LOGINImagine being forced to marry your father’s enemy and bam! He turns out to be your lost lover and the father of your secret baby... That was exactly Anya Sokolov; 21 years old daughter of a corrupt Russian politician; educated, sharp-tongued, but emotionally neglected. When her father struck a deadly deal with the Russian Bratva, she became collateral, an unwilling bride for the Vetrov family heir. But Anya had no idea that the groom was 38 years old Nikolia Vetrov, a man she despised and yet longed to see again. Four years earlier, he had saved her life. And while she was under his protection, she fell for him. They shared a night of passion, but after that he disappeared, abandoned her, and that was when her hatred for him began. It would have been easier to forget him if she didn’t turn up pregnant weeks later. To protect the future of her unborn child, she kept his existence a secret, even from her own family. But now he was back, with a Bratva ring, a deadly proposal, and eyes that burned like sin. To save her father’s empire, she must marry the man who ruined her. The devil with silver hair; He was cold, ruthless and unforgiving. And when he discovers the child she swore to protect from his world… all hell will break loose. What happens when the man she should hate becomes the only one who ever truly saw her? And she in turn became his one true obsession.
View MoreAnya’s POV
As a little girl, I had always imagined my wedding. The long beautiful white gown, strangers drooling as I walked down the aisle to meet a man who looked at me like I was the miracle he prayed for. But here today, that was not the case. The white gown I was wearing only seemed to itch me, just standing close to Nikolai had me cursing under my breath, and yet I was supposed to spend the rest of my life with this man—a very short time I guessed. The priest begins in Russian. I barely hear the words. My pulse pounds against my ears. Do you take this man? I almost laughed. Nikolai Vetrov was not a man, he was the devil. It was no secret that the Vetrovs were cannibals; their bloodline had produced some of the most monstrous men in Russia. “You may now place the ring on the bride’s finger.” Nikolai looked at me. “Give me your hand, Anya.” He says solemnly. I refuse to move, fear crippling me. If I got past this stage, there was no going back; I will be married to him for life. The Bratva doesn’t know divorce; the only way to leave the marriage is in a body bag. Nikolas closes in and lifts my hand, I yank it back. He growls softly. “You are making a scene, Anya.” He whispered to me in a voice that scared me. I turned to the audience; this was a gathering of men who took lives for a living, some of the most dangerous people on the planet. I met my father’s eyes; it bore a warning as always. If this marriage fails, he will shoot me himself. “Козёл” I cursed silently in Russian, giving him my hand. ** We were back at his place, it was my first time in the Vetrov mansion. It was his personal room; Nikolai didn’t even have the decency of offering me my own room, I have to share the same space with the man who I loathe with all my heart. “Why do I have to stay in the same room as you?” “It is for your own protection, Kiddo.” I frowned when he called me Kiddo; I remember him calling me that four years ago, I didn’t like it then, and I still don’t like it now. “Stop talking to me like I am a child.” I said between gritted teeth. “But aren’t you, Anya? What are you now? Twenty?” “I am twenty-one!” I yelled. “Kiddo.” He chuckled. “I have some business to attend to, I will see you at night,” he added as he walked away, leaving me cussing in that room. I turned to the bed and my heart raced. I will kill myself, before I let that man touch me again. I quickly used the pillows to divide the large bed. I sat on one side of the bed for hours, but Nikolai didn’t come back. What was he doing out there? I knew how messy Bratva business could be and knowing that he could go out one day and never come back brought me some relief, but the one thing worse than being a Bratva wife is being a Bratva widow. Finally my husband returned late at night, he looked exhausted but he concealed it with a solemn face. I sat up on the bed the moment he walked in. “What is this?” he asked, pointing to the bed. “We might be married, Nikolai; for the sake of our families, but we will not have a relationship. You will stay on your side and I will stay on mine, if you even as much as breathe in my direction, I will stab you in the chest.” I warned him. He stared at me silently, before casually saying, “Okay.” And then he walked to the other side of the bed and lay down, using his hands as a pillow under his head and crossing his legs. I was baffled. Okay? Just like that? “What are you doing?” I asked, as I turned to him. He looked towards me on his left. “You said I should stay on this side, didn’t you, wife? I promise I will not touch you unless you come over to my side first.” He smiled. I scoffed. In his dreams! “Well you are not going to go to bed dressed in your wedding suit, are you? And why do you have your shoes on? At least take a shower!” Nikolia laughed, turning to lie on his elbow. “What do you care what I do on my side of the bed, Wife?” “Stop calling me that!” I protested. “You don’t want me to call you wife or kiddo, so what do you like? Should I call you Mistress?” “You!” I clenched my fist, gnashing my teeth in rage. He wore that smug smile on his face that made me want to punch him. “Aren’t you a hypocrite? You still have your wedding gown on.” He pointed out. It was then that I remembered, I had been so concerned with making sure that nothing happens on our wedding night that I haven’t bothered to take a shower or change out of my wedding gown. I huffed and lay back on the bed, turning my back to him. Soon I heard Nikolia stand up from his side of the bed. I slowly took a peek at what he was doing. Standing at one end of the room, he had taken off his suit and pants, I immediately looked away, not wanting to stare, or at least be caught staring. But seconds later, I couldn’t resist taking another peek. He was now bare-chested and my jaw dropped at the sight of his body. The last time I saw him without clothes, he had only the Bratva tattoo; the twin stars of a Vor v Zakone on his left chest; stars that marked him as untouchable in the Bratva. But now his entire upper body was covered in ink; Dragons and demons. I know those tattoos. No, it was not the Chinese Triads; this… this was Irezumi, a traditional tattoo style belonging to the Yakuza; the fucking Japanese Mafia. Was that where he had been these past four years? I was stunned. Why would a Bratva Don wear the mark of another syndicate? “There is not enough hot water for two, but we can share,” Nikolai’s voice shook me out of my thoughts. “Huh? No way I am bathing with you!” He laughed. “Suit yourself then.” He walked back into the bathroom and I cursed. Fuck, I hated to bath cold water, and now he was going to make me do it. My eyes lingered towards the half-open bathroom door, wondering if he still had that weapon between his legs. My memory from four years ago was foggy, but I knew his lower body was part of the things that drove me crazy back then. When he got out with nothing but the towel hanging low on his hips, I felt my throat dry up. The steam coming off his tattooed body was so hot; he had gotten more muscular than four years ago. His shoulders were broad, veins tracing down his forearms, his skin tanned with lean muscles, his abs were divided into eight and with each breath, his chest rose and fell slowly. I swallowed saliva. Fighting back the thoughts in my head. “Don’t sit there and eye rape me, go take a shower and change out of that.” He spoke casually, his cold voice sending shivers through my body. I scoffed, rolling my eyes at him. I felt the urge to defile his orders, show him that he was not the boss of me, he does not own me like he thinks, but at what cost? My own discomfort? After bathing, I came out to find him sleeping on his own side of the bed. He was in bed with no shirts on, just his sweatpants. So he baths hot water and then goes to bed in sweatpants? What monster was he? As I changed into my nightwear and turned back to him, an idea crossed my mind. It was a foolish one but I acted on impulse. I picked one of the pillows and tiptoed to his side of the bed. I tried to press it down on his face but his eyes shot open right that moment and he caught my hand. Before I could scream, he flipped me over, pressing my hands above my head on the bed, his body pinning me down. “Trying to kill me on our wedding night, how cute.” He growled, now fully awake I lay there with my heart racing, realizing what a foolish thing I had done. I just tried to murder a fucking Bratva Don under his own roof. He was not going to spare me now. T. B. C!!Nikolai’s POVThe last night Anya and I had together was spent in each other’s arms. We made love with a quiet intensity, and for a few hours, the world outside didn't exist. I fell asleep holding her, memorizing the scent of her skin and the rhythm of her breathing.It was difficult to accept. All the fights, all the struggle, all the reconciliations and this is how we end. My biggest wish was to grow old with this woman, to have our grandkids continue after us, but I guess you don't always get what you wish for, even if you are Nikolai Vetrov, son of Rayika Vetrov.Life isn't fair, a lesson I learnt a long time ago.**The next morning, I dressed in silence and left for the private airfield before Anya could wake up, it was easier this way. I feared that I would not be able to look her in the eyes and say goodbye.Riena was already there, standing by the stairs of a black private jet. Her face was a mask of cold professionalism. As I boarded, she didn't offer a greeting."I am doing
Nikolai’s POVI growled in anger and dialed Riena’s number. She has really crossed the line this time.The call went to voicemail and I dropped her a voice note.“Listen to me, Riena. I am going to call you again and you best answer or I swear to God, I am going to burn your fucking world down to ashes!!” I screamed.Less than a minute later, I tried again and this time, she picked up."Where is my son, Riena?" I demanded, my voice shaking with rage.Anya immediately ran to me but I signaled her to stay mute. I understood Riena best, so I would talk to her alone."Wow, looks like they finally let you in on the secret." She laughed in a sinister tone.“Riena, if you even as much as…”“Save your threats, Nikolai, your son is safe," she replied coolly. "Thanks to you, my father reached out to me. He told me to stop fighting you and suggested a better punishment, and I have come to agree with him.”“Whatever it is you want, just name it.”“If you want to see Viktor again, you are going to
Nikolai’s POVI stared at Anya, the air in the room suddenly feeling heavy. My mind struggled to catch up with what she had just said. A son. A four-year-old child that belonged to me."What are you saying, Anya? Tell me exactly what you mean," I demanded, my voice low.Anya broke down completely, tears streaming down her face. She reached out for my hand, her voice shaking. "I know what I did is horrible, Nikolai. I know. But I had good intentions. I was trying to protect him."“What do you mean? I have a son? How is that even possible?” I half-yelled.She wiped her eyes and took a shaky breath. "I found out I was pregnant just a few weeks after our affair five years ago. I hadn't been with any other man, so I knew the baby was yours. I was afraid that my father would make me remove it if he found out, or force my baby to grow up in the same horrible life that I was raised in, so I kept it a secret from everyone.”“I traveled to New York, and that’s where I had the baby. I wanted to
Nikolai’s POVThat evening, I sat in the private lounge upstairs, trying to process the chaos of the day. I still couldn't believe that Lev was dead. We were present at their wedding, we were supposed to return with them to his private residence but I thought they would need some time to freshen up before the reception, so Anya and I decided to return home and go for the reception later.We had barely gotten to the estate when I got the call that he had been attacked. I don't know why Riena would think I was capable of such a thing but I was still at fault in a way. I should have let him keep some of the men after his resignation.He worked for me and that means having many enemies. It could be anyone of them behind the assassination. I was able to secure video footage from the traffic stop but the men were both masked. I had to ask Ned to send it over to the private investigator immediately.The silence in the lounge was broken when Ned walked in. He looked tired and shook his head b
Nikolai's POVThe trial was now only a day away. Early that morning, after the incident at the Cocktail party last night, I was surprised by a visit from Mikhail Voronov, the Deputy Prime Minister, and his family lawyer.After my men ushered them in, I waited back in the bedroom for ten minutes bef
Anya's POVThe ambulance eventually pulled away from the estate with my father’s body. Katerina went with them, saying she had to sign the necessary paperwork and handle the legal formalities.As for me, I didn't want to stay in that house a moment longer, so I took Irina back to the Vetrov Estate
Anya's POVTwo weeks had passed since my father’s death. The chaos had settled, and things were finally starting to feel better.Irina had spent ten days out of the two weeks with us at the Vetrov Estate. It was exciting for everyone to have her there, especially after the depression wore off.She
Anya's POV“Father said never to tell!” Svetlana said.Katerina huffed. "Well, Father is dead now, isn't he? Do you really think Irina doesn't deserve to know the truth about her own life? Keeping her in the dark about her paternity was Dmitri's choice, not mine.""It doesn't matter," I interrupted
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