Page 7 of Seduced By Contract

"Not for me," I reply, walking away without saying goodbye.

I entered this agreement of my own free will. I want him to understand that he's not at an advantage. No one has the power to force me into something I don't desire.

"Are you sure about what you just did, Zeus?" asks Odin—a distant cousin discovered a couple of years ago, along with another one, Christos Lykaios?*—from the other end of the line.

Our family is large, but I swear to God I didn't imagine it wasthislarge. It seems like cousins sprout from the ground every now and then.

"You, more than anyone, should understand my reasons," I reply.

"Revenge."

"Yes. I need closure."

"For your father or for your grandfather?"

"For my grandfather. My father made a choice and died for it. The promise I made is solely for my grandfather."

"A promise that will destroy your life."

"No, I've already planned everything."

"Just like I thought I had when I bought Leandros Argyros's island, tried to destroy him, and ended up marrying the enemy's daughter?"

"Elina is a wonderful woman. In the end, everything happened as it should."

"Destiny."

As good Greeks, we both believe in that.

"Exactly. There's no escaping it."

After we hang up, I open the drawer and take out a photograph of my grandfather. He seems to be staring back at me, and I could swear he's smiling, as if satisfied with what I did this morning.

"The time is coming, Pappous?*. Soon, you'll be able to rest in peace because the name of the Kostanidis will have been avenged."

The door to my office opens, and I see Dionysus enter. None of my younger brothers have the habit of waiting to be announced by my secretary, which drives the old lady Gireaux crazy.

"Are you going to Ares' birthday?" he asks without greeting me, sitting in the chair across from my desk.

I can't hide my displeasure at the thought of going to SIN. It's not the kind of environment that appeals to me. "I wish I didn't have to, but I do. We're about to close an important acquisition deal with a Spanish CEO. I've been pursuing these companies for over a year, and now he finally seems willing to sell."

"Working on Ares' birthday?"

"There's no alternative. This opportunity is unique. The man is a recluse. He never leaves his castle somewhere in Spain, and he accepted the invitation to Ares' birthday celebration at SIN."

"Is that why he's hiring a bilingual dancer?"

"Perhaps, even though I can't imagine what he expects from that. Technically, the girls shouldn't interact with the clients, if I remember the rules correctly."

Ares, my rebellious brother—though he's like the rest of us, a majority shareholder in the bank owned by my family for generations—started a peculiar adult entertainment venture about two years ago.

Against all odds, though, the club that theoretically fulfills fantasies, even virtually, of the world's top businessmen and leaders, has been hugely successful, despite being very secretive.

In fact, it's almost like a religious cult where the chosen members go through screening and then a background check. There's a confidentiality agreement on both sides, as well as for the contracted ladies. They, of course, are a fundamental part of the entertainment.

"Everyone who's a member or guest of the club knows the rules perfectly well. Thesinsmust remain only in the mind," my brother mocks.

I shake my head, thinking about the amount of trouble that would come our way if a scandal relating to the VIP establishment were to break out in the media. The press theoretically doesn't even know about its existence, and I can only imagine our stock prices plummeting if something like that happens.

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