IVANA'S POV I miss Aria so much, but there was nothing I could do about it.Like my step-brother said, if I loved my head, which I do, I shouldn't leave the clan for any reason, and I think I would be obeying that one order of his as it involves my safety.I mean, who wouldn't?Not after the incident at the mall yesterday.It was my first time. My first time seeing a dead person live and direct and I swear to fuck, it felt like a movie.“How are you feeling, Ivana?” Mom’s soft voice snapped me out of my thoughts as she joined me on the sofa in the spacious sitting room.“I'm good.” I forced a smile, turning to look at her.Infact, that was another big ass lie. I wasn't in anywhere close to fine. I was a wrecking mess and deep within me, I'm broken to a fault.“I'm sorry you won't be having your therapy session for a while, but once your step-brother takes care of the matter at hand, you will continue.”It wasn't as if the therapy was helping matters, but just to satisfy Mom, I nodded
RUSLAN'S POV The thought of burning down the Irish mafia clan and spilling blood, sent thrills down my spine. The thrill was unlike anything I've ever experienced.They won't see it coming.I made my way towards the control room to have Walter take care of some minor hindrances which could stop me from accomplishing my desires. “Walter,” I called once I walked in, only to see him fucking a bitch inside the control room, with her ass up in the air and his dick driving into her asshole with full force.“Bratva!” His eyes widened and he immediately came out of the bitch’s hole, his pre cum dripping down his dick.My gaze hardened and my eyes darkened, “what is going on here?” “I'm sorry, Bratva.” He immediately tucked his semi-hard dick into his trousers before sending the bitch out, naked.“The next time something of such happens, I will cut off your fucking dick myself.” I warned sternly, my dark eyes searing into his and his face turned an ugly shade of reddish-purple.“Yes, Boss,”
IVANA'S POV Gracious!I could barely remember what I looked like before this make-up was applied on my face.Lara was really into it. She wanted to make Jeremy's cock stir in his pants upon setting his eyes on me.I mean, who wouldn't?“Just wait and watch, the eyes of all the men in the party would be on you.” Lara said, coming to hold my shoulders in her hands, staring at me through the dressing table mirror, her lips curling up into a smile. A satisfied smile. She was happy with what she had done with my face.“Stop, Lara. It's not appropriate for mafia princess like us to say such. What if your fiancé heard you?” I hit her playful with my shoulder while she threw her head backwards, laughing.“Mafia princess? Yes. Reverend sisters? No. After all me and my fiancé, Richard have had sex, so there's nothing new.” She shrugged, letting go of my shoulders and I stood up.It seemed the dress which I fitted just yesterday became even more hot and shorter tonight.The slit was reaching m
IVANA'S POV With our fingers entwined, Lara led me to where the celebrant, Jeremy, was. He was busy talking with other important guests of his and not until we walked closer, only then did he paused to take a look at us. His eyes dragged from Lara, who flashed him a smile to me. He didn't look away instead, his eyes zeroed on me, and my stomach churned. The look he threw my way was unlike any look I've gotten from anyone before. Raw intentions sparked in his eyes. He wanted me, not as a wife, I could tell from the way his gaze darkened, but a bitch to warm his bed and pleasure him. Upon realising what he wanted from me, I was instantly turned off, and my zeal to please him just like Ruslan wanted, died at once. I doubt that zeal would ever wake up, not after the look he threw my way. “Hi, Jeremy.” Lara raised her hand, waving at him just so she could ease me of his intensive stare. I was grateful for her help. “Hello, Lara,” he drawled, as if pissed off that sh
RUSLAN'S POV A smile tainted with a bit of insanity dominated my lips as I watched the Irish mafia clan burn into ashes before my eyes. Unfortunately, the residents in the clan, including Lorenzo had vacated from the building before it went up in flames and came down in ashes. Satisfied with my art work, I turned around, heading back to the mountain where my motorbike was sitting prettily in the dark. Mounting on it, my phone rang and I almost rolled my eyes upon seeing who the caller's ID was. Igor was calling me for the tenth time tonight like I had absconded without his knowledge. Swiping the call red, I threw the phone in my pocket and drove off. I got to the clan in less than ten minutes, took my bath and dressed up for the party at Devine Clan. With Nicko by my side, we reached the Clan in twenty more minutes. Upon getting into the hall where the party was taking place, my eyes searched frantically for a certain person. It was unusual and so not me, but my ey
IVANA'S POV Did Ruslan's command make me speechless? Check fucking yes.Was I surprised? Fuck, yes, I was.My jaw literally dropped to the ground and for seconds, hell! Minutes, I couldn't take my jaw from the ground.“Are you that surprised? Should I make you do it?” He narrowed his dark gaze on me and a long breath whooshed out of me.“No…no. I… will do it.” I shook my head and slowly turned around, my ass raised in the air.I didn't know why I couldn't bring myself to argue or act stubborn under his eagle gaze.Hell, Ruslan fucking Orlov made me weak in the knees and scared to my bones.Striding towards me, he stopped just few inches away from my behind, his eyes zeroing on my round soft ass.“Nice ass you've got there, step-sister,” he leaned forward, whispering into my ears, his hot breath fanning my face.His voice dropped to a dangerous rumble, making my stomach clamp.Ruslan Orlov, without a doubt, is the reason why my stomach clamps every now and then.Stilling myself for wh
IVANA'S POV Standing beside Jeremy for hours was hell, considering the fact that I was on heels. My toes and calves were hurting badly. I was sure it would have been bruised already. After Ruslan made it clear to Jeremy that I wasn't a bitch who could warm his bed as a birthday gift, he cut me some slack, which was much appreciated. Ruslan left with Lara, while I remained by Jeremy's side. With a wine glass in my hand, my eyes fell on my step-brother who was busy talking to important people from the mafia world at the other side of the hall. Occasionally, our eyes met and I made sure to send his way, hateful glares and burning lasers from my eyes. He wasn't fazed by my glares, instead, he found it amusing as a dark glint appeared in his eyes and his lips slowly curved into a smirk. ‘If glares could kill, step-sister, I would have been dead already due to your deadly glares.’ A message popped on my screen and upon reading it, a scowl mapped my forehead and my face tur
IVANA'S POV As the night drew closer, my excitement grew. Excitement to return home. To the house of the Orlovs, which now happens to be a home for me too. After the call with Aria, I returned to the party in time and fortunately, Ruslan was already preparing to leave. Mom and Igor also stopped drinking and left in their car with Lara while I was told to come back home with Ruslan. The intolerable devil. I was puzzled. Didn't I come to the party with Lara, so why do I have to leave with Ruslan? It doesn't make any sense to me. While I was trying to make sense of the situation still rooted to the ground without moving, Ruslan who was ahead stopped walking, looking at me over his shoulder. “I don't mind leaving without you. You can as well stay back and warm Jeremy's bed like he wanted. Maybe, like you wanted.” He gave me a withering look causing a lick of fire to brighten the darkness in my eyes as rage slowly slipped in. “And what makes you think I will stay back to warm
Ruslan’s POVFinally, it was all over. Lorenzo and his ghost boss had been sent to the abyss and that was enough for me for now.Punching the last key on the door lock, I listened to the familiar sound of the door creaking open and with my hand tucked in my pockets, I made my way in, the door clicking shut behind me. Taking a deep breath, I looked around the large living room but no one was in sight. I was expecting to see Ivory waiting expectantly for my return. Rolling up the sleeves of my shirt, I made my way towards the couch and then plopped on it with a little sigh. Ivana. — I thought, the sight of blood gushing out of her wound making rounds in my head. Before coming here, I had made a stop at the hospital. She was barely alive but stable, and breathing.“You're back." Ivory said, and immediately, I shot my head upwards. She was making her way towards me, her face unreadable until she halted right in front of me.“How is Ivana?” She asked with a trembling lip. “She’s fine
RUSLAN'S POV Raising my head slowly with my lips slightly parted, I wanted to yell out in pain. I felt my whole body trembling, like I was going to pass out the next second. Ivana was nowhere to be found while Gideon remained in the same position, blood dripping from his hand. “I told you, I don’t want Ivana to see you suffer. It's going to make her miserable in the afterlife." Fuming with anger, I tried to get on my feet but two of his men held me from behind, pinning to the ground. From the corner of my eyes, I could see Nico, wielding his gun. I desperately wanted to ask if Ivana was fine but that means giving his position away. “Bring him here." Lorenzo commanded and immediately, I was pulled towards the old table I haven't seen up till now. Grabbing a pair of garden shears, Gideon twisted it to confirm if it was working well and when he did get it, he grabbed my fingers. “Each finger for each ten million dollars I lost.” He smacked his lips, positioning my fingers in such
Ruslan’s POVComforting someone was a skill I sucked at so seeing Ivory broken this way and being unable to offer her any word of comfort, drove me to the corner. Thanks to Lara’s timely intervention, she pulled Ivory away from me and then led her up the stairs while I kept staring until they disappeared into the hallway. “Make sure you bring her back." Igor said, eliciting a nod from me and with my hand tucked inside my pockets, I joined the others.Sitting at the owner's seat of the car while Nikolai drove, I found myself chewing my fingernails; a habit that only came to play when I was nervous. It was supposed to be the Irish clan I ought to be up against but the voice of the boss was different. How come I haven't crossed paths with this person yet and why does he have to come for Ivana instead of me, his foe. No matter how much I thought about it, it didn't add up. I was barely holding it together.Every second that went by in that car felt like a ticking bomb inside my chest
Ruslan’s POVJust when I wanted to disappear into the hallway, the sound of hurried footsteps made me turn around only to see Ivory running down the stairs with Igor and Lara. Raising my brow, I demanded an explanation without having to use my words.“What did I just hear?" Ivory asked, hurrying to my side, her face drained of all its colors and had been replaced with fright. Pressing my lips to a thin line, I facepalmed myself in anger. This was supposed to be a secret. They must have overhead me when I was speaking to Nicko.“Ivana had been kidnapped.” I forced the words through my teeth, my hands balled into my fist in anger. “What did you just say?” She gasped, her chest rising and falling in rhythm. Pushing my hand forward, I wanted to confront her but I had no idea how to go about that so I withdrew my hands.“Ivana has been kidnapped.” I repeated my earlier words. This time slower as I rubbed my temples.My head had begun to ache seeing Ivory all flustered. “How the fuck
Ruslan’s POVThe silence in my office was suffocating.Since last night, I haven't stepped out and no one has come in since Ivana left. At the moment, I was sitting behind my desk, pen in hand and papers in front of me but I couldn’t focus. My mind kept drifting back to Ivana.My guts keep telling me something doesn’t sit right. It wasn't about the fallout we had yesterday, this was different. Last night, I didn't intend to react that way but she was refusing to get the message I desperately wanted to pass on. A lot of things were going through my mind; the Irish clan silence and then Lorenzo’s chilling words. All I wanted was a little time for myself to wrap my head about what was bothering me but she wasn't having it. Falling back on my seat, I shut my eyes tightly as I began to swirl my chair around, trying to forget about her but it was to know avail. Leaning forward with my hands clasped in front of me, I shifted my gaze to my laptop. I had been watching the footage for a w
Ivana’s POVAfter leaving Ruslan's office, I made my way to my room, slamming the door shut and falling on my bed face first.Recalling the way Ruslan had spoken to me made tears roll down my cheeks in torrents and soon I was sobbing but the sound was muffled by the pillow I had buried my head in. “Honey, it's time for dinner." Mother said softly from the hallway. “I had a late lunch, I'm full.” I managed to say without giving out my real emotion. "Alright dear, have a good night's rest.” She replied cheerfully and this was followed by the sound of her departing footsteps.The moment I couldn't hear the sound again, I lay on my back, staring at the ceiling.I didn’t go down for dinner not because I wasn’t hungry. The truth was, I was starving—but because the lump in my throat was bigger than my appetite. The moment Ruslan shouted at me and slammed his hand on the desk, something inside of me shattered. He had never been that furious with me to the best of my knowledge. This was t
IVANA’S POVI owe mom for bringing the idea of a picnic and Lara for pushing forward with it. All the while I thought the picnic was going to be boring but it turned out to be so much fun. My sexcapades with Ruslan were wild, intense and unforgettable. The memory was going to live with me for the rest of my life. Each time I thought of it, I found myself smiling but I was quick to wipe the smile off so I wouldn't be asked why.Instead of joining the rest for hiking, I stayed back at the tent claiming to be in pains so I was left alone with Ruslan who declared his disinterest even before he was asked That cool evening, Ruslan did not only make love to me. He claimed me over and over again and I let him. That night even when they returned, he took me like he owned me, pressing me against the tent wall, with one hand covering my mouth to muffle the sounds that threatened to give us away.It was brutal but passionate, a punishment I welcomed wholeheartedly. Each of his thrust hit
RUSLAN'S POVThe Irish clan was still quiet despite the fact that words had gone round that I had tightened the security of my perimeter. In our world, silence wasn’t peace, it was a prelude to war. And when men like the Irish clan stopped barking, it meant they were getting ready for war. The thought of it made my skin crawl. They might have gone to re-enforce their attacks which were going to be fatal.Still, I kept my composure. To others, nothing was wrong since I went about my duties, my dealings, my responsibilities like I always did without a hitch but underneath, I was on edge. I was watching, listening and waiting for the Irish clan to attack. I wasn't going to relax and watch them swoon in on me when I least expect it.Swirling around in the swivel chair in my home office, my eyes were shut as I hummed a familiar rhyme. I was doing this to pass time.There was a meeting at the Devil's Priesthood which was scheduled for noon. I had an hour left so I decided to spend it m
IVANA'S POVSaturday arrived faster than expected and since I had convinced Ruslan to join us for the picnic, he hadn't raised any objections.From the top of the staircase, I watched as mom and Lara went all over the place putting finishing touches to all we needed for the picnic since dawn.They packed and unpacked bags just to make sure everything was intact. They double checked the supplies they had ordered the previous day, tossing in more snacks than we would ever need. Mom and Lara were both excited like kids who were going on a field trip. If asked my opinion about all this fuss, I would have gladly traded the picnic for a quiet evening indoors but I couldn't.For the sake of mom and Lara, I had to act like I was interested but that was far from the truth. Ruslan felt the same way I did.He had only agreed to go on the picnic, not because of my promise but because I was going to keep bothering him until he gave in. On the other hand was poor Igor who looked like he had sig