Chapter 32
Walking into that boardroom felt like entering enemy territory. I surveyed the room, taking in the lawyers, HR representatives, PR team members, and my brothers.
I caught myself adjusting my tie and immediately stopped. It was a pointless, nervous gesture. I wasn’t in the wrong here, and I wouldn’t allow anyone to put me on the defensive.
Konstantin sat rigid, jaw clenched in characteristic restraint. Dimitrios paced the perimeter of the room, radiating anger. I took my seat, maintaining a neutral expression, and with a nod indicated for the head of legal to begin.
“Mr. Christakis,” he began with unnecessary hesitation.
“According to this lawsuit, Miss Phoibe Stavrou claims that while in your employ she was subjected to a hostile working environment. She states you made unwanted sexual advances on multiple occasions, and when she refused, you retaliated in ways that made her work life untenable.”
The accusation was absurd. I terminated Phoibe’s employment the day after she showed up at the hospital, after months of her testing my boundaries.
My new assistant had been in place for weeks now, and there’d been no contact between us since her termination. The suggestion inverted reality so completely that it would be amusing if it weren’t potentially damaging.
The lawyer glanced at me, clearly anticipating an outburst, but I remained motionless.
“She also states that your communication contained lascivious verbal innuendo, and that your proximity often made her feel uncomfortable and cornered. She claims you developed a pattern of predatory behavior that made her feel her professional standing would suffer if she continued to refuse your advances.”
Three weeks ago, I’d stood in an operating room convinced I was about to lose everything.
I’d watched Dede’s blood pressure drop, heard my son’s silence before his first cry, felt the paralysis of trauma threatening to consume me.
I’d walked out of that hospital with my wife alive, my children breathing, and a heart filled with gratitude.
Now, this woman threatened to destroy it all with lies.
My wife was postpartum and didn’t need this added to everything else. I needed to shut this down before it reached Dede, and before tabloids turned Phoibe’s lies into headlines.
My gaze moved around the table, assessing each face. Kostas and Dimi, despite our frequent disagreements, would remain loyal. The lawyers were paid to be skeptical. HR would follow protocol. PR would calculate damage control.
The head of legal cleared his throat. “Mr. Christakis, do you deny these allegations?”
“Completely,” I said without hesitation. “Every claim in this lawsuit is fabricated. I reported this woman to HR every single time she stepped out of line. They have the records.”
I directed a look at my HR manager, who straightened. “We have documentation of ten separate incidents over the past five months, Mr. Christakis. Time-stamped complaints with your signature.”
“When was this lawsuit filed?” I asked.
“Within a week of her termination,” the lawyer said. “Unusually aggressive timing.”
I turned to security. “Every interaction in my office is recorded by multiple security cameras, with the footage stored for five years. A review of these recordings would demonstrate who was making advances toward whom.” I kept my voice low.
The evidence supporting my position was overwhelming. This meeting was therefore a waste of valuable time.
Kostas interjected with his usual directness, “But why this? Why now?”
Dimitrios answered before I could formulate my response. “Because of his marriage to Deanna. Remember how shocked and angry she was at the hospital?”
Kostas nodded. “We need to get ahead of this, particularly considering the public relations implications.” He turned to my PR manager. “What’s our current position? How much damage is this doing to the company image?”
She laid out the situation with professional detachment. “The court of public opinion is indeed our most significant battlefield. Several media outlets have already published the story with provocative headlines.”
I reached for my phone. Dede couldn’t read Greek, but my mother, Kayla, Chrysanthos, Tia, the staff at the estate... any one of them could mention it to her.
I pulled up each of their numbers and typed quickly:
Nothing about the lawsuit reaches Deanna until I speak with her myself. No exceptions.
I hit send. That would buy me time to handle this properly.
“The shareholders will expect a formal investigation and a public response immediately.”
“Certainly,” I agreed, sensing more was coming. I raised an eyebrow, fixing each person with a steady gaze. “And?”
“In the meantime,” she continued, “they’ve suggested that you step down from your position until the investigation concludes—”
I scoffed, but allowed her to continue.
“That we issue a carefully worded statement denying the allegations—I’ve drafted something for your review— and that we examine all internal documentation, files and video footage.”
“There’s not a single file, video clip, phone call or voice note that would in any way implicate me or damage this company’s reputation.
Regarding the statement, I’ll draft my own response.
No one can address these allegations as effectively as I can.
I’ll begin immediately. And finally...” I straightened.
“I will not be stepping down, back, or aside. This is my company. I refuse to let such a transparent attempt to tarnish my reputation interfere with my responsibilities.”
Silence settled over the room. No one challenged me.
I reached for the file containing Phoibe’s statement and tossed it dismissively to the side, scattering papers. “My brothers will remain for a private discussion. The rest of you, return to your offices and resolve this matter. Immediately.”
The lawyers and staff filed out quickly.
Dimitrios spoke first. “I wonder how much money it would take to make her disappear?”
“Not a single euro,” I said. “I refuse to be extorted.”
“That’s exactly what she wants,” Konstantin added. “A settlement would validate her claims. The media would interpret it as guilt.”
“So we destroy her credibility instead,” Dimitrios said, already warming to the idea. “Every boundary she crossed, every inappropriate comment, every time Aris documented her behavior—we’ll make it public.”
I shook my head. “That creates a different problem. A man using his resources to discredit a woman making harassment claims? The optics are terrible regardless of the truth.”
Dimitrios stopped pacing and dropped into a chair. “Always so fucking noble. Meanwhile, this bitch is out there destroying your reputation while you have a new wife and babies at home.”
Konstantin’s expression tightened. “Deanna will hear about this soon if she hasn’t already.”
“She won’t,” I said.
“You’re certain?” Konstantin’s tone suggested he knew better. “The story’s already in multiple outlets.”
“I sent messages to everyone to keep it quiet.”
Dimitrios chuckled. “And you think that’ll work? Women talk, Aris. Especially about shit like this.”
“Then I’ll handle it tonight. I’ll explain everything before the rumors reach her.” I pulled out my phone, checking for responses to my earlier message. Nothing. “I’m calling Irida. She needs to keep everyone away from Deanna until I get home.”
We were supposed to be deciding where to build our life. Greece or America. Instead, I was trying to prevent my wife from learning that a vindictive former employee was attempting to destroy everything we’d just begun.
The call went to voicemail. I tried again. Still nothing.
Before I could try a third time, the boardroom door opened.
Deanna entered, pushing the double stroller, followed by Kayla with her infant in a sling, my mother, and my aunt.
Kostas and Dimi stood. I froze long enough to register the catastrophic timing, then moved toward the women.
“You should be home resting, Mother,” Dimitrios said, but my focus was entirely on Deanna—and the fact that both she and my mother were here, in this building, three weeks after major surgeries.
Konstantin moved towards Kayla, wrapping his arm around her. “You should be resting as well, Michaila.”
“I had a baby, K. My legs still function perfectly well.”
I glanced at my children, unable to resist touching their soft curls, then met my wife’s wary gaze. “I once believed Chrysanthos would be responsible for my premature death,” I said quietly in English, “however, you, you have taken his place.”
“We need to talk, Aris.”
Konstantin and Dimitrios exchanged glances. Dimitrios spoke first. “We were just leaving.”
“Don’t leave on my account. I assume you were discussing the lawsuit?”
The air left my lungs. She knew. Of course, she knew.
Dede continued. “When were you planning to tell me?”
Dede’s tone held no heat or accusation, but the question itself revealed the damage already done. Not to her trust in my fidelity, but to her trust that I’d be honest with her.
I could survive a lawsuit, public scrutiny, and shareholder pressure. Losing Dede’s belief in me would destroy me.
My mother responded in Greek before I could answer. “Ari did nothing wrong. That woman is a liar.”
“Mother, I appreciate your support, but this is between my wife and me. You should be at home recovering, not standing here worrying about things I can handle.” I took hold of the stroller’s handle. “Dede, we go now.”
“I’m not going anywhere until we talk.”
“We will talk. In my office. Where we have privacy, yes?”
Kayla moved to take the stroller from me. “I’ll watch the babies.”
“No.” Deanna’s hand covered mine on the handle. “They come with us.”
I nodded once. “Of course.” I looked at my brothers. “Get Mother home and make sure she rests. She should not be on her feet this soon after being released from the hospital. We will continue our conversation later, yes?”
I guided Deanna toward the door, acutely aware of my family watching us leave.