Chapter4: The Rival Arrives
1356 Words
Athena hardly had time to catch her breath after walking away from Nikolas when a strong, familiar arm wrapped around her waist.
“And here I was thinking you were avoiding me, kardiá mou,” a smooth deep voice whispered.
She turned, already knowing who it was.
Andreas Leventis.
Dressed in a well fitted navy suit and his usual smirk, Andreas showed the easy charm that made him one of Greece’s most sought after bachelors. He was a mix of wealth, power and style. He is everything that Nikolas is but unlike Nikolas, he was warm and approachable.
Athena forced a relieved smile, grateful for his presence.
“Andreas,” she greeted, tilting her head. “You finally decided to make an appearance.”
“I would not dare to miss the chance to take you away from your admirers,” he joked, his blue eyes flicking to Nikolas, who was still across the room.
Ah. So he had noticed.
Athena’s fingers brushed over Andreas’ lapel, her smile deepening.
“Stealing me away?” she mused. “That sounds dangerous.”
Andreas leaned in, his lips just a breath away from her ear. “With you? It always is.”
She laughed, deliberately ignoring the fire she could feel from across the room.
Nikolas was watching.
And not just watching. Burning.
She could feel his eyes like a hot mark on her skin.
And she loved it.
Andreas straightened, his gaze lingering on her. “Dance with me.”
She arched a brow. “Are you asking or telling?”
His smirk widened. “Neither. I am only claiming what is already mine.”
Before she could say anything, he took her hand and dragged her to the dance floor.
Nikolas watched as Athena relaxed in Andreas’ arms, allowing him to hold her. His jaw clenched as he watched unable to avert his eyes.
He noticed how she threw her head back when she laughed and how Andreas’ hand was on her waist. That action infuriated him.
He had always disliked the man. No scrap that…hated the man.
He hated how Andreas stayed too close like he was just waiting for him to make a mistake so he could swoop in like an hero.
And now?
Nikolas had never wanted to destroy him more.
He took his whiskey, taking a gulp, hardly noticing the sting. His grip on the glass tightened.
Athena wanted a game?
Fine.
He was about to remind her exactly who he was.
Athena's heart raced as Andreas spun her around, his grip was firm but gentle.
“You are playing a dangerous game,” he murmured, his lips barely moving.
Athena arched a brow. “I do not know what you mean.”
Andreas let out a quiet chuckle. “I saw the way Nikolas looked at you. He doesn’t lose. And he sure as hell doesn’t share.”
She tilted her head. “And what if I don’t belong to him anymore?”
Andreas’ hold tightened ever so slightly. “Then prove it.”
Athena barely had time to process his words before he dipped her backward, his face inches from hers.
From across the room, Nikolas saw red.
The way Andreas held her. The way Athena wasn’t pushing him away.
Something dark snapped inside him.
Before he even realized what he was doing, he set his glass down with force alarming those near him and he had crossed the ballroom.
Athena couldn’t react as Nikolas was now reached them.
He grabbed her wrist with a little force, yanking her away from Andreas.
Her breath hitched.
Andreas frowned, but his expression remained calm. “Something wrong, Drakos?”
Nikolas didn’t look at him.
His rage-filled gaze was locked onto Athena.
“That is enough,” he said, voice low and deadly.
Athena smirked, despite the shivers running down her spine. “Enough of what?”
Nikolas stepped closer, his voice a whisper of fury.
“Enough of this game.”
Andreas took a step forward, his hands slipping into his pockets, his tone deceptively light.
“Athena is free to dance with whoever she pleases,” he said smoothly. “Unless, of course, you think you still have a say in her life?”
Nikolas’ jaw tightened. “Stay out of this, Leventis.”
Andreas shrugged. “Oh, but I cannot. You see, Athena and I—”
His blue eyes looked at her with amusement.
“—we have an understanding.”
Nikolas’ muscles coiled tight.
Athena knew that look.
Knew that if she didn’t diffuse this, Nikolas was going to start a war.
So, she did the only thing she could.
Intentionally, she turned to Andreas slowly, running her fingers down his adam apple.
Andreas gulped.
And then, she lifted herself onto her toes and kissed him.
It was meant to be just a kiss.
A simple act of defiance.
But the moment her lips met Andreas’, she felt the air crackle with tension.
The entire ballroom seemed to freeze.
And then—
Glass shattered.
Athena jumped, her lips parting from Andreas' as she turned to see what the chaos is about.
Nikolas’ whiskey glass lay in pieces on the floor, the liquid spreading in a dark pool.
But it wasn’t the broken glass that made her pulse skyrocket.
It was the look in Nikolas’ eyes.
A storm of fury and possession.
A silent, deadly promise.
Athena’s breath caught.
For the first time since returning, she wondered—
Had she just gone too far?
Nikolas didn’t say a word.
Didn’t lash out. Didn’t demand an explanation.
He simply stared at Athena, his green eyes burning with something she couldn’t quite name.
Then—he turned and walked away.
Athena’s smirk faltered.
She had expected him to be furious. Had expected a reaction.
But this?
This was worse.
Her stomach twisted as she watched Nikolas stride through the ballroom, his movements precise, controlled.
Too controlled.
And that’s when she realized—
He wasn’t walking away. He was plotting.
Nikolas Drakos was many things. Cold. Calculated. Dangerous.
But he was never the man who walked away without a plan.
And tonight?
She had just given him every reason to retaliate.
Athena exhaled slowly, turning back to Andreas, who was watching her with mild amusement.
“That,” he said slowly, tilting his glass toward Nikolas’ retreating figure, “was either the smartest or the dumbest thing you’ve ever done.”
Athena forced a smile. “I’m not worried.”
Andreas chuckled. “Then you should be.”
Her pulse skipped.
She shook off the uneasy feeling and reached for a drink from a passing waiter.
Whatever Nikolas was planning, she could handle it.
Or at least, that’s what she told herself.
Because deep down, she knew—
Nikolas wasn’t going to let this slide.
And when he came for her?
He wouldn’t be gentle.
Athena knew that about him. Nikolas didn’t forgive. He didn’t forget. And he sure as hell didn’t lose.
Her fingers tightened around the delicate glass flute in her hand as she tried to push away the uneasy feeling settling in her chest.
She had wanted to get under his skin. Had wanted to remind him that he no longer held power over her.
And yet, as she watched him disappear through the ballroom doors without so much as a backward glance, a small, unsettling thought crept into her mind.
Had she underestimated him?
Andreas exhaled beside her, swirling the whiskey in his glass.
“You should prepare yourself, kardiá mou,” he murmured, watching her carefully.
Athena arched a brow, forcing a light chuckle. “For what?”
Andreas smirked, but there was no humor in his eyes.
“For whatever he does next,” he said simply. “Because trust me, Nikolas Drakos isn’t the kind of man who walks away. He’s the kind who strikes when you least expect it.”
Athena’s pulse quickened.
She hated that Andreas was right.
Because deep down, she already knew—
Nikolas wasn’t done with her. Not even close.
And this war between them?
It was just getting started.
- Writer
