Chapter 27 #2
“That’s the reason I came to New York. My father has always been trying to get me to be a part of his business for years, but I didn’t want to have anything to do with it.
But I was so ashamed of what I had done to her that I came here,” Nikos said, shaking his head as he laughed.
“What’s worse is that my biggest regret about sleeping with Rheagan isn’t how it hurt Raelyn.
It’s that Rheagan won’t leave me alone now. ”
Sometimes, he felt like he was dealing with a stalker. No matter what he did or said, he couldn’t shake Rheagan, and unfortunately, even after all the harsh things he said, he had a feeling he would see her again. She was like a leech on his skin that he couldn’t shake off.
“Because I felt guilty about everything that happened, I’ve been trying to provide for her because Raelyn cut off all ties with her after what happened.
But to be honest, Rheagan’s a brat. All she does is spend the money I give her frivolously.
She followed me to the club, and she won’t take control of her life,” Nikos said.
He had been trying to make up for his mistake by taking care of Rheagan.
He wanted to give her the push she needed to continue in life even without her sister’s help.
But Rheagan thought he was a piggybank, and she kept coming around just to ask him for money.
Of course, he had the money, but he had no plans to take care of Rheagan for the rest of her life.
She was an adult, and she had to learn how to take care of herself like every adult in the world.
Otherwise, how would she ever survive in the world?
She was light years different than her sister, who was a natural survivor.
It perplexed him how different they were despite being raised in the same home by the same people.
“It’s karma. You probably deserve it,” Honey said as she sipped her wine.
“Aren’t you supposed to be comforting me?” Nikos asked, amused.
“You didn’t ask for comfort, and even if you had, I wouldn’t give it to you,” Honey said plainly.
“I don’t know the entire story, but you shouldn’t have created a connection with Rheagan just to get back at her sister, even out of revenge, because though you might have hurt Raelyn, you got stuck with Rheagan in turn. ”
“So that means I should continue to take care of Rheagan?” Nikos asked, wanting to hear Honey’s perspective. Maybe he was being too harsh on Rheagan and hadn’t realized it.
Honey shrugged.
“I’m not saying that,” Honey said. “But if Rheagan was bold enough to do something like that to lose her sister over a man, then she needs to learn how to fend for herself in this world because, with a mindset like that, she won’t have anyone.”
If Rheagan heard those words herself, she would probably pitch a fit. But it was something that she needed to hear, and even he needed to hear it too. Honey looked at him curiously, and Nikos wondered what was on her mind.
“Do you still love her? Raelyn?” Honey asked. It was a question that was always on his mind too.
“To be honest, I don’t even know if I ever loved Raelyn,” Nikos admitted.
It felt like he had been living in a fog during his relationship with Raelyn, but now that he was out of the fog, he could see things more clearly now. He had definitely been fond of Raelyn and cared for her, and he still did, but he wasn’t sure if he had loved her.
“Just a few days ago, my brother told me that she’s getting married to Leonidas, the one who had sent her to seduce me.”
“What?” Honey exclaimed, looking baffled. And Nikos could not blame her. He had a feeling that everyone was confused by Raelyn’s relationship with Leonidas, even Raelyn herself.
“I was just as shocked as you, but I didn’t feel the kind of pain or heartbreak that I thought I would feel,” Nikos said.
“I felt close with her, a special kinship because she was someone who understood what it was like to be forced to be someone that you aren’t, but when I saw her doing all those things that I hated while growing up and actually enjoying it, those feelings I had for her just disappeared like that. ”
All of his life, he hated the things his father and brothers did.
He never wanted to be a part of that lifestyle and hated it when his father tried to force it on him.
So when he realized Raelyn was a part of that lifestyle, not because Leonidas forced her to be or because of the circumstance, but because she truly enjoyed it, he couldn’t look past it. It changed how he felt about her.
Ever since the beginning, Leonidas would tell him that his relationship with Raelyn wouldn’t last because he wouldn’t be able to love her for who she truly was.
At the time, he thought Leonidas had been playing mind games with him to break his relationship with Raelyn, but now, looking back on it, Nikos realized that from the very beginning, Leonidas saw Raelyn for who she truly was, knew her flaws, and could accept all of that.
But unfortunately, Nikos couldn’t.
“The dreams I had for our future, I can’t even imagine them anymore,” Nikos admitted. “Everyone has a line that can’t be crossed, and when I had sex with Rheagan, I knew I would never be able to be with Raelyn again because I knew she wouldn’t forgive me.”
That night, he had used his ultimate card against Raelyn, hurting her in the worst possible way.
“You want to know what’s funny, though?” Nikos said, laughing as he thought about the irony of it all. Honey said nothing but continued to watch him. “I’m doing the same things I judged Raelyn for, and I’m actually good at it, and sometimes, I even like it.”
He remembered the things that he said to Raelyn, how he would judge her for the things she had been doing at the casino, the shady business practices with the Albanians and the Petrakis family, and the corrupt ministers who would visit her casino.
But now, he was doing the same thing, and he couldn’t just say he was doing it because his father forced him to.
“I have more power than ever before. People respect my name, and I run my uncle’s group,” Nikos said.
A few years ago, he could have never imagined himself saying these things.
But now he was. “Now I feel like shit for judging Raelyn for not wanting to let go of everything she had built and the power she had. It’s powerful and feels like a drug, and now, I’m no different from my father. Hell, I’m no different from Anto-”
“Stop,” Honey said, and Nikos looked at her surprised. “You’re no Antonis. I’ve met powerful men before, but you aren’t like them.”
Nikos could only stare at her because he hadn’t expected her to say something like that to him. Surprisingly, it made him feel good that she saw him that way because he didn’t want to be like those men and had been trying his hardest not to let power get to his head.
“You don’t hurt people for pleasure and exert power over them to feed your own ego, which is why everyone at the club loves you,” she said, and Nikos found himself staring into her brown eyes.
“I do it for my loved ones,” Nikos said, remembering the words Honey had told him, remembering what had given him the strength to do what he was doing now.
It seemed that Honey remembered the same because she looked at him with surprise.
But he didn’t know why. He remembered everything Honey had ever told him, down to the first words she said to him when they first met.
“I need to let go of it all soon, though,” Nikos said. “My place is in the sky.”
He wouldn’t stay in this position forever. No matter how alluring it could be, this was not his destiny. Eventually, he would return to his place in the sky, and if his uncle were lucky, he would return to the land of the living and reclaim his power.
“I can’t believe you didn’t believe I was a pilot,” Nikos said absentmindedly, and Honey sighed, exasperated.
“No wonder you took revenge. You’re definitely a petty person if you even keep holding on to stuff like this,” Honey said, and Nikos smirked.
“One of these days, I’m going to take you on a personal flight,” Nikos said as he grabbed her hand and kissed it. Honey stared into his eyes, and he stared into hers. The spell cast earlier almost felt like it was returning to the room again, but then Honey pulled her hand back.
“I’m going back home now so I can have everything ready for tomorrow,” she said as she stood. Nikos nodded and helped her take all the dessert boxes downstairs and put them in her car. Before she could get in her car, though, he stopped her.
“I hope you don’t stop talking to me now,” Nikos said, still worried their relationship would change because of what happened earlier.
He liked Honey and didn’t want to lose her company.
Honey stared into his eyes momentarily, and Nikos wondered what she was thinking, but he didn’t have to wonder for long because she gave him a reply.
“Lucky for you, I need the money,” she said, and Nikos smiled because he knew it couldn’t only be that. If Honey really were disgusted by him, even a million dollars wouldn’t get her to stay around him. She would have been with his uncle by now if that were the case.
“See you tomorrow,” Honey said as she got into her car. As Honey started her ignition, a thought came to him.
“Are you available for Sunday dinner?” Nikos asked.
Honey lifted a brow, and Nikos smirked.