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[NADIA]Hours go by, and I do nothing but sit in his car and glower at the roof. This is so unfair, uncomfortable, and unnecessary. Why do I have to stay with this mean man? I was barely able to stay sane when they forced me to live in that apartment until they made sure it was safe for me to be on the streets.The problem with this whole situation is, I don’t even know why my life is in danger in the first place. Even if my brother did something stupid and died because of it, what does that have to do with me? Why would they come after me when they have already taken care of my brother?I just… I just don’t understand any of this. I just… I just don’t know what the hell is going on. I sigh—for the hundredth time, perhaps—and shift in my seat, trying to get more comfortable. But it doesn’t help. I have been sitting here for more than an hour now, and the man who left me to my own devices is nowhere to be found.I desperately want to get out of this damn car and get some fresh air into
[DIMITRI]She’s a firecracker.I should hate it, should find her annoying as fuck, should hate her guts for thinking she’s smarter than me, should kick her out of my home instead of imagining her on my bed, in all kinds of positions, with my hard-as-rock cock shoved deep into her ass, but I do none of that.Why? Because every time a thought like that crosses my mind, I find myself frowning and growling under my breath. I hate the idea of hating her. I hate that I can’t just sweep her into my arms, strip her naked, and fuck her like there’s no tomorrow.I’m probably losing my mind because every time she opens her mouth and some smart-ass remark comes out, instead of focusing on the words, all I do is stare at her mouth, wanting nothing more than to kiss it, suck it, and engage in all sorts of sinful acts that I would undoubtedly enjoy.This is so damn weird. Never in my life have I had so many sexual thoughts in a day, let alone about the same woman. This is apparently new territory fo
[NADIA]When I wake up the next time, it’s not to the early morning sun but to someone wailing at the top of their lungs.I toss and turn to the other side, trying to find a spot or a position where I don’t have to hear it, where I can slip back into the peaceful slumber that’s so hard to come by these days. But to my utter dismay, the more I try to disconnect myself from the chaos of reality, telling myself it can’t be my chaos to worry about, the louder the wail becomes.There’s even a point when the person wailing coughs and coughs and wails again.It’s then that my eyes snap open and my sleep-deprived brain realizes something.“Oh, shit!”I scramble out of bed in record time, but not before feeling my head spin and legs wobble with how fast I do that. But I don’t take even a moment’s break. I throw the door of the room open and rush out as if the house is on fire.My assumption is proven right when I stumble upon the little girl Dimitri brought with him, standing in the middle of t
[DIMITRI]“I can’t wait any longer,” I say to Nikolai, and he nods, understanding. “I have to go and see for myself.”He runs his hand through his hair, taking a long drag from the cigarette between his lips before flicking it away. We watch as it sizzles and crackles, then submits to the thick layer of snow covering the entire land.The stars are out for the first time in forever, and it’s as if even the sky can see clearly after a long time, no clouds of doubt blurring its vision anymore. To some extent, I feel the same. I just don’t know what that means for me.“I can come with you if you want,” he offers, but I shake my head.“No. You stay here,” I say, because no matter how much he wants to be part of this mess, the hard truth is that it’s not his mess to worry about. He’s not one of us, and if I’m being honest, he never will be. Not if Ivan didn’t survive this incident. It’s only a matter of time before news of the attack spreads like wildfire, and the war to take over begins. T
[NADIA] For a long time, I’m not sure if I’m dreaming or having a nightmare. Why? Because I slept with a five-year-old girl in my arms and woke up to an adult snuggling into me as if I was the best teddy he had hugged in a while. What the fuck is even going on here? I shake my head, but even that feels like a task, what’s with my face stuffed into someone’s crook of their neck? I groan, or at least I try to, pushing the man with my hands on his chest. I know I should be in full-on panic mode. I should be screaming at the top of my lungs because there’s a stranger in my bed and I’m yet to see who it is. But strangely, I’m not—panicked, that is. It’s as if, without even seeing his face, I know who he is. Maybe it’s because I recognize this unique masculine scent. Maybe it’s because the way I’m being held feels familiar in more ways than I can admit. Or maybe it’s because who else could it be? “Why are you…ugh…glued to me like this? Get off me!” I pretend not to like this sudden
(Flashback) “Loyalty is everything in this business, Ana,” Ivan growled, his voice low and dangerous. “And if you’re not loyal, you know what happens.” Anastasia’s eyes widened as she heard the threat in his words. She knew all too well the consequences of betraying Ivan and his criminal organization. “I’ve been loyal, Ivan,” she pleaded, her heart pounding in her chest. “I swear it.” Ivan’s expression remained hard as he advanced towards her, his hand reaching out to grip her arm with bruising force. “Don’t lie to me, Ana,” he snarled, his breath hot against her face. “You know what will happen if I find out you’re hiding something from me.” (Flashback Ends) * * * [ANASTASIA] I wake up to the blaring sound of my alarm, a sudden jolt that sends my heart racing. The stillness of my small, dimly lit bedroom is shattered by the noise, and I can’t help but feel a surge of anxiety coursing through my veins. My eyes dart around the room, scanning the shadows for any signs of danger. E
(Flashback)Anastasia scoffed as she deftly folded Ivan’s rumpled clothes and placed them inside the mahogany closet. “I don’t need a grandiose wedding, Ivan,” she remarked, her eyes rolling at his dishevelled room. “And how do you manage to make such a mess all the time? Don’t tell me you’re too busy to at least make your bed.”Ivan chuckled, sneaking up behind her and enveloping her in his embrace, planting a gentle kiss beneath her ear. “I don’t care about the wedding, my love. I just want you as my wife so I can make love to you for hours on end.”Anastasia blushed at his bold words, but she relished in his possessive touch, content to let him hold her tight. “And what about what I want?” she countered, teasingly. “What if I don’t like you hovering over me like a bee all the time? What if I want you to focus on your work and leave me be?”Ivan raised an eyebrow, his lips curving into a mischievous smirk. With a sudden movement, he pinned her against the wall, his lips finding the
(Flashback)Ivan’s eyes blazed with fury as he grabbed Ana by the hair, yanking her head back to face him. “Ana!” he growled, his grip tight and unyielding. “Don’t you dare lie to my face. Tell me where he is. Tell me now, and I promise I won’t hurt you. But if you keep playing these games with me, I swear I’ll burn this whole place to the ground!”Ana’s eyes filled with tears as she struggled against the pain, the sharp pull of her hair almost too much to bear. “I don’t know anything,” she hissed, her fingers clawing at his hand, trying to pry it loose. “I swear it. The fact that you even think I’d lie to you makes me feel like you don’t know me at all. I love you, Ivan. But the way you treat me makes me wonder if you love me at all. What happened to us?”(Flashback Ends)* * *[ANASTASIA]“Hey there, little guy,” I said to Ivan Jr. as I knelt down in front of him, my heavy overcoat weighing me down. His blue eyes shone with innocence and curiosity as he looked up at me. “I’m going t