Yet again, Antonio’s heart broke when she heaved a great sigh filled with melancholy after she said her vows.
“The rings please?” the priest asked as he held out his hand to bless it.
A boy who served as the ring bearer approached the altar and offered Nikos the rings. Nikos bent low to receive it but almost fell towards the ground again so Antonio took it and then handed it to his friend.
Nikos fumbled with the rings before he was able to hold it steady.
He reached for Cassia’s hand a few times before he was able to grasp it. Then, he noticed the engagement ring on her finger that he unceremoniously gave her at one of their dinners. He did not even bend his knee or any of those dramatics. He just presented her the ring in the middle of their dinner. She was so happy and enthusiastic about it that he felt like a giant fool immediately afterwards.
“This was my grandmother’s ring,” he told her as he touched the engagement ring.
Then, with his hands shaking, he went back to the task at hand and tried his best to place the wedding ring on her finger. But he was shaking too much and he kept on missing. With another sigh, Cassia held his hand and guided it to her finger. Finally, the intricately carved wedding ring fit perfectly on her finger.
“This ring I give as a token of my affection, sincerity, and fidelity. Will you wear it as a symbol of your own affection, sincerity, and fidelity toward me?” he managed to say.
He did not know the words and kept on glancing towards Antonio who patiently whispered in his ear what he should say.
“I will,” Cassia whispered. Nikos frowned when he detected that she was crying.
Why would she cry at her own wedding? Or maybe they were tears of joy? But he looked closer and tried to peer at the sheer veil she wore. That was when he saw that she looked as if she was just told that this was her last day to live on earth.
He forgot that particular line of thought when Cassia reached for his hand to place the ring.
“This ring I give as a token of my affection, sincerity, and fidelity. Will you wear it as a symbol of your own affection, sincerity, and fidelity toward me?” Cassia repeated.
“I will,” Nikos answered with a frown as he noticed that her voice shook as she cried.
Shouldn’t she be ecstatic by now? She finally had the husband she wanted! She bought him and here he was, delivered straight at her feet. Shouldn’t she be jumping with joy because she owns him now? Was she sad that he was drunk?
Well then that was just tough.
The contract only indicated that he had to marry her. It did not specify what state he should be in during that marriage. She would just have to deal with it.
“By the power vested in me, I now pronounce you man and wife,” the priest announced and the audience clapped and cheered.
Nikos faced Antonio and gave him a huge grin.
“Thanks for keeping me up at my own wedding,” he told his friend and Antonio rolled his eyes.
“You may now kiss the bride,” the priest ordered.
Nikos smiled at Cassia.
A kiss...now that was something interesting.
This would be the first time he would be able to kiss his wife. How would it feel? Would her lips be as soft as it looks? Would she be passionate or would she be frigid?
Nikos thought of all these as he reached for her veil and lifted it. Slowly, he reached for her and cupped her chin with his fingers. He lifted her head and that was when he noticed her tear-stained face. He frowned when she averted her gaze but the audience was now cheering for him to kiss her. Well, he could not disappoint them.
So he bent low and placed his lips on hers.
Bliss.
He was more than right. They were soft, warm and inviting. He moved his lips over hers and she responded briefly with passion. But before he could kiss her further, he heard her sigh against his lips.
Then he stopped when he tasted her salty tears.
He frowned at her but before he could ask her if something was wrong, the crowd erupted into applause and the bridesmaids threw rose petals over their heads.
The ceremony was finally over but there was one last thing to be done.
They approached the priest and signed the copies of their marriage certificate. It took Nikos a few tries to grasp the pen but he was finally able to scrawl his signature at the document; a great feat for someone as drunk as him.
Then he pocketed the damned marriage certificate.
Costas Andrade approached him after that and clapped a hand on his shoulder.
“You have fulfilled your terms of the bargain. You have married my granddaughter. And now I fulfill my side,” Costas said and then handed him a sealed envelope.
“The merger is complete. I have signed it. And I welcome you, my new grandson as the Chief Executive Officer and President of Andrade-Demakis Shipping International...”
And now it was a bit worth it for Nikos for he finally had what he wanted.
CHAPTER 7 - REALITY
November 15, 2003
Antoniou Winery
The Island of Santorini, Greece
The signing of the marriage certificates was over.
Cassia was well and truly married to Nikos.
She breathed a huge sigh of relief mingled with embarrassment and horror over her current situation. She cast a furtive glance towards her groom who was now leaning on his best man as he started to fall asleep yet again.
Antonio led Nikos to the middle of the room where the photographer wanted to snap some photos of the bride and groom. Cassia couldn’t help but be amazed as Nikos managed to stand by himself for a few minutes and even pose for the shots. Next came the shots with the family and with friends and with people she didn’t even know. There were also shots with the people who laughed at her. Through it all, she plastered a smile to her face and kept on counting down the hours until this sham was over.
Antonio nudged Nikos and he opened his red eyes and blinked. It was time for them to move to the reception area. The people already formed lines to throw rice, rose petals and salt and sugar over their heads as a symbol of good fortune for their marriage.
Cassia smiled as they walked through it all. Nikos, on the other hand, did his best to try and walk straight as congratulations and felicitations were thrown at them from left and right from their guests. Cassia tried to keep a straight face as everyone congratulated her on her marriage and wished them the best but what she really was thinking was that this marriage would only last for a day.
Tomorrow, she would be free.
Tomorrow, she’d divorce Nikos.
She knew she’d shock the whole world but she cared only about shocking her grandfather and making him lose in his elaborate revenge scheme.
She just had to go through the humiliation of this day and then she’s done. She could go back to America and live her dreams.
The sun started to set and immediately the place looked different. Dozens of lanterns were lit and the pool on the other side of the balcony was filled with floating candles. Servants entered the room and the balcony was transformed quickly and efficiently into a reception area.
The seats were removed and a dance floor was set up. Behind the dance floor, a high table was placed and Cassia and Nikos sat on the middle. The instant Nikos was seated Cassia noticed that he fell asleep yet again.
She let him sleep and just watched their guests silently. Beside the pool the bar was opened and their guests started flocking towards it for drinks. She wanted to go there and get a drink for herself to help her last through the night but then the photographer appeared and wanted to snap a few more photos.
This time, Cassia nudged Nikos and when he opened his eyes, she pointed at the photographer. He seemed to understand and moved his chair closer to hers. She watched him force a smile to his lips and wrap one arm around her.
A dozen flashes went off and Cassia blinked several times to regain her vision. When the photographer moved away, Nikos quickly let go of her and leaned across the table. He stared at Antonio who was now approaching and he had another steaming mug of coffee in his hands.
“Drink this,” Antonio handed Nikos the coffee.
Nikos drank it and he seemed to become a bit more sober after a few minutes. Antonio pulled up a chair, sat beside him, and the two started to converse in hushed tones. Cassia turned to look at the other side of the room and tried to entertain herself.
People started making speeches about them and said their wishes for their marriage. Some were very serious but some were not at all. Those came from Nikos’ friends. They made several jokes about settling down and married life that Cassia cringed with every word of it.
After hearing several derogatory speeches or “jokes” as they termed it from Nikos’ friends, she just stopped listening altogether.
When a waiter passed by with some champagne, she took the opportunity to grab a glass. It was just right in time for it was Costas’ turn to speak.
“To our guests, I bid you welcome. Today is a very special day for it marks a new beginning for all of us. Today, my only granddaughter and heir married one of the most brilliant minds in business. Welcome to the family, Nikos,” Costas started.
Everyone launched into applause at his words and Cassia resisted the urge to roll her eyes.
She heard Nikos snort and she wanted to do the same.
“This day is also important for this is the day that Demakis International merges with Andrade Shipping. For this, I welcome yet another set of family in the form of thousands of employees across the globe. With Nikos and my granddaughter at the helm, I know that it will be a guaranteed success,” he continued and everyone gave a louder round of applause.