F O U R

~ ANASTASIA ~

I watch as the little crowd floods out of the room and with a swallow, I stand up too. It's suffocating. I'm suffocating. I feel like I might die if I stay in this restaurant’s private booth for any minute longer.

“Nastya.” Alexander calls and I stop, sensing his soft undertone.

He stands up, motioning for me to come closer. “We need to talk.”

I grit my teeth, holding myself back from an outburst, watching as Claud leads Isabella out of the room.

But I sit down, too tired to cry or oppose him. He sits too, taking my hands in his.

“I need to apologize for today” He says and I turn my attention to him, watching him as if he'd grown two heads.

“Apologize? You mean for not telling me I was going to be a political bargaining chip?”

He turns his gaze away from me and nods. I pull my hands away from his firm ones. “I'm not interested in marrying Damien, Alex.”

“You don't have a say in this.” He says, his voice turning hard.

I grit my teeth. “You don't get to tell me what to do.”

He chuckles. “I don't?”

I nod, my eyes burning with hatred when I remember what the bastard did to me in high school. “You know him right? The boy from crescent high?”

He nods.

My eyes widened. “And you are still telling me to get married to him?”

He nods again.

Now, it's my turn to grab his arms, my eyes pleading. “He ruined my highschool life. He did. Please don't do this to me, I still have nightmares about it.”

That seems to get his attention again. “When was the last time you visited your shrink?”

I bite my lips, knowing that I hardly call him these days.

“Nastya—”

“ —I don't want to wed Damien.” I whisper.

He sighs. “Do you prefer if Isa weds him instead?”

Isabella.

My sweet Isa.

No, I can't do that to her.

She will be broken forever and I will be ridden with guilt and self blame.

I remove my hands and stand up, the chair screeching against the floor. I spare him one last glance and turn to leave.

“Think about it, Nastya. The wedding is in two days.” He calls after me and the weight in my stomach drops lower.

When I stepped out of the restaurant, the bastard was there, leaning casually against his car with his hands in his pocket.

I want to ignore him, but my legs match towards him nonetheless and my hands itch to strangle his neck.

~ DAMIEN ~

There's love at first sight but have you ever heard of anything like, hatred at first sight? Well, I'm living proof.

I've never been one to act on impulse before but it all started the moment I saw Anastasia Zhukov, I hated her. More like I hate her but at the same time, I don't hate her.

Like, her entire existence annoys the living daylight out of me and I hate that such a small human has such an effect on me.

I stand, leaning against the car while waiting for Vittorio, my useless brother to come back from where he'd disappeared to when my peeping tom of a neighbour storms out of the restaurant.

When her eyes land on me, she matches towards me, her big tits bouncing with every step. She stands before me, crossing her arms on her chest and pushing her tits upwards.

“What’s wrong with you?” She snaps, glaring at me with her chin tilted up.

I raise an eyebrow, trying to hold my lips from pulling upward into a smile.

“You ruined my childhood and you are just standing here…” She gestures up and down my body with her hand. “... waiting to do it all over again?”

I take a step towards her and she doesn't even budge despite the fear in her eyes. And this is the reason for my dislike. She's blunt, sarcastic, can hold my gaze, doesn't act like she's affected by me, and lastly, she doesn't fear me. She should run. I stopped some meters away from her. She gulps, her glare turning harder.

“And you didn't even have the decency to reject the marriage proposal. You are just going to go along with it, aren't you?”She grits out.

I nod, confirming her words. The goal is the bigger picture and the union of our families will make the picture picturesque.

She laughs, a humorless one. “What do I expect? It's not like you have any integrity or self respect. After all, you are just a disgusting, selfish…” she gestures up and down my body with her eyes. “...entitled prick who only cares about himself.”

Her lips are moving too fast, and when she finishes her outburst, she rolls her eyes. I step closer to her and she gasps but I follow my sudden urge of touching her lips. And indeed, they are soft. I press my thumb against it, feeling it and I can't help but wonder how it will feel against mine. Her eyes widened.

“Wha… I…” She stammers.

“Are you sure I'm selfish though?” I ask, leaning down to her face until I'm breathing the mint air from her nose. “After all, I make sure to leave my chest open just for a peeping tom to get her fill of me.”

“I wasn't peeping when you were walking naked with the coffee.” She says, turning her gaze away from mine.

I hold her chin and turn her gaze back to me, smirking, “You sure?”

Her gray eyes which look like stormy weather widens and her cheeks turn rosier. She bites her lips, and I inhale her sweet minty plus chocolate scent before stepping back.

That seems to do the trick because she clears her throat, pinning her glare on me again.

“I'm never going to be your wife, Damien.” She declares.

I let my gaze roam over her petite body before holding her eyes again as I dip my hands into my pocket. “Ohhh, you are going to, babe…”

She grits her teeth.

“... And you will even do all the duties that come with it.” I add, my eyes on her tits which are still pushed up by her arms.

As if sensing my gaze on them, she drops her hands. “You can't fuck me, Damien.”

“We will see to that, too.” I say with a smile.