Mag-log inANASTASIAThe jet door opened, and cold air rushed in again.I stood up, still half-asleep, and pulled my coat closer before following Dominic toward the exit. He walked in front of me, still looking completely unaffected by the strong wind, even his hair was still perfectly styled back, without a strand out of place.As I started down the stairs, I glanced past Dominic’s shoulder and saw them.Reporters were clustered behind the barriers, cameras already lifted. Some were calling Dominic’s name while others shouted questions at the guards. The noise reached us even from the stairs, growing louder when they noticed us stepping out of the jet.My stomach dropped.There were more reporters than I expected.“Mr. Blackwood, is the marriage real?”“Mrs. Blackwood, look over here!”“Dominic, when did the relationship begin?”Camera flashes went off one after another. I kept my eyes forward and continued down the stairs, pretending I couldn’t hear them.When Dominic reached the last step, he
ANASTASIA I breathed a sigh of relief when the car pulled up in front of the private terminal. I hated sharing any form of space with this man. One of Dominic’s guards opened my door. A sharp gust of cold air swept into the car, carrying the sharp smell of fuel. I stepped out and immediately pulled my coat closer around myself. The terminal sat off to the side of the main airport, just a small glass building. Dominic stepped out from the other side. He looked completely unaffected by the cold, even though he was only wearing a black shirt with the sleeves rolled up to his forearms. I hope he freezes to death in that. “We checked the area, sir. There’s no sign of reporters. Those that were caught were dealt with,” the bodyguard said. No paparazzi. That meant I didn’t have to make skin contact—or any contact at all—with Dominic. I exhaled and let the breath go slowly. He nodded to his guard and started walking toward the jet. I followed a few steps behind him.Two bodygu
DOMINICI stared at the CCTV footage on my computer screen. Anastasia was doing mundane things like sipping her coffee, eating breakfast, then watching some reality show.It didn’t seem like her.Anastasia would rather threaten the guards, hold a knife to my throat, or jump over the fence if she had to than sit quietly and behave.I smirked. I didn’t plan on dealing with that Grayson brat. Not yet. Not when the situation could still be used to make Anastasia give in to me.My mind drifted back to earlier, I could still remember the way she had choked on my cock. Saliva sliding down her chin and her teary eyes staring up at me.She looked so goddamn slutty on her knees like that. I glanced down at the tent in my pants.“Fuck” I cursed, and adjusted my trousers to get some relief. Knock.Knock.I closed the computer. “Come in.” My assistant walked in, closing the door behind him.“What?”“The Grayson family has requested another meeting,” he informed me.Desperate fuckers.“Reject it.
I didn’t move from my spot. “Wh… what do you want?” His smirk widened, wet hair sticking to his forehead. Those blue eyes weren’t beautiful anymore. They looked like they belonged to the devil himself. “What can you offer me?” He raised a brow. My eyes dropped to his body before I could stop myself. His fucking biceps were ridiculous, the kind that belonged on a half-nude magazine cover. Tattoos everywhere. A snake wrapping his arm. A dark butterfly on his chest. The delicate drawing didn’t fit his dark, manly personality at all. Made me wonder why he had it. People usually get weird tattoos to remember a loved one or some shit like that. Dominic didn’t seem the type to love anyone. “This doesn’t seem like a time to be staring at my nudity,” he said. I snapped my face back up to his eyes. “I’d hardly call what I was doing staring at your nudity.” “Isn’t a way to talk to someone you need something from.” His eyes slid over my body. “It’s a family event. Surely you don’t
DOMINICThe city passed beyond the tinted windows as I reviewed the report open on my tablet. The car was quiet except for the low hum of the engine.I wondered how Anastasia would react to being trapped inside the villa with no one to talk to. A smirk tugged at my mouth.Would she try to run away?She wouldn’t. She was smarter than that.Would she try to threaten me?I smirked again. I wanted to know what she would come up with.“Sir.”I didn’t look up. “What?”“Miss Rhea visited the villa this afternoon.”My finger paused against the screen, and I glanced at my assistant.“When?”“Shortly after lunch.”“What did she do?”“She asked to see Mrs. Blackwood. They spoke for a while before Miss Rhea left.”I stared at him. “Spoke about what?”“The staff wasn’t present, sir.” I tapped my finger against my knee.“What did she bring?”“Several shopping bags.”“For Anastasia?”“Yes.”I returned my attention to the tablet, though I wasn’t reading the report anymore.Rhea had found out about th
ANASTASIAThe entire dining room was filled with nothing but the scrape of my fork against the plate as I ate. I could hear myself chewing, hear every swallow, and that was how painfully silent this villa had become.It had been two days without Wi-Fi, without a phone, and without any access to the outside world. Dominic had practically cut me off from everyone, as though he was slowly conditioning me to accept being nothing more than his captive.The last time I saw him was two nights ago.He had kissed me, and when I opened my eyes, the warmth on his face had disappeared. His expression had turned cold before he walked out of the room without offering a single explanation for why the fuck he had kissed me so gently in the first place.I hadn’t slept properly since then, half-expecting him to walk into my room and kiss me again.At least I could finally breathe without his overbearing presence looming over me. Even Rita hadn’t come around, and I couldn’t stop wondering what he had sa
ANASTASIAI stare up at the mansion in front of me, it’s huge, the building standing tall, representing power and everything the owner stands for. The air carries the faint smell of rain, old money, and fresh roses from the garden surrounding the mansion. The building reminds me of him: tall, big,
ANASTASIA “Ana, Ana. Come on, it’s almost nine.” I yanked the sheets over my head to muffle Maria’s persistent voice. “Jesus Christ, Maria, let me sleep,” I yelped when the blanket was torn from my body, the cold morning air of the city taking its place.“Give me back my blanket. It’s so cold,”
ANASTASIA“Marry me, Miss Brooks,” Dominic says, like he’s offering me an invitation to a soap opera.I stare at the contract in front of me, as if staring hard enough would make it somehow disappear, turn into something that isn’t a marriage contract to the most condescending person on earth – Dom
ANASTASIA“He just has to show up late, dosen't he” I whisper, glancing toward the entrance—no sign of Dominic.The hall is huge, flooded with people. I feel painfully out of place, maybe because I’ve avoided them for so long. Everyone has something to say about me.Hushed whispers about me, yet lo







