VILLA OF THORNS

THE WARNING

Yiannis didn't waste time.

As soon as the call ended, he got out of bed and got dressed. He then grabbed his car keys from the granite countertop and strode toward the door. Milly caught up to him, wrapping her fingers around his arm.

"Yiannis, where are you going?" She pouted. She had come to see him and he had promised to spend the day with her but now he was going out?.

His jaw was locked. Eyes sharp. "I'm going to her office."

"No, you're not". She glared at him. "Not like this. You look like you want to kill someone."

"She's in a bathroom stall crying, Milly." He shook her hand off, not unkindly—but with finality. "You don't want me to handle this, but someone has to. And you know I'm the only one who can make it stop."

Milly stared at him, confused. "Why are you this upset?".

He turned back to her, voice low. "Because your best friend is being hunted in plain sight, and no one's doing a damn thing. So now I am."

He didn't wait for her response and walked out of the room to his car, speeding away from the villa.

⸻

Katie's office building sat in the heart of the financial district, a modern glass structure with revolving doors and a sterile lobby. Yannis had only been here once—months ago, when Katie mentioned a firm event Milly wanted to attend. Now, everything about it felt wrong.

He walked straight past the front desk. People recognized him instantly—his name, his face, his firm handshake from boardrooms and charity events. No one stopped him. They didn't dare.

He took the elevator to the 23rd floor. Walked down the hallway like he owned the building. Because he might as well have. It belonged to his cousin.

He didn't bother knocking.

Callahan's office door flew open under his hand, slamming into the wall.

Callahan who had just finished a phone call with a potential client, looked up, startled, then smiled when he saw Yiannis. "Mr. Kyrkos, what a surprise—". He stood from his seat, smiling broadly.

"Cut the bullshit." Yiannis growled.

The smile dropped. "Excuse me?"

Yiannis stepped inside the office and shut the door behind him with a soft click. "I'm glad you know exactly who I am. You've probably read my name on acquisition reports. Maybe even panicked once or twice when my firm circled one of your partners." Yiannis taunted.

Callahan stiffened, color rising in his cheeks. "What is this?"

"I know what you are up to. What you've been doing to Katie. The stares. The comments. The so-called promotion offers."

Callahan chuckled nervously, standing. "Look, if she misunderstood something, I'd be happy to clear it up. You know these girls. She's an emotional girl—"

"Finish that sentence," Yiannis warned, "and you won't have a firm left to run."

Callahan froze. His mind reeling, trying to figure out why the billionaire tech genius was defending a nobody like Katie.

Yannis walked to the desk, leaned forward slowly, and placed a folded piece of paper in front of him. "This is a preliminary notice of intent. My lawyers drafted it fifteen minutes ago. It details an internal investigation, workplace harassment claims, and a formal acquisition interest in your firm. The kind of thing that sends stockholders into chaos."

"You can't be serious," Callahan breathed. "All this for that little girl?"

"I'm not just serious. I'm surgical." Yiannis said sternly.

Callahan reached for the paper with trembling hands. "Look I was just trying to help her. Nothing more".

"Help her?. By touching her inappropriately?".

"You don't have any proof—"

Yannis stepped even closer. "I don't need proof. You think I came here for court? I came here to warn you. If Katie so much as gets another email, another offhand comment, another uncomfortable glance from you—I will buy this firm out from under you, liquidate it, and blacklist you so fast you'll be managing a coffee shop in Croatia."

Callahan's face was turning an unhealthy shade of red. "Look, I didn't know she was your woman. I would never have even tried ...."

Yiannis' demeanor nearly faulted. Katie was not his woman but he was behaving like a protective boyfriend.

"Katie is not my woman". Yannis continued coldly. "But you just made the mistake of targeting someone I care about. And now, I'm going to watch you rot from the inside."

He turned toward the door, but paused just before opening it.

"Oh," he added, his voice like ice. "You'll be calling Katie first thing tomorrow morning. You'll apologize, and you'll announce your sudden and enthusiastic retirement. If I don't hear those words by 9:00 AM, I'll make the next twenty years of your life a legal battlefield you can't afford to win."

"Can't we talk about this like grown men and come to an agreement?. Mr Kyrkos, retirement is really harsh just for someone like her".

"You should thank your stars that I am the one dealing with you. Do you really think an Argyros needs your help to get to the top?. Or did you not investigate her background properly before hiring her?"

"Argyros?". Callahan paled.

"You better retire quickly before I change my mind.

And with that, Yiannis walked out.

⸻

He didn't go back to his office or his villa where he left Milly. He drove—windows down, engine quiet—until he reached the beach outside the city. The wind was sharp, the sky beginning to dim, and still he sat there in his car, fingers wrapped tightly around the steering wheel.

He didn't know why he felt this much.

It wasn't about revenge.

It was something deeper.

Something unsettling.

Katie had always been sunshine, ever since he had been introduced to her by Milly, always the center of joy without ever trying to be. She made everything lighter—parties, rooms, even Milly.

He'd never wanted to protect anyone before.

Until now.

He knew nothing about her except for the fact that she was Milly's best friend and had parents who owned a multimillion dollar law firm. He understood why she didn't want to work in her parent's law firm. He had controlling parents too.

What he didn't understand was why he felt the need to protect her. They barely spoke two sentences when they meet in person. She was always busy trying to make sure that everyone around her was taken care off but who was taking care of her?.

He saw the sadness in her eyes, the one she tried so hard to keep hidden. He saw it, clear as day.