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

Chapter 1- Mesmerized (1)

The women sauntered by and Cassia knew she was not like them. They were like those models she saw on TV while she was short and plump. To top it all off, she had a face that no amount of make-up could fix. Her mother was so very beautiful and to her, her father looked like a Greek god. Yet somehow, fate and genetics laughed at that and produced Cassia.

Cassia snorted at her thoughts and scanned the beautiful ballroom.

Supermodels and sons of rich businessmen twirled around the dance floor in glittering silks and satins. They flirted openly with each other and looked as though they were having the time of their lives.

Cassia shook her head and refused to feel sorry for herself.

So what if no one looked at her with admiration?

So what if she was an outcast?

So what if no one asked her to dance?

She would just go through this ordeal to please her grandfather and then she would return home at the first available chance. She never belonged with this crowd. And she knew that she never would, for she was not beautiful and she was not accustomed to the lifestyle of wealth.

Suddenly, she was jolted out of her thoughts when somebody barreled into her.

"Whoops! S-sarreh din't see ya there," a drunken voice slurred.

Cassia spilled her drink on herself during the impact. She quickly reached over for a napkin and began to wipe her bodice. The drunken guy quickly retrieved the napkin from her.

"I'm so sorry. Let me do that for you," he offered with a sneer. He proceeded to wipe Cassia's bodice with a slowness that suggested lechery. Cassia gasped and stepped back from him but he tugged on her wrist and forced her to come into contact with his hard body.

"What's your problem, sweet thing? Shouldn't you be thankful that I am paying you some notice so that you won't have to blend in with the marble?" he whispered to her. She could smell the alcohol on his breath and it made her want to hurl.

"Please just let me go," she whispered as she tried to tug her wrist out of his grasp.

But even if the man was drunk, he was very strong.

"Let her go," another voice cut in. The pressure on Cassia's wrist eased and she opened her eyes.

Her gaze clashed with the most vivid green eyes she's ever seen. Immediately, her throat ran dry and her heart started to beat faster. She gazed at her savior and the first thought that popped into her mind was that he was the most handsome man she's ever seen.

He had jet black hair and a face which looked like it was sculpted by the gods themselves. Every inch of him was flawless but his most striking feature was his beautiful green eyes. Right now, those eyes looked at her with concern.

He moved closer to her and Cassia realized just how tall he was. He towered over her by about a foot and she was already wearing four-inch heels.

"Are you alright?" he asked.

His voice slid through her like silk. It took her some time to reply but she was able to stammer, "Y-yes..."

"Good. Leave her alone, George," he said in a curt tone.

"Aaaw. Come on, Nikos. Don't be such a buzz kill. I just wanted to have some fun with her. She looked like she needed to be rescued from the wall."

Cassia flinched at his words and Nikos saw it. He shot her an apologetic look and her heart went out to him. Right now, she did not know if this was some case of hero-worship but she was definitely infatuated with this gentleman.

"I said leave her," Nikos repeated in a sterner tone.

"No. One good fuck may change her views on these kinds of things," George snarled.

Cassia flinched again and at the same time, she saw Nikos tense. George hand shot out and gripped Cassia's wrist. Before she could blink, she saw that Nikos launched his towering frame towards George and landed a solid punch to his right jaw.

George fell and clutched his bloody lip.

"What the hell, man!" he shouted.

George started cursing both of them but Cassia paid him no heed. She gazed at Nikos with a dumbstruck expression. That tender moment was ended when she noticed that everyone turned to look at them.

I wish the ground would open up and swallow me whole... Cassia thought to herself.

Everyone around them started whispering. Others sneered at her and sadly shook their heads. Cassia cringed at the thought of gossip reaching her grandfather and instantly dreaded the coming punishment.

"Again, I said leave her alone," Nikos said as he reached inside his suit and retrieved his handkerchief. He then tossed it to George who was still clutching his jaw.

Nikos turned towards Cassia. He lifted her hand and placed it inside the crook of his elbow. He leaned forward as if to whisper something to her and Cassia was able to get a whiff of the exquisite perfume he wore. Mixed with his masculine scent, it was a drug unlike any other.

"Come on, the least you can do is dance with me," Nikos told her with a small smile.

When she heard those words, her knees almost buckled. Sheer happiness raced through her and she wanted to jump up and down with joy!

She managed to nod and Nikos guided her to the dance floor.

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

 PLEASE DON'T FORGET TO CLICK THAT VOTE BUTTON! IT ONLY TAKES YOU A FEW SECONDS. THANKS!

Twitter:                     http://twitter.com/AerithSage
Got questions?:     http://ask.fm/AerithSage
My Blog:                  http://aerithsage.tumblr.com
Facebook:               http://facebook.com/AerithSageWP