A Compromise Before Christmas

Chapter 16

Nikolaos had been running on adrenaline since he exited the private jet. After his stunt with the paparazzi, he was sure that his grandmother, as well as all his family members, had found out about his return with his 'mystery lady.'

With the first phase of his plan finished, he worked tirelessly on his phone to prepare for the next. Acacia sat quietly beside him and looked out the window. Stopping to see how frazzled she still looked after her first encounter with the paparazzi, Nikolaos felt the slightest bit of guilt.

"You should relax, we won't be seeing them for a while," he said, grabbing her attention

"Huh?" Acacia turned to look at Nikolaos, her mind still aloof.

"From now on, our focus will be on my family, so we won't be going anywhere except the Cassavetes estate, which is off-limits to them."

"That's fine, I guess."

Nikolaos returned his focus to his phone to make last-minute adjustments to his schedule.

"You've been tapping on your phone excessively for quite some time now. What are you doing?"

"Some last-minute changes. I arranged for us to go shopping, but I changed my mind. Making too many appearances in one day is asking for trouble."

"Shopping? For what?"

"An evening gown. We're going to have dinner with family tonight."

"So soon? I get that you want to strike when the iron is hot, but isn't this a bit much?"

"Unfortunately, I'm not moving on my own accord. Grandmother wants to see me immediately."

Acacia remained silent afterward. Nikolaos understood her reaction; he, too, felt they were moving too fast, but they had to adjust their schedule to his grandmother's if they wanted to make a good impression.

"Once we've reached the hotel, which will be soon, there are some evening gowns for you to pick from," Nikolaos continued

"Don't you want to pick? Since you're the one pulling all the strings."

"I trust your judgement more than mine. Besides, I'm dying to see what kind of style you're into.

Acacia rolled her eyes and returned to looking out the window. Nikolaos wished her mood would improve eventually, as he didn't want to bring negative energy to his family gathering. There would be more than enough of it.

Shortly after their conversation had ended, Nikolaos and Acacia arrived at their hotel. The beautiful view of the sparkling waters and boats was a highlight of their luxurious suite. To Nikolaos, it was nothing too special because it was a view he had grown up looking at, but to Acacia, it was the most marvellous scenery she had laid her eyes on.

"I can see you're enjoying the view, "Nikolaos commented as he stood beside Acacia.

"It's beautiful. I've never seen the water from this angle before."

Nikolaos was pleased with Acacia's reaction; he hoped she could remain that way for the rest of the evening.

"I'd hate to interrupt your sightseeing, but you need to choose your gown. We're on a tight schedule."

Acacia shook her head and turned away from the view. Nikolaos guided her through a white marble hallway into a room packed with garments. Clothing racks lined the walls, and shoe boxes littered the floor.

"Here we are," Nikolaos said cheerfully

"What on earth is going on here? Why are there so many gowns?"

"I told you I arranged for them to be brought here instead, didn't I?"

"Did you arrange for the entire store to be brought here?"

Nikolaos laughed, "Just pick the one you like and discard the rest."

"Just like that?"

"Just like that."

Acacia opened her mouth to say something, but eventually gave up.

"We'll be heading out at 7 because it's quite a long ride to the estate. I'll be waiting for you in the living room."

"Got it"

Nikolaos left the room and walked across the hallway to his own. Once he was in the sanctity of his room, he dropped onto his bed. All the adrenaline that had fueled his movements throughout the day had depleted, leaving him both physically and mentally drained.

In the quiet of his hotel room, Nikolaos finally grasped that he had arrived home. The painful realization that he would see his family again made him sick.

Looking at the ceiling above him, he made a silent prayer to whoever would listen to his plea. He did not pray that the dinner would go well, or even that his family would be happy to see him. Instead, Nikolaos prayed for self-control, not confident he could hold back years' worth of emotions.

After his brief prayer, he got to his feet and walked into the bathroom. A large mirror greeted him upon entering. Nikolaos stopped to look at his reflection for a moment. The person looking back at him felt so unfamiliar.

"You've lost weight," he said to himself while he stripped off his clothes, "But you still look good."

***

Time flew by, and the sun had set. Nikolaos waited in the large living room and slowly paced the floor as he waited for Acacia.

Wearing a casual red satin shirt and white trousers, he propped himself against the wall and checked his wristwatch. Just as he had done so, Acacia finally emerged from the room down the hall. Nikolaos watched in awe as she approached him; she looked like a model on the runway.

Acacia wore a red off-the-shoulder sequin dress with a slit on her right leg. Her hair was neatly tied up, exposing her long neck, which had adorned a simple yet beautiful silver necklace.

"Well?" she asked and gave him a twirl for the full view

Acacia's beauty rendered Nikolaos speechless. There was so much that he could've said to her, but he fought back the urge by reminding himself that it wasn't that type of relationship.

"You have amazing taste," he complimented

"Thank you, but it wasn't easy trying to find a gown that matched your style."

"You should have asked me for some fashion tips. I would have been happy to give you some."

Nikolaos extended his arm to Acacia. His bicep tingled as her long fingers wrapped around it.

"Are you sure they won't be there?"

"They won't bother us, trust me."

Acacia took a deep breath and nodded, "Okay."

Nikolaos carefully guided Acacia into the elevator. There, they stood side by side and arm in arm while they waited to reach the bottom.

Nikolaos couldn't help but steal one more glance at Acacia. In doing so, he saw her closing her eyes and murmuring. He waited for her to finish before asking.

"Praying?"

"Something like that"

"I'm glad we're on the same page, because we'll need all the prayers we can get."

Acacia looked up at Nikolaos.

"And you? How do you feel?"

"Me? I'm fantastic, why do you ask?"

"If you don't want to be honest with me, that's fine, but I hope you're not lying to yourself."

Nikolaos and Acacia locked eyes intensely for a moment. He opened his mouth, but as he did, the elevator doors opened wide.

"We should go," Acacia suggested

"Yeah"

Exiting the elevator, Nikolaos led Acacia to the twin doors.

"Put your hand over your face, just in case," he instructed

Acacia froze in her steps

"But you said..."

"Just because they won't swarm around us doesn't mean they won't hide in the bushes to sneak a photo. Besides, who knows if someone in this hotel hasn't already ratted on us?"

"How do you expect me to think you didn't do it after the stunt you pulled at the airport?"

Nikolaos smiled cheekily, "That's where trust comes in."

Doing as she was told, Acacia covered her face with her hand, and Nikolaos carefully guided her outside, all the way to their car.

Acacia sat in the passenger seat, while Nikolaos drove.

"How long until we get there?"

"About 40 minutes, why?"

"Just curious as to why you had chosen a hotel so far away from your family estate?"

Nikolaos thought for a second, then answered.

"Because no matter how far I am from them, they still find a way to suffocate me."

"Sounds brutal"

"Because it is."

Acacia rested her elbow on her seat's armrest

"This is going to be a long night."