Chapter 7 Bonnie Dimou

• Bonnie Dimou
• I stormed out of his office, fuming with rage.
• "Disgusting old man, idiot, corrupt bastard, jerk, moron..."
• I cursed him with every name I could think of until I finally began to calm down. Instead of going back to my office, I headed to the break room and made some chamomile tea. I’m not really a tea drinker, but I was way too stressed, and if I had to see that old man one more time today, I’d throw the first thing I could grab right at him.
• It didn’t take long before I sensed someone had entered the kitchen. I stayed there in silence, trying to control the anger bubbling inside me.
• "For Bonnie to be drinking tea, it must’ve been rough in there."
• I heard Eugene’s voice and sighed in relief, knowing it was one of my friends joining me at that moment.
• "Rumor has it you declared war on Mr. Pappas." My eyes widened at the news.
• "Of course not..." I began to tell him what had really happened in the office.
• "He called me stupid, Eugene. Just because I don’t believe I should use marriage to climb the ladder." I took a sip of the tea that had cooled in front of me. "If I have to get married to sit in that chair, then it’s never going to happen."
• My friend nodded, and I could see from his expression that he was truly focused on what I was saying.
• "He’s been letting everything fall apart. I’m sure if you were in his place, the museum wouldn’t be in this situation!"
• I was certain the other employees had no idea what kind of mess the museum was actually in.
• "My opinion about Pappas? Either he’s incredibly stupid, or he’s doing things he shouldn’t be doing."
• "So that’s why the museum reached the point of having to auction off such extremely valuable pieces?"
• I nodded and decided not to mention the possibility of having to shut down the Egyptian wing. We were still sitting in the break room when Silvia walked in saying that my father had called and asked me to stop by the company to look over some documents.
• "He also arrived, the owner of the private collection. Will you need me to help catalog the pieces he brought?"
• I shook my head and took another sip of tea.
• "Thank you, Silvia, I’ll handle the cataloging... I think Mr. Marius will enjoy chatting a bit."
• "I’ll be up in a few minutes, I just need to finish this tea and calm down a bit. Let them know to wait for me."
• She nodded, and a mischievous smile formed on her lips as she fanned herself with her hand, pretending to cool off. That caught my attention. Maitê’s husband did have a certain charm, but it wasn’t the kind that made people react like that.
• "I need to see who this handsome stranger is!" Eugene chimed in.
• "Alright, I’ll take him to the meeting room and lay out the pieces on the table so you can get a better look." I thanked her for the help and kept wondering what had caused that reaction.
• "Thanks for helping me, Silvia. I’ll be up shortly." She left, and I turned back to Eugene.
• "Bonnie, is the situation really that bad?" he asked me.
• He’s a young man, very friendly. A blond guy a little taller than me, I'm 5’6". He’s fit, but what most people don’t know is that he isn’t attracted to women, only to men.
• Unfortunately, he still hasn’t come out to anyone. I realized it the day we went out for drinks, and when he got too drunk, he started dancing with another man, and suddenly, they were making out like crazy.
• He told me it had been his first real romantic experience, and that he’d really enjoyed it, unlike when he had been with a woman, for whom he hadn’t felt a single ounce of attraction.
• I feel sad for my friend and hope he finds someone to love, and to be loved back.
• "It is, Eugene. We might lose the entire Egyptian exhibit wing." I spoke, trusting him completely.
• I saw the shock on his face but decided to end the conversation right there.
• "I have to go, Eugene. Please don’t tell anyone what we just talked about."
• "Don’t worry. My lips are sealed."
• I left the break room and headed to the room where Mr. Spanos was. It was time to catalog the pieces and try to save our jobs.
• I stopped by my office, grabbed a few things I needed, and quickly freshened up. I retouched my makeup and smoothed out the fabric of my skirt. I smiled when I saw my red curls looking beautifully defined.
• Ready to get to work, I walked into the meeting room with a big smile when I spotted Marius Spanos, who greeted me with a genuine smile of his own. I noticed there were two other men standing at the far side of the room, talking while admiring the view.
• "Good afternoon, everyone. Sorry for the delay, I had an unexpected matter to handle." I greeted them all, trying to be as pleasant as possible after the anger I felt toward my boss.
• I approached and greeted the other two men, and one of them, the more handsome one, was looking at me in a different way, but I didn’t pay much attention to it. I walked up to Mr. Marius and gave him a hug.
• "Come on, darling, you’re never late. We’re the ones who arrived early," Marius said as I stepped closer to him.
• "Ever the charmer, aren’t you, Mr. Marius? At the next tea my mother invites me to, I’ll be sure to mention that to your Maitê." He kissed my cheek, and I kept looking at him. "And how’s the family? Were you able to get your son in line..." I smiled at him and saw him glance toward the two men by the window.
• I widened my eyes, embarrassed for not recognizing his son. God, today seems to be the day fate decided to let me mess up.
• "I believe I’ve straightened out, yes, Miss Dimou." Alex extended his hand to greet me. "Pleasure to meet you. I’m Alex Spanos."
• He gave me a small smirk, and only now did I realize how incredibly handsome he was. Not to mention he was at least two meters tall, with a delicious scent that triggered strange, unfamiliar sensations in my body.
• Now I understand why Silvia fanned herself, I'm starting to feel the same heat. But in a very different place.
• I reached out my hand to greet him, but he took it and kissed it, his beautiful blue eyes locked onto mine. I felt my cheeks flush at the tension in the air. My breath caught, and a smile beside me broke the moment.
• "Sorry for the awkwardness. I’ve known your father since I was a little girl and barely remember you, and let’s be honest, your parents always mentioned how much trouble you caused."
• Mr. Marius burst into laughter, joined by the man who had been standing with them.
• "I can see you don’t hold back when you speak. I believe I’ll enjoy working with you very much, Miss," Alex said, looking me straight in the eyes.
• I realized his words carried a double meaning, which made me even more self-conscious. And of course, I noticed Mr. Marius observing our interaction very closely.
• "Shall we get started?" I asked, looking around. Everyone nodded in agreement.
• We proceeded with our meeting. Silvia came to inform me once again that my father had called, asking me not to forget to stop by his office, which was strange. He’s never been the type to insist like that, so something was definitely going on.
• "Silvia, if he calls again, tell him I’m in a meeting with Mr. Spanos and that he should take the documents home, I’ll stop by later."
• We watched as she began to leave the room, but the little sneak discreetly turned back to take one more look at the man standing beside me, who was talking about the estimated value of the piece they brought. I tried not to laugh at my assistant’s behavior and returned my focus to the table.
• I apologized and noticed Mr. Marius on the phone, speaking with someone. I ignored it and continued presenting each piece and its historical background.
• Still, I couldn’t help but notice that Alex was ignoring most of what I was saying and keeping his eyes fixed on me. He watched me so intently that it made me lose focus. He moved around the room as I did, as if we were magnets trying to connect.
• I also noticed that his father and the other man, whom I later discovered was their lawyer, watched everything in silence, as if witnessing something far more interesting than what they had actually come here for.
• And apparently, Alex’s interest was indeed far more captivating than the business at hand.