The Balotelli-Bale Series Book #3: The Italian Belle

Chapter Five: Chasing Ghosts

Helena's POV
Alexander Christos.

He's one of those people who leave a mark too significant to forget or get over. Twenty five years of not seeing him yet his memory feels like yesterday. It feels like the day he met Nate, held him and then left us. It's so fresh in my memory I relive it every second. It's not the good memories I remember. It's the painful one where he walked away and it hurt like hell.

Nathaniel has never met him; at least not at an age he would remember Alexander. No one has ever mentioned him. Castle and I agreed not to. Yet even with all that distance between them, he turned out almost like him. I find it haunting to be around Nathaniel sometimes. His company was enjoyable when he was just a boy. He was easy to raise. He had an abundance of opinions but he was agreeable to my methods. When he became a man, he became difficult. He does what he wants, when he wants.

Alexander's memory has started haunting me again. It has taken a while to lock away those emotions but all it takes is a glimpse of  Nathaniel and the box explodes wide open. The so called peace of mind evaporates into thin air. He walks like him, talks like him, smiles like him, laughs like him and it's not alright that they resemble each other. I can't be in the same space with my son and not think about Alexander. It's suffocating.

He wanted to know where he can find A. C. I know where to find him thanks to squeezing it out of Castle. After years of denying it, Alexander did tell Castle how he can be found in case of an emergency. This is not an emergency but a woman is allowed to be selfish with a husband she hasn't seen for twenty five years. For the first time in twenty five years I am in front of him. He stepped out of the shadows his hands folded behind his back. He has aged gracefully into a sexy silver fox. He didn't offer me anything not even a smile. Twenty five years and the man doesn't even smile at me.

"Twenty five years agapi mou and not even a smile?" I asked for a ray of sunshine but all I got are dark grey clouds.

"Is this an emergency? Wasn't I clear about the rules of making contact?" He kept his hands behind his back. At some point in the time we were apart he went back to the navy. Now he's an Admiral. I love seeing pictures of him in uniform. He can't get any hotter.

"Relax agapi mou. You're not controlling a fleet of war ships here. It won't kill you to relax. It's just me, your wife. Remember?"

He let out a quiet sigh. "I'm sorry. Is everything alright?"

"That's better. Nathaniel is looking for you. He's asking questions."

"Have you told him about me?" The frown returned to his face.

I hate that he left us to father a boy who isn't is. Kosmos is an entitled rich brat. I know Alexander didn't raise him as he would have raised Nathaniel. I guess when a child isn't yours, it's possible to ignore bad behavior. To raise a son as a single mother requires a firm hand. Rhea lacks that. Evidence of it is all over Kosmos. He headlines every other tabloid.

"No I didn't tell him. We agreed not to. He found that wretched book, Odyssey something. Your initials were in the front page. He isn't dropping the subject. He wants to know who A.C is."

Alexander faced away into the dark part of the abandoned building. He belongs in the shadows so much that he craves not to be seen. I have never met a bigger introvert! No one even knows he exists anymore! How is he a billionaire and a ghost at the same time? He must have a non existent social life. When he looked at me, he smiled a little. "I had a feeling this day would come. What do we do now my love?"

"It's your choice Alexander. He's your son and he's just as stubborn as you are. Good luck with him."

"You know why I don't want our paths to cross."