Total pages in book: 91
Estimated words: 88153 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 441(@200wpm)___ 353(@250wpm)___ 294(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 88153 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 441(@200wpm)___ 353(@250wpm)___ 294(@300wpm)
“I did. It plainly states that if I protest the marriage that I am allowed to call a halt to it.”
“I think it says it will be up to me to convince you to agree to the marriage if you have misgivings.”
“Isn’t that the same thing?”
“Semantics really.”
“Whatever. The point is, I don’t want to marry you.”
“Because I haven’t kissed you?”
“Because neither of us want this. We need to stop pretending. Seriously, how am I supposed to want this marriage when my fiancé barely talks to me—let alone kisses me—and is dating another woman?”
“I ended things with Katherine, Emilia.”
“Now who is using semantics?” I huff.
“I’m serious. We called an end to our arrangement before your birthday.”
“What does it matter? There will just be someone to take her place. Maybe that is okay for some women, but it’s not for me. I want my husband—whoever it will be—to be faithful to me. I want him to want me and only me.”
“That’s me.”
“Niko, stop.”
“Ask me why I broke things off with her, Emilia.”
“I don’t care to know.”
“Ask me,” he demands.
“It doesn’t matter.”
“I ended my arrangement with Katherine because you were finally old enough that I didn’t feel like a fucking pervert for touching you, Emilia.”
His answer makes my heart stutter in my chest. I allow the small thrill his words bring to slide through me. My heart wants to believe him, but then, common sense intrudes. I shake my head, denying his answer, reminding myself that no matter what he says, I’ve been here—a hostage in this arrangement—while his life hasn’t changed. That night Zoe and I saw him at Salsa, he was kissing Katherine. He showed up at my birthday party alone, but I didn’t get a real kiss that night, either. Niko is very adept in placating people. I have no doubt in that. It goes hand in hand with his position in the family. It doesn’t make anything he says true, and I need to remember that.
“My father says you are going with him to Antonio’s home in Athens in a few weeks,” I murmur, not wanting to discuss this anymore because it’s clear he doesn’t want to discuss it truthfully. I’d rather shift gears to a neutral topic.
“I am, but I’m not letting you change the subject.”
“It’s a beautiful home,” I answer instead.
“You’ve been there?”
“A few times. When I was little, I used to pretend it was my home and I was a princess,” I answer, a small smile playing on my lips from the warm memories. “It overlooks the ocean, and the view is so beautiful that you could stare at it for hours and hours and never get bored. The oceans in Greece are prettier than here.”
“You should come with us. I’ll have some down time. We can explore the countryside there together.”
“I would but my aunt and my cousins are coming in, so I have to play hostess,” I lie.
My father’s family is coming in, but that’s not the reason I’m staying home. Truthfully, I dread seeing them all. My father’s family are greedy and never stop trying to get me to talk my father into giving them more money. I’m convinced that’s the only reason any of them talk to me. I’m dreading visiting with them like the plague. I know my father does. I think that’s why he arranged this meeting. He thought if he told them he was going to be out of town, they would change their minds about coming. I could have told him that it wouldn’t. They come in to work our staff to death making dinners and cleaning up after them. They treat our house like it’s a luxury hotel and the staff are paid to wait on them hand and foot.
I curl my nose at the thought. Dad’s already apologized to everyone and gave them bonuses, but I don’t think it’s enough.
“You don’t sound happy about their visit.”
“My father’s family is… special,” I allow, not really wanting to get into it.
“I’ve heard,” Niko replies dryly.
Apparently, my father confides in Niko more than I realized. Still, I doubt Niko understands just how bad they are. For that matter, neither does my father. I haven’t told him how they’ve been since my engagement to Niko has been announced. They’ve gotten worse. They want me to do something to push Niko out of my father’s favor. They’re convinced that with our marriage, Niko will take over my father’s position and the purse strings will begin to tighten. I don’t know how they became people who didn’t work for their own survival and income. I’m glad I skipped that particular gene in the family make-up. I’ve told Zoe before that except for my father, the only one who seems to care for me in both my blood family, and “the family” in general is Dante. It’s weird to say that, considering the past, but he’s been pretty harmless since dating my cousin. He still weirds me out, though. I downplay it to everyone, but there’s just something about him that is unsettling. Still, it’s the truth. If I ran away tomorrow the only ones who would miss me would be my father and Dante. I could possibly add Niko to that list. Of course, he would probably just be more relieved that he didn’t have to marry me.