The Billion-Dollar Marriage Contract (18 page)

Cassia snorted, “Don’t think too highly of yourself.”

Nikos chuckled. She infuriated him unlike any other person and it was a refreshing change.

“We are still going to Greece. My word is final. There are things going on here that you don’t know anything about. Things connected to your attempted kidnapping and to your Hector Petrides,” the last few words came out as a low growl.

Cassia snapped at attention when she heard Hector’s name.

“What is it about Hector? What happened?” she asked
in a shrill voice.

Nikos’ lips pursed into a tight line.

“This conversation will be reserved for later until you are well enough for it,” he answered.

“Don’t treat me as an invalid! I can handle anything!”

“I doubt it. Trust me on this one, Cassia. We’ll talk about this. There’s a proper time and place for everything. For now, rest and don’t do anything ridiculous. I’ll have you guarded all the time so there’s no use escaping,” Nikos told her as he crossed his arms over his chest.

Cassia grabbed his arm and squeezed.

“Please, Nikos. I have a right to know. I can handle it,” she swore.

He sighed and ran his fingers through his hair.

For a few minutes, he gazed out the window contemplating as to whether he should tell her or not. She had a right to know but he felt like he didn’t have the proper words to tell her. Then maybe evidence could speak for him at this point.

“Hand me my briefcase in the back, will you?” he asked the bodyguards who sat behind them. They handed it to him and he
retrieved an envelope from it and handed it to her.

Fear raced down her spine when she saw several pictures of Hector.

“What is this?”

“Alex believes that Hector Petrides has been involved in several illegal activities. Years ago, his business was failing and in order to save it, he struck a deal with the devil. The devil was in the form of one of the drug lords from
the one and only Greek drug cartel.”

Cassia’s hand shook as she flipped through the photographs.

“He’s been the instrument of this drug cartel to ship their drugs to the United States in return for their protection for him and for more and more money for his business.”

“No...”

“Alex is working on this case. He’s been tracking that drug cartel as one of his assignments. He stumbled across Hector’s involvement and further unearthed his involvement with you. Alex came and told me you were at risk.”

“No! This isn’t true! Hector is not involved with drugs!” she cried.

She tried to deny it repeatedly but deep down she knew there was some truth in what Nikos was saying.

About five or six years ago, Hector’s business
had
been failing. He talked to her about closing everything and he was so beat up about it. She even offered him a loan but he didn’t want to accept. One day, he told her he had the money to reopen his business and it flourished ever since.

But...

Also starting that day, Hector had less time for her. He was always away on what he said were business trips. When he returned, he was more stressed than before. When they went out on dates, he often received a call and then he would just simply disappear.

What baffled Cassia was that Hector was now at the top of his game. He should be able to always take a break and enjoy the
money he got from his hard work! He had a highly competent staff to which he could delegate the running of his business for a few days so that he could go on a vacation.

But he always said no.

He always told her that there were things he should handle by himself and could never delegate. She did not understand it back then but she just assumed he was one of those people who were perfectionists and wanted to do everything themselves.

I could never be more wrong.

Tears filled Cassia’s eyes as her shaking fingers took hold of one of the photographs where drugs placed in boxes were being hauled at the docks then placed inside vans painted with the logo of his hotel. There was also a clear photo of him supervising everything.

It was truly damning evidence.

“This isn’t possible...” she whispered.

Her vision was already clouded by tears but she hastily wiped them away so she could gaze more at the photographs and the written report in front of her.

“Cassia...” Nikos’ voice shook. He frowned when he saw the tears in her eyes and reached out towards her but she slapped his hand away.

“What is this?” Cassia gasped.

She lifted a photograph and then showed it to him. It showed the body of a boy, someone who could not be more than twenty, and there was a bullet hole in his forehead.

Nikos pursed his lips and grabbed the photograph from her.

“We believe it’s one of the waiters from Hector’s staff who found out what the shipment contained. He was killed because of the knowledge he bore.”

Cassia’s stomach rolled and nausea overwhelmed her. She covered her mouth and tried to breathe deeply to avoid being sick. At the same time, a heavy feeling of dread settled over her shoulders and her tears turned into huge sobs.

She picked up one photograph of Hector where his face was clear. She gripped it tightly and raised her other hand to trace along the edges of his handsome features.

Uncaring about who was listening, she cried her heart out.

“Cassia...shh...” Nikos gathered her in his arms.

He kissed her temple as he tried to comfort her.

“Now, I hope you understand why I have to protect you. Hector fucked up somehow and now the entire cartel is after him. They would use you to get to him.”

Cassia sobbed harder when she realized the truth in his words. This was why Hector sounded so frantic when he last spoke to her. This was why he wanted her to take a vacation and told her she wasn’t safe.

“I won’t grant you the divorce either. I can’t have you go to someone like him. The life you believe you’ll be having with him is all an illusion. He can’t give you something normal. The drug cartel would always come first. There’s no escaping them.”

Cassia gasped in outrage and pushed Nikos back.

“How dare you speak like that?! You know nothing, Nikos! Hector is a good man! I know that his desperation for his business caused him to do this! But his intentions were pure! He did this because his business was all he had! Desperation drives even the best men to sin and to do what they don’t want to!
You
should know, right?”

Nikos sucked in a breath after hearing her question.

“You were forced to marry someone you believe is equivalent to a spoiled heiress and a monster when
Demakis International
was about to be snatched away from your family!”

Nikos opened his mouth to argue but Cassia kept on speaking.

“What makes you any different? Please stop making accusations and stop pointing fingers! You are just like him!” Cassia snapped.

Her words chilled him to his very core. He could not accept that she was comparing him to Hector.

But he also couldn’t help the tightening in his chest as he realized what she told him was true.

Later that Day
La Guardia Airport
New York City

“Before we board the plane, I need to go to the bathroom.”

“There’s one on the plane. You can just go there,” Nikos replied dryly as he looked up from the newspaper he was reading. They were seated in the VIP lounge of the airport while they waited for his private jet to be ready.

“No. I have to go now.”

In truth, she needed to escape his presence so that she could call Hector and ask him about
what she just learned.

Nikos sighed, “Very well then.”

He nodded to two of Cassia’s guards and asked them to escort her to the nearest comfort room. The guards thoroughly checked the stalls before they let Cassia inside. After she was done with her business, she began looking for pay phones.

But there were none.

She poked her head outside of the door and called one of her guards.

“Can I borrow your phone?” she whispered.

“Ma’am, I do not think that is wise,” the guard told her firmly.

“I have just been attacked and my store has been ruined. I n
eed to call my assistant toleave instructions about the shop and about what happened earlier. In a few minutes, I’ll be flying to Greece and I’ll be leaving the poor guy alone to handle everything that happened.”

“I advise that you discuss this with your husband.”

“Haven’t you noticed that he’s a busy man? Besides, I have a few instructions for my assistant regarding private matters that he need not bother himself about. I promise I will just be quick.”

Reluctantly, the guard handed her his phone.

“Please be quick, ma’am. I think the jet is almost ready.”

Cassia nodded to her guard and then closed the door and went to the farthest part of the bathroom where she was sure they wouldn’t overhear any conversation.

She quickly dialed Hector’s number. He told her last time that he’d change his number but she prayed that it was still the one he used.

His phone rang but he didn’t pick up. She decided that she would just leave him a message and waited for his voicemail.

“Hector... It’s me Cassia. Something happened and I—“

“Cassia?!I told you not to call. It isn’t safe!” he cried frantically.

“Hector...listen. Something happened. My store was attacked. There were men who came there with the intent of kidnapping me—“

“What?! Are you okay? What happened? Where are you?”

“Calm down, Hector. I’m fine. Just a little bit shaken. I was shot in the arm but it’s only a flesh wound and I already had it tended by doctors. I was just in my shop while packing my things to go on that vacation as you ordered. Before I knew it, the glass shattered and there were men barging inside my store.”

Hector cursed under his breath.

“Cassia...I don’t know what to say. This is
all my fault.”

“Hector...I know this is not the time to talk about this...but Nikos told me several things. And I just have to know.”

“What did he say?” Hector’s tone was icy.

She never heard him use that
tone before.

“He said th
at you are part of the Greek drug cartel.”

There was silence from his end for a long time. Finally, he sighed.

“It’s true Cassia. But I don’t want to be with them anymore. I wanted to end it all so I could be free. I did it for you! For us! I talked to them about it and they agreed on one condition. There was a last shipment. It was bigger than anything else. I think it was worth close to a billion dollars,” he confessed.

“What happened?” she asked hesitantly.

Each word from him broke hear heart. But she needed to know the entire truth.

“I failed that shipment. Something happened. I don’t know what. Maybe someone heard about it and stole everything. Maybe someone fucked up from my team. It’s lost and no matter what I do
, I can’t retrieve it...I failed them Cassia...” his voice broke on a sob.

“Hector...
it’s going to be all right. I promise you.”

“It’s not! That mistake is going to cost me my life! This is why I am hiding! This is why I want
you
to hide! We’ll never be safe. What happened to you is my fault.”

“Stop it, Hector. It’s not,” she reprimanded.

In fact, it was her fault. If she did not press him so much about wanting more of his time, then he wouldn’t have begged to be released from the drug cartel.

Hector took a few seconds to calm himself down.

“Where are you now?”

“That’s what I was calling you about. Nikos swept in on the scene and decided he’d whisk me away to Greece for my safety. I told him no but the man is immovable on this.”

“What?!” Hector’s tone suddenly changed, “Where in Greece would he be taking you to?” This time his voice sounded menacing.

“He just mentioned something about a private island. That’s all I know.”

“Cassia. I’m afraid about this. I don’t want you with him. I know we can’t be together because of all the danger...call me selfish, but I still want you with me. I can’t let you be with him. ”

“Don’t worry, Hector. It will be all right. You have nothing to worry about with me and Nikos.”

“Promise me you won’t return to him. Promise me this,” Hector begged.

“I promise.”

“You know I love you, right?”

“I know.”

Thirty Minutes Later
Nikos’ private jet.
La Guardia Airport, New York City

Nikos held her hand as they climbed up the steep ladder. They entered his private jet and Cassia’s jaw dropped. Drool would’ve fallen from her mouth had she not closed it quickly.