CHAPTER THREE

Arielle’s POV

I knew that men like this don't knock twice so I inhaled slowly, forcing my breathing to be steady before unlocking the door.

As I opened the door, two men were standing on my doorway, they were dressed in suits with an expressionless face. I noticed that they were not security men or from the police force but people that I could not fathom their department.

“Yes, how can I help you?” I asked, keeping my voice leveled.

“The boss wants to see you,” one of them said.

“Like right now?” I asked 

“Yes, we can leave outrightly”. He answered

When I heard that I almost bursted into laughter because of their audacity, no greetings at all, just a command.

“Go and tell your boss that I’m busy.” I said with a firm tone.

The other one spoke  this time. “Miss Volkov, this isn’t a request but an order.”

My jaw tightened immediately. I looked at them in silence before grabbing my bag because for some reason I knew I would be in bigger trouble if I didn't follow them.

“ Fine, let's go” I said.

When we got into the car everywhere was so quiet as there were conversations. I stared outside the window, blur past us as I was also thinking what my fate would be.

Just then my phone buzzed, I saw a message from Anna; “Call me now” . I ignored the message because I knew that I have lost control of the situation that I'm in.

The car halted and when I came down I saw a mighty building. The building alone tells me everything that I need to know. It was a skyscraper with glass and steel all around it. It screamed power, more like a place that doesn't need a name on it for one to know who owns it.

Then I said to myself that if this is a game of power then I won't be the victim.

When I entered the building, it was quiet everywhere as people there minded their businesses without staring or maybe they knew why I am here.

I was led through the corridors, up to an elevator and down to another hallway before we halted at an office door and in the door was boldly written “CEO”.

When I walked into the office, he was exactly where I had imagined him to be. He was sitting  behind the desk like it was built for authority. 

He did not stand or  greet me; rather he just watched me from his seat like he was confirming something.

But I hated the fact that my body was reacting to his gaze. The flashes of the other night hit me that I could feel his fingers on my inner thighs but I was quick to snap out of it and remind myself the reason for being here.

“Close the door behind you,” he said just like the other night.

My jaw tightened but I did it anyway because what I'm into wasn't about pride but control.

Then I walked  further into the room, stopping a few feet from his desk.

“Is this your personality or you just have a habit of summoning people without any explanations?” I asked sternly.

“I only do that when necessary.” he answered with his lips barely moving. My eyes narrowed to his face slightly. 

“Then let’s not waste our time. What do you want from me?” I asked, looking at him this time. There was a long stretched silence before he spoke up.

“This,” he said while sliding a tablet across the desk toward me.

I did not  touch the tablet immediately but I looked at the screen only to see images of me and him, it was cleared this time with articles and headlines. My heart dropped instantly.

“As you can see, you’ve created a problem,” he said calmly. I let out a quiet disbelieving breath.

“I’ve created a problem?” I repeated, “ Wow, that's interesting.”

He sharpened his gaze at me this time.

“Isn’t it?”he asked 

“Do I look like someone who planned what happened last night?. Or do you think that I remembered where I was that night?.” I asked slowly stepping closer and placing both hands on his desk.

“Whatever you are saying right now doesn't change the situation”. he said looking at me briefly like someone who just realized something.

“ I understand that it does not change anything but don't stand there and act like all these were my fault” I fired back.

“Whether what happened last night was  intentional or not, you are now associated with me.” he said leaning back on his seat fixing his gaze on me.

“And why is that a problem ?” I asked with confusion written all over my face.

But instead of answering me he tapped the screen of the tablet and a new article popped up with words like trafficking, drugs and underground networks flashing on the screen. My heart started racing at once.

“I don’t involve myself in scandals and will never be ,” he said  simply.

“Niether do I get involved in things like this” I snapped back.

“Then there is a solutin to this,” he said.

“Of course there should be with men like you, let’s hear it”. I said, crossing my arms.

I saw a faint smile curve on his lips, then he spoke up 

“You have to stay and fake a relationship with me into order to maneuver the public appearances, media coverage and also to control the narratives on the blogs, ” he said firmly.

I was shocked at his request but I was not going to give in.

“Excuse me? I am not playing any girlfriend role rubbish to fix your image, I think everybody involved should sort themselves out ” I said almost immediately.

“I think that you are failing to understand that this is not a request but a command,” he said with his brows up.

“What?, you can not be serious really right now”  I retorted.

This is a contract, that you have to play your role professionally to avoid any suspicions from the outside world” he said in a more commanding tone.

“What do I have to get in return” I asked with  uncertainty 

“I will make all  this go away, I know you have a reputation to preserve.”he assured. But I was not satisfied with everything.

“ I don't think that there is any need to worry about me, I will handle my own problems” I assured him too. Not showing any weakness. He paused and studied me for a moment.

“ Do you know I can destroy your career by tonight,” he threatened. His words were quiet and I knew for sure that he was not bluffing.

He reaches for a file and slides it towards me. When I opened it, my name was on it, my work details, my account details and everything. My stomach dropped.

“You’ve built something quite  impressive,” he said . “And it  would be so  unfortunate if it collapsed overnight,” he threatened again.

I knew what he was capable of because being one of the billionaire mafia in the city, I knew that he moved with people of high caliber and had the connection to bring me down with just the snap of his fingers.

“ Are you threatening me?.” I asked.

“ No, I'm just offering you a solution.” he answered and I knew they were all lies. He was just trying to take full control of the situation and make me do his bidding.

“Then what exactly does this contract involve?” I asked him.  Though victory doesn’t show on his face, I felt it.

“ You have to move in with me,” he said and my heart skipped a beat

“No, I don't have to do that” I rejected outrightly.

“If you move in with me it makes it believable,” he continues, cutting me off. “We need proximity.”

“This is too much, I think.” I said 

“But it is necessary.” He snapped back

“ I accept the public appearances but living together is what I did agree on” I explained shaking my head.

“Thats non-negotiable.” he snapped again

“And what if  I refuse these demands?” I asked quietly.

“Then you get ready to watch everything that you’ve built collapse.”He answered nonchalantly.

I hated the fact that he acts so calm while trapping me into something that I never agreed to in the first place. And most of all I hate that I don’t have a way out even when I said that I can handle myself 

“Fine, I agree, ” I said, though the word tasted like defeat.

“But the contract says professional,” I said. His gaze shifted immediately.

“ We will see about that,” he said emotionlessly. My stomach tightened.

Just then he pressed a button on his desk, the door opened and a man in a dark suit appeared just immediately.

“Prepare the statement,” he said without looking away from me. “And arrange the move,”he completed.

“Move? This is happening faster than expected” I said, confused.

“Everything already started the moment you walked into my life,” he said.

I stood there without uttering any word because something about what he says sounds more like a plan being played out.

By the time I walked out of that building, the news was already everywhere with photos, statements and blog headlines. 

On them was boldly written; 

“VIKTOR SOKOLOV CONFIRMS RELATIONSHIP WITH ARIELLE VOLKOV”

Everything was now official as I stared at my phone screen. But I knew that this was not a damage control bumpy something bigger and I could not explain it either.

Just immediately a car pulled up beside me, it was familiar. The door opened and I heard Viktor’s voice from the back seat.

“ You should get in now” he said calmly

“ I don’t belong to your kind of world” I said

“ But you are already in it, Get in, let's go” he said.

I had no other option but to enter the car and it zoomed off. Then I just realized that there is more to the papers that I just signed.