The Billion-Dollar Marriage Contract (31 page)

December 24, 2016 (Three Years Later)
Nikos and Cassia’s Home
Island of Skorpios, Greece

Nikos stood at the head of the table and began slicing the roast beef that his wife cooked for their Christmas Eve dinner.

His wife smiled and so did his two year old son, Theo. They were surrounded by friends and family. Costas was here and so was Stavros Demakis. Over the years, the two learned to be civil to each other. They both wanted the same thing:
to see their grandson
. Cassia and Nikos didn’t allow them that privilege until they had settled all their disputes.

It took a long time but here they were.

Costas Andrade had been diagnosed with cancer a year ago. Now, he’d been told he only had about two years to live. So he began making amends. He apologized to Cassia and Nikos and explained everything he did wrong. He asked for forgiveness from Cassia and she told him he’d been forgiven a long time ago. But some things were never forgotten.

Then there was Alex and Isobel. They were married a year ago and they were now also expecting their first child. Beside them were Antonio and Elise with their son Anton who, by Cassia and Nikos’ opinion, had grown up fast. Beside Anton was their second son, Gabriel.

“Oh, I forgot the mashed potatoes!”

Cassia slowly stood up and wobbled to the kitchen. Nikos stopped what he was doing and assisted her. She had a difficult time walking now since she was seven months pregnant with their twins.

Nikos still couldn’t believe that miracle. He vowed he would protect Cassia and see her through all the aches and pains of carrying his twins, a boy and a girl. She complained all the time about how she had to pee and how it was so hard to walk and balance herself because her stomach was huge.

She always told him she felt like Atlas but was carrying the world in her womb instead of on her back.

Nikos listened to it all and he never complained. He even enjoyed giving her back and foot massages to alleviate her pain.

He shook his head as he realized how much his life changed. It was a full one hundred and eighty degree turn but he loved it. He wouldn’t trade it for anything else.

Finally after a few hours of mayhem, they were alone in their room.

“I enjoyed that but I would have loved it more if my back didn’t hurt so much. Theo is growing up and it’s hard to catch him in my state.”

“Don’t run after him anymore,
agapimeni
. You might slip and hurt yourself. Just watch him and let his nannies chase him for now.”

“I know. I can’t wait for these babies to come out. I want to see my feet again. I want to bend over again,” she laughed.

“They’re the last.”

She speared him with a glare.

Nikos threw up his hands and laughed. 

“Let’s close it on an even number. Maybe four?Six? Eight?” he teased.

Cassia slapped his arm and glared.

“Are you happy you married me,
glikiamou?”

“At first, no. Which bride in their right mind would want a groom drunk enough to fall asleep at his own wedding?” she teased.

Nikos held his breath as he waited for her to continue

“But you know, you wormed your way into my heart,” she added.

He exhaled.

“And you’ll never leave me, right?”

“What makes you think I won’t leave you? What if I get fed up by how you roar at me when you’re angry?”

Nikos grinned.  “Because you love me...”

She reached up and cupped his jaw. “Yes, I do, my
arrogant
billionaire. The first time I laid eyes on you on that ballroom when you rescued me, you stole my heart”

His heart melted at her words. He reached for her and kissed her tenderly.

“Back to my question...you’ll never leave?”

“We’re shackled together until we’re old and gray,” she whispered against his lips.

Nikos took out some papers from an old envelope. It was the contract that their grandparents agreed on but it was they who fulfilled the terms.

Nikos got up and threw it into the fire. They watched as it burned to nothing but ash.

“I don’t need a piece of paper signed by two old men who thought they could play as gods and meddle with our fate to tell you that you are mine, Cassia. You’re with me for the rest of our lives, Mrs. Demakis. We’re not bound by a piece of paper worth billions but by our love for each other. I love you,
agape mou.”

“
S’agapo, sýzygos
...”
I love you, husband.

Cassia took a deep breath and continued.

“Our love is our new contract and it is beyond
any
price.”

THE END.

Alyssa Marie R. Urbano is a Registered Nurse, blogger and a freelance writer from Quezon City, Philippines. She writes in an online publication site called Wattpad where her works were first recognized.Also, she is one of the Wattpad Filipino Ambassadors from the site. You can find her in this URL:
http://wattpad.com/user/AerithSage
or reach her as @AerithSage on Twitter.

EDITORS

Jamie Harris
lives in Dundee, Scotland currently doing an MA in English and Creative Writing. He helps critique and/or edit stories in an online publication site, Wattpad, while writing his own excellent stories as well. You can find him in this URL:
http://wattpad.com/user/words_are_weapons
.

Ginyn Noble
is a full-bred Filipino bouncing between Makati City, Bulacan, and her handsome beau's arms as her residences. She is currently working as a senior content writer for a white label SEO company with clients in the US, UK and Australia. Reach her as @ginynjanoble on twitter.

First of all, I want to thank my Editors: Jamie Harris and Ginyn Noble. This book is so much better after they shared their expertise with me.

Next, I want to thank my publishing consultants, Bronze Age Media.
Thank you Tania Arpa and Mina V. Esguerra for helping me reach my dreams. Self-publishing is awesome and I am so glad that I found your website over the internet. I hope you’d be able to help more writers who are also aspiring to be published.

Also, thanks to my family who believed and supported me every step of the way.
Didn’t I tell you every time you asked me to get off the computer that one day I will become published? This is it and thank you so much for everything.

Lastly, thank you to all my Wattpad readers!
Special thanks to Lis (@SeriousMoonlight), Mae (@thelxiepia) Mela (@alem0007), and Suri (@funqueen14). You guys are among the first ones who believed in my writing. It is because of your friendship and encouragement that I am where I am today.

To all my other readers, thank you so much!
Without you, all this wouldn’t have been possible. Thank you so much for reading my works and for all your votes and comments that truly encouraged me to be a better writer.

This book is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents are products of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously. Any resemblance to actual events or locales or persons, living or dead, is entirely coincidental.

Copyright ©
Alyssa Marie R. Urbano, 2014. All rights reserved.