Love or Arranged Marriage

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.