The Billion-Dollar Marriage Contract (25 page)

The anger fled from her eyes and instead they misted with tears. Maybe because, like him, she also felt regret for the time that was wasted?

“Nikos...”

She reached for him.

He was about to kiss her but the moment was ruined when they heard heavy, running footsteps.

Both of them immediately stood up and hid behind the larger rocks. Nikos shoved her behind him and they stayed silent as they waited for the men to pass. But the sound of their footsteps lingered.

Cassia cursed under her breath when she saw that they left one of the blankets. It was out in the open and the men would immediately see it. She was about to reach forward and grab it but a beam of light was shone across the cave and directly onto the blanket.

Then the footsteps stopped.

“They’re in here!” one of the men shouted.

They heard Kristoff’s laugh and saw him pick up the blanket.

“Mr. and Mrs. Demakis...you may come out now. Let’s do this the easy way so nobody gets hurt,” he called out in a menacing tone.

His laughter echoed across the dark cave again. Fear struck Cassia and she squeezed Nikos’ hand. She saw the promise in his eyes. His look promised that he wouldn’t let anything happen to her.

Cassia feared so much for him. If they get caught, she knew he would suffer the beating he received two nights ago, maybe more. They’d be merciless this time. Maybe they’d even carry out their threat of raping her.

If they got caught, there’d be
no chance of an escape.

The men entered the cave and their heavy footsteps nearly drove her insane with fright. Nikos pushed her against a wall and covered her body with his. When one of the men reached them, Nikos kicked him and sent him scrambling backwards. He tugged on her hand and they sprinted towards the entrance of the cave.

But it was no use for there was more men waiting outside. Hands grabbed at her and she tried to fight them off as best as she could. Cassia kicked and clawed her way out but there was just too many of them.  Her heart beat faster with fear and at the same time, she was filled with a sense of hopelessness. She was terrified about being captured again for she knew what awaited them.

She saw Nikos fighting but he, too, was overpowered.

Once more, their hands were bound. She heard Nikos’ cry of pain as his broken wrist was tied behind his back.

Kristoff emerged from the mouth of the cave with a huge grin. He headed straight for Nikos and
kicked his ribs. Nikos fell down sideways and the men laughed.

“Not so tough now, huh?” the leader taunted.

Another man punched him in the face. Cassia recognized it as one of the guards they knocked out. Nikos said nothing and just spat out blood on their feet.

“No! Stop it, please!” she shouted.

The leader cupped her jaw painfully and forced her to look at him.

“Tonight you are ours,” he declared in a lewd tone.

He forced her to her feet and they began the long walk back to their facility.

The sun was about to set when the woods thinned and they were able to see familiar path to the beach again.

“I’m sorry, Cassia,” Nikos whispered to her before they were forced back to enter the cold, dark place that served as their prison.

“It’s not your fault,” she told him.

Suddenly, the man beside Cassia fell. She screamed when she saw their eyes stare sightlessly ahead. She screamed again the moment she saw that there were bullet holes in their heads. But she didn’t hear any sound of gunfire so what was used could have been silenced weapons.

Two more of their kidnappers fell. Those were the ones
holding Nikos. When the rest of their kidnappers saw their fallen comrades, they immediately went into alert. The men around her crouched and Kristoffstarted to shout orders in Greek. Nikos crawled towards her and forced her head down.

“Trust Alex to come
in the nick of time,” he told her and there was hope in his voice.

More shots were fired and the men were all shouting. Cassia barely understood a word they said.

“When I say run, we run to the other side of the bushes. We’re not safe here. Got it?”

She nodded.

Nikos counted to three and then they stood up and ran. She took his arm and placed it around her shoulders again so that she could help him. Their kidnappers saw their escape and chased after them but the men were all immediately cut down in a hail of bullets. Cassia looked up as they ran and saw that there were several snipers perched above the thick branches of the trees.

When they reached the bushes, two men emerged from it and ushered them closer. They wore black turtleneck shirts with Kevlar vests over them. Then, they wore black cargo pants to which various weapons were strapped
.

One of them pulled his mask off and Alex’s relieved face came into view.

Cassia and Nikos both sighed with relief.

Alex barked a couple of orders into his earpiece and then they were moving. Several men were left behind to cover their back. The others surrounded Nikos and Cassia and killed anyone who tried to follow them.

After another long walk, they were now in Alex’s boat. He sat beside them as the medic tended to them. When their wounds were treated the boat sped off to the mainland.

“Anyone hurt?” Alex asked

Both of the former captives shook their heads.

“Stay here. You’re safe here. Let me just see to my men and we’ll see if we can find any evidence or if there are any of your kidnappers left alive. I sure as hell hope there’s at least one of those assholes left for questioning.”

“
Their leader is the tall, black-haired man. His hair is up to his shoulders and he has a scar on his left cheek,” Nikos told Alex

“I’ll do my best,” Alex replied with a malicious grin.

Some of Alex’s men followed him back to the forest while more stood guard in the boat. The medic quickly tended to their wounds. Afterwards, they made themselves comfortable as they waited for Alex and his men.

Cassia woke up and the boat was already moving. She did not know how much time has passed. She looked around and saw Nikos was sleeping peacefully beside her. Alex sat beside Nikos and he was leafing through a stack of papers.

“What happened?” she asked groggily.

“We went back and gathered as much as we could. We have their computers and all their files. But their leader got away,” Alex hissed. He looked so disappointed that Cassia wanted to soothe him.

She placed her hand on his shoulder and looked into his eyes. “Thank you for saving us, Alex. I know you did your best. Don’t worry, I’m sure you’ll be able to catch Kristoff soon.”

Alex’s eyes softened and he covered her hand with his.

“Thank you, Cassia. Nikos is sleeping and you should too. Get some rest. I know how difficult the past few days were for you. I’ll wake you up when we’re in the docks.”

Cassia nodded and obeyed Alex’s orders.

About two hours later, they reached Athens. The moment they arrived at the docks, there was already a large crowd waiting for them. Most of them were people from the media. Immediately after they went down, there was a barrage of flashes from their cameras. Also, microphones were thrust at them from every direction.

There were so many questions thrown from left and right that Cassia couldn’t even properly hear one. Her mind reeled from the sudden noise.

“Is it true you’ve been kidnapped?”

“Please tell us what happened, Mr. Demakis!”

“Is it true that the Greek drug cartel is involved here?”

“How much did you pay as ransom?”

Alex barked an order and his men began to circle them and herd the reporters back.

Nikos turned towards them and said, “No comment for now. You’ll receive a detailed statement from our public relations team.”

After that, they were led to a waiting limousine.

The instant the doors opened, someone that Cassia recognized from the past exited and threw herself against Nikos.

“
Cherie
! I was so worried! It’s all over the news and I flew here as fast as I could to see for myself that you’re safe!”

She hugged Nikos tightly and rained kisses on his face. Through it all, Nikos just stood there.

Suddenly, it was as if Cassia was plunged in ice-cold water.

Maybe he slept with her
. Maybe he didn’t.

But what was clear now was that they had enough of a relationship for her to fly all the way here and act this way. Nikos didn’t even push her away which just cemented all her beliefs.

How could he do this to her again?

Cassia felt her heart breaking once more.

Everything that happened between them was a mistake. They were all lies. It was just part of the elaborate game that Nikos was playing with her.

He lied when he told her he wanted her. He lied when he said he wanted another chance for their marriage.

Nikos saw her walking towards the other limousine and he was snapped out of his trance. He pushed the clinging Marietta away and grabbed her arm.

“Cassia...it’s not what you think...”

“Yes. You’re right, Nikos. I thought you were sincere with everything you said. Turns out I was wrong.”

She climbed aboard the vehicle and slammed the door. She was surprised when Alex climbed in beside her.

“Cassia...it’s not—“

“Not a word, Alex. Please. Let’s just go.”

Thankfully, Alex did not push the issue further. He just patted her hand and let her be.

She faced the window and let her tears fall...

Three days later and she was on the plane back to America. Again, she left without saying goodbye.

She laughed for her situation was really nostalgic. Ten years ago, she fled Greece in the same situation. Before, her heart was broken and so was her pride. Because of that, she vowed revenge against Nikos.

Now, her heart was broken but there was no more of her pride to break. It was her own damned fault that she was in this situation. She never learned.

As the old adage went:

Fool me once, shame on you. Fool me twice, shame on me.

November 26, 2013 (The Next Day)
Athens General Hospital
Athens, Greece

It took one more day after Cassia left before Nikos Demakis awakened.

His body was battered and bruised, and he needed the time to recuperate. He had a broken wrist, two broken ribs, and several cuts and bruises. When he woke up, the first thing he asked for was his wife.

But she was nowhere to be found. Instead it was his personal assistant, James and Alex who sat beside his bed. He never got to talk to her after she saw him with Marietta, and they rode in separate vehicles to the hospital. When they arrived, they were treated immediately and separately. He was heavily sedated for he had more injuries than her.

“How’re you feeling?” Alex asked.

“Like I’ve been run over by a truck. Where’s Cassia?”

James and Alex looked at each other.

“Err...she’s gone back to America.”

“What?!” he roared.

He struggled to sit up and his friends helped him.

“When did she leave?”

“Yesterday. I think she misunderstood Marietta’s presence here, Nikos. I saw the look on her face. That was how she looked like ten years ago when you threw her out.”

Nikos flinched. Marietta truly brought him nothing but heartache-- along with a pounding headache.

“For years after our affair ended, she wanted to get back with me. I told her it was over. But she kept coming back. Maybe I should have asked for a temporary restraining order,” he sighed.

“I think I can have her assassinated. Say the word,” Alex teased.

Nikos rolled his eyes. He wanted to go to Cassia right now and explain. He wanted to see her smile again and know that it was him who caused it. This time around, he wouldn’t let a misunderstanding separate the two of them.

“No need, Alex.”

“I’d do it for free for Cassia. I hated how she looked when she boarded that plane. I knew what she felt was killing her and it damned near killed me too,” Alex groaned.

“Prepare the private jet, James, and prepare all necessary documents. We’re going to America.”

His assistant flinched and paled.

“Sir...I’m sorry but that’s not possible at this time. First of all, you’re not yet cleared for discharge. Second, the board of directors is already waiting for you and your report. I have already given a statement to our PR Department for damage control but the board members themselves want to see you. Then, there’s the
Higeshima Deal
which will commence in about a week.”

“Cancel everything, I need to go to America,” he said without preamble.

“Sir. I strongly advise against this. You would also have to release your statement to the press. Give me two weeks sir and after that I will clear your schedule.”

“Two
fucking
weeks?! Is there no other way?”

“I’m afraid not.”

He sighed and flopped back down on the bed.

“Call a flower shop in America. I’d like to send Cassia flowers.”

“Excellent, sir. I’ll choose one and have them sent to her right away.”

He shook his head. “
Ochi
, James. Call them and I’ll choose one, myself.”

Nikos didn’t know who was more shocked with his declaration: Alex or his assistant. Alex raised an eyebrow at him while his assistant hid his surprise better and proceeded to do as he was told.

A moment later, Nikos was lost in a wide selection of flowers. At first, he spoke with the shop manager who then tried to explain to him in great detail how the bouquets looked. But Nikos couldn’t choose based on words. He wanted the best for Cassia so he asked for a video call so he could see everything. He even asked the shop manager what the different colors and blooms meant.

It took him nearly an hour
before he was able to make a selection.

December 23, 2013
Cassiopeia
Fifth Avenue, New York City

“Delivery for Mrs. Cassia Demakis?”

Her staff all rolled their eyes at the same time. They looked at each other to check who would be accepting the deliveries. The task fell to Anna, Cassia’s best friend and
General Manager for Cassiopeia.

“When is he going to stop? It’s got to the point that it’s irritating and pathetic.”

“I’ve told him to stop but he says he won’t until I forgive him,” Cassia replied with a sigh.

For the past month, Nikos had been sending her flowers thrice a day. The first week, it was accompanied by letters. He kept on explaining that there was nothing going on with him and Marietta.

He explained to her that they’d broken up a long time ago and were only acquaintances but she refused to let him go and had been pestering him ever since. He explained that he knew he was mistaken for not setting her right and telling her they didn’t really have any future together.

Cassia ignored all of it and threw the letters in the trash. She didn’t care if Nikos was with Marietta or not. She was done with him. She’d been a fool twice and she wouldn’t open herself up for a third time.

Cassia pulled her phone out of her pocket and glanced at the screen.

Still no word from Hector.

She returned to New York as he came out of hiding just to make sure she was safe. He picked her up at the airport then drove her to her apartment. She ached to tell him about the ordeal she suffered but he was too busy talking on the phone to notice her.

She just sat there in his car as she waited for him to finish.

Then, he dropped her off at her apartment and told her he couldn’t stay. He ordered her to stay put and that he would contact her.

But it had been nearly a month and still there was
nothing
from him.

She was snapped out of her thoughts when Anna handed her another wooden case for her to stack on the shelves.

“I’m just curious, you know. He wants to apologize but he’s never been here and it’s been a month. If it was me, I’d have come here in the flesh.”

“He’s busy. There are a lot of things that have been going on with the company.  There’s this deal that’s been falling apart and then he had to handle the media after our kidnapping.”

“Why are you even defending him?” Anna glared at her.

Cassia shrugged, “I’m not. I’m just stating facts.”

The doorbell rang again.

“I’ll get it,” Anna said as she ran towards the door.

Cassia finished placing the boxes back on the shelves and dusted her hands. She was so tired and she just wanted to return home and buy herself take-out dinner.

“Err...Cassia, speaking of the
devil
.”

“What?” Cassia grabbed her purse and followed her friend to the front of the shop. There, she saw Anna glaring at Nikos.

Her breath caught in her throat as she saw him in the flesh. He was still as handsome as ever. He wore a finely-tailored gray suit and was holding another bouquet of flowers in front of him. This was the biggest and most elaborate one yet.

“What are you doing here?” Cassia spat.

“I came to see you. I would’ve come sooner but there were a lot of things I had to do.”

He handed her the bouquet of roses and Anna took it from her.

“Okay. You saw her. Now you can go.”

Anna shooed Nikos away and the two glared at each other.

“I was hoping we could talk.”

“There’s nothing for us to talk about, Nikos.”

“There’s a lot for us to talk about. Hear me out, Cassia. Please?”

“No.”

Cassia grabbed Anna’s purse from the table near the register and handed it to her. She tugged her friend outside the door and both of them locked-up the shop as quickly as they could.

“Let’s go.”

She grabbed Anna’s hand and went to the other side of the street where her car was parked.

Suddenly, she was lifted off her feet and carried over Nikos’ shoulder.

“Put me down you brute!” she shrieked.

“Hey!” Anna shouted.

The people in the vicinity all turned to look at them with curiosity. Some looked at Nikos warily.

Nikos smiled
that charming smile of his at everyone who turned to look. “Just settling a domestic dispute with my wife. She’s being stubborn,” he told them. The others turned away and continued what they were doing.

“Miss, is this man really your husband?”
one man shouted. Nikos heard the man’s companion order him to call the cops.

“No need! He’s my husband.
Unfortunately
.”

Some laughed. The man and his companion turned and walked away. When no one else paid attention, Cassia pinched Nikos’ arm.

“Put me down now! You’re causing a scene!”

“
Ochi.
I’m kidnapping you so we can talk and you can’t do anything about it,” Nikos told her as he brought her to his car.

He nodded to his bodyguards and they opened the door. Their faces remained completely blank to what Nikos was doing. One of them even held Anna back.

“We’re going to talk, you and I. And you can’t run away this time. I refuse to have another misunderstanding keep us apart.”

He gently placed her inside the car and climbed in after her.

She tried to get out but the doors were immediately locked and only the driver could unlock them.

“Let me out of here!” she screeched.

“My hotel. Drive,” Nikos told the driver who quickly sped off.

December 23, 2013
Nostos Hotel
New York City

Nikos dumped Cassia on the bed and sat beside her.

He pinned her arms by her sides so she couldn’t escape and looked straight into her hazel eyes.

“What’s the matter with you?” he hissed.

“Me? It’s you who kidnapped me here!”

“I mean what happened to you? I thought that we were okay back on the island and then you suddenly disappear on me! You didn’t reply to any of my letters or emails and did not answer any of my calls.”

“Well, I thought that since you already have Marietta with you, you have everything you need.”

Nikos stiffened and then he sighed. He finally realized what was going on here. Alex was right.

“That day back at the docks...it was nothing. Alex told me she wanted to come see for herself that I was fine. She thinks we’re still together but we’ve broken up a long time ago. She keeps on thinking there’s still something else between us. There’s nothing, Cassia.”

“Lies! From the looks of that, she’s still your mistress—“

“After I was kidnapped, I didn’t sleep with anyone for two years!” he cut her off.

Nikos took several deep breaths to calm himself. He stood up and faced away from her.

“I told you I am a broken man, Cassia. I’ve never even slept peacefully after I was kidnapped. I can’t because every time I close my eyes, I am drowned by nightmares. I haven’t been with anyone else because I can’t trust them to look at my scars...I can’t trust them enough to fall asleep and let them hear what torments me. If you want, I can contact all the doctors I’ve seen and ask for my medical records.”

“N-no...” She remembered waking him up from his nightmares well enough.

“I just want you to know I have wanted to come here since the day you left me at the hospital. They asked me to stay for three more days before they cleared me for discharge. Then there was the media frenzy because of our kidnapping. Then I had to fix the
Higeshima
deal.”

“I am aware what happened with that and I am happy that it pulled through.”

“
Ne
. But it took me almost a month before I could come here. So I sent you flowers and letters in my stead.”

Cassia scoffed, “Your assistant did, you mean?”

“No. I remembered what you told me when we were in that island. This time, it was me who chose all of that.”

Her jaw dropped.

“Y-you did?”

Nikos nodded.

“I am serious about wanting another shot at our marriage, Cassia.”

For the first time tonight, she was speechless.

“I am never letting you go. You are going back to Greece with me.”

Her ire came back in a snap just like that. “
What?!”

Nikos just raised an eyebrow for he was sure she perfectly heard him.

“We are not going back to Greece! It was a disaster last time! And I could not leave my shop just like that!”

“It’s final, Cassia. We are going to Greece. I hired more security this time. We are going to Athens by plane and then we are going to take a helicopter to go to my island. I am not taking any chances with our safety now.”