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Alesha reluctantly concedes to a paper marriage where she and Loukas will fulfill social obligations yet lead separate lives. But Loukas needs more…a wife who is doting in public. And the only way to make that arrangement appear authentic is if she's his willing bride in private…
Surprise didn't even begin to cut it.
What had Dimitri Karsouli been thinking in selling a twenty-five-per-cent share in the Karsouli Corporation to Loukas Andreou?
Worse…gifting Loukas a further twenty-five-per-cent share. Representing several hundred million dollars on today's market.
Subject to marriage.
The breath caught in her throat as realization hit. Dear heaven. Her father had bought her a husband?
It was beyond comprehension.
Yet she was all too aware how her father's mind worked; it didn't take much to do the maths.
A year ago Alesha's disastrous short-lived marriage had formally ended in divorce from a man who had professed to love her…only for her to discover to her cost that Seth Armitage's main goal had been a stake in her father's fortune and a free ride on the gravy train. It had devastated her and angered her father… more than she had known.
Dimitri, out of a sense of parental devotion, had clearly conspired to arrange what he perceived to be a fail-safe liaison for his daughter via marriage to a man who had his total approval. A man of integrity, trust, possessed of astute business nous, and a worthy companion.
Loukas Andreou, the inflexible omnipotent head of the Athens branch of the Andreou Corporation, whose financial interests included shipping and considerable ancillary assets worldwide.
Loukas, whose father Constantine had been Dimitri's lifelong friend and associate… a man whose powerful image sprang so readily to Alesha's mind, it was almost as if his presence became a tangible entity in the room.
In his late thirties, attractive, if one admired masculine warrior features, with the height, breadth of shoulder and facial bone structure that comprised angles and planes. Loukas had brilliant dark eyes and a mouth that promised much.
Sophisticated apparel did little to diminish an innate ruth-lessness resting beneath the surface of his control.
It was utterly devastating for Alesha to even begin to imagine what had possessed Dimitri to revise his will to include a clause stipulating his bequest of the remaining fifty-per-cent share in the Karsouli Corporation to his only child, Alesha Eleni Karsouli. This bequest was conditional on a marriage taking place to Loukas Andreou within a month of Dimitri's demise, thus ensuring a one-hundred-per-cent joint family ownership, thereby securing the corporation and ensuring it would continue into another generation.
'A court of law could rule the marriage stipulation as invalid,' Alesha voiced.
The lawyer regarded her thoughtfully. 'While there would be a degree of sympathy regarding that specific clause, your father's instructions were very clearly defined. I counselled him to reconsider, but he was adamant that clause should stand.'
Alesha stifled a startled curse beneath her breath.
Dimitri had known how much Karsouli meant to her, how she'd lived and breathed it for as long as she could remember. Absorbing every aspect, studying for degrees at university to ensure she acquired the relevant knowledge, the edge… aware the word nepotism didn't exist in her father's vocabulary.
He knew too the pride she'd taken in working her way from the ground up to her current position of authority.
It had been a foregone conclusion his only child would assume control upon Dimitri's demise.
And he had, Alesha conceded, gifted her that… with strings attached. Conditions aimed to protect Karsouli, and her. Especially her.
To attempt to force her into a marriage she didn't want was the ultimate manipulative act, and in that moment she could almost hate him for it.
Two days ago she'd weathered the funeral service at the chapel. Walked behind the hearse to the grave site. Stood in silent despair and grieved as the ritual played out.
Aware of Loukas Andreou's presence…imagining he'd flown in from Athens to attend Dimitri's funeral as a mark of respect. And totally unaware of any subterfuge.
She could walk away; ignore the marriage clause, resign from the Karsouli Corporation and seek a position in a rival firm.
Except she was a Karsouli, born and bred, legally reverting to her maiden name after her failed marriage. Hadn't her father groomed her to rise to her current position? Conditioning her to believe it didn't matter she was female; women in the twenty-first century held positions of power, and he'd given her no reason to suppose otherwise.
Dimitri Karsouli had ruled his life and his business interests with an iron fist in a velvet glove, earning him a corporation now worth a fortune.
His father before him had come from humble beginnings in Athens, and, fostering an idea presented to the right person at the right time, initiated the founding office in Athens of the Karsouli Corporation. Dimitri, his only son, had followed in hallowed footsteps, living and breathing the business and injecting it with new ideas, broadening its scope and extending it onto a global market.
Dimitri had married and moved to Sydney and had sought to have his own son continue, except his marriage had gifted him a daughter, born in difficult circumstances that had rendered his wife unable to produce another child.
A beloved daughter, Alesha, who had become her father's pride and joy, especially when she proved she'd inherited his business acumen and sharp mind.
Privately educated and exclusively schooled, Alesha had graduated from university with honours in a business degree, and had entered Karsouli in a lowly position, rising in the ranks through hard work and dedication.
Her one error in judgement had been to marry in haste, against her father's wishes, a man who, while playing a part to perfection during their brief courtship, had revealed his true persona within hours of leaving the wedding reception.
A painful time, when divorce and a handsome pay-out had been the only option. Especially so, as it was compounded by her mother's losing battle with a virulent form of cancer.
Alesha's adamant refusal to consider marriage at any future stage became a bone of contention between father and daughter. Now, by a conditional clause in his will, Dimitri was bent on manipulating her into matrimony with a man of whom he approved. A man of Greek descent. Someone who had his utmost trust…to take the reins of Karsouli and lead his daughter into the marriage bed.
Dimitri had to be smiling in his grave, assured Alesha would never concede to losing what she loved most in life… the family firm.
In that respect she'd inherited her father's genes. His bloodline was so strong, the desire to achieve, to succeed, to prove her worth beyond doubt, irrespective of gender.
'This…scheme has Loukas Andreou's approval?'
The lawyer spread his hands in a telling gesture. 'I understand he has indicated his consent.'
'It's outrageous,' Alesha uttered with considerable heat. 'Impossible,' she added for good measure. 'I don't want to marry anyone.'
Loukas Andreou had been welcomed into her parents' home on the few occasions he'd visited Sydney. She'd dined in his company, and met up with him in Athens on the occasional trip to Greece with her parents. Combining business with pleasure… or so she'd thought at the time.
Now, she wasn't so sure. Even then, had Dimitri sown the seeds of a possible future marriage?
Loukas Andreou. The man was a force to be reckoned with in the business arena… and the bedroom, if rumour had any basis in fact.
Old money. His great-grandfather, so the Andreou biographical details depicted on record revealed, had made his fortune in shipping. A fortune added to by each succeeding generation.
The Andreou consortium owned two Greek Islands, property, residences in most European cities, and there was the private cruiser, the Lear jet, the expensive cars… the women.
The media followed and tabled Loukas' every move, embellishing the smallest fact with gossip.
Tall, well-built frame, dark hair, ruggedly attractive facial features… he unsettled her. Almost as if he saw far more than she wanted anyone to see.
There were some secrets she'd buried so deep, no one would uncover them. Ever.
'How long has Loukas been aware of the contents of my father's will?'
'It's something you'll have to ask him.'
She would… at the first opportunity!
Alesha glimpsed the faint lift in the lawyer's brow.
'You have two clear options,' he cautioned quietly. 'Agree to the marriage…or disagree. I strongly advise you not to make a decision until you've spoken with Loukas Andreou.'
She stood and indicated the consultation had reached a conclusion. The lawyer accompanied her into the lobby and pressed the call button to summon a lift.
Alesha gritted her teeth together in a need to prevent the urge to scream as the lift transported her to ground. Why had her father conspired to do what he had?
Except she knew precisely why.
Hadn't Dimitri's own marriage to her mother been deemed a satisfactory liaison benefitting both families?
Love? If it happened, well and good. If it didn't, affection, family was enough to make a contented life.
Surprisingly, her parents had shared a good marriage. A little volatile at times, she reflected, remembering Dimitri's voice raised in anger over some relatively minor conflict with her mother. A woman who'd stood her own ground and given back as much in kind. Had they shared a grand passion? Perhaps. Great affection, certainly.
Alesha had wanted the grand passion, the love generated by two souls in perfect accord. She'd thought she'd found it with Seth Armitage…only to discover he'd very cleverly played a cruel game, and her marriage was nothing more than a travesty. One she escaped from almost as soon as the ink had dried on their marriage certificate.
Dimitri, to give him his due, hadn't vented with I told you so. He'd been supportive, caring.
Yet it hurt unbearably that behind the scenes he'd been co...
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Most Helpful Customer Reviews
12 of 12 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
A different kind of Harlequin,
By Danni (Philadelphia, PA) - See all my reviews
Amazon Verified Purchase(What's this?)
This review is from: The Andreou Marriage Arrangement (Harlequin Presents) (Kindle Edition)
This book was a wonderful romance. It wasn't about forced seduction, or marraige for children or punishment. It was about two people who agreed to marry for business, however, they were always nice, caring and civil to each other. From there we learn of the heroines past, and her reasons for her fear of emotional ties. The book is good because it shows the progression of their relationship from business, to civil, to friendship and eventually love. It was a beautiful ride, and the issues they delt with were done well, and not unrealistic. There was no huge misunderstanding, no, this book was focused on the emotional advancement of the relationship between Loukas and Alesha. It was a nice change to read about their relationship and to have a hero who was so wonderful and caring. He was never mean or hurtful. Loukas was patient and kind, and then loving. He was the kind of man all women want!! Alesha's fears are also done very realistically, and the way she, and then they deal with them were very touching. All in all I say this was a different and exceptional book from Helen Bianchin and Harlequin!
6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
"She wants her independence...he wants a good Greek wife!",
By Marilyn Shoemaker (Seattle, Washington) - See all my reviews
This review is from: The Andreou Marriage Arrangement (Harlequin Presents) (Mass Market Paperback)
Helen Bianchin has written the most amazing love story, very powerful, very intense and made me believe that love can survive all in The Andreaou Marriage Arrangement.Alesha Karsouli had lost so much, her father and had been married for a brief . to a horrible and abusive man, a man she thought she loved and could trust. A man who was only into the marriage for what he could get, money. In order to end her marriage, she had to call her father and tell him of the abuse and he paid off her husband. And now that father who she loved and adored had passed away and had left some of his company to his best friends son, Loukas Andreou, a man with an impeccable business reputation and and quite the ladies man. A Greek rich and handsome man she in her youth had admired from afar. And now she was being forced into a marriage of convenience with Loukas. Alesha was hurt by her father's desire to see her married to Loukas plus the fact that she would have to share the helm of running the company with him. Loukas Andreou was a handsome and successful business man and one could only assume while reading this beautifully crafted love story that he actually was looking forward to his marriage to Alesha. He had always found her attractive, smart and after his meeting with her, I believe she challenged him in and out of the boardroom and the bedroom as well. He certainly realized after they were married that he wanted her and was looking forward to having her in his bed. What he didn't count on was her past and how very afraid she was of being intimate and then with horror, he realized that she had been abused by someone and then it dawn on him, her husband. They got off to a rocky start, but with Loukas patience and tenderness their marriage blossomed, or should I say Alesha opened up to him like a beautiful flower. They went on to Greece for business and see his family and as I read this magical love story, I absolutely couldn't put it down. Reading about their love growing, their mutual respect for each other and how they both came to realize how much they loved each other and wanted a family together was absolutely magical!
5 of 6 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Intensity mixed with gentleness,
By
This review is from: The Andreou Marriage Arrangement (Harlequin Presents) (Mass Market Paperback)
At the risk of sounding like a broken record on the selections I've read this month... this was a great book. It had all the elements of a dramatic Presents novel: emotional conflict in the heroine who escaped a harrowing marriage and is still recovering; great hero who is strong, compelling and yet a very gentle man; good storyline and settings; and two people who engage the reader from start to finish. I really enjoyed the relationship equality between these two characters. Both were very accomplished and intelligent people, in their own right. Both brought qualities to the relationship the other lacked.Loukas's reaction to Alesha's past mistreatment was presented wonderfully; in such a situation, you couldn't have imagined a more gentle man. Watching her grow to trust him -- and herself -- was heartwarming. And, let's face it, few other people can evoke the imagery of a simple, sweet kiss like Helen Bianchin can. That touch is great, when it's called for, and balances with the right moments to give passion a free rein, so to speak. This story has some traditional Presents themes in that the main characters are joined in an arranged, business-like marriage. Their progression to more than that seems very natural, however, simply because they had known each other and their fathers had been friends. There wasn't any of the coercion and angst that usually comes with such a plot, which allowed the author to focus her attention on the two of them rather than taking up time getting them past some great deep-seated animosity.
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