The Billion-Dollar Marriage Contract (7 page)

It was followed by a loud “Shhh!” from the mother and more laughter from Nikos’ friends and
ex-girlfriends who were also present in the wedding.

Antonio wiped his face with his hand and thought about fate playing a trick on all of them.

How could any day get worse than this?

The best man tried to pull a straight face and tried harder to listen to the priest as he recited a bible passage from the book of Corinthians which spoke all about love. While he was listening, he kept an eye on the groom who still continued to doze.

The priest droned on and on about things about marriage that Nikos could not understand. All he knew was that Antonio nudged him whenever he had to stand. And when he was supposed to sit, he used it as a perfect opportunity for a little nap. He bowed his head so that it would look as if he was solemn and deep in thought about the things the priest was saying.

But the truth was that he could not understand anything.

He barely realized the essentials of the ceremony and he functioned as if he were a robot under Antonio’s expert control. He even remembered smiling at his best man after Antonio caught him when he nearly pitched forward towards the floor.

“
Do you, Nikos, take this woman to be your lawfully wedded wife, to love and to cherish, to have and to hold; and do you promise, forsaking all others, to cleave to her and her alone, for as long as you both shall live?”

Nikos did not hear the question and he did not understand the words. He assumed that it was just a part of the things that a priest must say so he remained silent. But he felt Antonio nudge him. He looked at his friend and Antonio mouthed the words
“I do”
repeatedly.

The priest coughed and repeated the question. Once more, this caused their beloved guests to laugh. Nikos finally understood it and he said “I do.” But he said it in a voice which just showed everyone how drunk he was.

“Do you, Cassia, take this man to be your lawfully wedded husband, to love and to cherish, to have and to hold; and do you promise, forsaking all others, to cleave to him and to him alone, for as long as you both shall live?”

“I do,” Cassia replied.

Antonio’s heart broke for her once more when he heard that her voice was barely a whisper. He also heard all the heart and humiliation that Cassia kept bottled up inside of her.

“Please repeat after me,” the priest instructed and Nikos obliged. But it took them several tries before he was able to finish his vows.

“Is there something wrong
with the groom? He seems drunk. This wedding should be stopped,” the priest whispered to Antonio.

“No!” he cried.

Then he coughed to right himself.

“He just had some nerves and we gave him some medication. He reacted badly to it and he became very drowsy. But he is fine. Please just bear with him. Thank you. We are almost at the end. It would be such a shame to have to reschedule,” Antonio implored.

“Very well then,” the priest agreed after a long silence which Antonio spent sweating bullets.

Nikos tried to say his vows once more.

“I, Nikos Demakis take you...err...Cassia... to be my lawfully wedded wife, to have and to hold from this day forward, for better or for worse, for richer or for poorer, in sickness and in health, to love and to cherish, till death do us part. By God's holy ordinance I pledge to you my faith...” Nikos managed to stammer after a few tries.

Antonio shook his head at Nikos who looked at him like a child awaiting praise for having said something so profound.

The priest turned towards Cassia this time and made her repeat the vows. And she did that in a voice that both the audience and even the priest himself barely heard.

“I,
Cassia, take thee Nikos, to be my lawfully wedded husband, to have and to hold from this day forward, for better or for worse, for richer or for poorer,  in sickness and in health,  to love and to cherish, till death do us part. By God's holy ordinance... I pledge to you my faith.”

Yet again, Antonio’s heart broke when she heaved a great sigh filled with melancholy after she said her vows.

“The rings please?” the priest asked as he held out his hand to bless it.

A boy who served as the ring bearer approached the altar and offered Nikos the rings. Nikos bent low to receive it but almost fell towards the ground again so Antonio took it and then handed it to his friend.

Nikos fumbled with the rings before he was able to hold it steady.

He reached for Cassia’s hand a few times before he was able to grasp it. Then, he noticed the engagement ring on her finger that he unceremoniously gave her at one of their dinners. He did not even bend his knee or any of those dramatics. He just presented her the ring in the middle of their dinner. She was so happy and enthusiastic about it that he felt like a giant fool immediately afterwards.

“This was my
grandmother’s ring,” he told her as he touched the engagement ring.

Then, with his hands shaking, he went back to the task at hand and tried his best to place the wedding ring on her finger. But he was shaking too much and he kept on missing. With another sigh, Cassia held his hand and guided it to her finger. Finally, the intricately carved wedding ring fit perfectly on her finger.

“This ring I give as a token of my affection, sincerity, and fidelity. Will you wear it as a symbol of your own affection, sincerity, and fidelity toward me?” he managed to say.

He did not know the words and kept on glancing towards Antonio who patiently whispered in his ear what he should say.

“I will,” Cassia whispered. Nikos frowned when he detected that she was crying.

Why would she cry at her own wedding? Or maybe they were tears of joy? But he looked closer and tried to peer at the sheer veil she wore. That was when he saw that she looked as if she was just told that this was her last day to live on earth.

He forgot that particular line of thought when Cassia reached for his hand to place the ring.

“
This ring I give as a token of my affection, sincerity, and fidelity. Will you wear it as a symbol of your own affection, sincerity, and fidelity toward me?” Cassia repeated.

“I will,” Nikos answered with a frown as he noticed that her voice shook as she cried.

Shouldn’t she be ecstatic by now? She finally had the husband she wanted! She bought him and here he was, delivered straight at her feet. Shouldn’t she be jumping with joy because she owns him now? Was she sad that he was drunk?

Well then that was just tough.

The contract only indicated that he had to marry her. It did not specify what state he should be in during that marriage. She would just have to deal with it.

“By the power vested in me, I now pronounce you man and wife,” the priest announced and the audience clapped and cheered.

Nikos faced Antonio and gave him a huge grin.

“Thanks for keeping me up at my own wedding,” he told his friend and Antonio rolled his eyes.

“You may now kiss the bride,” the priest ordered.

Nikos smiled at Cassia.

A kiss...now that was something interesting.

This would be the first time he would be able to kiss his wife. How would it feel? Would her lips be as soft as it looks? Would she be passionate or would she be frigid?

Nikos thought of all these as he reached for her veil and lifted it. Slowly, he reached for her and cupped her chin with his fingers. He lifted her head and that was when he noticed her tear-stained face. He frowned when she averted her gaze but the audience was now cheering for him to kiss her. Well, he could not disappoint them.

So he bent low and placed his lips on hers.

Bliss.

He was more than right. They were soft, warm and inviting. He moved his lips over hers and she responded briefly with passion. But before he could kiss her further, he heard her sigh against his lips.

Then he stopped when he tasted her salty tears.

He frowned at her but before he could ask her if something was wrong, the crowd erupted into applause and the bridesmaids threw rose petals over their heads.

The ceremony was finally over but there was one last thing to be done.

They approached the priest and signed the copies of their marriage certificate. It took Nikos a few tries to grasp the pen but he was finally able to scrawl his signature at the document; a great feat for someone as drunk as him.

Then he pocketed the damned marriage certificate.

Costas Andrade approached him after that and clapped a hand on his shoulder.

“You have fulfilled your terms of the bargain. You have married my granddaughter. And now I fulfill my side,” Costas said and then handed him a sealed envelope.

“The merger is complete. I have signed it. And I welcome you, my new grandson as the Chief Executive Officer and President of
Andrade-Demakis Shipping International
...”

And now it was a bit worth it for Nikos for he finally had what he wanted.

November 15, 2003
Antoniou Winery
The Island of Santorini, Greece

The signing of the marriage certificates was over.

Cassia was well and truly married to Nikos.

She breathed a huge sigh of relief mingled with embarrassment and horror over her current situation. She cast a furtive glance towards her groom who was now leaning on his best man as he started to fall asleep yet again.

Antonio led Nikos to the middle of the room where the photographer wanted to snap some photos of the bride and groom. Cassia couldn’t help but be amazed as Nikos managed to stand by himself for a few minutes and even pose for the shots. Next came the shots with the family and with friends and with people she didn’t even know. There were also shots with the people who laughed at her. Through it all, she plastered a smile to her face and kept on counting down the hours until this sham was over.

Antonio nudged Nikos and he opened his red eyes and blinked. It was time for them to move to the reception area. The people already formed lines to throw rice, rose petals and salt and sugar over their heads as a symbol of good fortune for their marriage.

Cassia smiled as they walked through it all. Nikos, on the other hand, did his best to try and walk straight as congratulations and felicitations were thrown at them from left and right from their guests. Cassia tried to keep a straight face as everyone congratulated her on her marriage and wished them the best but what she really was thinking was that this marriage would only last for a day.

Tomorrow, she would be free.

Tomorrow, she’d divorce Nikos.

She knew she’d shock the whole world but she cared only about shocking her grandfather and making him lose in his elaborate revenge scheme.

She just had to go through the humiliation of this day and then she’s done. She could go back to America and live her dreams.

The sun started to set and immediately the place looked different. Dozens of lanterns were lit and the pool on the other side of the balcony was filled with floating candles. Servants entered the room and the balcony was transformed quickly and efficiently into a reception area.

The seats were removed and a dance floor was set up. Behind the dance floor, a high table was placed and Cassia and Nikos sat on the middle. The instant Nikos was seated Cassia noticed that he fell asleep yet again.

She let him sleep and just watched their guests silently. Beside the pool the bar was opened and their guests started flocking towards it for drinks. She wanted to go there and get a drink for herself to help her last through the night but then the photographer appeared and wanted to snap a few more photos.

This time, Cassia nudged Nikos and when he opened his eyes, she pointed at the photographer. He seemed to understand and moved his chair closer to hers. She watched him force a smile to his lips and wrap one arm around her.

A dozen flashes went off and Cassia blinked several times to regain her vision. When the photographer moved away, Nikos quickly let go of her and leaned across the table. He stared at Antonio who was now approaching and he had another steaming mug of coffee in his hands.

“Drink this,” Antonio handed Nikos the coffee.

Nikos drank it and he seemed to become a bit more sober after a few minutes. Antonio pulled up a chair, sat beside him, and the two started to converse in hushed tones. Cassia turned to look at the other side of the room and tried to entertain herself.

People started making speeches about them and said their wishes for their marriage. Some were very serious but some were not at all. Those came from Nikos’ friends. They made several jokes about settling down and married life that Cassia cringed with every word of it.

After hearing several derogatory speeches or “jokes” as they termed it from Nikos’ friends, she just stopped listening altogether.

When a waiter passed by with some champagne, she took the opportunity to grab a glass. It was just right in time for it was Costas’ turn to speak.

“To our guests, I bid you welcome. Today is a very special day for it marks a new beginning for all of us. Today, my only granddaughter and heir married one of the most brilliant minds in business. Welcome to the family, Nikos,” Costas started.

Everyone launched into applause at his words and Cassia resisted the urge to roll her eyes.

She heard Nikos snort and she wanted to do the same.

“This day is also important for this is the day that
Demakis International
merges with
Andrade Shipping
. For this, I welcome yet another set of family in the form of thousands of employees across the globe. With Nikos and my granddaughter at the helm, I know that it will be a guaranteed success,” he continued and everyone gave a louder round of applause.

“But above everything, what’s important is family. And today, Cassia and Nikos start their life together. Nikos and Cassia, may the company flourish under both of you and I hope that you have a happy and fruitful marriage! Nikos, take care of my granddaughter, eh? If you don’t, you’ll have to answer to me. Also, I am expecting a house filled with heirs in the
very
near future.” Costas winked and everyone chuckled.

Cassia, on the other hand, tried hard not to gag.

Costas raised his champagne flute and everyone followed.

“To Nikos and Cassia,” he toasted and everyone raised their glasses in salute and drank.

The host took back the microphone and made some more comments that had everyone laughing. Cassia barely heard it because she was too busy counting the bubbles on her champagne to occupy herself.

From the corner of her eye, she saw Nikos stand and offer his hand to her. She looked at him in puzzlement and he just shrugged.

“Time for the first dance as husband and wife,” he said.

She noticed that he didn’t slur as much now and knew that he was probably sobering up. It was great for she did not want him falling asleep on this dance.

She stood up and her heart started to beat wildly inside her chest. The moment Nikos touched her hand and placed it on his arm, her mind wandered back to their first dance. She recalled how much happiness she felt that night that one of the most handsome men in the room noticed her and was even gallant enough to save her from humiliation.

Oh how things have changed
.

Last week she thought she was being married because Nikos took an interest in her. When she heard that, she was over the moon! Now, she knew that he was just being
forced
to wed her. Finding out about that felt like a nail had been wedged into her heart and all her hopes and dreams of a bright future were dashed to shards.

But then again everything was too good to be true and she should have seen that right from the start so that she could’ve avoided herself some heartache.

Cassia and Nikos reached the dance floor and the crowd started to clap.

The first few notes of the song were played by the orchestra and she closed her eyes in bliss. It was just so beautiful! It was one of the songs she loved so much. When she was a child, she told herself that when she married, she’d dance to this particular song:
The Way You Look Tonight
by Frank Sinatra.

She almost forgot that childhood vow but was glad that whoever arranged her wedding picked that beautiful tune. Well, she wasn’t allowed to meddle with arrangements regarding her
own
wedding as per her evil grandfather.

Nikos took her hand and she placed hers on his broad shoulder. They began to sway to the music. Nikos looked down at her with an unreadable expression in his green eyes. Curiously, it looked something in between wanting to kiss her and wanting to strangle the hell out of her. Cassia
suspected it was the latter. He was being forced into this marriage and he didn’t want it. He
never
wanted her.

But she was going to correct that tomorrow.

After this wedding, she would talk to him and tell him about her plans. The only thing that she would ask for was help from him so that she could return to America, live there in peace and forget about the past months in her life as if they never happened.

And as per tradition, this dance was called the “Money Dance.” Guests approached and started
pinning money on Cassia’s dress and Nikos’ suit. This was an old tradition that signified luck and prosperity in the marriage. Halfway through the dance, they were nearly covered with it.

Someone must’ve poked Nikos with a pin because he yelped and then cursed. And Cassia just couldn’t help it. She threw back her head and laughed. Nikos glared at her and then he, too, laughed.
In that moment, Cassia found herself wishing that circumstances were different and that she was getting married to this great man for real.

While they danced, their guests started smashing their plates on the floor. It was another old tradition that signified
wealth and abundance for the married couple. The tradition started in Ancient Greece and it was said to signify wealth because instead of being washed and reused, plates were thrown into the banquet or fireplace.

Cassia and Nikos both laughed as their guests truly enjoyed smashing their plates.

When Nikos looked at her, his eyes danced with laughter. She relaxed and smiled back at him. For a moment there, he seemed stunned. But the moment passed too quickly and the cold mask slipped back in place. Cassia’s face also fell and she almost wanted someone to poke Nikos with a pin once more just so she could see the other side of him again.

“Nikos... I need to talk to you.” Cassia finally found the nerve to say those words.

“Hmm? Can’t it wait? We have the rest of our lives after all,” Nikos brushed her off in a sarcastic tone.

Cassia heard the ice in his voice but she forced herself to understand. She placed herself in his shoes and if this was her, she’d be very bitter towards the marriage too. Maybe she’d also get herself drunk to go through with it.

Cassia sighed when Nikos let go of her hand.

The camera flashed and the photographer took several photos. She and Nikos posed for each one of them but her mind was running at a hundred miles per hour. Soon this night would end and she’d have to tell her husband about her plans. She just couldn’t wait to tell him and she was sure that the right words would come to her later this night. Or so she hoped.

The night wore on and Cassia remained in her seat. One time, she went towards the bar and had some drinks with Anna. They giggled over everything and had the time of their lives at pointing out the flaws of Nikos’ bitchy supermodel friends.

Nikos, on the other hand, partied as though he were a bachelor. He was with his friends and they hogged all the space in the bar. They kept on doing shots and daring each and everyone to do some stupid pranks. Cassia and Anna both rolled their eyes. But when she looked more closely, Nikos had this determined look on his face. Yes, he was joking with his friends and they were all drinking...
but not him
. What he had before him was a steaming mug that she concluded must have been coffee.

“Why is the bride all alone on a night like this?” Antonio drawled lazily and interrupted Cassia’s musings.

Cassia laughed and then slanted a look towards him.

“Maybe because my groom is having the time of his life,” she teased.

“Then maybe you should go get him?” Antonio suggested.

“No...look at him. He’s having so much fun. It would be like grabbing a candy from a baby. Besides, we’ll have lots of time for us afterwards,” she said, referring to the month long honeymoon that her grandfather has planned for the two of them.

“You’re right about that, Cassia...about this day—“ Cassia raised her hand to interrupt him for she knew where this conversation was leading: Antonio was going to apologize for Nikos but it was not his fault so she wanted to hear none of it.

“Save it. There’s no harm done. I should be thanking you. There wouldn’t have been a wedding without you,” Cassia said
. And she meant it.

Antonio smiled with relief and decided to let go of the issue. Instead, they watched Nikos and the others in silence.

Hours passed and with each minute, Cassia grew even more bored. Usually, it was customary for the bride and the groom to disappear first because they just could not keep their hands off of each other another minute more. Usually, they’d be eager to start their honeymoon.

But not them.

There was no reason to rush because Nikos did not want his bride. They also did not have a flight booked tonight to go on their honeymoon. Tomorrow, they’d be using the Andrade private jet to fly to
Bora Bora
and spend a month there for their honeymoon; one that Cassia didn’t plan on having.

If she succeeded with her plan, tomorrow she’d be using the Andrade jet for a different business:
flying to America after her divorce.