Total pages in book: 29
Estimated words: 28033 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 140(@200wpm)___ 112(@250wpm)___ 93(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 28033 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 140(@200wpm)___ 112(@250wpm)___ 93(@300wpm)
She would be free. Truly free, for the first time since their arrangement began.
And if she chose to marry someone else...
The thought filled him with an unexpected surge of distaste. His jaw tightened. His hands, clasped behind his back, curled into fists.
But that was normal, surely. He cared about her. Had grown accustomed to her presence in his life, even if that presence was mostly peripheral. It was only natural to feel protective, to feel some resistance to the idea of another man taking his place.
Not jealousy. Just concern.
He wanted what was best for her. That was all.
His mind traveled deeper into the past, retrieving a memory of his first meeting with Lavinia, his future mother-in-law.
She is adamant about going to college.
The older woman had divulged this with a pained look on her face, her voice heavy with the bewilderment of a woman who had devoted her entire life to being a proper wife.
And she desires to study something about machines! Machines!
Leonidas would later find out that Lexy’s course of choice was mechanical engineering, which did surprise him, but ultimately, he had not given it much thought. What his wife wanted to study was her business...just like the companies that their respective parents owned would be his business to merge and manage, not hers.
The older woman had shaken her head, genuinely lost. ‘So you understand what I’m up against. And what you will have to deal with, if she were to agree to marry you. I love my daughter, but I am not blind, and I do not want to be accused of deception either, in asking you to consider taking my daughter as your bride. You must understand...she is not your typical Greek girl. She is not your typical...anything. You understand?’
By the time the main course arrived, and his would-be bride was set to join them, Leonidas had expected to meet a creature half wallflower, half monster. Some hunched, scowling girl who would make his arranged marriage a daily punishment.
But instead...
Goïtevménos.
The word translated to ‘enchanted’ in English.
And that was how she had made him feel that first night...and why he had known without a doubt Lexina Aryanis would be the perfect fit as his wife.
Lavinia excused herself as soon as Lexina arrived, but only after warning her daughter sotto voce to ‘please do behave’. Cynical as he was, he had thought Lexina would then try to charm or flirt with him, or perhaps play the ‘reverse psychology’ card by trying to pick a fight with him in hopes that this would make her seem more interesting.
But instead...she had done nothing.
Or rather, she had met his gaze with a mixture of curiosity and tranquil thoughtfulness, and it was only when ten full minutes had passed that Leonidas had realized with amusement she had no plans of speaking first.
And strangely enough, all of those things combined had been what enchanted him, and even more surprising was how she continued to enchant him throughout the evening...and without even trying.
When he’d explained the arrangement he had in mind, she’d listened with those quiet dark eyes. No interruption. No negotiation. And when he’d finished, she’d nodded once and said: I can be a perfect wife for you. In exchange, I want to live my own life.
Those had been her very first words, and even now, he remembered how he had found the tone of her voice just as enchanting. Soft but serious, every word spoken as if it carried the weight of a lifelong vow, and it was why she often chose silence over pointless speech.
He had then asked her to clarify and specify what she meant. Taught her to apply actual numbers to turn vague thoughts into measurable conditions. And instead of trying to play coy or making use of the usual feminine wiles that were naturally at her disposal, she had listened intently, even asked for a few minutes to compose her thoughts, and then she had nearly made him smile when she said afterward—
‘Thank you for being so nice. I’m ready to renegotiate.’
He hadn’t known it then, but his role as husband would naturally evolve into being her mentor as well, with Lexy obeying his every command because she had deemed him worthy of her trust and respect. That same night, they had discussed and negotiated every detail of what their marriage would entail. Sleeping arrangements. PR commitments. The possibility of offspring...or divorce. But the one thing that did not come up...was the one thing he had been waiting for her to ask about. But when coffee and dessert had already been served, and she had yet to say a single word about it—
‘What about money?’ Leonidas had asked finally.
And to this, Lexy had simply blinked at him as if confused by the fact that he even had to ask such a question. ‘Are you not supposed to take care of that on my behalf?’ A small furrow between her brows. ‘Is that not why we’re marrying?’