Page 91 of Seduced By Contract

I turn off the device, and I'm so nervous I can't find my clothes.

Zeus ends the call he was on seconds later. "I already know everything," he says.

"So is it true?"

"Yes, it is. Ares just called me. Odin has even discovered who the source of the gossip was."

"Is Odin your cousin?"

"Yes. And she didn't even bother to hide.”

"She?"

"Celine gave an interview, making up these lies."

"If I lose custody of my niece and nephew because of her, I will kill her, Zeus."

"You won't lose custody of the children. I have a plan."

"A plan?"

He walks to the closet, and I go after him. I see that he opens a safe and takes out a box from inside. When he shows me what’s in it, my mouth opens and doesn't close again.

"What does that mean?"

"Finish getting dressed. I’ll explain it to you on the way."

"Will the lawyer go to my mother's house as I asked?"

"Ares is calling someone from our companies' legal team, just in case. It's unlikely that we'll find one who’s a family court specialist, but we're not in a position to choose."

Five minutes later, we’re dressed and in the car on the way to my house.

"I will burn her to the ground, Zeus. Celine doesn't know who she’s messed with. There's no limit to what I would do to protect my family."

"Learn to direct your anger, Madison. Nothing worthwhile is done in a hurry. We'll turn the tables, but at the right time. Now, we need to focus on getting rid of the social worker."

"What's your plan?"

"From now on, to the world, we are engaged," he says, with the greatest calm in the world.

"Have you gone crazy?"

"They have no proof of what you did at the club, or even that you ever danced there. No phones, remember? It's all just gossip. But as Ares said, someone who was watching me—because I have no doubt that this was directed at me—could have seen us leaving there together, which would be natural if we were dating."

"I understand, and it seems like a good plan. But why do we need toupgradeto engagement?"

"Dating can end easily, but engagements rarely do. I've never gone public with any woman, and when I show up announcing marriage with you, they'll believe it. I don't think any judge will take gossip seriously after that. As a couple who will be taking their vows soon, we'll be more than capable of raising Soraya and Silas."

As crazy as it sounds, his plan makes all the sense in the world, even if a voice says that no one will believe that Zeus Kostanidis would marry me.

Before I can put into words what I'm thinking, he stops at a traffic light and opens the box he showed me a few minutes ago at his house. He takes out the ring with a diamond the size of the Grand Canyon and puts it on my finger.

"Wow, you thought of everything."

It's a little tight and I think he’s noticed. "I can have it adjusted later."

"It's not necessary. I won't be using it for long. Just until this mess is over." I look curiously at the jewel. "Whose is it?"

---