The Tycoon’s Obsession: An Age Gap and Second Chance Romance, page 1
Contents
Artwork
Playlist
Social Media
Blurb
Synopsis
Zoe
Prologue
Boston
Zoe
Chapter One
Barcelona
Christos
Chapter Two
Barcelona
Christos
Chapter Three
Zoe
Chapter Four
Zoe
Chapter Five
Christos
Chapter Six
Zoe
Chapter Seven
Zoe
Chapter Eight
Christos
Chapter Nine
Christos
Chapter Ten
Zoe
Chapter Eleven
Christos
Chapter Twelve
Christos
Chapter Thirteen
Zoe
Chapter Fourteen
Christos
Chapter Fifteen
Zoe
Chapter Sixteen
Boston
Boston Hospital
Christos
Chapter Seventeen
New York
Zoe
Chapter Eighteen
Boston
Zoe
Chapter Nineteen
Christos
Chapter Twenty
Zoe
Chapter Twenty-One
Zoe
Chapter Twenty-Two
Christos
Chapter Twenty-Three
Zoe
Chapter Twenty-Four
Boston
Zoe
Chapter Twenty-Five
Mike
Chapter Twenty-Six
Zoe
Chapter Twenty-Seven
Christos
Chapter Twenty-Eight
Boston
Christos
Chapter Twenty-Nine
Christos
Chapter Thirty
Zoe
Chapter Thirty-One
Christos
Chapter Thirty-Two
Zoe
Chapter Thirty-Three
Zoe
Chapter Thirty-Four
Christos
Chapter Thirty-Five
Christos
Chapter Thirty-Six
Christos
Chapter Thirty-Seven
Christos
Chapter Thirty-Eight
Zoe
Chapter Thirty-Nine
Christos
Chapter Forty
Christos
Chapter Forty-One
Christos
Chapter Forty-Two
Zoe
Chapter Forty-Three
Washington D.C.
Christos
Chapter Forty-Four
Back to Boston
Christos
Chapter Forty-Five
Greece
Christos
Chapter Forty-Six
Zoe
Chapter Forty-Seven
Zoe
Chapter Forty-Eight
New York
Christos
Chapter Forty-Nine
New York
Weeks Later
Zoe
Chapter Fifty
Opera Night
Zoe
Chapter Fifty-One
Beau Carmouche-LeBlanc
Chapter Fifty-Two
Somewhere in Central America
Christos
Chapter Fifty-Three
North Carolina
Zoe
Epilogue One
Christos
Epilogue Two
Bonus
Odin Lykaios
Bonus
Greece
Madeline Turner
Bonus
London
Also by D.A. Lemoyne
About the Author
D. A. LEMOYNE
dalemoynewriter@gmail.com
Copyright © 2024 by D. A. Lemoyne.
All rights reserved.
Published in the United States of America.
Title: The Tycoon’s Obsession
Original Title: A Eleita do Grego
First published 2021
North Carolina – USA
Author: D. A. Lemoyne
Translated by W. Books
Copy Editor by Erin N.
Cover design by Angela H.
Cover Photography by M. Lancaster
Illustration by M. Ribeiro
Illustration by Linka
E-book and Paperback Formatting by MadHat Studios
ISBN e-book: 978-65-00-35580-2
ISBN e-book: 978-65-01-07330-9
ISBN e-book: 978-1-965450-00-0
ISBN Paperback: 978-1-965450-01-7
All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced or copied in any form or by electronic or mechanical means, including information storage and retrieval systems, without written permission from the author, except for brief quotations in book reviews or promotions.
The following book is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents are either the product of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously. Resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, events, or locales is entirely coincidental.
The following story contains mature themes, strong language, and sexual situations.
It is intended for mature readers.
Playlist
Save Your Tears - The Weeknd ft. Ariana Grande
Take My Hand - 5 Seconds of Summer
Levitating - Dua Lipa ft. DaBaby
Afterglow - Ed Sheeran
Cardigan - Taylor Swift
Before You Go - Lewis Capaldi
Social Media
Facebook Profile
Facebook Page
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Blurb
He is Greek, CEO, and almost twenty years older.
She is a young American on her first international trip.
He became her protector when she needed one.
She became the obsession he didn’t plan for.
Christos
Until I met her, there was only room in my life for inhuman work hours and casual sex.
I never had addictions until I found Zoe, a waitress on one of the ships in a fleet I intended to buy.
My desire was instant, as well as my determination to bring her to my bed.
She gave me one night and then fled from me.
No, she thought she could escape from me, but there was no way I would let her escape while my desire for her remained unsatisfied.
Synopsis
Warning: may contain triggers
Warning: The Tycoon’s Obsession, Book One of Lykaios Family, is standalone. Each book can be read separately, but it’s likely that the next one will contain spoilers from the previous ones.
Zoe
Some people would say I’m too old to believe in fairy tales, but the truth is, no one is smart enough to resist a mad passion.
And not just any passion, but the kind that takes your breath away, makes your skin crawl just by hearing their voice, and sets your body on fire.
Christos
I don’t believe in love at first sight, but being horny at first sight seems plausible.
When I met her, I knew I would make her mine; what I didn’t count on was that she would disappear two days later without looking back.
An unexpected encounter.
An explosive attraction.
Neither is prepared for the overwhelming feeling until a secret changes everything and forces her to run away.
However, the billionaire CEO is willing to do anything to get Zoe back in his bed.
His desire for the only woman to ever leave him knows no bounds. Not even time is able to slow it down.
When, at last, fate gives them a second chance, he faces losing her again.
This time, forever.
For everyone who loves passionate, sexy, and powerful Greeks.
North Carolina, 2024.
Author’s Note
The Tycoon’s Obsession is the first book of Lykaios Family series. It tells the story of Christos Lykaios, the CEO of the fashion industry, and Zoe Turner, a rising top model.
Boarding a ship from a fleet he intended to buy, the arrogant Greek did not plan to become entirely fascinated by an American almost twenty years younger who is part of the cruise staff.
Despite being inexperienced, Zoe knows what she wants, and it is not to be used as a billionaire's playdate, but fate works to connect these two hearts in a way that not even time can diminish the feeling.
The Greek Tycoon’s Obsession is an age gap story about second chances and unconditional love, which most of us dream about.
The story contains some triggers such as sexual harassment (not from the male protagonist and in a very brief situation), domestic violence (not from the male protagonist and in a very brief situation), the protagonist coming from foster homes, and detailed sex scenes.
The second book in the series, About Love and Revenge, featuring Christos’s cousin Odin Lykaios, will be released soon.
Finally, my books are always standalone stories, but my literary world is interconnected, so you will eventually
I hope you fall in love with the universe I created as much as I loved making it.
XO,
D. A. Lemoyne
Zoe
PROLOGUE
BOSTON
She takes my hand, squeezing it tight, and without her saying anything, I know she’s just as sad as I am.
We talk a lot.
In fact, every day since I started living here almost a year ago. Pauline is the only person who can make me smile. My Mom died. She was the only one I had since Dad left for heaven long before her.
I tell stories to my friend because I learned how to read. My Mom used to do that, acting like the characters. It was so funny. I’m not good at that because I read slowly, and sometimes I even stutter, but she never laughs at me, unlike her mother, Aunt Ernestine, the owner of the house where I live now.
Pauline is much older than me. She’s almost twelve now and says she’s not a child but a teenager. Even though she’s almost an adult, she can’t get out of bed because her legs don’t have the strength to walk. She had an accident when she was younger than I am now.
I wish I had the power to get her up and running so she can play with me, but as my teacher said the other day, sometimes we can’t understand God’s will, Zoe.
I don’t know what that means, but it’s not fair.
I found a way to make her happy: I do things in her place. When she wakes up and says she wants to go for a walk in the backyard, I run out of the house. Then I come back with my lungs burning and short of breath. But when I see her smile, I know it was worth it.
The first time I did that, she said I was crazy, but then she started to love the idea and now always asks me for things.
“Zoe, go outside and feel the rain for me.”
“Zoe, tell me about the cutest boy in your school. He’s going to be my secret boyfriend.”
“Zoe, how does it feel to jump really high?”
I swing my feet, sitting on her bed. They don’t touch the floor yet because her bed is high—it’s a hospital bed, and it cost a fortune. Aunt Ernestine always says that, as if it’s Pauline’s fault it cost so much. We used to joke, trying to guess when I would finally be big enough to get my feet touching the floor.
Now, we’ll never know because I’m leaving this house forever.
“Do you promise to come and get me when you’re rich?”
I look at her and smile, which helps to soothe the pain I feel in my chest.
I’ve been secretly crying for a week. Ever since I found out I was going to live in an orphanage again. I’m very, very sad.
My so-called aunt reached out to the government man and said she was going to give me back to the state because the money she got to let me live here wasn’t enough. She has other children here, too, so I don’t understand why I’m the only one who’s going to be sent back.
“How am I going to be rich, Pauline?” I ask. “My piggy bank only has two dollars from when I helped Mrs. Nole pick up the leaves in the yard.”
“Remember our deal? You are me, so you do things for me? Well, I dream of becoming a famous top model. Gorgeous, on the runway, modeling, and with all the men in the world crazy about me. The thing is that will never happen because I can’t walk.”
“What is a top model?” I ask, trying the name on my tongue and finding it funny.
“They are very beautiful girls who walk on a ramp or are photographed. They get clothes for free and travel all over the world.”
“It must be really cool.”
“Yes, Zoe. It’s the best job in the world! Promise me that you will do this for me and that wherever you go, in any country, you will remember that.”
“I know your mother is sending me away, but does that mean I’ll never see you again, Pauline?”
She looks at me weirdly, as if she knows a secret and doesn’t want to tell me.
“I’m not sure, Zoe. Either way, when you feel sad and alone, look up at the sky and think of me. I will always think of you, too.”
Zoe
CHAPTER ONE
Eleven Years Later
BARCELONA
Oh God, this is so uncomfortable!
Pauline, I must really love you, ‘cause this idea of traveling the world is turning out to be more difficult than I imagined.
A cruise on the Mediterranean Sea might be the dream of every girl my age, but right now I’d give anything to get out of this sticky uniform and throw myself into the Boston snow. The thing is, even if I were in my homeland, that wouldn’t be possible, of course, since it’s summer there too.
I try to check the time on the clock inside the ship, but it’s very difficult from where I stand. Because we’re forbidden to check our phones during working hours, all I can do is hope I can get back to the air-conditioning very quickly.
I push those thoughts away, thinking how my best friend would give anything to be living this terrible experience during a humid summer day, trapped in a uniform that would leave anyone feeling uncomfortable. Like a banana, we’re covered up all the way to the neck. I hate turtlenecks and would love to have a little chat with the stylist—do they really have one?—who designed this outfit for the employees.
“When will I be able to take a selfie with the handsome captain, honey?” a very pretty lady approaches me and asks.
“Good evening. Welcome to Dream Cruise!” I reply with what I had to memorize. “The captain will be available half an hour before the gala dinner today and will spare fifteen minutes to take pictures with the passengers.”
“Only fifteen? I need at least an hour next to that hottie!”
I repress a laugh. She must be eighty or older, and the captain is fifty, but who said love sees age?
Well, I don’t like him at all. The single time we were in the same room together, I concluded that he looked at women as if he were a gift from heaven to humankind.
I met a girl who was also hired to work on this week-long cruise but had previous experience. She told me he usually ends each trip with the female employees fighting for his attention. Also, most of them get to visit his cabin.
When the lady says goodbye, I take the opportunity to check if the photographer’s material is all set up.
When I saw on the internet a few months ago that Dolphin Cruises, the largest cruise company in the world, was hiring young people with no previous experience needed to work on a trip across the Mediterranean Sea, I thought, this is it.
We went through two weeks of training, and since I had just graduated from high school, it was the perfect graduation gift to myself. I passed the training easily, and the company provided my passport.
My foster parents, a kind couple who finally took me out of the orphanage for good when I was eleven, could never provide me with anything like this. On the other hand, they gave me a lot of love, and even though they couldn’t glue all the broken pieces of my heart back together, they made me feel wanted after so many temporary homes.
It was only about a year ago that I met my birth mother’s distant cousin, but while I enjoyed meeting blood relatives, they never attempted to get close, really.
