Mistaken Identity by Alyssa J. Montgomery Page A

betrothed. His father was so broken by his mother’s death, so worn down by her infidelity, that he’d been relieved to sign over the shipping business to Con. He’d regarded Elena’s father as a brother and saw him as the saviour of the company. At the time Alex had been more interested in forging his own name in the hotel and resort industry.
    Was Susan intent on breaking up Spiros and Elena because she wanted to hurt Alex’s supposed business dealings with the Moustakis family? Maybe, but her other motivation was surely to hurt someone that Alex loved, just for the sheer vindictive pleasure of it. But why was she keeping him at arm’s length?
    He sat up straighter wondering whether he was underestimating her. Was her plan for revenge against him more complex than he’d first imagined? Perhaps she was merely a decoy and it was really the blonde woman who was the object of his brother’s infatuation.
    He looked back at the photos. Yes! The way Spiros was looking at the blonde spoke volumes. There was definitely lust in Spiros’s eyes.
    Who is she?
    His fingers drummed on his desk in agitation. As he concentrated on the photos, the missing piece of puzzle hit him with the full force of a meteorite falling from the heavens. He stood, rage coursing through his bloodstream as he realised he’d been well and truly deceived. Unconcerned by the late hour, he made his way upstairs to confront his unwanted guest.
    Leah paced the room, unable to sleep. Susie must’ve organised a new passport super quickly to have married and travelled to Paris in the time she’d been gone.
    Alex had said they’d checked out of the hotel, which, according to their original plan, meant they were on their way to Greece. Leah had expected the newlyweds to dally far longer in the city of lights.
    Were they happy together? They looked happy in the photos, but she was still plagued by doubts about Spiros’s true intentions.
    Would Alex accept the marriage once he realised Susie was pregnant or would he still try to come between them? He could use the incriminating photos against Susie as proof she would be an unfit mother and to take the baby away from her. Susie would have to be strong in the face of Alex’s fury or risk sinking further into her drug dependency.
    Alex. She gave herself a mental shake. Before Soula had interrupted them with the photos, she thought she was finally reaching him. But why would she want to? Despite all the mental barriers she’d carefully erected, she was intrigued by Alex and found herself starting to see things from his perspective.
    The more time she spent with him, the more she felt riddled with guilt about her deception. She’d heard of Stockholm syndrome — a psychological phenomenon where hostages began to sympathise with their captors — and that seemed to be exactly what was happening to her. She couldn’t let herself fall into that trap.
    Once Susie was off drugs, she would care for her child. She’d be her fun-loving self again, and Alex would find it impossible to dislike her. Everybody loved Susie.
    Soon, poor Elena would know the truth. It would break her heart, but —
    Two sharp raps on the door and then it swung open.
    ‘Alex!’ she blurted out.
    One look at him as he strode into the room told her she was in trouble. He could have been Ares incarnate, the God of War standing there in front of her. His face was a battle-mask.
    ‘Leah,’ he growled.
    Hearing that one word made the room sway. She thought she’d faint — anything to escape his rage.
    The deception is over. Her tongue stuck to the roof of her mouth.
    ‘Nothing to say?’ he demanded.
    She couldn’t speak. She just stood there, staring at him, feeling how wide her eyes were in her face.
    His tone was accusing. ‘No denial? No defence?’
    What could she say? It was as much as she could do to keep herself upright under the onslaught of his anger. Her whole body started to tremble.
    ‘So I’m right.’ His jaw clenched,