Chapter 30 Ares
ARES
Iswirl the amber liquid in my glass, watching it catch the lamplight as I sit alone in my office. The ice has long since melted, watering down the whiskey. I don't care. My mind is elsewhere.
It's been a week since I took Katerina to Hades. A week since she stood before those mirrors and finally saw herself the way I see her.
Transformed. That's the only word for what's happened to her.
This morning, she walked from the bathroom to the closet wearing nothing but a bra and panties. No hunched shoulders, no arms crossed protectively over her scar. Just my wife, confident in her skin, meeting my eyes with a smile that made me hard instantly.
I take a deep swallow of whiskey, feeling it burn down my throat. Making her see her true self—it might be the most meaningful thing I've ever accomplished. More than any business deal or territory takeover.
It's strange how that realization settles in my chest, heavy and unfamiliar.
My phone buzzes. It's Theo; he's almost here.
I lean back and think. I've never needed anyone. That's what I've told myself for years. Especially now—the Don stands alone, making the hard decisions, bearing the burden of the family on his shoulders.
Yet Katerina has been slipping past my defenses, challenging me. Ordering me—me—to bed when I work late. Bringing me food when I forget to eat. Rubbing my shoulders when she sees I'm stressed.
At first, I resisted. Resented it, even.
But now, I find myself checking the time, knowing she'll appear in my doorway with that look in her eyes—and I go willingly.
Sometimes we lay in bed and have the most passionate sex I've ever experienced. I'm not even sure it's just sex anymore.
I set down my glass, staring at the security feeds displayed on my desk. Camera four shows her in the garden, sketching.
I turn away and remember what my father said—that the most dangerous weakness a man in our position can have is love.
But he also admitted, late one night after too much ouzo, that he wouldn't have survived without my mother.
That her counsel kept him sane, kept him from making catastrophic mistakes, kept this family prospering.
A Don needs eyes in the back of his head, he'd said. Your mother was mine.
I remember how he'd consult her before major decisions. How they sit at the kitchen table talking quietly for hours before big moves. At the time, I didn't think much of it. Now, I wonder what words were exchanged between them.
After she died, he changed. Became harder, a bit more reckless.
Maybe he lost the eyes in the back of his head.
I toss back the rest of the whiskey and set the empty glass down.
There's a knock at the door, and a part of me instantly hopes it's Katerina, but I know it's not. She actually doesn't knock often, which I've come to like.
I look up, and Theo stands there, papers in hand.
"The Zervas shipping manifests," he says, walking in without waiting for an invitation. "Something doesn't add up."
I take the papers, scanning the numbers. They show shipments coming in from Turkey, Italy, and Bulgaria—all significantly larger than what the Zervas family normally ships in.
"They're moving something big," Theo says, leaning against my desk. "But what?"
I stare at the numbers, something nagging at me. "These containers are refrigerated."
"Yes," he confirms. "All of them."
"Zervas doesn't deal in perishables. Never has." I tap my finger on the manifest. "This isn't drugs. It's not weapons."
"Human cargo?" Theo suggests.
"Maybe." But it doesn't feel right. The refrigeration, the particular shipping routes... "I need to think."
Theo nods and pulls out his phone. "I need to take this. I'll be right back," he says and leaves without another word.
I turn back to the security feed, and there she is—in the kitchen with Emma, laughing about something.
My wife isn't just beautiful—she's smart, and she's been paying attention to our operations, asking careful questions that reveal more understanding than I initially gave her credit for.
My father didn't just love my mother. He respected her mind.
The realization hits me like a slap: I've been an idiot.
I've been treating Katerina as if she's separate from this part of my life. As if keeping her away from the business somehow protects her. But she's already been shot at. She's already a target. And I'm wasting her potential.
I don't want a trophy wife. I don't want a delicate flower to shelter from the harsh realities of my world. I want a partner. A queen who rules beside me, not behind me.
The door opens, and there she is, as if my thoughts summoned her. She's wearing a simple sundress, her hair loose around her shoulders. The sight of her rouses me.
"You're thinking too hard," she says, sliding onto the edge of my desk. "I can almost hear the gears turning from the hallway."
I reach for her, pulling her onto my lap. She comes willingly, settling against me.
"What's this?" She picks up the shipping manifest, her eyes scanning the document with interest.
Rather than take it from her, I watch her face.
"Refrigerated containers from Bulgaria," she says slowly. "That's unusual."
I raise an eyebrow. "Why do you say that?"
"I remember my uncle always saying Bulgarian exports were primarily industrial and stuff, and he wished they had other things since they border Greece."
"What would you guess they're shipping?" I ask, genuinely curious to see how she'd respond.
She leans over my desk, examining the document more closely. "These are coming through the Black Sea?"
I nod, increasingly intrigued.
She smiles slightly. "Well, I did an internship with a logistics company in Athens one summer. My uncle's way to get rid of me for a few months, I think. And a lot of medicine comes that way. They'd need refrigerators, but I don't know."
I turn to her.
"I've been thinking about bringing you into this business more," I say and brush the hair out of her face. "Not just as my wife, but as my advisor. My partner. Would you like that?"
Surprise flickers in her eyes.
"Are you serious?" she asks, trying to hide her excitement.
"Yes. I think the best way to run our kingdom is to have my queen involved in some things, including business—not just raising our little ones. You want more, I'll give you more."
Katerina's eyes narrow in on me, searching my face for answers. "Why have you decided this? What's changed?"
I give her a kiss.
"I remembered something my father told me. Besides, the strength I see in you can be useful for our family. I know you'll want to do what's best for the Kastaris family, since you're part of it."
She kisses me again, her tongue sliding gently into my mouth. "What's best for you is best for us, and I want to help in any way I can, so thank you."
She kisses me again and stands in the center of my office, twirling slowly. "So, let's find out what's hiding in those refrigerators, and who's importing them."