Page 5 of Slightly Married
“Theoldsleazebag will accept you as his bride,” I stated.
She spun around, clearly startled by my presence. She had a tall, confident posture despite her evident shock. Admirable.
I stepped forward, maintaining eye contact. “Konstantin Christakis.” I extended my hand. “Your fiancé.”
Her skin was cool against mine, but the electric current passing between us was unexpected.
“Are you done staring?” Michaila pulled her hand back, her gaze cool.
“A prudent man inspects every term of an agreement. No one wants to trade gold for straw.”
She sputtered. “Straw?”
I kept my expression neutral. No need to let her see that she’d gotten a rise out of me.
Her jaw tightened, but rather than argue back about her self-worth, she said, “Do you have any idea how rude it is to listen to other people’s private conversations?”
I responded with cool amusement. “Weren’t you the one who barged into this office while I was having a private meeting?”
“But at least I announced my presence rather than lurk in the shadows like a phantom.”
“I prefer to think of it as observing.”
“Let me guess,” she said directly. “You’re choosing to marry a stranger to fatten your already brimming coffers?”
“I’m simply reclaiming what rightfully belongs to my family. The island belonged to my family for generations before my uncle’s vindictive wife sold it to your father. Thalassía’s value extends beyond money.” I straightened my cuffs. “The question is, are you prepared for what this arrangement truly entails?”
My father, and then my brothers and I had spent years attempting to reclaim the island from Michail, but every offer was rebuffed until two days ago. Michail had extended an invitation to Aristides to discuss terms of reclamation, and I believed we would only be parted with a portion of our wealth.
Instead, I was offered a wife.
I dragged my eyes away from my future father-in-law, refusing to allow bitterness to overcome me. I returned my attention to Michaila.
Her existence made her a pawn in his game. She had the luxury of refusing this arrangement, unlike me, who was tied down by the bonds of family obligation.
Obligation. The word carried the weight of promises made to my father and to Theo, whose blood had stained my hands, whose final breaths I’d held.
“What more could this arrangement entail?” Uncertainty crossed her features before she turned to her father. “If there’smore to this deal than a wedding certificate, perhaps someone should enlighten me.”
Michail set down his glass. “Marriage is only part of the arrangement, Michaila. The Christakis family doesn’t regain Thalassía until a child is born. Your sister won’t keep her position at the company unless my grandchild is born.”
Her eyes widened in shock. “A child?”
“Legacy,” her father stated simply. “The Athanasiou and Christakis bloodlines joined. A grandchild to inherit what I’ve built.”
She paled. I watched her process this new information, noting how her fingers tightened around her arms.
“So I’m to be...” she searched for words, “... a broodmare in this transaction?”
Michail’s expression hardened. “You’re to be a wife and mother. Time-honored roles many women would welcome. And what you wanted when you married that gold-digging boy.”
“A wife and mother on my terms, not as part of some medieval business arrangement.” She turned to me. “And what about you? Are you comfortable reducing the creation of a child to a contract clause?”
Michail interjected before I could answer. “Once the child is born, the terms of the agreement will be satisfied. What you choose to do with your marriage afterward is your business.” His eyes narrowed. “Though I would prefer my grandchild raised by two parents.”
The implication was clear. The marriage could end, but the child would connect both families.
“I’ve never shied away from family obligations,” I stated, meeting Michaila’s eyes. “The question is whether you’ll honor yours.”
