The Billion-Dollar Marriage Contract

by Alyssa Urbano

  Today, she finally had the courage to go to the local pharmacy after Nikos left for work. She bought five sets of pregnancy test kits. All five came back positive.

  She felt like she’d won the lottery!

  She wanted to jump up and down with joy but she feared it would jar her baby. So she just ran to her bed and screamed her glee against the pillows. Her joy lasted all through the morning.

  But then she thought about the implications.

  She was pregnant with Nikos’ baby!

  Would he be happy about it? Was she ready for them to be a family? Would this affect their relationship?

  Having a baby felt very final to her. She was confused about everything else but she was sure about one thing: she was going to keep her baby and raise it well. She did not care about the rest of the world. If Nikos didn’t want their child, then to hell with him. He was not needed in their lives.

  Now, it was not a memory that she’d bring with her but a piece of him.

  An hour later, she dragged herself out of bed and headed to the nearest clinic for her check-up. Her blood was drawn and so was a urine sample.

  “Mrs. Demakis?” She was ushered inside the clinic and the doctor smiled. “The results came back. Congratulations! You are pregnant. We’ll have to do an ultrasound to check how far along you are. Would that be all right?”

  Cassia’s grin was wide and she nodded. She was asked to lie down a narrow examination table and cold gel was placed against her abdomen. The probe was placed against her belly and she began to see blurred images.

  “There’s your baby. I would say you’re about six to eight weeks along. Everything looks fine but I will be giving you prenatal vitamins you’ll have to take every day. I’ll also give you a list of what to avoid and food you can eat during your pregnancy so your baby will be absolutely healthy.”

  Cassia beamed. She felt as though she was floating on cloud nine. This was absolutely the happiest day in her life! Nothing could mar this perfect day!

  The doctor gave her paper towels for her to clean off the gel and then went back to her desk and wrote down her prescriptions. She also printed out several copies of the ultrasound and handed it to her. Tears misted her eyes. It was her baby’s first picture!

  She sat down and the doctor continued explaining several things regarding her pregnancy. After her prescription was filled out, she returned home with a smile on her face.

  She just couldn’t wait to tell Nikos! She hoped that he would be happy about it. If not, then she definitely found her reason to leave him.

  Her phone rang and she assumed it was Nikos.

  “Hey! Guess what?” she blurted out.

  “Cassia?”

  It was not Nikos’ voice but Hector’s. In a snap, all her joy faded away.

  “Hector? Where are you? Why haven’t you called? I haven’t heard anything in over a month!”

  “I’m sorry, Cassia. We do not have time for this. I’ll tell you everything once we’re together. Meet me in Santorini. From there on, we’ll go to Germany. I have a friend there who can hide us. We’ll be safe. But we have to go now.”

  “What? Hector, I can’t just leave like that! You don’t call me for a whole month and then you expect me to drop my life and run away with you?”

  “Cassia. We do not have time for this,” he spoke slowly and emphasized every word.

  “Make time, Hector. I am through being in the dark. I am done acting like your faithful lapdog and I am done with waiting for you.”

  “Cassia, what brought this on?” he sighed heavily.

  “The fact that I’ve been blinded for a long time, Hector. I thought you were perfect because you stayed with me for the longest time, but that wasn’t the case. Yes, you stayed physically but you were never there for me in any other aspect.”

  “I am sorry for my shortcomings. But I will make time for you now, Cassia. Run away with me and I’ll give you everything you want.”

  She sighed as pain pierced her heart.

  “Too late, Hector.”

  There was silence for a long time wherein she only heard his heavy breathing.

  “This is about him, isn’t it? You stupidly fell for Nikos Demakis again. He’s using you, Cassia! He’s using your kidnapping as an excuse to protect you, be with you then use you!”

  “No. He cares about me, Hector. He’s changed. After I was kidnapped, he bothered calling me, sending flowers and letters to make sure I was okay. I haven’t heard anything from you! You do not care at all!”

  Hector laughed.

  “You’re as naive as ever, Cassia. You did not learn from your mistakes ten years ago.”

  Something changed in Hector’s tone and he sounded so menacing that a shiver of dread slid down her spine.

  “Stop this, please, Hector. We’ve been friends for ten years...we can still be friends.”

  “No!” he growled. “What is it about Nikos Demakis that the world just seems to bow down to him? Why does he always get what he wants? I thought you were different, Cassia. It turns out you are like them after all...”

  “Them? Who’s ‘them’, Hector? What are you saying?” she cried frantically.

  “All the others. It’s not fucking fair!” he roared.

  Hector Petrides flew into rage.

  He remembered everything he ever experienced growing up as a bastard in the slums of Greece. He remembered how his mother died, begging for attention from his father. He remembered the tortures he had gone through trying to survive. He remembered how he vowed to make them all pay.

  “You were the only one I’ve ever loved. I really thought you were different...At least tell me why, Cassia. Tell me why you choose him over me.”

  “He’s there for me. He protects me. He makes me feel things I’ve never felt with you...he makes me happy! I’m really sorry, Hector.”

  “That’s not enough reason for me. I know you’re hiding something. Tell me!” he bellowed.

  Cassia sighed and took a deep breath. She didn’t want to lie to Hector especially when she hurt him so much already. But this was just it for them. She couldn’t run away with him now because of her baby. If she did, she’d just endanger both of them.

  So she opted to tell him the truth directly.

  “I think I love him and I am pregnant with his child!”

  Hector felt like the world came crashing down on him.

  He closed his eyes as pain washed over his body. It was followed swiftly by anger. Once more, Nikos Demakis took what was his, and his rival won. He always fucking won.

  “This is the ultimate betrayal, Cassia.”

  “I’m so sorry—“

  “I’ve protected you from everything when I should’ve killed you from the start. It was because I thought you were different. Now, you and your bastard will die.”

  “Hector, what?!” Cassia shouted but Hector already ended the call.

  Fear spiked within her and she walked as fast as she could back towards her bodyguards. She also took several deep breaths to calm herself. Hector just said those things because he was mad. It was nothing to worry about.

  But his tone was not one of mere anger. It was one of fury. It was so extreme that it was not something that was just born today. It felt like he’d harbored it for a long time and she could not control the feeling of dread and sense of impending doom that slid down her spine.

  January 18, 2013

  Unknown Island

  Greece

  “Boss, we have something interesting to report.”

  Sebastian raised an eyebrow and lifted himself from the marble countertop of the bar to look at his men. He dragged the bottle of vodka closer and drank. He was drunk and he was causing a scene but he did not care.

  “And what would that be?”

  “The men trailing Demakis’ wife reported that she bought pregnancy tests from the pharmacy this morning and then visited a doctor just this afternoon. We think she’s pregnant with Demakis’ child.”

  Sebas
tian threw back his head and laughed. He kept on laughing until people were looking at him as though he’d gone crazy. He already knew that particular piece of information. But for their sakes, he pretended that it was the most wonderful news he’s ever heard.

  “Excellent then. Get her and Demakis will pay us anything. Once we have the money, we kill her and let him watch the light fade from her eyes. Then we watch as he loses everything.”

  Sebastian grinned after he smashed the now-empty bottle.

  A week from now, he’d get revenge.

  And everything would be over...

  January 25, 2013

  Antoniou Winery

  Santorini, Greece

  She was finally going to tell him.

  Hell, it’d been a week but she was really going to do it. She was not going to back out now. Nikos truly had the right to know. Besides, seeing him with little Anton confirmed that he was great with kids and she had a feeling he would be a great father as well.

  Besides, the time she spent with him had been nothing but bliss. It’d been an adventure and she was glad that she took that leap of faith and gave him a chance.

  She finally had everything she wished for in life!

  She wanted to be a designer and have a great career. She had that. Cassiopeia was as successful as ever.

  She wanted friends who would never ridicule her because she was different or judge her by her social standing. There were Anna, Jenna, Arlene and Isobel.

  Lastly, she wanted a family. Nikos was hers and now they had a child on the way.

  Surely, nothing could be better than this!

  Now, she was back in Santorini where everything began. This was where their wedding was held and in this particular room was where they first shared each other’s passion. For a week, Cassia planned everything down to the last detail. She wanted her announcement to be really special.

  She went behind Nikos’ back to make everything perfect. His friends were all in on it but they were sworn to secrecy. Cassia planned on telling him over a romantic private dinner then there’d be a baby shower with all of their friends after.

  Nikos was due to arrive here any moment now and her nerves were eating at her. She was even more nervous now than on her wedding day!

  Suddenly the door opened and it made her heart stop.

  Nikos strode into the room wearing a huge grin. He quickly went for her and kissed her until she was breathless.

  “Is this a second honeymoon, agape mou? I love it. It’s brilliant!”

  His eyes danced with mischief as he pulled her closer and began to kiss his way down her neck. Her knees almost buckled but she tried to be immune to his touch for once. She placed her hands on his chest and pushed him away gently.

  “I was thinking we’d have dinner first.”

  She glanced behind him and pointed at the table laden with food and candles at the balcony.

  Nikos raised an eyebrow.

  “I really like this day,” he whispered tenderly before he let her go.

  Once they were seated, Cassia’s courage ran away and left her behind again. As she stared into Nikos’ green eyes, her mouth ran dry and her well-rehearsed speech vanished.

  “Do you want to say something, agapimeni?” He looked at her with a puzzled but amused expression as he ate the salad appetizer.

  Cassia, on the other hand, just pushed the food around her plate as she tried to find the words. She sighed.

  “You can tell me anything, Cassia. Is this about your decision to stay?”

  Shocked, she looked up, “Err...w-well...a bit about that.”

  Nikos groaned, “Please don’t tell me you arranged all this just to tell me you’ll be leaving me.” His voice shook, giving away his fear. He reached for her hand and squeezed.

  “No! It’s not about that!” she hurriedly comforted him.

  “Then what is it?”

  She took a deep breath.

  “I’m pregnant.”

  She handed him their baby’s first ultrasound picture.

  His jaw dropped. His knife and fork fell to his plate with a clatter.

  He appeared as though he was in a trance as he stood up, crossed the table and went to her. His eyes were fierce with emotion yet his face stayed the same. He just looked at her for a long time.

  “Nikos? Say something please...say you don’t want this and I’ll go—“

  That snapped him out of his trance and he hauled her into his arms. He hugged her tightly and she realized he was shaking. She pulled back and lifted her head to look at him. For the first time in her life, she saw Nikos Demakis with tears in his eyes.

  He grinned, picked her up and twirled her around.

  “Thank you, glikiamou! Nothing could have made me happier!” he shouted.

  He set her down gently but he still did not let her go.

  “Never think that I am not happy about this or that I would not accept our child. I want him or her. You’re stuck with me from this day forward.” Nikos smiled and embraced her tightly.

  “I’ll go wherever you go, wife.”

  Those words echoed in Cassia’s mind until tears fell from her eyes. She hastily wiped them away with her fingers and looked down so he wouldn’t see her cry. Nikos embraced her again and said nothing. He just let her cry on his expensively tailored suit while he rubbed her back.

  “Is everything okay?”

  She nodded.

  “Can we continue our celebratory dinner now? I really love the food and the place you chose. But I do love your news a thousand times better.”

  Nikos led her back to her seat and they ate their dinner with huge smiles on their faces. He spoke animatedly about his plans for their future and she found herself agreeing with everything he wanted. He promised to cut down his work hours and delegate more especially after their baby came.

  They only started to argue when it came to baby names.

  When their plates were cleared, Nikos stood up and led her to the bed.

  “Should I show you how I want to celebrate?” he purred.

  Cassia giggled, “No. I still have one more surprise for you.”

  She took his hand and led him downstairs to the bigger balcony which overlooked the sea. It was where their wedding and the reception was held. It was also where Cassia asked all their friends to hide and wait for them.

  The instant they opened the doors, the lights were opened, confetti was thrown and everyone shouted “Congratulations!”

  Nikos laughed as he saw his friends wearing party hats in baby blue and baby pink. He hugged his wife once more and kissed her deeply.

  “I said this day couldn’t have gotten any better. I was wrong. What the hell was I doing with my life without you, glikiamou?” he whispered tenderly before they joined their friends.

  He grabbed her hand and pulled her towards one of the quiet corners.

  “Am I winning your heart yet?”

  Before she could reply, he continued, “...You sure as hell won mine, agape mou.”

  Tears welled in her eyes again and she blamed it all on pregnancy hormones and not on the fact that her husband was being his charming self once more.

  About thirty minutes later, everyone was having fun when suddenly, there was a loud bang!

  Everyone looked around and Cassia was the first to scream as the bodyguard beside her fell. There was a bullet hole on his forehead and his eyes stared up sightlessly. It was followed by more gunshots. It was almost drowned by the screams of the other guests as more bodies fell. Those bodies belonged to their bodyguards who were with them in the balcony.

  Instantly, everything was in an uproar. Guest screamed and ran everywhere. Suddenly, the door was kicked open and their remaining guards who stood outside entered and ran to her and Nikos. Four of them remained and they circled them with their weapons drawn. Their eyes darted around the room as they herded her and her husband to the exit.

  But their path was blocked by huge, burly men clad in black from head to toe. Their fa
ces were covered with masks and they were holding guns. Several weapons were also strapped across their bodies.

  Their bodyguards fired their weapons but the men who just arrived were much quicker. Plus they had the advantage of several snipers placed God-knows-where who first killed their guards in the balcony. Cassia whimpered in fear and Nikos held her closer. Slowly, they backed away from the exit.

  “Everyone, on the ground now!” one of the masked men shouted.

  Their guests immediately complied. Nikos shoved Cassia behind him and looked around. Dread settled in his gut when he saw that none of their guards remained. Antonio and Alex quickly moved behind him. Alex reached for his gun but one of the men kicked it away.

  “What do you want from us?” Nikos shouted.

  The man in the middle nodded and two of his men moved forward.

  “No! Let me go!” Cassia shouted as they grabbed her.

  Nikos, Antonio and Alex all tried to fight but the men kicked them back and pointed weapons at their heads.

  Cassia’s arms were pinned behind her and a pistol was pointed at her temple.

  “We need one billion dollars wired to our account or she dies.”

  Nikos choked on his own breath.

  “One billion dollars? Where the hell would I get that much money in such a short time?”

  “We don’t give a damn. But you should if you want your wife to live.”

  He sounded a bit familiar but Nikos couldn’t recall where he heard that voice. Maybe it belonged to the leader of the group that kidnapped them?

  “It’s too much! I can’t get that much money in a short span of time!” he snarled.

  “Then we’ll be holding on to her until you get the money ready. Don’t do anything funny, Demakis. First your child dies.” The pistol was aimed at Cassia’s belly.

  She gasped and so did all of their guests. Nikos had the urge to jump towards his wife but Alex and Antonio held him back.

  “No! Let go of her! I swear I’ll get the money!”

  Tears fell from Cassia’s eyes and every one of them felt like a dagger being plunged in his heart.

  “You have fifteen minutes, Demakis. If we don’t have the money by then, we plunge a dagger into her belly. Then you have an extra fifteen minutes. By the end of that and still no money? She dies.”