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chapter 9
publish date:
2026-04-07 20:45:57
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Doll Chapter 21
Adrian held me against his chest and I hated that I didn't pull away.His hand was on the back of my head, his fingers were pressed into my hair, and his heart was beating fast under my ear. He was scared, or angry, or both, I couldn't tell. He didn't say anything, he just held me there in the hallway with the bullet hole in the wall behind us and the smell of gunpowder still in the air.When I finally pulled back, his face was stone again. The moment was over."She pointed a gun at my head," I said. My voice was hoarse from her arm on my throat. "Why isn't she dead?""Because killing Viktor's daughter in my own house starts a war.""She tried to kill me.""She was testing you. And me. If she wanted you dead, you'd be dead."I stared at him. "That's supposed to make me feel better?""No." He turned and walked toward the sitting room. I followed him because I wasn't done being angry.He poured himself a glass of water, drank it, set the glass down. His hands were steady."What happens
Doll Chapter 20
Katya came the next morning.Dmitri announced her like she was unwanted, which she probably was, at least by Adrian. "Viktor's daughter is here. She says she wants tea with the lovely soon to be couple."Adrian was in the study when Dmitri said it. I was there too, because I had been asking about the folder again and he had been ignoring me."No," Adrian said."She's already inside."Adrian's jaw tightened. He looked at me. "Stay close to me.""Why? She seems nice."He stared at me like I had grown a second head. "Nice?""She was polite at dinner. Compared to everyone else, anyway."Adrian didn't answer. He just walked out of the study and headed to the sitting room. I followed.Katya was already there, sitting on the couch with her legs crossed and a smile on her face. She was wearing a cream colored dress and her hair was pulled back, she looked like she was going to a brunch, not a mafia heir's house."Adrian," she said, her voice was warm. "Thank you for having me.""I didn't invi
Doll Chapter 19
The doctor arrived an hour later. Dmitri came to my room and told me to come down to the small sitting room on the first floor, and I walked there with my hands cold and my heart pounding.Adrian was already there, standing by the window with his arms crossed. The doctor was an older man with gray hair and kind eyes, he had a leather bag in his hand and he was smiling at Adrian like he knew him."Adrian," the doctor said. "Look at you. All grown up. I delivered you, you know. Thirty some years ago, you came into this world screaming and I was the first person to hold you after your mother."Adrian nodded, his face was neutral. "I remember, Doctor Petrov.""You remember? You were a baby.""My father told me. You've been with this family a long time.""Longer than anyone should, probably." The doctor laughed and set his bag on the table. "Last time I saw you was when you broke your arm climbing that tree behind your grandparents' house. You were ten years old and you didn't even cry whe
Doll Chapter 18
was having breakfast in the kitchen, just scrambled eggs and toast, when Dmitri walked in and stood by the counter."Mr. Volkov has asked for you," he said. "His room."I put down my fork and wiped my mouth. "Now?""Yes."I didn't ask why. I just got up and walked out, because asking Dmitri questions was like talking to a wall, he never gave me anything.The hallway was quiet, my footsteps felt loud on the marble. I went up the stairs and down to Adrian's room, the door was half open and I could hear his voice inside. He was on the phone, and he didn't sound happy."No, it doesn't need to happen," he said. His voice was sharp, controlled, like he was trying not to yell. "I said it, so that's enough."A pause. Someone was talking on the other end, probably his grandmother, her voice was muffled but I could hear the sharpness."That should not be necessary," Adrian said. "I don't care what they insist."Another pause, longer this time. Then something changed, the person on the phone mu
Doll Chapter 17
Mrs. Holloway arrived at noon, sharp and stiff like always, and she looked at me like I was a project that wasn't quite finished."Today is your final lesson," she said, setting her bag on the table. "Tonight you have the real test. If you embarrass Mr. Volkov, it's not my reputation on the line."I didn't say anything. I was still thinking about the folder on Adrian's desk, my father's name written in black marker. Vance. What was inside? Why did Adrian have it? I wanted to ask him but I was scared, scared of what he might say and scared of what I might find out.Mrs. Holloway snapped her fingers. "Eyes here, Miss Camilla. You cannot afford to be distracted."I forced myself to focus. We ran through everything, posture, introductions, small talk, which fork to use and which wine glass was mine. She drilled me on how to smile without looking fake and how to answer personal questions without giving too much away.I messed up a few times, used the wrong fork once and forgot to stand whe
Doll Chapter 16
was still sitting on his bed when the house went quiet enough that I could hear my own heartbeat.The shooting kept running on a loop in my head — the gunshots, the screaming, the way Adrian had shoved me behind that headstone and put his body between me and whatever was coming. I kept seeing him take a bullet. Kept seeing blood spreading through white fabric, even though I knew it hadn't happened that way. I couldn't get the images to stop no matter how many times I reminded myself they weren't real.What the fuck did he actually do? I didn't have an answer. I didn't even know where to start looking for one, and the not-knowing was making it hard to breathe.I got up because sitting still wasn't working anymore. I moved around the room, not really looking, just needing my hands and feet to do something. The furniture was dark, heavy, expensive in the way that doesn't announce itself. A closet full of suits. A window that looked out over the gardens, black now in the dark. A desk in t
Doll Chapter 13
I closed the door.The sound of the latch clicking into place was louder than it should have been. Or maybe my ears were just too sensitive. Everything felt too sensitive. The leather straps cutting into my skin. The cool air on my exposed thighs. The way Adrian was looking at me from the edge of t
Doll Chapter 12
The dinner was over. Thank God.Antonia stood up from the table and walked straight to Adrian. She wrapped her arms around his neck and pressed her body against his. I watched her hands slide up his chest. I watched her fingers curl into the fabric of his jacket."Call me," she whispered. Loud enou
Doll Chapter 11
.Antonia's smile stayed on her face, but her eyes went dead cold. She looked at Adrian's hand holding mine, twitched her left eye, then she looked at me. Then back at him."Fiancée," she said. "You never mentioned her.""I'm mentioning her now."Antonia laughed. It was a sharp sound, like glass br
Doll Chapter 10
The car stopped at a different estate, one that dwarfed the house I had been staying in. Heavy stone walls and wrought iron gates framed the property, while a fountain threw water high into the darkening sky. Adrian stepped out first, smoothing his jacket before moving toward the entrance with the
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