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Arranged marriage: Love through distance

Arranged marriage: Love through distance

Vikings

5.0
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5
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You are cordially invited to the wedding of two people. This wedding marks the union of two elite Greek-American families, an event as prestigious as it is feared. The eyes of the world will be on this ceremony, where luxury blends with tradition, and where smiles hide untold stories. It meets all the necessary requirements according to tradition. Greek, check. Wealthy, check. Status, check. Love? Eh, not really. The marriage of Christian Matheson and Sasha Hamilton is more than just a union. It is a strategic move, a carefully orchestrated family agreement, meant to preserve the honor and prosperity of both clans. Two opposing worlds collide here, united by blood ties and financial interests, but separated by secrets, grudges, and unspoken desires. Christian, heir to a dwindling fortune, and Sasha, the daughter of a ruthless magnate, never wanted this alliance. But under the pressure of their respective families, they had no choice but to bow to the demands of an age-old tradition. So, come see how two strangers, forced together by their families, handle the situation. How will they navigate this marriage of convenience while slowly discovering each other in a world where appearances reign, and every gesture, every word, can change everything? Will love come from this constraint, or will their story be marked by the weight of expectations? Only time will tell.

Chapter 1 01

Nicholas was a very handsome man with money, and we all know that when those two elements come together, it creates a notorious playboy. Nicholas knew it all too well. He was perfectly content with his one-night stands and no-strings-attached relationships. He didn't care that the women who flocked to him were only after his wealth. They got what they wanted-his money-and he got what he wanted-meaningless sex. It was an arrangement that suited him just fine.

His life had been this way for years, carefree and free of any emotional entanglements. But that all changed during his final year of university when his father, Leon, had dropped a bombshell on him. Leon had arranged a marriage between Nicholas and another Greek American girl, a woman Nicholas had never even met. Nicholas had been shocked, to say the least. He couldn't believe it. How could his father do this to him? He had never wanted marriage, let alone an arranged one.

Initially, Nicholas had thought he could get out of it. He was confident that with his charm and cunning, he could avoid the inevitable. But as time went on, reality began to sink in. The wedding date was drawing nearer, and Nicholas realized he was powerless to stop it. Here he was, five days before the wedding, and the thought of being forced into a union with someone he barely knew-someone he didn't even want to marry-was maddening.

Nicholas slammed his fist against the concrete barrier surrounding the balcony. His eyes scanned the vast garden of the Markopoulos mansion below, but his mind was elsewhere. He had to do something. He couldn't just stand by and let this happen. He had to find a way out.

One thing was for certain: his father, Leon, would not let him back out of the marriage. If Nicholas even thought about leaving, he would have to leave the family as well, cutting ties with everything he had ever known. That was a fate worse than being tied to a wife he didn't want.

But Nicholas was clever. He wouldn't just go through with the wedding and resign himself to a miserable life. No, he would play the game, just like he always did. His father and the Botsaris family expected him to fall in line, to be the perfect groom, the perfect husband. Well, he would be that-at least on the surface. In front of his family, he would play the dutiful husband, charming and attentive. But behind closed doors, he would make sure his new wife would be so miserable that she would be the one to leave him, not the other way around.

A wicked smile crept across Nicholas's face as the thought settled in his mind. Yes, that was it. He would make her life unbearable. He would do everything in his power to ensure that when the time came, she would be the one to walk away, leaving him free to live his life as he had always intended.

As Nicholas stared out at the beautiful garden, lost in his thoughts, he couldn't help but picture her. His soon-to-be wife. The girl who was about to enter his life and become a part of his world, whether she liked it or not. He hadn't met her yet, but he already felt a sense of distaste. The idea of marrying someone he didn't know, someone who was just another pawn in his father's game, filled him with irritation. Still, he couldn't help but wonder what she was like. She was likely just like the others-chasing after his money, eager to be attached to the Markopoulos name. It didn't matter. She would be no different.

Theora, the girl in question, was in a completely different world. She was currently in one of the most sought-after bridal boutiques in the city, surrounded by her mother, Fiona, her Yiayia, and Carmen. They had accompanied her to choose her wedding dress, a day that Theora had not looked forward to. She stood in front of the mirror, her head tilted as she inspected the dress that her mother and Yiayia had insisted on. It was beautiful, certainly, but it wasn't what Theora had imagined for her wedding day.

The dress was an abomination, in Theora's opinion. The skirt alone had nine layers of fabric, heavy and voluminous. The bodice was overflowing with crystals that caught the light in a way that felt too gaudy. And the back-she almost couldn't bear to look at it. The lacework was intricate, but it felt overdone, like a design that had been forced into excess for the sake of being grand. It wasn't her style, not by a long shot.

She sighed as she turned her body, examining every angle of the dress. She wasn't even sure why she was bothering. This wasn't the dress she would have chosen for herself. In fact, if she had her way, she would have gone for something simple, something practical. A dress she could move in easily. But that was never going to happen. Her mother, Fiona, and Yiayia had fought long and hard to settle on this dress, and there was no way they would let Theora pick something else.

Theora's mind wandered as she stood there, staring at her reflection. She hated how everything had turned out. The arranged marriage. The wedding that felt more like an obligation than a celebration. She had always imagined that she would choose her own path in life, that she would marry for love, not because her family had made an arrangement with another family. But here she was, a pawn in a game that she didn't even understand, forced to marry a man she didn't know.

Her fingers twitched as she absently adjusted the bodice of the dress. She had never wanted this life, but her father had insisted. There was no arguing with him, especially when the marriage would restore peace between their families. Theora had no choice but to comply.

The chatter of her family behind her faded into the background as she was lost in her own thoughts. Her Yiayia, with her endless stories of the old country, was talking about wedding traditions, while Carmen, her mother's best friend, offered her opinions on which shoes would go best with the dress. Theora wasn't really listening. She was too consumed by the overwhelming feeling of being trapped.

As her gaze shifted back to the mirror, Theora sighed again. She was about to marry a man she had never met, and for the first time in her life, she felt like she had lost control. Her future was being shaped by forces beyond her, and she was powerless to stop it.

Nicholas and Theora had no idea that their fates were already sealed. The wedding was fast approaching, and neither of them was prepared for what was to come. Theora may have been resigned to her fate, but Nicholas was already plotting. In his mind, he had figured out how to make her life miserable, how to manipulate her into leaving him. He would make her want to leave him, and then, he would be free.

But what neither of them realized was that fate had a way of twisting things. Nicholas might think he was in control, but Theora had her own secrets, her own plans. The marriage that was supposed to be a strategic union might just turn out to be something neither of them could have anticipated.

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