Chapter 2

Anastasya's POV. 

I woke up the next morning tired and cranky, as I had hardly gotten any sleep the night before. Thankfully, Massimo had taken my slap as a hard enough deterrent, as shortly after that he left me alone. He didn't sleep on the bed with me, but I wasn't the least bit concerned. 

The farther away he was from me, the better. 

As I hurried to get dressed, I tried to purge my mind of all thoughts of my new husband. Yes, he was very attractive, but it didn't take away from the fact that he wasn't a good person. 

He was cold, ruthless and manipulative, and I wanted absolutely nothing to do with him. 

We shared a tense plane ride back to New York, my mind preoccupied with the loneliness of leaving the only family I had left behind, and fear of the unknown. 

I fastened my seat belt and watched as the plane descended. As soon as the plane touched down, my feelings of melancholy multiplied, manifesting as deep feelings of sadness that spread through me. It hit me that I was on foreign ground, with no friends and no one to call my own. I guess I was going to have to deal with that. 

A series of blacked out SUVs were waiting for us at the airport as soon as we landed in New York. However, unlike when we left Boston, Massimo and I rode in the same car as we headed to his house. I looked at the unfamiliar cityscape as the cars sped along the roads, taking in the entirely different views. After about 20 minutes, we passed through a pair of large, black iron gates and up a long, winding driveway to stop in front of a massive house. Now, growing up in the Russian mob meant that I had seen a lot of luxury, but this was out of this world. The mansion was grand and imposing, and surrounded by well-trimmed, lush greenery and beautiful marble statues placed at strategic points on the property. 

“Time to begin our new life, little wife.” Massimo said as the car rolled to a stop in front of the gigantic building. 

“Of course, husband,” I replied snarkily. 

We got out of the car and headed towards the house, and I noticed that two women were standing on top of the marble steps that led to the entrance. 

One was older and had a dignified air, the other closer in age to me, and extremely beautiful. 

However, one thing was similar about them: the looks of disregard as they caught sight of me. 

“Ma, sorrelina,” Massimo greeted as we reached them, “this is Anastasya. My new wife.”

So they were his mother and sister. 

The sister turned to look at me, observing me from head to toe. Not one to back out of a fight, I did the same. 

She seemed to have come to a conclusion after her perusal of me, and from the glint in her eye, it wasn't a good one. 

“Wife, mmh? Like she's good enough for my brother.” She sneered. 

“I don't care if you think I'm good enough or not. Your family was desperate enough to ally with mine, your brother had to marry me. If you don't mind, please get out of my way.” I brushed her aside, intentionally shoulder checking her as I pushed my way into the house. I had no idea where I was going, but I needed to make a statement. 

I was no pushover. 

I heard a chuckle from behind me, and I turned my head to see Massimo approaching. 

“Fiesty, aren't you,” he teased. 

I rolled my eyes, not caring about his opinion of me in the slightest. 

“Where is my room?” I asked him, eager for a warm bath to calm my aching muscles. 

I noticed a muscle tick in his jaw as he replies, “Follow me.”

We headed up a grand, winding staircase and down a few hallways before stopping in front of a set of doors. They opened into a large room, tastefully decorated in shades of cream and ivory, but a bit bland and lifeless. I saw my suitcases neatly piled in front of the large four poster bed that took up an entire corner of the room. 

“This is your room. Redecorate it however you want.” He announced, remaining outside while I entered to survey the room. 

“Thank you. And yours?” I asked. 

“Right at the end of the hall,” He pointed in his room's direction before asking, “Why do you even want to know that?”

“None of your damn business,” I smiled sweetly before slamming the door in his stunned face. 

I was going to show them all. 

I unpacked and arranged my things in the walk in closet, then searched through my lingerie for the perfect piece. I had a plan tonight, and getting the right outfit was crucial to it's success. 

I took a long, hot bath and washed my hair, ensuring that I had scrubbed every inch of my body clean. I dried myself off when I was done and generously applied my scented creams and oils, leaving my skin soft and supple with a sultry scent. 

I put on my chosen outfit, a red lacy teddy and covered it up with a silk robe before making my way to Massimo's room. 

I tried the door knob, thankfully finding it unlocked and entered the room. My brain struggled a bit to get used to the darkness, but I was able to make out dark wooden furniture, as well as the enormous bed that sat in the centre of the room. Everything in the room was so masculine, so…like him. 

I heard the faint sound of water running from the ensuite bathroom, so I figured that he must have been taking a shower. 

I quickly took off my robe and clambered onto his bed, making myself comfortable between the luxurious sheets. 

I waited with bated breaths as the sound of running water stopped, and stopped breathing entirely when Massimo stepped out, only covered by a towel wrapped around his waist. His dark hair was damp, and water droplets slid down his incredibly sculpted body, running down between lines of dark ink present on his skin. 

He hadn't noticed me yet, he backed me and used a smaller towel to dry himself off. 

I didn't see him reach for any sleep wear, and my confidence began to falter. 

What if he slept in the nude? 

Now, I knew my plan was crazy, especially after I had vowed to never let him touch me, but I needed him wrapped around my finger if I was going to have a foothold in this place. He was attracted to me, I was sure about that. 

And that was the weapon I was going to use to my advantage. 

Thankfully, he slipped into a pair of black boxer briefs, giving me a nice view of his toned backside in the process and turned towards the bed. 

However, he stopped short in his tracks the moment he noticed me. 

“What the hell are you doing here?” He growled, his body going stiff with rage. 

I gave him another of my saccharine smiles in response. 

“Well, hello husband.”