The Greek's Chosen Wife

The Greek's Chosen Wife
LYNNE GRAHAM

A wife on his terms? It's been eight years since Prudence's arranged wedding to Nikolas Angelis. Their relationship was never consummated and they have always lived apart. But now Prudence longs to have her own baby and she wants a divorce.However, Nik is horrified — he is her husband and he will be the father of her child! Prudence reluctantly agrees to a trial marriage with Nik. But conceiving his baby? That's not a risk she's willing to take…

LynneGraham

The Greek’s Chosen Wife

A Mediterranean Marriage

TORONTO • NEW YORK • LONDON

AMSTERDAM • PARIS • SYDNEY • HAMBURG

STOCKHOLM • ATHENS • TOKYO • MILAN • MADRID

PRAGUE • WARSAW • BUDAPEST • AUCKLAND

We’re delighted to announce that

A

Mediterranean

Marriage

is taking place in

Harlequin Presents

—and you are invited!

Imagine blue skies, an azure sea,

a beautiful landscape and the hot sun.

What a perfect place to get married!

But although all ends well for these couples,

their route to happiness is filled with emotion

and passion. Follow a couple’s journey in the

latest book from this inviting miniseries.

Contents

PROLOGUE

CHAPTER ONE

CHAPTER TWO

CHAPTER THREE

CHAPTER FOUR

CHAPTER FIVE

CHAPTER SIX

CHAPTER SEVEN

CHAPTER EIGHT

CHAPTER NINE

CHAPTER TEN

EPILOGUE

About the Author

PROLOGUE

NIKOLOS ANGELIS STUDIED his father in rampant disbelief. ‘You’re not serious. You can’t be serious. We own one of the biggest companies in Greece!’

Symeon, a handsome man with silvering dark hair, was not looking his ebullient best. His complexion was grey and heavy lines of exhaustion marked his features. ‘I took a gamble and it didn’t pay off. In fact, it was a disaster. The company is overstretched and the bank is getting very nervous. They made me pledge everything we possess but they’re still not happy. If they pull the plug now, we’ll lose the lot!’

Nikolos said nothing. Everything? Even the family home? He was so angry that he did not trust himself to speak. His grandfather, Orestes, had taught him that a man should put the honour and security of his family first. While the old man had lived the family fortune had been in safe, protective hands. But Symeon Angelis didn’t operate that way. Even though he was in his fifties, he was still desperate to prove that he could wheel and deal as successfully as his legendary father and he had lost millions pursuing high-risk deals.

‘If it’s any consolation,’ Symeon muttered heavily, ‘you were right about the Arnott development being too good to be true.’

Nikolos swung round, stung beyond bearing by that admission. ‘You bought in even after the Kutras brothers warned you to stay clear?’

Symeon Angelis winced and gave his eldest son a rueful look. ‘I thought they were trying to corner all the action for themselves.’

Nikolos ground his even white teeth together in silence. He did not allow himself to look in his parent’s direction. He was ashamed of the fierce contempt he was feeling. Symeon was a good man, a good father, a good husband. He was universally well-liked and respected but his intellect was not powerful and he was a lousy entrepreneur. Nikolos, on the other hand, had devoted his spare time as a teenager to some highly profitable trading in stocks and shares that had made him a millionaire before he even left school. To stand by powerless and watch his less clever and shrewd father stumble and make stupid mistakes was, for Nikolos, a punishment of no mean order.

‘I’ll be frank with you. This may be our darkest hour but we have been offered an escape clause,’ the older man confided in a taut undertone. ‘It came from a surprising source. In fact, I was astonished…However, I said it couldn’t be done. It wouldn’t be right—’

Mastering his impatience, Nikolos rested grim eyes on Symeon. ‘What wouldn’t be right?’

His father seemed reluctant to meet his son’s enquiring scrutiny. ‘I can’t ask you to make such a sacrifice at your age. You’re only twenty-two—’

‘What’s that got to do with anything?’

Symeon Angelis expelled his breath in a hiss. ‘Theo Demakis approached me and offered to bail us out.’