LOVE AT FIRST SIGHT

Lazar’s POV

My heart stopped beating the moment I set my eyes on the bride at the altar. I clutched my suit, finding it hard to breathe. She took my breath away in just a second.

I have never seen a woman so delicate with blinding, heart thumping angelic beauty worth millions of diamonds.

To think she was abandoned by that idiot was insulting. God must really dislike that man, because what the fuck?

Even with tears streaming down her eyes, she still looked divine.

My second in command, Ilya Rodosov cleared his throat beside me.

“Boss, you are supposed to be at the altar," he reminded me and I forced my legs to walk down the aisle.

Approaching my bride felt a one on one meeting with an angel. I know this might sound ridiculous, but I swear there are light beams surrounding her. 

She stopped crying the moment I stopped in front of her.

“I thought you said she was getting married to an old man and not the wealthiest man in the city!" An irritating female voice snapped in the background.

“Keep quiet, Janet before you will get us killed!" Williams sneered at the previous voice.

“Sir... it's..."

“Don't speak." I silenced him, still focused on the woman before me.

I stretched out my sweaty hand, trying hard not to melt into a disgrace before my bride. For the first time in my life, I was nervous about a person and it was a woman.

“May I do the honors to be your husband?" I swallowed hard, shocked by the gentleness in my voice. 

“Boss, is everything alright?" Even Ilya was surprised by my sudden change.

She stared at me, hesitant and uncertain. Hell knew how nervous I was standing right in front of her. 

If heart racing, nerve wrecking and inability to breathe were the symptoms of love at first sight. Then I am guilty of all symptoms.

“Yes," she said and took my hand then glared at her disappointing family. 

They made her cry, I will deal with that later. Once Ilya got everyone settled, the priest proceeded with the wedding.

“In death and in sorrow...." Blah, blah, blah.

All I needed was a yes and yes then you may kiss your bride. 

Setting my thumb on her lips, I pressed a gentle kiss while staring into her ocean blue eyes. I wanted to kiss, taste her, know what her lips would feel like on mine.

But I couldn't, she just got her heart broken and she was marrying a man out of nowhere.

“Let's go," I whispered and she looked at her family one last time before taking my hand.

Once we were out of the reception hall, she let go of my hand and straightened up her face.

“Thank you for saving me from getting humiliated. My name is Miriam. I know you don't want this marriage. We can get a divorce and I will set you free," she said and I almost laughed.

“Malysh, I won't divorce you because I want this marriage more than anything else. From now on, I will protect you and crush anyone who tries to get in your way. All you have to do is ask and even though you don't, I will do it anyway." I declared my will without hesitation.

A divorce? No way. Who am I to divorce a gorgeous woman like her? She is mine now. Mine.

“But you don't even know me. I don't have enough money for us to survive on. Although, I do have some savings but we can figure it out since we will be living together," she muttered innocently.

Realization hit me the moment she mentioned her worry. ‘She thinks I am poor. Does she not really know who I am?'

“Also, we could live in my apartment. We can split bills and I will work ten jobs..."

“Ten jobs? Did your ex make you do that?" I asked, getting railed up.

“I have always worked so hard my whole life. It's not a big deal to me." She brushed it off and continued to mention other things we could survive on.

That bastard made her suffer and dared to cheat on her. Even her parents used her like she was their slave. 

God, thinking about how they must have maltreated her made my blood boil.

“Miriam, you are not in this alone. I am your husband now and I can provide whatever it is you want," I assured, hoping she would get the idea of my capacity.

“How? You talk like you have some trust fund or something," she joked.

“But..." She cut me off with a shush.

“You know what, we can share everything fifty fifty. What job do you do?" She asked and I was speechless for a second.

‘Now that I thought of it, I can't tell her that I am a leader of a Mafia organization. She will freak out and maybe run away from me. I can't let that happen.' I thought to myself and quickly came up with a fake occupation.

“I am a carpenter." What? Lazar seriously of all occupations you chose a carpenter?

“A carpenter? You don't look like one to me."

Great now she's suspicious. Way to go with lying Lazar.

“Um...I work as a carpenter in a big company. I just design furniture and make a sample for production. It is not that difficult," I convinced her with a perfect make up story and she bought it. 

“Well, if you say so. We can work out something. Let's go to my apartment first. There are plenty of things we need to jot down." She grabbed my arm and flashed me the most breathtaking smile I had ever seen.

My heart did that jumping things, fluttering and swelling like a butterfly. So this was what love at first sight felt like. 

“I am sorry things had to turn out this way. Our cab will be here in any minute," she muttered and we both waited by the side of the road.

A black BMW pulled up beside us. I stared at it completely forgetting that it was my car until Ilya came out of it.

Shit, I forgot to tell him the details.

“Boss." He called before I could stop him.

Miriam looked at him with clear confusion sitting on her furrowed brows.

“Boss?"

“Dear wife, please meet my Boss Mr. Ilya and Ilya meet my wife." I quickly reverted the case to prevent her from being suspicious of my identity.

Ilya seemed confused but didn't try to mess up. 

“Boss, what are we doing?" He mumbled with the side of his mouth.

“Just play along and act like my Boss," I informed him and grinned.

“Oh, hello sir. It's nice to meet you. Please take care of my husband at work," she said with a gentle voice that made my heart feel like jelly. 

She's so sweet.

Ilya cleared his throat and smiled,“Of course, Lazar is one of my best employees."

“Oh, that's good to hear. Maybe, one day I might come to visit your company." She beamed innocently.

“I think our cab is here. Take care boss." I waved him off and led Miriam to the cab in front of us.

The drive to her apartment was a forty-five minutes ride. She let me pay the cab man and we went up to her apartment.

“My space is a little cranky. I plan to find a larger apartment so that we can move and have enough space for us." Tapping in her door code, she let me into her mini world of comfort.

When I mean a mini world of comfort, I mean an orderly arrangement of items, clean floors and a vanilla atmosphere with a tinge of roses.

“Please make yourself comfortable," she said, moving over to an area that looked like a kitchen.

She briefly went into a room and came out in jeans and a hot crop top that revealed a little bit of her stomach. I forced my eyes to stop looking and concentrated on the blank TV.

“Hey." I felt something chill on my cheeks. She giggled and handed me a beer. “So, how do we spend our honeymoon?”