Chapter 4: Seeking Help

"There is no need to suffer silently and there is no shame in seeking help."

-Catherine Zeta Jones-

***

After almost an hour flight from Santorini to Athens, Sofia got off the airplane, walked out of the airport and went straight to find a taxi. She gave the driver an address and asked to be driven there. Her heart was beating really loudly.

She couldn’t believe she was doing it for real. One might argue it would be easier for her to contact her parents and had them involved in her plan, but she knew those two. They were good lawful folks.

Surely they wouldn’t agree with her plan and chose to bring Christian to jail instead. It would be too easy for him, she needed to do this so she could be satisfied at the end of the day.

Almost half an hour later, she arrived in front of an old style mansion which she once visited when she was a child. She paid the driver and got out, walking toward the gate and started pressing the bell.

She could hear a man’s voice in Greek but she didn’t understand, so she spoke English instead.

“My name is Sofia. I am here to see Sir Atlas Agavos. There was a brief moment of silence before the gate was opened and she entered the front yard.

The mansion itself was quite spacious but the front yard was something else, it took her some time before she finally reached the front door and knocked it.

Not long after, a middle aged woman dressed in maid attired opened the door for her and spoke in broken English asking Sofia to follow her.

Sofia did and the maid led her to a room which could only be described as a study.

Within the room, there was a man who smoked cigar. He had thick brown hair and brows, his nose was a little bit crooked but it didn’t take away from his beauty.

He had high cheekbones and deep set eyes with long lashes. His complexion was on the lighter side of tan and he was wearing a khaki suit with navy blue tie and burgundy pocket square.

He dismissed the maid and it was just the two of them inside the room.

“Who are you? Why are you looking for my grandfather?” The man asked her. His voice was deep and husky.

Compared to him, Sofia looked like a golden retriever with blue eyes who just drowned in mud. It made her feel slightly embarrassed but she straightened her back and looked at him with determined eyes.

“My name is Sofia, Sofia De Laurent. Your grandfather is a close friend of my late grandfather. I want to ask him for a help, he’s the only person who can help me at this moment.” She told him.

The man looked at her with a complicated look as he turned off his cigar and turned his attention to her.

“My grandfather passed away last year.” He replied. Hearing this, Sofia looked so devastated. The old man used to visit her in Paris a few times when she was younger and she saw him as her second grandfather.

She never received the news of his death since they had not remained in contact for the past few years but she couldn’t believe he had passed away.

“Is your grandfather, Pierre De Laurent?” He asked.

“Yes, he is, how do you know that?” She asked.

“He’s my godfather.” The man replied. Sofia was confused. She didn’t know that her grandfather had a godson.

He never mentioned it before. She also wasn’t familiar with the man in front of her. She didn’t know who he was until he revealed himself.

“Sofia, hm. I remember you as a child, but I have forgotten about your existence until you stepped in my house today.” She was confused for a moment. They had met each other before?

“My name is Dion, Dion Agavos.” That name didn’t sound too familiar to her. She has been to the place before but she didn’t recall ever meeting him in person.

“I am eight years older than you, so probably you have no idea who I am but I have seen more than you do and know more about the relation between my family and yours. Now, for the sake of our family good relations, tell me, what is it that you want?” He asked.

Sofia contemplated for a moment about whether or not she could trust this man, however, she realized she didn’t really have any other choices.

“I want revenge.” Hearing her words, Dion’s eyes widened a bit but he decided to remain silent, allowing her to elaborate on the story.

“My husband shot me on our honeymoon and left me to die in the ocean. I want to get back to him. For that reason, I cannot go back to my family and tell them everything because they would just send him straight to prison. I don’t want him to have it that easy. I want to make him suffer.” She replied back.

Dion looked at Sofia. This woman who looked so sweet like an angel bore a look that could only be described as pure hatred in her eyes.

He wondered for a moment if he should help her.

After all, her request was not an easy one to fulfill.

However, he didn’t have the heart to just drive her away from the mansion when she had come to him first before her parents.

It meant the desire for revenge in her heart must be so strong she was willing to take the more difficult path to obtain it.

“Okay, I will help you.” He stated. For a brief moment, he called himself crazy for even uttering those words and the next thing that came out of his mouth would surprise even himself.

“However, there is only one way I can help you. If you agree to this, I will give you every resource you need to conduct your revenge.” He proposed.

“What is it?” She asked.

“You must marry me and become my wife.” Sofia was stunned by the proposal. She thought this man must be insane. How could she marry someone she barely even knew.

“Of course, this marriage is a mere contract marriage. But I cannot waste my time and resource for a complete stranger. If you are my wife, I will at least have a reason to help you.” Sofia thought about it for a moment.

She just got married less than two weeks ago with a man she spent two years with before she was shot. Could she really marry another man so soon after she escaped near death experience?

“If you are concerned I will treat you like a hostage, you don’t need to worry, you will have a say in the marriage contract, I will also want something from you once the contract ends. It’s a mutually beneficial arrangement for both of us.” He persuaded.

“What do you want from me?” She asked him.

“De Laurent’s stock has increased significantly in the past few years. Once you inherit the company and become the owner, I wish to have five percent of the entire company’s stock. You will give it to me in exchange for my help. I also want to become one of the board member in your company later on.”

She thought about it for a moment. Five percent, that number didn’t scare her at all, it sounded like a good deal and a tiny price to pay for her revenge.

“You can reject this, but if you do, there is nothing I can do to help you.” He followed.

“No, I will accept it. Let’s start working on the contract right away. The faster we get married and get all the formalities over with, the faster I can deal with those people.”

“Okay, if that’s what you want. But first, you need to freshen up a little.” He turned on a button on his desk and said something in Greek. Not long after, the maid from before returned and asked Sofia to follow her.

“I will see you again later.” Dion told her.

The maid brought her to one of the bedroom in there and prepared the bath for her.

“You can clean up.” The maid said still with that broken English. Sofia thanked her and cleaned herself up. It was the first time in a few days she had time for bath. She was instantly relaxed.

The wound on her shoulder was still painful so she was cautious to not make it worse, but she left the bathroom feeling more refreshed than before.

When she walked out of there, a piece of lilac shoulder less dress was already placed for her in the bed. She didn’t have any other choice but to wear that since she had not changed her clothes since she left the hospital.

Much to her surprise, it really complimented her skin tone. She liked it. It made her look like herself again.

“Okay, now what?”