A Compromise Before Christmas

Chapter 18

After the disaster of a dinner abruptly ended, Nikolaos and Acacia returned to their hotel in complete silence. Once they entered their suite, Nikolaos immediately headed to the bar to pour himself a drink.

One glass became two, and two glasses became three. They all went down his throat as easily as water did, but it still wasn't enough to calm his nerves.

Acacia quietly watched from the sidelines until she couldn't anymore. Before Nikolaos could pour himself another drink, she reached out for the bottle and stopped him.

"I think that's enough for tonight," she urged calmly

Nikolaos was first irritated by her intervention, but the irritation subsided when he reminded himself she wasn't the one at fault.

"Sorry... about what happened tonight," he wearily apologized

"Don't be; it was quite entertaining."

"Acacia attempted to lighten the mood, but it did not work.

"I'm glad one of us had fun."

Nikolaos moved away from the bar and sat on a sofa. Acacia followed suit and sat beside him.

"I was joking, but I see that now isn't the time. Do you want to talk about it?"

"Don't worry about me; I'm fine. You should get some rest."

Acacia sympathized with Nikolaos. Although her family drama wasn't as extreme as his, she still understood what it felt like to live in a disorganized household.

"I know this isn't typically part of our arrangement, but I think it's okay for us to at least talk about what happened."

Nikolaos looked at Acacia. Her soft gaze moved him enough to talk.

"Obviously, I'm not okay. I anticipated some drama, but I did not expect it to escalate as it did."

"Something tells me you really despise Penelope. You seemed fine until she started talking."

"It's always been like this. From the moment Michalis brought her into the house, we ceased to have peace."

"I can see why. She's quite judgmental."

Nikolaos sat upright, "Not just judgmental, she's also self-righteous. I'm no saint, but Penelope is far from what she pretends to be."

The Cassavetes family's dynamics slowly became clearer to Acacia. And from what she understood, she dreaded for her job.

"So, what now? Since my first introduction failed miserably," Acacia asked.

"I am not sure; the dinner completely messed up my head."

"You're not thinking of giving up already, are you?"

"Of course not! It's just..."

Nikolaos sighed heavily. Acacia reached out to touch him, but quickly drew back her hand.

"Didn't you have a plan that you were working so hard on?" she asked

"I did, but I fear the damage done is too great. They're already suspicious of our engagement, which means they will be suspicious of everything else."

Acacia had never seen Nikolaos so dejected. One encounter with his family reduced the usually confident man to nothing. It was genuinely alarming.

"What was the next step in your plan? We've already made it this far; we might as well finish what we started."

Nikolaos shook his head.

"I intended to have a serious talk with my grandmother at the company. You know, to clear things up."

"Oh, that's good. You should definitely do that, and as soon as possible."

"Are you serious? Not after what happened tonight."

"It's even better this way. You can go to the company and apologize for what happened tonight. From there, you can start clearing things up."

"That won't work."

"Why not?"

"Because I never apologize."

Acacia blinked, "What?"

"I've never really apologized for anything."

"Then what do you do?"

"I usually just wait for the heat to die down, then I resume my normal life."

Acacia scowled at Nikolaos; his arrogance still left a bitter taste in her mouth.

"Well, you will have to learn then. If you want your grandmother to believe that you have changed, you need to start doing things that you've never done before. That includes apologizing."

Nikolaos considered Acacia's words before he replied

"Won't she suspect something is off?"

"Probably at first, but that's the beauty of change. It's a gradual thing, so you'll eventually convince her."

Acacia's words left Nikolaos in deep thought, and she, too, had much to think about. They both had a lot of work to do, but at least Nikolaos had a head start. She was starting from the bottom and had no idea how to reach the top.

***

Almost a week had passed since the disastrous family dinner. After deeply contemplating Acacia's suggestion, Nikolaos decided to go through with his plan to speak with his grandmother.

At midday, he drove to the family company. It had been a while since he had visited the building, but he still remembered exactly where it was. It was hard to miss.

The massive 12-story building attracted everyone's attention on the street where it was built. The Cassavetes name proudly sat atop the entrance for anyone to see.

Nikolaos parked his car in the parking lot and walked to the main building with his hands in his pockets. Though he looked calm on the outside, his mind was an absolute mess.

Inside the building, Nikolaos marvelled at how much the interior had changed. They had turned what once looked like a humble travel agency into a modern office.

At the receptionist's desk, Nikolaos waited for the young lady to conclude her phone call.

"Good day, I'm here for my grandmother," he casually announced

The young lady looked confused for a moment, then asked, "You're... Mr. Nikolaos?"

"In the flesh. Please let my grandmother know I'm here."

"Yes, of course."

The receptionist made the call and received an immediate answer.

"She says you can go."

"Thank you"

Nikolaos approached the elevator and pushed the button for the top floor. He contemplated what he would say as he waited. He assumed his grandmother would be furious with him specifically. If that were the case, he had to choose his words wisely.

The elevator doors opened, and Nikolaos began his walk to his grandmother's office at the end of the aisle. Once he reached the door, he knocked twice and let himself in.

"Hello?" he greeted

Seated at her desk, Corinna held a paper with a stern look. She quietly watched Nikolaos walk into her office and take a seat.

"Hello, grandmother," he repeated his greeting

"Hello Nikolaos, what brings you to my office this early in the day?" she questioned, setting her papers down

"I was hoping we could talk, just the two of us."

"Oh? What about?"

Corinna's rigid tone made it crystal clear that she indeed was still angry with him, but the fact that she immediately allowed him into her office meant she still wanted to hear from him.

"Well, first and foremost, I want to apologize."

Corinna's eyes widened.

"You? You want to apologize?"

Nikolaos nodded

"Since when did you start feeling apologetic?"

"I'm trying to do things that I've never done before, and apologizing is one of them."

"Aren't you noble?"

"I knew you wouldn't take me seriously anyway, but that won't stop me from doing what I came here to do."

Nikolaos' bold response shocked Corinna; she leaned forward and gave him all her attention in response.

"Go on then," she urged

Nikolaos exhaled.

"I'm sorry, not just for what happened the other night, but for everything. I'm sorry that you can't trust me anymore and have to have your guard up when I'm around. I'm sorry that I messed up the family."

Though Nikolaos was tactfully selecting his words, some of what he was saying was true. He was sorry he had messed up the family.

Corinna looked at Nikolaos with an unreadable gaze. Her eyes pierced into him, leaving him nervous.

"What's really going on with you, Nikolaos?"

"What do you mean?"

"You aren't the grandson I remember. What's changed?"

"Acacia, she's the one who changed me."

Corinna skeptically raised an eyebrow.

"I'm sorry, Nikolaos, but do you really expect me to believe that an unknown woman has really changed you for the better?"

"And that's the problem. You don't know her, and you barely even gave her a chance. How do you expect to believe her?"

Nikolaos boldly met his grandmother's eyes, daring her to prove him wrong. Even though his plan had a rough start, he was determined to put both himself and Acacia back on track.