Chapter 5

[Eleven years ago]

Regina had been working as a maid at vacation homes for a few months now. She was used to working at parties thrown by the wealthy and the elite, since she was young, so when Sylvia informed her of their new job in Greece, she accepted to join her mother.

Going all the way to Greece once again after an entire year made Regina feel a number of different emotions.

First of all, she couldn’t understand how her mother suddenly had enough money to take her to Greece once again when they obviously didn’t make enough money to cover their travel expenses.

Sylvia had explained that the vacation homeowner was footing all the bills and so Regina had let down her suspicions. Today was different from all her other days working as a maid. Since she was working for the Drakos family, she was being treated nicely.

Over the last year after her discussion with Giannis at the beach, his parents had taken interest in her and ensured that she went to school just like her mates, a private one at that.

She hadn’t physically set her eyes on Giannis since after that day at the beach, he and his parents had left for New York the following morning, but not before leaving a mobile phone and a laptop behind for her birthday.

Sylvia had been thrilled to discover the level of interest the billionaire heir, Giannis, had in her daughter. So, since then, Regina and Giannis have stayed in contact. They talked on the phone at least twice every month and texted each other often.

Their conversations were usually about his TV shows, her studies, and whether she had finally found a new crush. Regina had no idea why someone like Giannis would be interested in befriending her.

Regina hadn’t been able to get closer to Xavier through Giannis’s help. Giannis never helped her get in contact with Xavier. He was always distant whenever she brought up Xavier’s name.

Regina wasn’t bothered about working as a maid at a party thrown by Giannis, her friend whom she hadn’t seen in a year. It was his as well as Madison and Xavier Turner’s nineteenth birthday party, and Regina had volunteered to clean up after the guests as well as serve food and drinks at the party.

Regina was nervous about seeing Giannis and Xavier after so long. She wondered if they would remember her or if they would be too busy with their friends. As she set about her work, she kept an eye out for them.

Giannis was a teenage movie star, and hence, a lot of famous people were present at his party. Regina had watched two of his shows and couldn’t believe her eyes, seeing how good her friend was.

There was one thing that Regina had gotten from her mother, and that was her pride. Despite Giannis’s mother wanting to help out with their finances, they had refused. The only help they received from the Drakos family was educational support for Regina and her friend, Sandy.

It wasn’t long before Regina spotted Xavier. He didn’t add too much in height since the last time she saw him, his blonde hair was longer, and he appeared to have started gyming more. He was surrounded by his friends, laughing and joking around, just like a fallen angel. Regina hesitated for a moment, wondering if she should approach him. She was mesmerized by the effortless grace and charm that he exuded. Xavier was even more handsome than she had given him credit for.

Regina contemplated approaching him, but before she could make up her mind, Giannis spotted her and walked up to her front.

“Reggie?” Giannis exclaimed, his face lighting up with a big smile.

His face was definitely a work of art; he was handsome, very much so. Xavier was handsome in like a gentle boy next door, but Giannis was like a Greek god. He was much taller than Xavier. His outfit was a charcoal black blazer and matching pants.

He hadn’t bothered to wear a dress shirt inside the blazer, so the top of his bronze chest was on display. His hair was cropped shorter than she remembered, and he looked so much better than he did even on TV.

His deep black orbs roamed over her, taking in her long dark hair, which was packed in a high ponytail, her corporate white shirt, and a black skirt.

Regina had increased in height, and her braces were gone when she smiled. Her large green orbs were bright as usual, and she looked genuinely happy. The word that came to Giannis’s mind when he saw her again was “beautiful.”

Regina was surprised and relieved that Giannis had recognized her. They hugged each other, laughing, and then Giannis made her abandon her duties for the night before introducing her to his friends.

The final person Giannis introduced Regina to were the twins, Xavier and Madison Turner. Xavier couldn’t recall who Regina was, and she couldn’t help but feel very low and hurt by that discovery.

He kept calling her different names until she eventually said, “It’s Reggie. Regina Matthews.”

“Matthews? Of the famous restaurant chains?” Madison, a tall, slim, and leggy blonde, asked. Her eyes were of the same shade as Xavier’s, the only difference being the lack of warmth in hers.

“No, I’m just a regular person,” Regina smiled.

“Why, then, is Giannis introducing you to us? You aren’t even dressed properly for this party. This is my birthday party as well as my brother’s and my boyfriend’s. You can’t be here dressed so shabbily,” Madison frowned.

“Don’t talk like that to her,” Giannis warned.

“Wait a minute, I get it now, babe. She is a worker here, isn’t she?”

“Don’t you remember? She’s the Regina I have been telling you about. I met her last year when we were on vacation. She is as much a guest as the rest of the people here.”

Just as Giannis said that, a friend of theirs stumbled and emptied her punch all over Regina.

Regina noticed Xavier holding back his laughter with great effort, and her heart sank. Everyone else was laughing except herself and Giannis. He saw Regina’s hurt expression and was about to demand an apology from Madison’s friend when Regina suddenly said:

“Happy birthday to you all. I will leave you guys to enjoy the rest of the party. I still have some work to do. Please excuse me.”

Regina rushed out of the garden area where the event was taking place and made her way to the porch of one of the houses around. She ignored calls from her mother and Mrs. Parker who probably were wondering why she had left her duties abruptly.

Regina took out a packet of cookies, which she had stuffed into her purse in case she got hungry. She was about to eat one of the delicious cookies she had learned to make from a neighbor in New York and sell for some little profits when she heard Giannis’s voice from behind her.

“Reggie!” he called.

Regina turned around and forced a smile at him before saying, “I want to be alone.”

“I’m not going to say anything. I just want to sit here with you or aren’t I allowed? I don’t remember giving you a tough time when you kept me company at the beach last year,” he teased.

“Alright,” she replied and finally noticed the tray of food he had brought along with him.

“Why don’t I trade this sumptuous meal for one of your cookies?” he suggested.

Regina smiled at him, realizing that Giannis wanted to be sure that she ate a proper meal. She hadn’t eaten all day except for the cookies she had been having since morning.

When Regina couldn’t take it anymore, she asked the question bugging her.

“Why are they like that?”

“I’m sorry,” he apologized without even explaining.

They sat on the porch, sipping lemonade in silence until Giannis said, “She isn’t usually like that.”

“I don’t want to talk about it,” Regina said.

“Xavier, too. He is a nice guy if you get to know him.”

“I’m giving up on him, Seven. We are at different points in life.”

“Why? I can help you two get together.”

“It’s pointless. He didn’t even remember who I was,” Regina pouted.

“Well, that’s probably because you have become so beautiful. I could barely take my eyes off of you when I spotted you,” he smiled.

Regina laughed. A blush stained her cheeks as she did so. “You also look very handsome, much more than when you are on TV.”

“Do I? How’s Sylvia?”

“My mom is being herself, still very hardworking as usual. She is working for Sanders now, I also will be working at the beach house from next week.”

“You know you don’t have to do all of that, right? My family is rich, we have too much money than we can spend. I don’t like the idea of my friend working so hard, but if you insist, why don’t you work for my family instead?” he suggested, smiling.

“Mom is okay with the Sanders, thank you.”

“Alright then, let’s go back to the party. I think my mom has a pretty nice dress that you can fit into,” Giannis said.

“I don’t want to go back there; I’m sorry. Go and enjoy your party,” she smiled.

“Should I tell you a secret?” he asked.

“What?”

“I think you are much more enjoyable company than the rest of them,” he laughed.

“For real?”

“Yes, why don’t you join me in acting out a script?”

“Sure,” she laughed.

Giannis took out his phone and opened up a comedy script. They laughed as they acted it out, and Regina laughed louder when she saw a kiss scene in the script.

“We are not doing that,” he said.

“Yeah, definitely not,” she smiled.

Regina felt a sense of warmth and comfort, knowing that she had rekindled her friendship with Giannis. He was like an angel sent to make life much more bearable for her, and she appreciated their friendship more than ever before.