LOGINZeden’s POV.
“Marriage?” I let out a laugh. Not loud. Not forced. It came out as a low growl from deep in my chest as I paced around her. My stick tapped the ground with every step, slow and steady. She flinched at the sound. I could feel it in the air. They say I’m blind. But I see more than they’ll ever know. My ears catch every shift in the room. My nose tells me more than eyes ever could. Her fear? It’s thick. I could smell it before she even opened her mouth. “Who the fuck told your father to speak to me about marriage?” I snapped, stopping in front of her. “You think you’re fit to be my maid, let alone a wife?” I slammed the stick down once and broke it clean in half. Threw it across the room without hesitation. “Fucking disrespectful,” I barked. “How dare he try to trick me with this nonsense?” She didn’t speak. But I could hear her breath—shaky, uneven. Her heartbeat was louder now. Fast. Her body was trembling. I didn’t need to touch her to know she was panicking. “Rukov,” I called out sharply. “Yes, boss.” He moved beside me. “Take off her blindfold. She needs to see who she’s speaking to.” He obeyed without a word. That’s why I keep him close—he listens. I heard the cloth drop. Her breath caught for a second. That silence told me she’d seen what she needed to. “What do you mean you won’t marry me?” she cried. “Then why the hell am I here? My father said—he told me you made a deal—” She stepped toward me, but Rukov grabbed her arm. “Don’t fucking say deal like you understand what it means,” I said calmly, but my jaw clenched. “I’ll pay your father more money than his entire bloodline has seen. But that doesn’t mean you were sold for love, or marriage.” She shook her head, confused. “Then why—” I cut her off. “You’re here to serve. That’s it. You’re not a bride. You’re not a guest. You’re nothing but a body to use.” I stepped forward and grabbed her chin. My fingers pressed into her jaw. Her skin was warm, her breath hitched. I tilted my head, listening—her heart was thudding like a drum. Then she spat. Right into my hand. Thick. Hot. “You bastard!” she screamed. “You think I’ll let you touch me? You’re blind! You’re old! You’re disgusting! You can’t even satisfy a fucking woman!” I heard it all. Her voice cracked, full of rage. Her body trembled with every word. I smiled. My guards laughed too. I wiped the spit with slow fingers and stepped closer. “Sweetheart… I don’t need my eyes to know where to put my cock. And I don’t need to see to know where to bite you.” I slid my hand to her dress, lifted the hem, pressed one finger deep between her thighs. She jolted. “Get off me!” she shouted, pushing me. Not strong enough. Never strong enough. Rukov grabbed her from behind and twisted her arms back. She cried out. “Take her,” I said. “Feed her. Clean her. I don’t want to touch filth. Make sure when I finally do, there’s no stain left on her body or soul.” She screamed. I listened. “I said let me go! Let me fucking go!” she cried, struggling against Rukov’s grip. But I didn’t move. I didn’t speak again. I listened to the sound of her being dragged out of the room—her sobs, her curses, her pain—until all I heard was silence. Just the way I like it. Few minutes later... I suddenly heard Rukov’s boots returning across the marble. “She’s stubborn,” he muttered flatly. I didn’t turn. Just stood there, hand clenched at my side. “Then I’ll break her,” I said. Calm. Cold. “To my taste. She’ll beg to crawl, she’ll forget what pride tastes like. I’ll make her dream of escape—and then I’ll remind her there's no way out.” A long silence followed. Then Rukov cleared his throat. “There’s something else, boss,” he said, tone shifting. I turned my face slightly toward him. “Talk.” “The shipment from the southern port—it didn’t reach the warehouse. Word is… the Grigori Syndicate got there first.” I felt my jaw tighten. “Who the fuck let that happen?” “They were fast. Too fast. Moved like they knew our routes. Intercepted at Junction 43, rerouted to their hold in Varex.” “Varex?” I spat. “That’s my ground.” “Yes, boss. But Dmitri’s calling it his now.” “Dmitri Grigori…” I whispered. My grip curled tighter around my broken stick. “That cockroach doesn’t know how to stay out of a grave, does he?” “He’s getting bold.” “He’s getting suicidal.” I stepped forward slowly. “Listen carefully, Rukov. I want every fucking man watching the Varex line. No uniforms. No noise. When Dmitri steps outside his compound, I want a bullet between his eyes.” Rukov nodded. “No warnings. No deals. I want him gutted like a fucking animal. And burn one of their trucks while you’re at it. Send the ashes to his woman’s front step.” “Understood.” “If he thinks I’m blind, then let him walk into the dark. I’ll bury him in it.” Rukov smirked. “You want his ears or his tongue this time?” “Both,” I said, smiling. “Wrapped in his flag. I’ll teach the rest of those bastards what happens when they steal from a blind man.” "Boss... here is another cane for your walk." He said handing me another stick. I smiled. They don't know. But yet I took it from him, without a word. Rukov turned and walked off again, ready. And I stood still—listening, breathing, planning. This wasn’t just business anymore. It was personal now. Let Dmitri come. I’d be waiting. And the girl? She’s my fucking focus now. I walked out toward the hallway—slow, deliberate, my cane tapping once in a while against the tiled floor like a metronome of control. I didn’t need light. I didn’t need eyes. I needed her silence. That’s what always gave them away. I opened my door. The air inside changed. It wasn’t just the usual scent of leather, whiskey, and smoke. It was her. She’d been cleaned. Bathed. Probably scrubbed down until her skin stung under the maids’ hands. But even more than that, she was quiet. Too quiet. As if that would help her. As if she really believed silence could make her invisible to me. I walked further in, shutting the door behind me with a soft click. She didn’t flinch. But I could smell her fear. It clung to the air. Her sweat. Her breath. The shampoo they used on her hair. I knew where she was even without her moving an inch. I sat down on the bed, legs apart, body facing the doorway. My hands undid the buttons of my shirt, one by one, slow and steady. I let the fabric fall behind me, baring my chest to the cold room. I didn’t speak at first. Let the silence do what I always knew it would: make her squirm. Then I tilted my head. “Will you keep standing there,” I said low, “with your fucking hand over your mouth… thinking I can’t hear the way your breath shakes?” I leaned forward a little, voice rougher now. “Do you think I can’t feel the tiny shift in the air when your feet shift on the floor? Do you think your silence protects you?” I smiled. “Come here,” I growled, deeper. “Crawl to me. Prove whatever shit your father said is true. Prove your cunt’s as untouched as he claimed—because my cock’s going to taste it either way.” She was silent. Five seconds. Ten. Then finally… she spoke. “Make me…” Her voice cracked. “You blind old bastard.” She tried to sound strong. But I heard the tremble, the way her tone pitched and dipped. Fear coated every word she spit. I stood up. My cane hit the ground, dropped from my hand. I moved in the dark without hesitation, slow at first, letting her hear every step I took. No yelling. No rage. Just pressure. I knew she was trying to stay still. I could feel the panic bouncing in her chest like a trapped animal. When I was close enough, I whispered, low and cold: “You just signed up for pain, sweetheart.” I reached forward, grabbing her arm hard, yanking her to her knees. “You want to be made to obey?” I hissed near her ear. “Then I’ll fucking teach you how a slave breathes under me.”Amber. We were finally back at the Vercetti mansion. The whole ride home had been hell. Zeden treated me like poison in his throat — every time I tried to speak, he turned his bandaged face away like my voice alone made him sick. Even after Rukov explained a hundred times that I wasn’t Marissa, he still demanded I ride in a separate car with one of the guards. My own husband couldn’t stand being in the same space as me.The moment we stepped inside, Zeden stopped in the grand foyer, head tilting like he was listening for ghosts. Rukov guided him carefully by the arm.I turned quickly to Cara. “Take Yulia and Zam upstairs to their rooms, please. Get them settled.”“Where’s my mother? And Misha?” Zeden asked, voice sharp as he twisted his head, trying to catch any sound.“Zeden…” I started, taking one careful step closer.He raised a hand, stopping me cold. “Boss, they don’t stay here anymore,” Rukov answered quietly.“Why?”“You didn’t want them here. You threw them out.”“Wha
Amber. A few minutes later I rushed back into the room with Doctor Petrov right on my heels. Zeden was worse now — screaming, hands clawing frantically at the blood-soaked bandage covering his eyes, trying to rip it off like it was burning him alive. Yulia’s cries had quieted to soft, hiccuping whimpers, but even that tiny sound seemed to cut straight through him, making his whole body jerk and twist in agony.“Oh my God, what’s wrong?” I cried out, voice cracking with panic. “Doctor — he was fine just a little while ago! Why is our baby’s crying making him scream like this?”“The noise…” Zeden’s voice broke, raw and desperate, barely human anymore.Doctor Petrov’s face hardened with worry. “You and the baby need to leave. Right now.”“No… I won’t,” I said stubbornly, stepping closer even though fear twisted in my gut. “He has to get used to his child’s cries. This is his daughter. He can’t keep reacting like this.”I should have listened.Instead, I moved toward the bed, still crad
Amber.There was a heavy silence between us while his fingers kept trailing slowly over my face.Mapping my cheekbones, my lips, the wet lashes beneath my eyes. I knew he couldn’t see anymore. The truth sat like lead in my chest. Still, I needed him to say it out loud.“Zeden… tell me, can you still see anything? Even a little light? Do you hurt anywhere else? Your head? Your chest? Anywhere?” I asked, repeating the same questions like a broken record, voice cracking. “Please, baby. Just talk to me.”“I said no,” he answered roughly, pulling his hand away from my face like it had burned him.“I’m sorry,” I whispered, leaning in closer and wrapping my arms around his waist, pressing my body to his. “I know it’s so much pain and you’re trying so hard to endure it all by yourself. You can cry it out, okay? You don’t have to be strong right now. Not with me. Let it out, Zeden. Scream, curse, whatever you need — I’m right here. I’m not going anywhere.”He stayed silent, face hardened
Amber. It had been three long, torturous hours. Almost morning now — the last time I’d glanced at the old wall clock, its hands crawling like they were mocking me. Rukov and the guard had taken Zeden into some back room that opened into a hidden hallway I wasn’t allowed to follow. I hadn’t seen the doctor. Hell, I hadn’t even seen a proper medical setup. This place looked ancient, like some forgotten estate from another century, all heavy wood and dim lighting that did nothing to calm the storm raging inside me.Zameera had dozed off again, curled up in my lap, her small body straddling mine as I sat stiffly on the worn couch in the large sitting room. Every time she stirred, she’d mumble for her papa, and my heart would crack a little more.An older woman approached for the third time, her steps soft on the creaky floorboards. “Ma’am, can I get you anything? Water? Something to eat?”I shook my head, too drained to speak.“You haven’t touched anything since you arrived,” sh
Amber.My head throbbed like it was about to split open.Sharp, relentless pulses hammered behind my eyes, matching the chaos exploding in my chest.My hands shook so badly I could barely hold onto Zeden.I wasn’t even sure what to do, how to fix this, how to make the screaming stop, how to breathe through the terror clawing up my throat.Zeden was still screaming, guttural and broken, body twisting on the floor like something was tearing him apart from the inside.Then I felt it, warm, thick liquid soaking through my fingers as I cupped his face.I pulled my hands back, staring in horror.Blood.Dark, sticky blood poured from both of his eyes, streaming down his cheeks and dripping onto the floor.“Oh my God, Zeden! No, no, no, baby, your eyes!” My voice cracked into a raw sob. “There’s blood, fuck, there’s so much blood! What’s happening?! Stay with me, please, don’t do this to me!”I tried to lift his heavy frame, pulling him desperately into my arms, but he was dead weight, writ
Amber.Silence wrapped around us like a heavy blanket, broken only by the ragged sound of our breathing.Zeden had rolled off me and now lay on his back, staring at the ceiling like it held answers he didn’t want.I could practically hear the storm in his head.The fear of going blind, of never seeing our faces again, of only being able to feel us from now on.“What are you thinking about?” I asked softly.“Nothing.”I snorted. “Liar.”I twisted onto my side, propping myself on one elbow to face him. “Are you thinking about the surgery? When is it scheduled?”“I haven’t fixed a date yet.”“Why not?”He exhaled slowly. “Because there were more important things to fix first. We weren’t even speaking, Amber. You wouldn’t look at me, let alone talk. I wasn’t about to plan something that big without you knowing.”“And what if I hadn’t still agreed to speak to you?” I rolled onto my back again, staring up at the same ceiling.A low, cocky chuckle left him. “I knew you would. The second I
Amber.Zeden kept his thumb brushing under Delilah’s chin like he was soothing a skittish animal. The gesture looked gentle from the outside. I knew better. It was control dressed up as care.“I’m sure, Delilah, you aren’t ready for a marriage?” he asked, tone soft, almost kind. “Huh?”Delilah’s
Amber.“Was that a question or an accusation?” Zeden asked, breaking the brittle silence that had stretched for barely three seconds.He didn’t turn back to Delilah. His eyes stayed locked on mine, those dead green depths that always felt like they could peel skin from bone.The stare didn’t wav
Amber.“Fuck, you’re such a little filthy slut. Dripping for me…” he growled, pulling his mouth away from my pussy with a wet, obscene sound. His lips glistened with me, chin shining, eyes dark and triumphant as he watched my hips twitch toward him, chasing the heat he’d just taken away.“Despite
Zeden.I stepped out of my room minutes after Mother left, the echo of her heels still fading down the corridor. The mansion felt quieter than usual—too quiet. I walked the long dim hallways, past the lined-up maids who snapped to attention the moment they saw me. Every single one bowed in per







