Love on the Dotted Line

Chapter 4: A Perfect Match?

One evening, a blue Kia Soul car entered the Dimitriadis mansion through its large gate. The security guy, looking bored as hell, waved her towards the garage like he couldn't give two shits. Karen Brooks, a 45-year-old single mom and nurse, steered her trusty Kia Soul into the cavernous garage, parking it among the flashy Bugatti, sleek Aston Martins, and a Pagani Huayra that probably cost more than her house. She couldn't help but wonder just how many people were living it up in this swanky joint.

Karen hopped out of her car and hauled ass to the front door. She couldn't believe her luck, landing a gig like this. Karen can hardly believe her luck! A billionaire's grandpa needing a nurse? That's not your everyday job posting, and she's diving in headfirst! The pay was three times her usual rate, and all she had to do was stay at the mansion and take a day off once a week. Her two high school brats were gonna be stuck at grandma's pad while she was gone.

She rang the doorbell, and a maid straight out of an old-timey movie opened the door, looking like she'd just sucked on a lemon.

"Hello, who do you want to meet?" she asked, her voice dripping with disinterest.

Karen wasn't about to let this sourpuss get under her skin. "I'm Karen Brooks, and I'm the nurse for Mr. Dimitriadis," she said, putting on her best 'I mean business' voice. She was a nurse, damn it, and that meant something.

The maid gave a half-hearted "Oh, okay" and let Karen in, not bothering to offer her a seat. Karen stood awkwardly, taking in the fancy-schmancy den with its expensive chairs, carpets, and wall art.

After what felt like an eternity, a man and woman in their late 50s finally graced her with their presence. "Hello, Ms. Brooks. You must be the nurse Dr. Marks told us about, right?" the man asked.

"Yes, Mr. Dimitriadis," Karen replied, laying on the charm. Karen was here to do a job, and she was gonna damn well do it right, come hell or high water.

"Okay, first we need to talk with you," the man said. "I'm Nikolas, and this is my elder sister, Rita, by the way," he said.

"Nice to meet you two," Karen said with a smile. But Antonios and Rita didn't smile back like they had no idea what a smile was. Or maybe no one had trained them to smile.

Antonios had changed the plan at the last moment. He wanted Maria to go and meet Rebecca. Antonios had told Maria the whole plan, and he knew Maria wouldn't fuck it up. He didn't marry Maria just for her looks.

Maria is sitting in Rebecca's living room, chit-chatting away. "It's been a hot minute," Rebecca said with a grin.

"Tell me about it. We've been running around like chickens with our heads cut off, dealing with Antonios' business," Maria said.

"So, what's the deal with your father-in-law? You said he's not doing so hot," Rebecca asked, her brow furrowed.

"Yeah, he's in a bad way," Maria said, her eyes misting up as she snuck a glance at Rebecca.

"Damn, that's rough," Rebecca said.

"Here's the thing, we need Dion to get hitched ASAP, so Mr. Kostas doesn't ... you know. We don't want his last days to be a total bummer. He's torn up that Dion isn't married, and Dion's about as good at finding a girl as a fish is at climbing trees. That's where you come in," Maria said, laying it on thick. Maria had already given Rebecca the rundown, but Maria kept the part about the inheritance under wraps. Rebecca didn't need to know everything.

"I know a few girls who are in a tight spot. The girls are sharp as tacks, but they're broke as a joke," Rebecca said. "But I don't know if they'll be down for this."

"Of course, they'll be down for it. There's no way we're pulling a fast one on this gal. Cross my heart! Just show me the damn photos," Maria said, itching to see the girls. They only had a week to find someone.

Rebecca gave Maria a look like she'd grown a second head. "Alright," she said, whipping her phone and scrolling through the pics.

"These are some shots I took on campus with my students. This cutie right here, that's Melisa James. This gal is running herself ragged with two part-time gigs because her wallet's as empty as a cookie jar after Christmas! Sharp as a whip, though," Rebecca said, showing a photo of a blonde girl with blue eyes.

"How old is she?" Maria asked.

"She's 25," Rebecca replied.

"Hold up, Dion's only 23? We need to find a chick his age or younger," Maria said.

"Damn, he's still a baby at 23? Isn't he Antonios' little bro?" Rebecca asked.

"Yeah, that's right," Maria said, feeling awkward to the moon and back. Antonios is pushing 57, and his baby bro is only 23. It's like Dion's his son, not his brother. But that's all on Kostas for knocking someone up at 57. Who does that shit? And you won't believe it - Dion is even younger than all the kiddos belonging to Antonios, Rita, and Nikolas! Can you imagine having a brother who's younger than your damn children?

"So Dion's younger than Calista and Christos?" Rebecca asked, making Maria turn red. Calista and Christos are Maria and Antonios' kids. Calista is 35 and Christos is 32.

"Yes, Rebecca. Yes," Maria said, getting pissed. Rebecca was looking at Maria with a smirk, like she was dying to talk some shit but had to bite her tongue.

"In that case, Grace Monroe might be perfect. This gal is 20 and snagged a scholarship, but she's broke as can be! Her mom's sick, and they can't even afford her meds. Grace works part-time, but it barely covers the bills and food. And I want to make sure you let her finish her degree, even after she's hitched," Rebecca said, sounding concerned.

"Of course we will. Show me a snapshot of this mystery lady! It's not like we're forcing her to marry Dion," Maria said, looking at Grace's photo.

Grace was a skinny, fair-skinned girl with dark hair and brown eyes. She looked all innocent, no makeup, just pure and natural.

"She looks perfect," Maria said. 'Perfect for the plan,' she thought.

"You think Dion will treat her right?" Rebecca asked. She didn't know much about Dion. The last time she saw him, he was just a one-year-old baby. When Maria and Antonios visited Rebecca with Dion, he clung to Antonios, not letting him put him down or letting Antonios' kids, who were 12 and 9 then, get close to Antonios. It was like Antonios was Dion's property. Rebecca thought Dion was their kid, but they explained he was Kostas' son.

"Of course he will. That gal is his type through and through!" Maria lied. But the truth is, Dion likes girls who don't wear much and cake on the makeup. None of them go to school because they're too busy partying to study. But what are the chances of a brainy girl wanting to marry a player like Dion? If a girl wants to marry him, it's for his looks or money, not love.

After getting shit done, Maria called Antonios from her car. "Hey babe, we found our girl."