Chapter 1

Greece

Rafael walked into his secluded beachfront villa after a day packed with meetings. This was his fourteenth time visiting Greece, and the paradisiacal, rugged Greek islands left him gasping in disbelief every single time. Of the six thousand islands and islets out there, he had twelve favorites.

This time, he took his girlfriend along to the sleepy little Chios with its untouched shorelines and charming backcountry patched with olive groves and fig fields.

Alisha was sprawled out on their suite bed, waiting for him. Her heavy breasts were straining against the soft, bright red lingerie. When she saw his eyes roam on her barely covered sexy body, she leaned in towards him, giving him a clear view of her perfect, inviting duo. She ran her hands down her front and looked at him with those bewitching eyes.

He was tired and needed a massage, but she had ignited a fire within him which could only be quenched when he sucked on those breasts until they were sore to the touch of his tongue. 

He removed his jacket and pulled the tie off, quickly unbuttoning his shirt. Grabbing her by the waist, he snapped the thin strap of her panties while smashing his lips on hers. She pressed her body against his exposed chest, snaking her arms around his broad shoulders.

His skillful hands palmed her soft mounds and took them into his mouth. Her back arched up in response to his every lick, and she moved her hand over his pulsating member, stroking it fervently. Licking and biting her skin, he traveled down and dropped his head between her legs. As his rough tongue ran over her sensitive bundle of nerves, she thrashed on the bed, moaning from uncontrollable pleasure. 

His phone, which he put on the side table before lunging at Alisha, buzzed quietly but in a nonstop manner. 

"Aahh..." Alisha's fingernails dug into his naked chest as he ignored the call and continued pleasuring her.

"Just a second, must be something important," he said and reached for the relentlessly buzzing mobile.

It was his dad, and he could not have an open conversation with him while Alisha was close by. Antonio Castelo Carvalho and Lucas de Mello were business partners for two decades and grew their business empire together. They were the top leaders in the world diamond market and owned several automobile companies and casinos on the side.

Although their dads were such close partners, Rafael and Alisha only met a year ago. Rafael finished his MBA from UPenn and returned to help his dad more proactively back then. Alisha also returned just in time with a business degree from London Business School. Sparks flew when they challenged each other in board meetings, and soon they were dating.

There were rumors floating around that their engagement was going to be announced along with the official launch of another sports car model from a company that they both co-founded earlier this year, and Alisha was its Vice President. The rumors were true; they wanted to mark their one year anniversary by throwing a gala to celebrate their business partnership and taking their private relationship to the next level.

But that was all until yesterday. Alisha's dad, Lucas de Mello, got greedy over the years. His partnerships with the high-flying rival companies and money laundering surfaced when Rafael unintentionally dug through the paperwork for a diamond mining company they owned in Australia.

Rafael knew that sharing this information with his dad would fuel chaos and threaten his relationship with Alisha, but he couldn't let anyone destroy the dynasty his dad built. After his wife got killed, this business was the only thing Antonio lived for. Rafael was confident he would figure something to get his relationship out of the sticky situation.

"Did you call Ruhi yet?" Antonio asked his son. 

Rafael put the call on mute for a second to kiss Alisha and apologize to her. He got up from the bed and stepped onto the balcony facing the Aegean Sea.

A light breeze rolled in from Turkey as he looked at the views with bitterness. He was done with his work stuff for the rest of his trip and was looking forward to a day of sightseeing and fun with Alisha, but his dad had a different plan for him. 

"Dad, I told you I will not call her. I'm serious!"

"I'm also damn serious! Why don't you get the point? You can't be with Alisha anymore. Blood runs thicker than water and this apple must have fallen real close to the tree."

"I don't care where the apple fell. She can't ruin anything even if she wants to. I haven't involved her in any of my main businesses and will put her at an arm's length even in the future. But you can't tell me what to do with my personal life."

"It's not about what she's capable of. I need Samarth Bakul more than ever right now. You have to marry his daughter because that's the condition he put forth. That bastard is a small fish, but he knows that he's got the leverage right now. He's an old friend. You may not remember, but you met Ruhi a long time ago when she came to spend a couple of days at our place one summer. "

"I'm sure we can find a way to do without him or his daughter."

"We need him if you want us to be on the top for at least the next decade. Diamonds were first discovered in India, and it is the number one manufacturing hub. He is--"

"I know all about that dad. I am not looking for a beginner's guide to diamonds. I was in the middle of something."

"Do whatever you want until tomorrow, but you are meeting Ruhi right after that. We have to move fast. Ruhi's father does not directly control the production and supply but has a stranglehold on the diamond market. If he sides with our rivals and backs that asshole de Mello, I assure you we are doomed."

Rafael sighed when he realized he can't keep Alisha in the dark anymore.

"Call Ruhi. Don't disappoint me. She must be waiting and wondering already."

'She can wait all her life,' he muttered under his breath.

"I will have to talk to Alisha. She's not going to disappear overnight and has a right to know what's happening."

"You will not tell her whose daughter Ruhi is until the wedding date is fixed."

Rafael hung up when he heard the word wedding. He was about to go back into the suite when his phone beeped, indicating a text message.

‘Hi Rafael, this is Ruhi. Call me when you get a moment. I have a plan.’ 

“The hell??” He got annoyed the minute he saw her name.