Page 1 of Contractually Wed

CHAPTER ONE

SNEAKINGINTOTHEManhattan penthouse of the intensely private and vengeful Greek billionaire Apollo Galanis, a man she’d already annoyed a few times, at nine in the night, wasn’t how Jia Shetty foresaw her twenty-sixth birthday evening going.

But given that no one had even remembered the date, much less celebrated it—not unusual either—it was the most excitement she’d seen on one. Though it was a panic-riddenOMG what’s he going to do to me when he finds me here?kind of excitement rather than a belly-filled-with-butterflies kind.

Honestly, Jia had no idea how that kind of excitement tasted. Except maybe that one time when her rough sketches for the new wing of a billionaire’s private library had been accepted. But only a flicker even then, because her family’s well-being had depended on getting that contract. When her designs had been lauded innovative and environmentally intelligent, there had only been relief.

Because it hadn’t been her name on the design, or her being praised for designing an architectural marvel. Tonight, her degree in architecture—only allowed by her father because Jia had shown talent for it and his own had long-ago deserted him—had come in handy as she planned to infiltrate Apollo Galanis’s penthouse in a luxury hotel he himself had designed.

Whatever else the man soon to be her brother-in-law was, he was a brilliant architect, an innovator who believed in achieving more with less, a billionaire who was determined to leave the world better than he had found it.

Except for her family, that is.

Having studied the blueprints and worked as a cleaning lady for the past month at the hotel, Jia had finally figured out how to get into his penthouse. Learning the man’s agenda for a given week wasn’t that much of a stretch. From the moment he arrived in Manhattan, he demanded the presence of her older sister, Rina, his fiancée, like a master calling his prized poodle to attention.

Just thinking of her sister made panic tighten Jia’s chest. Rina’s tears last night as she’d sobbed with her head in Jia’s lap that Apollo Galanis was a ruthless monster who expected her to sit, stand and perform at his command, had been playing in Jia’s head in a loop.

How was her gentle, tenderhearted sister supposed to survive the strain of being Apollo Galanis’s society wife if she couldn’t even bear the stress of being his fiancée? How was Jia supposed to protect the only person in her life who had ever shown her kindness, if not by throwing herself as bait at the monster?

Relief hit her in waves as the key card she’d stolen from Galanis’s designated maid worked on the digital menu and the elevator carried her away to the penthouse. She added another item to her increasing to-do list: make sure the maid didn’t get into trouble for her actions.

The elevator opened with a swish and Jia stepped out, her eyes widening as she took in the architectural marvel of the penthouse.

Sweeping stairs made of wood and industrial metal straddled a palace-sized lounge with the ceiling stretching up to two levels. The ceiling and the walls were all glass, with load-bearing pillars breaking it up. Even those added to the modern industrial look of the space, fitting seamlessly into the concrete jungle around it. With the glittering lights of Manhattan and the sky itself open to the eye, it was as if one was standing in the midst of one of the most diverse cities in the world. As if one was both witness and a part of its constant reinvention of itself.

Other than a couple of turn-of-the-century art pieces in metal and wood again, the other adornment was lots of greenery. A giant fiddle-leaf fig and two monstera were the only plants Jia recognized among sturdier and more exotic greenery that warmed all the metal and wood, turning it into a much more intimate setting than the soulless chrome it could have been.

How could a man so eager and ruthless in his punishment of her family be the same one who had designed and given shape to this urban space full of such heart?

Jia knew she was violating his sacred space. He hadn’t invited even her sister here. Maybe if Rina saw this, she would understand him a little better? But her older sister didn’t have the same affinity that Jia had for old buildings and clean design lines. Neither was she as...worldly-wise as Jia was. Pampered and privileged and never having to doubt her parents’ love for her. It was the first time life and their father were demanding something of Rina and she was simply crumpling against them.

In her case, life had forced Jia to learn to be tough, to understand that she had to provide value in any relationship.

Now Jia made a beeline to the kitchen, her stomach gnawing on itself. Munching on an apple, she looked through the state-of-the-art refrigerator that was big enough to hide in. Grabbing cheese and grapes and a wrapped bowl of what looked like pilaf with nuts, Jia spent the next few minutes trying to find the microwave hidden among the dark gray cabinets.

Finally, her pilaf was steaming, the grapes were cold and juicy, and the cheese perfectly crumbly as she reached the lounger that faced the Manhattan skyline.

Eating a meal with no one crying, losing their temper or conspiring in panic near her had become a luxury in the last few months. It also should have felt unnerving to sit in a space that belonged to the man who was turning their lives upside down.

Instead, Jia cherished the sweet tartness of the grapes and the buttery richness of the nutty pilaf. The cheese, she washed it down with a glass of chilled white wine and felt herself disappearing into the snug hold of the soft leather. Soon, she was snoring, her worries about selling herself to the devil all but forgotten.

Apollo Galanis walked into his Manhattan penthouse after a long, exhausting business trip to the Philippines and was in a sour mood since the property development deal there hadn’t budged in two months.

His group of junior architects had made barely any changes to the designs he had already rejected. That they had the gall to invite him down there for another meeting pissed him off.

He’d wanted to fire the whole lot of them. Except these were the crème de la crème from the finest architecture programs across the world and if they didn’t deliver, who would?

Neither could he fire them for something he himself was unable to deliver. He was blocked, or burned-out, or a bitter combination of both and he was beginning to see the reason.

It was this engagement he had talked himself into with the Shetty heiress. After more than a decade and a half of planning and strategizing and calculating ten moves ahead, he finally had Jay Shetty in his clutches.

The very man who had destroyed Apollo’s father by stealing his designs and selling them as his own. His deepest trust betrayed, Papa had returned to Greece heartbroken and bankrupt, and had never recovered. Apollo was firmly planted on the board of directors of Jay Shetty’s design company, with no way to gain controlling stock.

The older man, a conniving strategist, had shamelessly offered up his eldest daughter as a prize before Apollo could take even more drastic steps, like sending the man to prison. Jay’s daughter would transfer her stock to Apollo after three years of marriage. It was clear that Jay was desperate to avoid other consequences Apollo could rain down on him. Was hoping to change Apollo’s mind in three years.

The idea of reveling in Jay’s desperation that Apollo might be sidetracked from revenge—a goal he’d pursued for nearly two decades—was immensely appealing. Giving the man a taste of the misery he’d brought on Apollo’s family for years, by being present in his life as his son-in-law, by being the sword that was forever dangling over his head...sounded deliciously fitting.

Even though the last thing Apollo wanted was a wife.

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