Excerpt of "The Heiress of Santorini" - Chapter One, Part Three

Alexandra let out a deep breath and glanced out the window. The city down below seemed so beautiful and peaceful, but she knew it wasn’t that way at all. A lot of ugliness and violence hid down there, and John had to deal with it every day.Her thoughts flew back to her father once more. He used to come home every night with that distant expression on his face, as if he’d been on another planet. Sometimes, he would hardly say a word. He would just kiss her on the forehead and sit in front of the TV, speechless and lost in his thoughts. And then, the phone would ring in the middle of the night, and he would have to go out there, again.“Alex?” John’s voice brought her back from her trip down memory lane. “Are you there?”“Yes, I’m here.”“I’m so sorry… I know you were looking forward to this.”“Oh! Don’t be silly!” she reassured him, feeling a hollow in her stomach. “I understand. Besides, I have a lot of work to do. Only this morning, I was assigned an important account by the Big Guy himself.”“Really?” John sounded excited. “You have to tell me all about it tonight.”“I will,” Alexandra promised, trying to sound excited, too.“Sorry, honey, but I have to go now,” John said. “And, by the way, charge your cell. The battery must be dead, again,” he added and hung up abruptly.Duty calls, Alexandra thought bitterly. Just like her father! Well, that’s the life of a policeman and I, of all people, should understand that.As soon as she hung up the phone with John, she checked her cell phone. He knows me too well, she realized, smiling. She plugged it in to charge and then picked up the receiver to call Holly.“Yes?” her assistant’s lively voice answered the intercom.“Do we have a file for Imperial Resorts Corporation?” Alexandra inquired.Holly was silent for a moment, probably thinking.“No,” she said, finally. “I don’t believe we do.”“Well, call Headquarters and request a copy of that file,” Alexandra said and hung up the phone.I have a lot of work to do, she thought frustrated. The deal had to be big for Mr. Hughes to call her himself. It seemed like a once in a lifetime opportunity… and it was assigned to her.Alexandra spent the rest of the day reviewing all the projects she had going at the time. She wanted to make sure everything was under control so she could give one hundred percent to this new assignment. A client like this, with dozens of luxury resorts around the world and thousands of employees, was a big deal. She had to exceed her personal best. The president required her to do everything in her power to acquire the account, even if she had to travel to New York, where Imperial Resorts Corporation’s main offices were.***The sun was setting when Holly knocked on Alexandra’s door. “It’s almost seven o’clock,” she said.Alexandra glanced at her watch and rubbed her stiff neck. “What are you still doing here? You should have left hours ago.”“Well, I had a lot of work to do. Besides, I thought you might need some help.”“No, I’m fine,” Alexandra replied. “Go home!”“Are you sure?” Holly hesitated for a moment.“Yes, I’m sure,” Alexandra reassured her and stretched out her arms while straightening her back; she felt rigid from sitting in that same position for so long.“Is John picking you up?” Holly inquired, trying to sound indifferent.Alexandra smiled, as she was well aware of how fond her sassy assistant, with the blazing red hair and the huge green eyes, was of John. She’d seen the look in Holly’s eyes every time John came by the office. It amazed her how this girl, who had broken lots of hearts since she had come to this office, would lose her calm and act like a shy, little girl whenever John was around. And the feelings were mutual. Alexandra was sure of that, though John wouldn’t admit it. She had seen how the tough, handsome detective stared at Holly every time he dropped by their office.“No, John isn’t picking me up,” Alexandra replied and almost felt sorry for Holly, seeing the disappointed expression on her face.John needed a sweet girl, who would brighten his life and make him forget all the ugliness he had to face every day. And she believed Holly could be that girl. But Alexandra had to let things take their course. She loved John so much; he’d been there for her as a brother all these years. However, he was a person who valued his privacy immensely and would never allow anyone to interfere with his love life.“Well,” Holly said. “If you’re sure you don’t need anything, I’ll see you tomorrow.”“Take care,” Alexandra replied. “Try to stay out of trouble.”“Oh, well!” Holly smiled. “How am I going to have any fun then?” She laughed and closed the door behind her.As soon as Holly left, Alexandra stood up to stretch her legs. I need to go, too, she thought. John is going to get there before I do. Not that this was a problem, since he had keys to her apartment.With a pair of scissors, Alexandra cut the article out of the newspaper. She slipped it into her purse, and the rest of the newspaper landed in recycling. She turned off her desk lamp and headed for the door, grabbing her jacket and purse along the way. No other light shone in any of the offices. I’m probably the only one left in the building, she realized, feeling a shiver caress her spine. Though sometimes it couldn’t be helped, she never liked being in the huge building alone.On that thought, she increased her pace as she made a direct line towards the elevator doors. Her heart thundered in her chest while she waited for them to open. Don’t be silly, she reprimanded herself. There’s nothing to worry about. You’ve been watching too many scary movies. But she couldn’t help being anxious. It’s probably that stupid article. It dug up long-buried memories she wished to forget.

I’ll be posting a new section every Friday. The novel will be published soon by Booktrope.