A Compromise Before Christmas

Chapter 3

Nikolaos had been thinking about his current situation since the moment he was told about it till 7 in the morning when the sun began to rise; but all he had to show for it was a nasty migraine.

Adonis and Aunt Elena made it sound so easy to "do something" but no matter how hard he tried to think about it, there was nothing he could do. If grandmother Corinna had already made up her mind to leave him out of her will what could he do to stop her?

As he had come to no resolution after hours of thought, Nikolaos finally stood up from the sofa and stretched his entire body. Sitting around wasn't going to get him any closer to finding a way to get back into his family's wealth; it did the opposite: waste more time.

Since it was morning already, Nikolaos could not go back to sleep, but it wasn't like he'd be able to anyway. The next best thing was to have a nice long shower and enjoy some breakfast at the hotel; for all he knew, it could be his last time enjoying such privileges.

Stripping off his clothes from the day before, he hopped into the shower and let the hot and steaming water wash away all his troubles; but only for a while. A hot shower was exactly what Nikolaos needed to keep his brain going; his thoughts stopped making sense because he was stagnant; now that he was upstanding, the flow resumed.

The first thing that needed to be done was to come to terms with the situation. Nikolaos had to come to terms with the fact that his grandmother could possibly leave him out of her will; no matter how much it hurt. The second thing was to think of a way to stop it from happening; just because he accepted the possibility did not mean he had to allow it to happen.

The sudden thought of calling his grandmother and asking her directly was an idea Nikolaos did not want to entertain; if he was going to do anything, it had to be cunning and unpredictable, but he needed some help with that.

Having had enough of the hot water Nikolaos exited the bathroom and wrapped a white towel around his waist. Despite how good his shower was, Nikolaos still could not come up with a good plan; it was then that he decided he needed a second opinion. He needed some assistance, and for that, he needed to call his good friend, the one who always had a plan.

Walking back into the bedroom, he picked up his phone and searched for the contact name 'Cicero'; after finding it, he called his dear friend and waited for him to respond. It took only but a minute for his call to be answered:

"Nikolaos Cassavetes!"

"Cicero, good morning"

"How is Athens' most eligible playboy doing on this fine day?"

"Bad"

"Oh dear, another sticky situation? But I should have heard about it in the tabloids by now"

"This problem the media hasn't heard about yet, so you should be honored"

"Now I'm interested"

"Then head over to my hotel as soon as possible, we have much to discuss"

"On my way"

As the call cut, Nikolaos sighed. He had to take a moment and breathe before continuing the marathon he just started.

***

Though Cicero claimed he was on his way it took him 2 hours to finally arrive at the hotel. By that time, Nikolaos had already eaten his breakfast and even had a drink at the bar.

When Cicero found him, Nikolaos was looking troubled under a parasol by the poolside.

"This problem must be a serious one because the last time I saw you like this...was three years ago", Cicero said as he sat beside his friend.

"Don't remind me", Nikolaos responded, running his fingers through his hair.

"Now then, what has my friend so troubled this early in the day?"

"I've been troubled since last night actually"

"About?"

"Family"

"Ugh, family, the further away they are the better, right?"

"Yes, but when that family is sponsoring your lavish lifestyle it's best not to have them too far away"

"Oh oh, don't tell me it's what I think it is"

"What do you think it is?"

"They cut your allowance?"

"I wish, I may not even have an allowance anymore"

Cicero stared at Nikolaos with eyes agape.

"What happened, Nik?"

"My little brother Adonis called me last night and told me that Grandmother Corinna is writing her will and I'm not going to be in it"

"Writing her will, so soon? Is something wrong with her?"

"Thankfully, no, she just wants to do it sooner than later, but that's not the point. Focus!"

"Yes"

"After Adonis called me to tell me the news I called my aunt Elena who basically confirmed that grandmother is seriously considering leaving me out of her will"

Cicero leaned back into his chair, he had the same reaction Nikolaos had when he was first told the news.

"That's...rough", he finally responded

"Rough is an understatement, I'm screwed Cicero and if we don't come up with something soon I'll not only be broke but the laughing stock of Athens, if not the whole of Greece"

"Calm down, I think you're overreacting a little"

"Am I? I can see the news headlines now: Nikolaos Cassavetes, Athens' most troublesome playboy severed from his family's wealth or Corinna Cassavetes finally puts her foot down and cuts off her grandson"

"Those all sound like well-thought-out headlines; you've really been thinking hard about this, huh?"

"This isn't a joke Cicero, I am quite literally this close to poverty"

"There you go again with the dramatics, calm down and take a deep breath"

Nikolaos did exactly as he was told. Taking in a deep breath did not help him feel better but it did aid his lungs that were gasping for air after all the talking he just did.

"There, now tell me what's the way forward"

"I'm going back home"

"Seriously?"

"I have to, something as big as grandmother writing her will can't be happening while I'm in another city, I need to be there"

"Won't they find you coming back a little too suspicious, considering Corinna just told your family about the will?"

Nikolaos thought for a moment then responded, "Whether it looks suspicious or not I need to be there, at least while I'm there I can try to get back in grandmother's good graces"

"Again won't that be suspicious, you suddenly acting right all of a sudden?"

"Then what should I do, damn it, just sit by and watch it happen?!" Nikolaos' frustration had reached its peak.

"Easy there, I'm not trying to upset you, I really am trying to help"

Nikolaos sighed, "I'm sorry, I didn't mean to raise my voice"

"It's okay, I just need you to understand I'm not saying you shouldn't go home, what I'm saying is if you should, be tactful about it"

"And how do I do that?"

"You just don't go back home out of the blue, your family will obviously suspect something is up, you need to plan it out properly so when you do it looks completely natural"

"I still don't follow"

"Listen", Cicero leaned forward, "with the kind of damage you caused, it'll take a miracle to save your reputation and put you back in your family's good graces"

"Thanks for the encouragement"

"But luckily for you, you're not a complete lost cause, there are still some redeeming qualities about you and we'll use them to our advantage"

"Qualities like?"

"Your persuasion, that has always been your strongest characteristic, the way you are able to sway anyone into doing what you want; I mean, you quite literally convinced a married woman to have an affair"

"Please...don't bring that up"

"My point is, all you need to do is get back your grandmother's favor and from there you can start persuading her"

"You make it sound so easy, how exactly do I get grandmother to even talk to me again?"

"By telling her the one thing every grandmother wants to hear; that you're getting married"

Cicero's words hit Nikolaos like a sucker punch, he did not expect his friend to bring up such a plan.