CHAPTER FIVE

TATYANA 

I stared hard at Nikolai, using my eyes to beseech him to tell me the truth. 

   “I ask again, what exactly are my parents atoning for Nikolai?”

 “Kazan was so peaceful in those times. When the two families worked together until Igor became greedy. He duped my parents with a foreign investor and to cover up his crimes had them killed. You were betrothed to me to appease the council when they wanted them dead.”

   “What!?”

  “Oh you had no idea you were a bargaining chip, right”

  He scoffed, “I'm not even done”

   “Oh there's more?”

 “When you turned 18, Igor Petrov refused to let you go claiming his daughter cannot marry the monster of the accursed family and so the war for his blood broke out. I had people follow you in college to ensure my price is safe to settle the debt.”

I am the price paid for the sins of my parents! Wow this was quite astonishing. Although it hurts I refuse to confront them, they must have lied to not break my heart.

       “Get dressed we are going for an event” Nikolai gave me an order this morning. It's the first time I will step out since I got married. Putting on a beige mini skirt with a waist coat, a shirt and knotting a tie finishing the look with a brown coat, brown boot heels, a pair of glasses and a beige bag. I looked too good, that I know.

 Strutting the stairs, all heads turned to look at me including Nikolai who quickly looked back down. They all complimented me and we got to the car. It was a brown Mclaren which complimented my look then we drove off.

   It was a charity gala hosted by Oleg Baranov and his wife. Nikolai took me by my hand, went up, greeted the host and sat down pulling me to sit beside him. The men ogled me but Nikolai gave them death stares whenever he caught them staring and that made me feel warm.

    NIKOLAI 

Tatyana looked extremely good in what she's wearing. The shortness of that skirt reveals her fair laps. They were very fair and without spots making me want to run my hands over them, gradually raise the skirt up and see what's underneath. 

  I’m not supposed to be lusting after this lady, she's going to end up dying by my hand soon. Sighing I raised my bid,

   “Five million Yen”

The crowd gasped and roared with cheers and applause. Tatyana turned to look at me and gave a smile as well. 

  Soon we left and as we were about to step into the car,

    “BOOM!!”

The sound and force hit against us and I instinctively used my body to shield Tatyana, the sound pierced our ears with a ringing tune. I quickly lifted Tatyana up, taking her to a safer corner.

  The event came to an abrupt stop as everyone scrambled to their feet to help, Lev rode the accompanying bodyguards car towards us and we got in.

  Tatyana was not injured but she was visibly shaken. On our way back to the manor, gunshots aimed our car and began firing. The car was bulletproof buying us time to load our guns and fire back.

   Ducking Tatyana’s head down to my thighs, slid the windows down a very teeny bit and fired back at the person. This went on at different locations until we arrived home. 

   “Sir, it was Ivan who ordered the shooting and Mikhail ordered the bomb” Lev said soon as we stepped out of the car.

   “Kill their heirs and send the video evidence to them, with the words “Property is out of reach: Do not touch” written on her arm”.

   “Yes sir”

The members of the council gets on my last nerves but they give me opportunity to fulfill my murder fantasies though. That's a bonus.

  Sipping whiskey there was a knock on the door,

  “Come in”

 Tatyana struts in without realizing,

 “Good evening Nikolai, thank you for saving my life, I'm genuinely grateful.”

  “Perks of being my wife, of course”

 A warm blush that was barely noticeable crept up her cheeks as she stared at me with those doe eyes that seemed to want to pierce the inner parts of my soul.

 “Mhmhm”, Lev cleared his throat behind her.

I hadn't even noticed him coming in,

   “Boss I'd like to speak to you please”

 “You may go now Tatyana,

  And you're welcome.”

“Sir, it has been successfully carried out but I could not find any dirts on the elders”

   “Is that so?”

   “Yes Sir”

 “Okay, you may go”.

Going on the black market to hire a hacker to hack the data of those elders, I secured a contract with the one they said is best. Her name was Prickly flower. That's a weird name indeed.

 The loud example I gave to those elders for their attempted murder was enough to keep people from coming after her. Rumors spread that I had choosen a stranger over the clan.

     The next couple of months were peaceful and I began to long and lust after Tatyana. We were talking to each other now although I know she's still a little scared of me even though she doesn't show it.

 Today is one of those slow evenings that i get back on time from work which I had started doing frequently these days then we had dinner together and proceeded to the library.

  “How often do you read?”

 “Not since I turned 18,why?”

 “Nothing, just you have lots of books that you keep purchasing but you don't read them. See Verity by Colleen Hoover, have you read it?”

       “No”

“Then why do you buy them?”

“I like the art of collecting them”

 “Mmmm”, she hummed,

 “Must be nice”

Walking in front of me, there was a stair she didn't see and tripped on causing her to miss her steps and fall back but i instinctively grabbed her in due time.

  Her hair cascaded down my hand, her body rested on my hand and part of my groin bringing our bodies very close to each other. I could feel her breathing on my nose and her lips parted just above mine but I  quickly pulled away.

   Standing up abruptly, I  cleared my throat.

Settling on the stairs, beckoning on me to join her she said,

  “I barely know a thing about you”

“Yeah, um there's nothing much to know”

  “No, I think there is. Tell me about you.”

Now no one has ever asked me that before. But I needed to tell her.

  “Matter of fact, there's something you need to know”

  “About you?”

“Not really but yes”

 “Okay so what is it?”

“I was mandated to..”

  “To what?”

Muttering slowly, “To kill you.”