"You have a wonderful office staff," Catherine said. "Wim is amazing. I've never seen anyone who can..."
But Demiris was not listening to the words. He was studying her, thinking how beautiful she was, and how vulnerable. But I mustn't rush her, Demiris decided. No, I'll play the game slowly and savor the victory. This one will be for you, Noelle, and for your lover.
"Are you going to be in London long?" Catherine was asking.
"Just a day or two. I had some business to take care of." That was true. But he knew he could have handled it by telephone. No, he had come to London to begin his campaign to draw Catherine closer to him, to make her emotionally dependent on him. He leaned forward. "Catherine, did I ever tell you about the time I worked in the oil fields in Saudi Arabia...?"
Demiris took Catherine to dinner the following night.
"Evelyn told me what a wonderful job you're doing at the office. I'm going to give you a raise."
"You've been so generous already," Catherine protested. "I..."
Demiris looked into her eyes. "You don't know how generous I can be."
Catherine was embarrassed. He's only being kind, she thought. I mustn't imagine things.
The following day, Demiris was ready to leave. "Would you like to ride out to the airport with me, Catherine?"
"Yes."
She found him fascinating, almost spellbinding. He was amusing and brilliant and she was flattered by his attention.
At the airport, Demiris kissed Catherine lightly on the cheek. "I'm glad we could spend some time together, Catherine."
"So am I. Thank you, Costa."
She stood there watching his plane take off. He's very special, Catherine thought. I'm going to miss him.
Chapter Six
Everyone had always been amazed by the apparent close friendship of Constantin Demiris and his brother-in-law, Spyros Lambrou.
Sypros Lambrou was almost as rich and powerful as Demiris. Demiris owned the largest fleet of cargo ships in the world; Spyros Lambrou owned the second largest. Constantin Demiris controlled a chain of newspapers and airlines, oil fields, steel mills, and gold mines; Spyros Lambrou had insurance companies, banks, enormous amounts of real estate, and a chemical plant. They seemed friendly competitors; better than that, buddies.
"Isn't it wonderful," people said, "that two of the most powerful men in the world are such great friends?"
In reality, they were implacable rivals who despised each other. When Spyros Lambrou bought a 100-foot yacht, Constantin Demiris immediately commissioned a 150-foot yacht that had four G.M. diesels, a crew of thirteen, two speedboats, and a freshwater swimming pool.
When Spyros Lambrou's fleet reached a total of twelve tankers, with a tonnage of 200,000, Constantin Demiris increased his own fleet to twenty-three tankers, with a tonnage of 650,000. Spyros Lambrou acquired a string of race horses, and Demiris bought a larger stable to run against him, and consistently won.
The two men saw each other frequently, for they served together on charity committees, sat on the boards of various corporations, and occasionally attended family gatherings.
They were exactly opposite in temperament. Where Constantin Demiris had come from the gutter and fought his way to the top, Spyros Lambrou was born an aristocrat. He was a lean and elegant man, always impeccably dressed, with courtly, old-world manners. He could trace his family tree back to Otto of Bavaria, who had once ruled as king of Greece. During the early political uprisings in Greece, a small minority, the oligarchy, amassed fortunes in trade, shipping, and land. Spyros Lambrou's father was one of them, and Spyros had inherited his empire.
Over the years, Spyros Lambrou and Constantin Demiris had carried on their charade of friendship. But each was determined that in the end he would destroy the other, Demiris because of his instinct for survival, Lambrou because of his brother-in-law's treatment of Melina.
Spyros Lambrou was a superstitious man. He appreciated his good fortune in life, and he was anxious not to antagonize the gods. From time to time he consulted psychics for guidance. He was intelligent enough to recognize the frauds, but there was one psychic whom he had found to be uncanny. She had predicted his sister Melina's miscarriage and what would happen to the marriage, and a dozen other things that had come to pass. She lived in Athens.
Her name was Madame Piris.
Constantin Demiris made it a habit to arrive at his offices in Aghiou Geronda Street every morning punctually at six o'clock. By the time his rivals went to work, Demiris had already conducted several hours of business with his agents in a dozen countries.
Demiris's private office was spectacular. The view was magnificent, with picture windows putting the city of Athens at his feet. The floor was black granite. The furniture was steel and leather. On the walls was a cubist art collection, with Legers, Braques, and half a dozen Picassos. There was an enormous glass-and-steel desk and a leather throne chair. On the desk was a death mask of Alexander the Great, set in crystal. The inscription under it read: "Alexandres. The defender of man."
On this particular morning, Constantin Demiris's private phone was ringing when he entered his office. There were only half a dozen people who had access to the telephone number.
Demiris picked up the telephone. "Kalimehra."
"Kalimehra." The voice at the other end belonged to Spyros Lambrou's private secretary, Nikos Veritos. He sounded nervous.
"Forgive me for disturbing you, Mr. Demiris. You told me to call when I had some information that you might..."
"Yes. What is it?"
"Mr. Lambrou is planning to acquire a company called Aurora International. It is listed on the New York Stock Exchange. Mr. Lambrou has a friend on the board of directors who told him that a big government contract is going to be given to the company to build bombers. This is, of course, very confidential. The stock will have a big rise when the announcement..."