THE atmosphere at the meeting was tense, all eyes were on the man sitting at the head of the table.
Zander Volakis, Greek billionaire and object of millions of women's fantasies, was sitting comfortably in his armchair and the only thing that indicated that he had heard the heated conversation that had just taken place was the deadly gleam in his eyes.
That man, with broad shoulders and incredible beauty, had worked many hours to close that deal.
The men present awaited his verdict, watching him with a mixture of admiration and envy. The two women felt something completely different.
Finally, after what seemed like an eternity to the others, he took a breath and spoke.
"I want that island," he declared, looking at his employees with his piercing black eyes. "We have to find another solution."
"There's no solution," someone answered bravely. "Over the past twenty-six years, many people have tried to buy that island from Theo Kouropoulos, and he won't sell."
"It'll sell," Zander said confidently. The board members looked at each other, wondering what they were going to do to make the miracle happen.
"Apparently, I'd be willing to sell if... you changed your image," his lawyer told him.
The atmosphere around the table became even more tense.
"My image?" Zander smiled.
His lawyer smiled nervously.
"You have to keep in mind that Theo Kouropoulos has been married to his wife for fifty years, they have six children and fourteen grandchildren, and family values are very important to him. Blue Cove Island is a family summer resort. The way things are right now, you don't strike him as the ideal buyer," he explained. "What he actually said was, 'He's a cold, rude businessman with a reputation for being a ladies' man and who shows no respect for the commitments of family life.'"

"So?" Zander asked, raising an eyebrow.
Alec looked to the CFO for support.
-And he doesn't want to sell you an island geared toward family vacations because you're used to offering paradise destinations for singles and childless couples, but, according to him, you have no idea how to manage Blue Cove Island.
"You make his case very well," Zander commented dangerously. "Do you work for him or for me?"
"The reality is, he's not going to sell you the island if you don't change your image," Alec insisted. "You'd have to get married," the lawyer replied.
The silence became devastating.
"I'm not going to get married," Zander declared.
There were a few nervous laughs.
"Well, in that case," Alec cleared his throat, rummaging through his papers, "I'd like you to go see these people in London. They're a firm specializing in public image consulting. Their results are incredible, and they're discreet."
Zander silently studied the report while trying to control the intense and unpleasant emotions that the idea of getting married had produced in him.
He had buried those feelings in the darkest corners of his soul and had not liked their sudden appearance.
Getting married wasn't the solution to the problem they had at hand, so the only option was to change their image.
Zander gritted his teeth impatiently. The truth was, he'd never cared about other people's opinions. Until that moment. His reputation was keeping him from buying Blue Cove Island.