Free The Greek Billionaire's Marriage Matchmaker by Holly Rayner Page A

on top of that, you have no case.”
     
    “Whose side are you on, Zoey? Your own mother’s or some guy you met a few days ago? The advertising is accurate, and he’s a public figure. Paparazzi snap pictures of people and sell them all the time. Tabloids use those pictures for stories that usually aren’t even true. None of those people have been stopped from profiting from a person’s image without their permission. All I’ve really done here is report a fact. Stelios can’t shut me down for that. I’m not hurting anyone.”
     
    “You’re hurting me!” Zoey shot back, beginning to feel exasperated. “I can’t be with the man I want because there’s no way I can abandon you.”
     
    “Zoey, you only think…”
     
    “No, Mom, I know. And if you were there, you would know it, too. He’s a gentle and thoughtful person, and it’s obvious that he cares a great deal for me.”
     
    “Because he took you to dinner? Anyone can do that, Zoey.”
     
    “He didn’t just take me to dinner. He shut down his restaurant so he could make it himself.”
     
    “Now that’s just bullshit. I’ve met this man, and men like him don’t cook. Their personal chefs do. They tell naïve young women that they slaved over a hot stove or some nonsense before they show up, but…”
     
    “He was in the kitchen when I got there. He’d burned the meal he was making because he was nervous. We had to work together to fix it, and while we were doing that, we talked about his family, and our lives, and about the future. That man is alone in the world. Sure, he’s got a fortune, and a lot of people who follow him around because of it, but all he really wants is someone…”
     
    “Who loves him for who he really is? You bought that drivel? Why, your father…” At that, Melinda abruptly fell silent. Her face tightened, her lips pursed, and her eyelids squeezed shut. For a moment, she quivered badly, but by degrees, seemed to rein in her emotions. “Men lie,” she breathed quietly. “They seem sincere, and under the moonlight, or in a cozy room in front of a fire, it may be hard to remember that, but I know it now, and I’m trying to tell you before it gets to be too late. I don’t want anyone to hurt you that way.”
     
    Zoey slowly moved to her mother’s side and embraced her, hugging her tightly. Melinda would never have acknowledged it, but Zoey could feel hot tears staining her blouse. They stayed that way for a while, each woman silently venting her soul.
     
    Eventually, Zoey let her mother go, and with tears in her eyes, she found her voice. “I know Dad hurt you, Mom. He hurt me, too. It was inhuman, the way he treated you. He never showed any remorse. He never tried to work anything out. He just cast us aside, took everything, and walked away. Believe me, Mom. I know it hurts, but you can’t let that man do this to you. You used to be so loving and full of hope. You used to believe in two people bringing each other happiness. I told Stelios about all the times you made me happy as a child. Like the time we made those brownies…”
     
    “You remember that?” Melinda interrupted, clearly surprised. She let a small laugh escape her.
     
    “I do,” Zoey nodded quietly. “I wouldn’t let you help me, even though the batter was too tough to stir. You kept cheering me on.”
     
    “Keep it up, Zoey!” she smiled. “You can do it!”
     
    “I miss the days when you used to be that happy. I’ve seen his eyes, Mom, and it’s no joke. He really likes me. I hate Dad for taking that feeling away from you. Please don’t take it away from me.”
     
    Zoey was openly crying now, and Melinda drew her daughter close.
     
    “I want to believe. I really do. I just can’t Zoey. I’ve heard too many lies. I know that if I surrender, if I give in, he’s eventually going to leave you for someone else. Men really only use us for sport. I know that, Zoey, and deep down you do, too.”
     
    “But Stelios isn’t like