Chapter 4

• Elleina's view.
• After three hours, I was on a private plane to Rochester, Minnesota, with my mom and a group of medical staff. Her treatment by doctors began right away. At first, it hurt her so much that she was in a lot of pain and discomfort. But I was always there for her, making things easier and telling her to keep going.
• Mom began to feel better after a month. She was still getting chemotherapy and other kinds of treatment. She was moved to a rehab center in New York so that her strict palliative care could continue.
• I was back in our small New York apartment. I couldn't stop thinking about what my life would be like in the next few months for two days.
• Yes, I said "yes" right away when Alexander Kenneth Grandson asked me to marry him. I didn't care who the guy was or what would happen to my life. My only worry was that Mom would get better. I'd give my life to the devil to be with her.
• I didn't tell Mom about the arranged marriage because it would make her condition worse because she would worry so much. I didn't tell her the bad news until she was really better.
• I knew about Grandson's last name. In New York, there were too many places with the Grandson name. A hotel, a restaurant, a shopping mall, a business district, and other places. But I didn't know anyone who was a grandson, and I had never even met one.
• I stopped thinking about who I would marry and put my attention on my plans. I was very interested in making clothes. After I graduated from high school, I got a job at a company that designed and made clothes. As a general assistant, I learned a lot, including how to match colors, textures, prints, and other things.
• Even running the business as a whole.
• When the business went out of business, my best friend Camella and I started our own online shopping business. We were pretty ambitious, and our goal was to start our own company to design and make clothes. I knew we could do it as long as we didn't give up. When my phone rang, I was about to go to bed. As soon as I saw who was calling, my heart started to pound.
• "Yes, grandfather?
• "Make plans for tomorrow. You will get to know the Grandson family."
• _____
• Alexander's view.
• "You swing well!" As my golf ball fell to the ground, Eross said, "Look at that." Eross is a good friend of mine and was in my Harvard class. The Eross clan was part of one of the oldest and most powerful families, just like the Grandson. We were both born to carry on the traditions of our families: to rule, make lots of money, and become very powerful.
• We were playing golf on my family's private course inside the Grandson estate on a Saturday at noon. We had been getting together recently and talking about our family's latest project, which was a luxury cruise ship that the Eross family would build for us.
• When it was Eros's turn, he hit the ball well. "Yes!" he said with a laugh, "it's been a long time since I played golf."
• "Me, too," I said with a laugh. "This thing is kind of boring, but at least it keeps us moving after last night."
• "Yes, I do. He said, "We need to work out," and we both laughed.
• Last night, some of our college friends got together for a party. Even though we were drunk, we still got up and met to play golf.
• "You said that you had something important to say. After taking a big drink of water, he asked, "What is it?"
• I put my lips together and wrinkled my forehead.
• "Oh no! It must be something terrible, right?" My friend was laughing, and he said, "Tell me what's going on."
• I sighed deeply and then said, "I'm getting married."
• His eyes got so big with shock that he yelled, "Holy shit! "Are you for real?"
• "Very important."
• "Shut up, man. You sounded desperate, and I thought you were done with her," he said with disgust on his face. She is lying. She lied to you for almost a whole year. Brother, open your eyes, you're a good person. You deserve a woman who is honest and will love you for who you are."
• "I won't get married to my ex."
• He looked at me funny and said, "I'm relieved, I swear. But if it's not her, who is it? You broke up with her a few months ago, and I haven't seen or heard of you dating anyone since then."
• "I agreed to marry Constantine Pallister's granddaughter," I said firmly. "It's a marriage of convenience. It would bring together two old Greek clans and end a long-running fight between our ancestors."
• "Oh crap! How come? "But that's not you," he said with a laugh. "You're the kind of person who would marry for love."
• "I thought the same thing. I don't want to go through love again after what I went through. It only causes pain, trouble sleeping, and failures. Too many deals fell through in the first month after we broke up. I couldn't move. Mentally, emotionally, and physically."
• "That breakup was awful. You had a hard time."
• "Yes, of course. Love and romance are over for me. These days, it's hard to find a woman who is honest. After what I went through, I don't think I can ever trust a woman again."
• "So you agreed to marry Pallister's granddaughter," he said with a smile.
• "Yeah, soon as possible."
• "What's the big deal?"
• "The terms and conditions of Pallister. "Now or never," I said, tightening my lips.
• "That old crook," he sighed, "you don't have to do it. She might not be as good as your ex."
• "I couldn't care less if she sleeps around. I'm not going to marry her out of love. She can do what she wants, and I'll do what I need to do. "To each his own," I said, putting my hands in the pockets of my pants. "All I want is to get back that huge land that my ancestors owned. We lost it because of a dumb poker bet."