The Billion-Dollar Marriage Contract [SAMPLE ONLY / FREE ON TAPAS!]

Chapter 6- Nightmare (3)

"The Billion-Dollar Marriage Contract" by Alyssa Urbano is available internationally through: Amazon, Kindle, Smashwords, CreateSpace, Barnes and Noble, Nook, Itunes/Ibooks.

For the Philippines, printing is per batch. You can pre-order and the books will be shipped to you.

Full details and links are on my blog: http://aerithsage.tumblr.com/tbdmc

*****************************************

CHAPTER 6- NIGHTMARE (Part 3)

*****************************************

Two Hours Later...

“Come on, drink a little more,” Antonio urged as he handed the barely-awake Nikos some more coffee.

“Nooo.Lemme lone,” Nikos slurred

“I can’t do that! You are very late for your own wedding!” Antonio shouted in extreme frustration.

It only heightened another notch when Nikos started to laugh.

“Zat’s the point! I donwanna go to that wedding!”

Antonio had the sudden urge to slap his best friend.

“You can’t do that! We have been over this a thousand times already! Look at me Nikos,” Antonio commanded and then tugged on the lapels of Nikos’ jacket so that he would be forced to look at him.

Nikos’ head lolled but he was able to look at his friend.

“Your grandfather’s whole company depends on your marrying this girl. Remember your plans? You were going to do it and then you were going to do your best to raise your company from the shambles it’s in. One day it can be independent from Andrade International and you can have your divorce and live the life you wanted. But for now, you have got to go through with this wedding!”

Nikos leaned back across the couch and closed his eyes.

His friend’s words finally penetrated his haze-filled mind. He remembered the things he had to do and all the responsibilities that were in his shoulders.

“How? How am I to marry like this?” Nikos asked, his voice barely a whisper.

“That’s what a best man is for,” Antonio smirked as he clapped his friend on the shoulder.

Nikos accepted the cup of coffee and began to drink. He winced at the extra strong coffee his best man prepared for him.

“You know, Cassia is really beautiful today... You should see her.”

“I know she’s beautiful...but that’ll be doubled coz I’m hammered,” he teased and both of them laughed.

“Let’s go do this, then?”

“Let’s go,” Antonio replied with a determined grin.

Two hours later, Nikos had enough coffee to be able to stand up straight. The room didn’t spin anymore but instead, he felt terribly drowsy.

“Look now, Nikos. Here she comes, your bride,” Antonio ordered.

Nikos lifted his head from his brief nap on his best man’s shoulder and tried to look as attentive as he could as his bride walked down the aisle. However, he found himself nodding off to sleep every couple of seconds or so and just woke up when Antonio nudged him in the ribs.

Nikos opened his red eyes and tried to squint to see his bride. But his vision was blurred and all he could see was the white dress and the veil she wore. He couldn’t even make out the details of the dress to compliment her on it. She walked beside her grandfather who beamed like an idiot.

That was the last thing he saw before he dozed off once more.

“Nikos!” Antonio nudged his friend on the ribs. He sighed when he saw Nikos shake his head in order to remain awake. They were standing beside the aisle and Nikos leaned heavily on him in order to stand.

Without him, Nikos truly wouldn’t be able to attend his own wedding.

Again, he sighed as he watched Cassia walking down the aisle. She had her head down and was staring at the floor instead of staring all teary-eyed at her groom like brides were supposed to. Antonio couldn’t blame her. People were laughing at her because they had all heard about her drunken groom.

This was truly a huge jest if this was not his best friend’s wedding. He would have laughed himself hoarse. But right now, the situation did not warrant any laughter and he sure as hell could not laugh after seeing the pain in Cassia’s eyes.

Finally, she reached the aisle and her grandfather reached over to take her hand and give it to Nikos. But Nikos miscalculated and took Costas’ hand instead of his bride’s. He even had the nerve to laugh loudly.Costas laughed too and then everyone followed suit. Antonio poked Nikos’ ribs once more when he noticed that Cassia was staring at the floor as though wishing that it would just swallow her at that moment.

“We are gathered here today to witness the joining of Cassia Andrade and Nikos Demakis in holy matrimony. Marriage is a huge step in life for it brings two souls together as one. Two people enter a covenant with each other and they are bound forever. That binding starts with love. Their life together starts today.”

Again, Antonio sighed and rubbed his temple when Nikos snorted at the word love. That act alone caused some of the guests to also snicker and point their fingers at Cassia’s stony profile.

“Don’t mind him, he’s drunk,” Antonio told Cassia in an attempt to lighten the mood.

She managed a weak smile for him and answered in a soft voice, “I can clearly see that.”

And Antonio’s heart broke for her.

“If there is someone who objects to this union, speak now or forever hold your peace.”

Antonio saw Nikos raise his hand slightly and it was a good thing he was able to stop it. He saw Nikos’ intent before he carried it out so he was able to take hold of his friend’s arm and pin it to his side.

“Mama why can’t the man stand straight?” a child’s voice rang clearly from the audience.

It was followed by a loud “Shhh!” from the mother and more laughter from Nikos’ friends and ex-girlfriends who were also present in the wedding.

Antonio wiped his face with his hand and thought about fate playing a trick on all of them.

How could any day get worse than this?

The best man tried to pull a straight face and tried harder to listen to the priest as he recited a bible passage from the book of Corinthians which spoke all about love. While he was listening, he kept an eye on the groom who still continued to doze.

The priest droned on and on about things about marriage that Nikos could not understand. All he knew was that Antonio nudged him whenever he had to stand. And when he was supposed to sit, he used it as a perfect opportunity for a little nap. He bowed his head so that it would look as if he was solemn and deep in thought about the things the priest was saying.

But the truth was that he could not understand anything.

He barely realized the essentials of the ceremony and he functioned as if he were a robot under Antonio’s expert control. He even remembered smiling at his best man after Antonio caught him when he nearly pitched forward towards the floor.

 ***************************************