เข้าสู่ระบบHAZEL Axel is Axel, and he was going to do whatever the hell he wanted.I promised myself I wouldn't care. I promised myself it wouldn't get to me. But that night, after Axel and Kat left together, I broke down.I couldn't eat. I couldn't bring myself to continue my way to the dining room. I went back to my room and spent the next few hours talking to myself, reminding myself not to care. I told myself that I was going to sleep, and when I woke up in the morning, everything would get back to normal.Well, not normal, exactly, but I would move on. That was what I kept telling myself. So I tried to fall asleep. I tossed and turned, but every time I closed my eyes, images of Axel, Kat, and Vasilisa invaded my mind. I couldn't escape the thought of them together, and the more I tried to push it away, the worse it became.And then I did the stupidest thing... I waited for him to come back. Hours passed, and Axel still wasn't home. I should have felt relieved, I suppose. At least he had r
AXEL Of course. What did I expect? Vasilisa was his daughter. He was always going to take her side, no matter what she did.And right on cue, Vasilisa's tearful voice came from somewhere behind Damien Morozov.“I didn't mean to shoot you,” she cried. “Axel, please. You have to believe me.”I couldn't even look at her.“Believe you?” I repeated. “You put a gun to my back because I refused to marry you. What exactly am I supposed to believe, Vasilisa? That you were planning to shoot me somewhere less inconvenient in the near future?”She shook her head violently, tears spilling down her face.“No! I would never hurt you. I was just trying to scare you into agreeing with my father.”I looked down at the blood covering my hand.“Then I would hate to see what you consider hurting someone.”“Enough!” Damien roared, tightening his grip on the gun.I could see it in his face. He wasn't letting me go unless I gave him what he wanted. And there was no way in hell I was giving him what he want
AXEL I heard Kat gasp in surprise. Even Vasilisa sounded shocked there for a second." Dad...? What are you doing?"But Damien didn't bother to respond to her or look at anyone else. His gaze was intense as he kept the gun on me."If we're going to war, Moretti," Damien Morozov said, "then I might as well finish the job. You're already here, in my territory, and I have all the power. I could shoot you right now, cut off the head of the snake, and wait for someone else to take your place. Then we could make a new deal, and everything would return as it were supposed to."He tilted his head slightly."Someone new wouldn't have the same need for revenge that you would."I stared at him, struggling to keep my balance."Oh, really? And how exactly do you know no one would come looking for revenge?""For starters, you have no family. You surround yourself with friends and cousins, people who have families of their own. I'm sure they'll cause a few problems, but nothing compared to what you
AXEL I smiled at her."Axel!" Kat snapped.I didn't look at her.Vasilisa's hands shook harder."Why are you doing this to me?""Because I don't love you, and I will not marry you.""You're making me do this!" She snapped, then pretended to hold back tears."No, Vasilisa. You're doing this to yourself."Her face twisted with anger. For one terrible second, I thought she was going to pull the trigger. Then Damien moved. It happened so quickly that I barely had time to register it. He lunged toward his daughter, reaching for the arm holding the gun.Vasilisa screamed. The gun went off. The sound exploded through the room, followed by Kat's scream and the sudden crash of something hitting the floor.I felt a sharp sting near my shoulder, but I didn't immediately understand what had happened. My ears were ringing, and everyone seemed to be moving at once. Damien grabbed Vasilisa's wrist while his men rushed forward.I looked down at myself..... Blood. A dark stain was spreading across my
AXEL They say there's nothing as ugly as a woman scorned. I had never paid much attention to the saying, but standing there with a gun pressed against my back, I was beginning to understand why it existed.I didn't turn around. I didn't make any sudden movements. I simply stood there, waiting to see what she would do next.Would she pull the trigger?Would she make some ridiculous demand and expect me to obey?Or had she finally lost whatever little sense she had left?I had no idea. So I stayed still and let her decide what came next."Don't move!"Vasilisa's voice sounded different now. There was no sweetness in it, no desperate attempt to convince me that she would make a good wife. The woman who had been begging me to marry her a few minutes ago had disappeared, replaced by someone who seemed perfectly willing to put a bullet in my back.Kat had gone completely silent beside me. I could feel the tension radiating from her, and I knew she was trying to figure out what to do withou
AXEL "You're okay with being a trophy wife? Paraded around and shown off?" I asked her. "You're okay with being a baby machine, opening your legs on my command? You're okay with all the things I will do to you and other women, as long as you get the title?"Vasilisa looked as if she was about to explode."Are you seriously making fun of me right now?""Why would I do that, princess?""Stop calling me that!""Why? I thought you liked being treated like royalty."Kat burst out laughing, and I had to fight the smile threatening to spread across my face.Vasilisa's gaze swept around the room, toward her father and the two guards still standing in front of the door. She seemed to remember where she was and how many people were watching us."We need to talk. Excuse us," she said through clenched teeth, reaching for my arm.I moved before she could touch me."Careful, Vasilisa. Like I said, don't ever put your hands on me."Her hand froze in midair."Whatever you have to say, you can say it
HAZELI don’t even have the strength to do my usual bedtime routine. I pull on the teddy pyjamas and crawl under the covers. The last thing I want is another conversation.Of course, when Angela comes back, she lightly touches me. I stir up and give her a look that clearly says, 'Don't push me.'Sh
AXELBefore I can stop her, Hazel's hands are already tugging at my jacket. I should pull away. I should take her wrists. I should stop this.But I don’t.She slips my jacket down my arms, lets it fall to the floor like it’s nothing, and then her fingers move to the buttons of my shirt. My breath c
HAZELIt fucking hurt.... Shit!It hurt like hell.And it's not just my body. My heart felt like someone had shoved a fist straight through it and squashed it.I was still trying to breathe past the dull ache that had settled between my legs. After he jerked away and I was instantly replaced by a s
HAZELWhen I woke up the next morning, I had already made a decision.Sleep never really came no Matter how much I tried. I spent the whole night tossing, thinking about Harris, thinking about getting out of here, thinking about what would be different now. I had tried everything the first time Axe







