knowing if it was a good thing or a bad thing.
* * *
“Do you really want to let all this go?”
Those had been Olivia’s words to Nikos after their impromptu tour around the hotel last night.
It was quite interesting to see the hotel through fresh eyes. Last night had cemented him into the idea that selling was definitely not the way to go and she’d actually come up with some ideas about what he should do.
He had also fully embraced and welcomed the memories of his parents that he had tried to ignore for so long, which made him realize that this was also part of the reason he wanted to sell. He couldn’t go a corner without recognizing something from his childhood, which made it really hard for him to enjoy being at The Atlantis.
Nikos had been using any excuse he could find to avoid facing his old life here, along with the things he lost when he lost his mother and father. However, their memories were still alive. He suddenly wasn’t so scared to face any of that. And once he welcomed the fact that his parents’ memories would always remain alive in the hotel, he realized he hadn’t been seeing it in its grandiose splendor.
For the first time since he got here, he was now one hundred percent ready to talk with Papous about the next steps. He’d spent the past few hours in the Papous’ office since he wasn’t using it as often since Nikos arrived.
Nikos worked on his ideas, putting everything down so he could have a conversation with Papous after running the numbers. Right as he was done with his presentation, there was a knock at the door.
Papous opened the door before he responded and, right as he went to say something, a man he recognized walked in. His heart sank as he was met first with the gleeful look of the buyer he had been in touch with, then Papous’ disappointed glare.
“Mr. Kappellis,” the man said in glee as he moved toward Nikos, completely ignoring the older Kappellis next to him. “I was very glad for the images and proposal you sent. I had to come and see the place for myself.” Not once did Nikos look away from Papous. “I wanted to discuss the details of the sale in person.” He stood in front of Nikos now, forcing him to gaze down at the old and short, pudgy man.
“Mr. Antov,” Nikos said, forcing a smile. “I wasn’t expecting you so soon.” He stole a glance at Papous, whose disappointment had not wavered one bit.
“After those images you sent, I had to come. As you know, I am very keen on closing this acquisition as soon as possible. Shall we run the numbers?”
“Yes, about that,” Nikos started, stopping Mr. Antov from taking a seat. “I’m afraid the deal is off.”
Nikos missed the surprised look from Mr. Antov, looking back at Papous hoping he would understand.
“Excuse me?” The shout from Mr. Antov brought his attention back to the man. “What do you mean the deal’s off? Is it a money thing? Do you need more? Because I’m willing to double the original price.”
“It’s not a money thing,” he responded in barely sealed irritation. He did not have time for this!
“We had an agreement, Kappellis,” the man finally lost it. “You sent me the pictures just yesterday!” Spittle came from the side of his mouth as he glared at Nikos, but that was nothing. His glare was nothing.
Nikos looked back to Papous to find him shaking his head, a deep frown marring his tired face before he turned and walked out of the office after one last look at Mr. Antov. His heart sank, hating the look he saw on his grandfather.
The last time Papous gave Nikos that look was when he left Greece, even after a long time of fighting and back and forth with his grandparents. For the longest time, he and Papous had not seen eye to eye, but they had fixed their relationship. That they might be back in the same place bothered Nikos so much.
He moved to follow him, only to remember the other man in the room.
“I understand the inconvenience this has caused, Mr. Antov, and I apologize you came all this way for no reason. However, after careful consideration, I’ve come to the conclusion that I will not be selling. I hope you understand.” He hoped his corporate voice would help him gain control of this situation, but he didn’t stay around long enough to find out. He rushed out of the room, ignoring Mr. Antov’s perplexed look.
“Understand?” he heard the man respond as he tried to follow him outside. “I should sue you...” The rest of the words faded away because Nikos was rushing down the hall faster than Mr. Antov could keep up, heading to his grandparent’s house where he hoped he’d find Papous.
He found him sitting in the living room, a deep frown etched on his face as he looked off into the distance.
“Papous, I—I wanted to sell,” he admitted, even if he wanted to lie his way out of this. “I thought selling the hotel would be the best option for us, but... I’ve had time to think and I know now that it’s not the best option.”
“What’s best for us, or what’s best for you?” Papous challenged, still not turning around to look at him.
“Best for me,” Nikos hung his head as all the adrenaline that had fueled him in the past few minutes drained out of his body. “I’m sorry,” he added uselessly.
Papousdidn’t respond or turn around to look at him.