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

that,” Zoey replied, and she believed it, but for a split second she couldn’t help thinking of Blake, the man who had forgotten her.
     
    At that moment, something on television caught their attention: one of the reporters had said Stelios’ name.
     
    Turning to the screen, they saw Dawn Gibbons, host of the news show America This Morning. Beside her, looking dapper as always, was Stelios himself. They were standing outside of 10 Rockefeller Plaza, and barricades stood in front of them to keep the audience in check.
     
    When the noise from the crowd died down, Dawn began her interview.
     
    “Good morning, Mr. Zakiridis. It’s a pleasure to have you on the program.”
     
    “It’s my pleasure to be here, Dawn, and please, call me Stelios.”
     
    “All right, Stelios, as I’m sure everyone knows, you’ve built a real estate empire in the last eight years. Talk about the challenges involved in maintaining something that massive, especially in a city like this one.”
     
    “Sure. It really comes down to authenticity and devotion. You have to be motivated to keep on task at all times. You need to develop a rapport with each of your clients, and that requires a great deal of effort. When I bought Xenia, my biggest challenge was convincing the officials I could turn it into something more than an eyesore. But we worked together, and the results speak for themselves.”
     
    “That’s fascinating,” Dawn said. “Speaking of Xenia, rumor has it you were there with Miss Zoey Forde a few days ago, which brings me to…”
     
    “A clever segue,” Stelios finished with a smile.
     
    The audience laughed, and Dawn joined in.
     
    “Yes, well, we had to talk about it at some point or my producers would kill me. So talk to me about the lawsuit you filed yesterday against Melinda Forde Singles.”
     
    “Well, Dawn, the first thing I want to say about the Melinda Forde lawsuit is that it was filed en error.”
     
    “In error?”
     
    “In error. The suit will be formerly withdrawn by this afternoon, and I urge Ms. Forde to disregard any notices she might have received.”
     
    “What did he say?” Melinda gasped, looking as stunned as Dawn Gibbons. Unlike the reporter, she was making no effort to hide it.
     
    “I told you,” Zoey chimed in, almost whispering. “I told you Stelios was different.”
     
    Melinda barely heard her. She was still trying to process the fact that she had been spared a fight that, deep down, she knew she couldn’t have won.
     
    “Would you mind telling our viewers what brought about such a change?” Dawn asked, sounding a little nettled—her exclusive interview was evidently going to be worth a lot less without the juicy lawsuit she had been promised.
     
    “To be honest, Dawn, as corny as it will sound, what changed my mind about the lawsuit was love. You see, the billboards were right about one thing: I am in love with Zoey Forde. It occurred to me, later than it probably should have, that I couldn’t do something as heartless as suing her mother.”
     
    The audience met this pronouncement with vehement cheering. Zoey was completely overwhelmed with emotion. She was stuck somewhere between leaping for joy and bursting into fresh tears. Her heart raced, her cheeks blushed, and her head felt light enough to float away. Stelios, a person she knew to be private and introspective, had pronounced his love for her, and on national television. She tried to slow her breathing to get her heartbeat under control.
     
    Beside her, Melinda was staring at the screen in open-mouthed shock. It was obvious she couldn’t believe what she had just heard, and she had to struggle for nearly half a minute to make her lips form words.
     
    “I’m so, so sorry, honey,” she said at last, embracing her daughter again. “About the ads, the way I’ve been treating you…everything. As soon as I can get myself together, I’ll call the advertising people and have them shut down the