CHAPTER ONE
He waves his hand for me to take a seat on the couch. "Did you have a nice flight?"
"Yes, sir. The weather was fine until we arrived in Athens. We had to wait for the storm to pass before the helicopter could bring us to the yacht."
"We?" He asks and looks through the doorway.
"Konstantin is with me."
"Ah," he smiles. "Go." He gestures for me to go get him.
When we return, Konstantin greets him, and Grandfather Orion gestures to him to sit in the wing chair across the room. Signaling he may listen, but he isn't to participate.
Grandfather studies me, looking for words to begin. His fingers form a triangle, then tap his lips. I'm sure he's ran this scenario over and over in his mind for years, but the time has come, and once the words are spoken, they will be forever said.
"Drakos, your twenty-first birthday is approaching, and at your celebration, I will announce you are the heir to the kingdom."
I nod. My grandfather is Greek tycoon Orion Onasis. Not really royalty, but billionaires are eccentric, and he considers himself to be a King.
"Before I make the announcement, there is something you need to be made aware of."
I shift in my seat. I'm not sure what he's talking about. My entire life, I've been groomed to take over. I understand the ins and outs of running his conglomeration of global companies and how to handle the power struggles men at the top endure and must defeat.
He removes his hand triangle from his mouth and grips the arms of his chair. Then, as I obediently sit listening, he explains the prison walls I will live within.
His tone is somber. "Decades ago, I made a backdoor deal with Amos Cartier. Amos and I were roommates in college and best friends."
I look at Konstantin, and his hawkish eyes are focused on Grandfather. We were raised with his granddaughter, Liana, and Konstantin is secretly in love with her.
"Before you ask, it is a legal and binding contract. Business is cutthroat, and our friendship was important to us to maintain." He pauses for emphasis. "The agreement merges our businesses in the manner the ancient kings used to ensure peace in the world."
My mouth goes dry, and I feel my insides tighten with dread as the implication of what he's saying sinks in.
"The merger was a stroke of genius, but your mother didn't see it that way. She rebelled. She eloped with your father."
Grandfather stops talking. There is fear in his eyes. He's afraid I will rebel as well.
Konstantin slides to the edge of his chair.
I clarify for everyone's sake. "The contract is an arranged marriage?"
"Yes."
"And fulfilling the contract falls on me?"
"Yes, there is a generational clause."
Konstantin asks, "So he is to marry Liana then?"
I shift to sit on the edge of the couch. Cutting my eyes at Konstantin as my insides tighten further. He's hurting.
"No. Your mother was to wed Edward."
"Edward?" I question his answer. "Who is he?"
"Edward is William's older brother."
Konstantin and I exchange a look of surprise. This is news to us.
Grandfather continues, "When your mother eloped with your father, Edward married an American woman and moved to New York, where they had a daughter."
He purses his lips and returns the hand triangle to them to tap, frowning. "The last anyone saw of her was ten years ago. She was around three."
I quickly calculate her age. Ten years ago, I was ten. If she was three, that means she's six years younger than I am. I swallow the lump in my throat, trying to breathe. While my stomach turns over with the urge to vomit. She's only fourteen now!
I cut my eyes to see Konstantin wearing the horrified look on his face that I'm hiding. He's calculated her age too.
Grandfather continues. "Edward died shortly after, and her mother, whom the Cartiers had ostracized because she was a commoner and beneath them, vanished. I suppose she was afraid they would take her baby away from her."
He looks at Konstantin and adds, "They say they are actively searching for her, but I doubt it. They intend to substitute Liana."
"How long until this arranged marriage happens?" Konstantin asks, unable to hide his panic.
Grandfather smiles sympathetically. "Ten years."
Konstantin sighs, relieved, and slides back in the chair.
"And if I refuse?" I look at Konstantin as I ask, "Will Konstantin will be the heir?"
"No, I'm afraid the contract will be voided, and your inheritance will revert to your Uncle Georgios."
I can see the stress on Konstantin's face from here. The thought of being cut off terrifies him. Uncle Georgios doesn't like either one of us, but especially Konstantin. He was the target of his pranks and wasn't a good sport about it.
"So, we have ten years to find the girl I'm to marry?"
"Yes." Grandfather rises and asks, "Champagne?"
"Whiskey," both Konstantin and I state.
"What's her name?" I ask, suddenly curious about who my wife will be. I know I'm trapped. There is no way I won't marry her. Marrying Liana is out of the question and now marrying Rhea is no longer an option.
The last time I saw Liana was at our condo in New York. The elevator door slid open, and she gasped at the sight of me. My first thought was, 'Really? You're still afraid of me?' But then I smiled to ease her fear and stepped inside. I wrapped the wet towel around my swim trunks as I spoke, "Liana."
She nodded, but overwhelmed in the small space, she stepped into the front corner against the wall.
On the ride up to the penthouse, I asked. "Konstantin said the two of you are going shopping today?"
She managed to squeak, "Yes, we are."
Having done my polite part, I don't respond. After a moment, she asked, "Will you be attending?"
"Parties are not my thing," I answered, smirking.
I hate publicity, social events, and, most of all, parties where women are determined to fuck the 'Greek God.' Even at a masquerade ball, I'm not anonymous.
The elevator doors opened, and she rushed into Konstantin's waiting arms, all smiles and giggles. When he twirled her around and said, "Liana, love," I knew they were fucking.
Grandfather appears in front of me, holding a lowball glass of whiskey. He answers when he sits back down, "Her name is Lily."
Instantly, a vision of a fragile fourteen-year-old female pops into my head. The kind of girl my size alone triggers. Dread fills my gut. I need to find the right wife, or I'll be forced to marry the wrong bride.
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