I had long despised Illyra Bennet, the con artist that caused a rift between me and Andrei years ago. The girl who made my brother weak and vulnerable. All this time, I had kept track of her, waiting for her to go back to her old ways, but she didn't.
It came as a shock to me when I realized that she might have changed after all these years. I knew her failed engagement with Andrei had everything to do with it.I had sent several private investigators to watch when she would start gambling again, but she didn't.She had also blatantly refused to let Lyra marry me to get the land, and she could go to hell for that. When I realized none of my plans were working, I decided to try another way.Lyra herself.Until we had met at the restaurant a few days ago, all I knew about her were from a private investigator with a grainy photograph. Illyra had always made a great effort to keep her away from me. They moved to different cities once they suspected they were being watched. It was a smart move but not enough to stop me.When I finally found Lyra, I had to test if she was like her sister. I didn't trust the Bennet's especially since their father raised them to be heartless, manipulating girls.Six months ago in Seattle, the investigator tested her by dropping a wallet full of cash outside a grocery store in front of her. She had run two blocks after his car to give him back the wallet, untouched breathlessly.Illyra wouldn't have ever done that. She would have kept the wallet and used the money for shopping."Girl's so honest, and it's crazy. I can't believe she is Illyra's sister." The investigator had told me. She was nothing like Illyra, and I knew she was the perfect person for my plans.She was young and naive. Unlike Illyra, she was full of love and compassion. She knew nothing about tricking me for their money or gambling.Knowing that my brother was recovering from a recent car racing injury in Oahu with a private poker game in Hale Ka'nani, I bribed the resort's general manager to hire the sisters as housekeepers.I knew they would quickly accept the job offer because they were desperate. And I was right.I'd hoped that Andrei would run into Illyra and they would cause a humiliating and terrible scene.Knowing how their relationship ended, I perceived they would have a heated argument. And I would utilize that time to speak to Lyra directly about the marriage proposal.But when the couple failed to see each other for days and I was running out of time, I decided to find a way to speak to Lyra.I shouldn't have been surprised when she flung her soda at me and ran away from the restaurant. I didn't know why I had expected anything else from her. Illyra must have fed her buckets of lies about me.But somewhere at the back of my mind, I held onto the hope that she was as greedy as her sister. That her eyes would sparkle with desire when she learned about how much I could pay for the land. But she didn't.Or that, according to the report I had gotten from Matthew McConaughey, not only had there been no heated argument between Andrei and Illyra, they'd apparently fallen into each other's arms at the poker game.She had won back the entire amount of Lyra's wager but accepted Andrei's offer to a single card draw between them-a million dollars versus possession of Illyra. That was the deal that ruined my entire plan.Andrei won her during the game and she was forced to go back with him.Reintroducing the formerly engaged couple to happiness wasn't my plan. I was definitely not hoping to make the couple happy again. For the past day and a half, I had been grinding my teeth in fury.I had been too busy thinking about how my recent plans to humiliate my brother had blown up in my face. How all my efforts to destroy only backfired on me.I'd spent the previous night dancing at a club, women hitting on me right and left until even that began to irritate me, and I had gone home early and alone.Then like a miracle, I'd woken from sleep with the news that Lyra Bennet was here and wished to marry me after all. And now, here she was. I had her. She had changed my whole world forever."I hired a private investigator to track you down," I said, hoping she would buy it. "It shows how desperate I was to marry you—and get my hands on your land."Her chin turned a darker shade of red. I turned away, walking to the bar."Viktor?"I froze. Had she somehow guessed my plans? Was it possible that her big brown eyes had seen through my heartless soul? Hands clenched by my side, body stiff, I turned to face her.Her eyes were shining, and her expression was bright like a new penny. "What did you mean by the plans you had?" I exhaled, feeling greatly happy that I was wrong. "Maybe a wedding cake?"This time, I couldn't help it, and I laughed. "You want a cake?""I do love a wedding cake with buttercream frosting roses." She said, beaming. "I had always dreamed of my wedding and even though, this is not a real one, I would love a cake.""Then, your wish is my command, my lady.""But I'd better not have a cake." She said, her expression drooping.I rolled my eyes. "Don't tell me you're on a diet, are you?""Do I look like I watch my weight?" She snapped, then flushed grumpily. "I'm sorry that I am a bit grumpy. My flight ran out of my food when they reached my aisle, and I hadn't eaten for the past twelve hours. I would have gotten something at the airport, but I only have three dollars and.."Her voice trailed off. I returned to the bar and pressed the intercom button."Sir?""Send up a breakfast plate.""Two, your highness?""Just one, but make it full and quick." I glanced back at Lyra. "Anything special you would like to eat?"She gaped at me with her mouth wide open. I turned back to the intercom. "Just send everything you've got.""Yes, sir.""You were saying?" I asked, stepping away from the bar. She was staring at me, apparently mesmerized, like I had done something more shocking by simply ordering breakfast for her."I was?""Wedding cake. Why don't you want it anymore?""Right." She mustered. "This is just a business arrangement, so there is no need for a wedding cake. Or a wedding dress. I think it's best for us-" She looked at me sideways, not quite meeting my eyes. "To keep our marriage on a strictly professional basis.""As you wish," I said. "You're the bride. You're the boss."She swallowed, turning her head nervously to me. "I am?"I smiled. "I know that much about how a wedding works.""Oh," Her face was the color of roses and cream as she chewed on her full, pink bottom lip. "You're being, umm..very.." her voice faltered. "Nice to me.""Will you stop saying that?" My smile twisted."But it's true.""I'm being strictly professional, just as you said. Courtesy is part of the business.""Oh," she nodded. "In that case...""I'm glad you agree." I wondered if she would still accuse me of kindness if she knew the truth about what I intended to do with her or exactly why she was the answer to my prayer.She was nothing like her sister. Illyra would see through my plans immediately. She was cunning, smart, and vicious. She was the sort of woman you wouldn't want to mess with.She was a force that blew up everything in her way.But Lyra was quite different. I could hardly believe they were sisters. In her, I saw innocence and her heart was warm. "But.." "I will be happy to get you a cake," I said fervently. "And a designer wedding gown and a ten-carat diamond ring." Reaching for her hand, I kissed it, then looked into her eyes. "Just tell me what you want, and it's yours."I felt her hands tremble in my own before she yanked it away. "Just bring my sister home. Safely from your brother. The more time she spends with him, the more her life is in danger. We have never been apart for years and it's driving me crazy." "You have my word. I will bring her back to you soon." I rose to my feet. "I must call my lawyer to discuss some important things. In the meantime, you should rest." I gestured to the bookshelves of first-edition books. "Read if you like. I have great books that may interest you. Your breakfast will be here at any moment. Excuse me.""Thank you for saving my sister," she whispered. She took a de
Illyra's POV“Illyra, wake up! Wake up, please!”A hand roughly shook me awake. Startled, I sat up with a gasp, blinking in the darkness. Were we under attack?My younger sister, Lyra, was sitting on the edge of the bed. Tears sparkled on her pale cheeks in the moonlight, and I immediately knew something wrong had happened. “What’s happened? Talk to me, Lyra. What happened?” I dropped my bare feet to the tile floor, ready to run, ready to fight anyone who had made my baby sister cry. “What’s wrong? Did anyone hurt you?”Lyra took a deep breath and exhaled. “I really messed up this time.” She wiped her eyes. “But before you freak out, I want you to know it will be fine. I know how to fix it.”Rather than be comforted by this statement, I felt deepening fear. There was nothing scarier than the words she said to me. My twenty-one-year-old sister, five years younger than me, had a knack for getting into trouble. Everything she did somehow always got her into a mess. And she was wearin
For a second, I couldn’t understand the words that Lyra said. Or maybe I didn't want to understand them.The lingering tears of relief burned my eyes like acid as I stared at my sister. How on earth could she do something so stupid? A hundred thousand dollars. How would we pay back a hundred thousand dollars? We were running from men already because of our debts, and the least she could do was lay low. Instead, she decided what we owed was not enough and had to add to the number. Turning away, I started to pace, compulsively twisting a long tendril of blond hair into a tight ringlet around my finger as I struggled to make sense of all my worst fears coming true. I had feared something like this would happen at the resort. I had dreaded the day we would be stuck in a terrible situation and flee our job. I tried to control my shaking hands, but I couldn't. I tried desperately to think of a way out, and my mind was blank. There was only one way out in situations like this. “But I to
“No! It’s my fault, Illyra, and I can fix it. Listen. On Christmas Eve, I met a man who told me how...”But I didn’t wait to hear whatever cockamamy sob story someone might have fed my softhearted sister this time. No one was coming to save her, and I had to do it. I grabbed my black leather motorcycle jacket and headed for the door.“Illyra, wait! Don't do it! You don't have to do this for me. I could get you into trouble.” She cried but I ignored her. I didn’t look back. I walked out of our tiny apartment and went down the open-air hallway to the moss-covered, crumbling concrete steps of the aging building where all the Hale Ka’nani Resort’s staff lived."It’s just like riding a bike. It will be easier than you think." I told myself fiercely as I raced down the steps. It was just as easy as dozing off after a long workday. Even after ten years away from the game, I could win at poker. I could. I didn't have a choice, or my sister would be indebted. And I knew just the way Aldric w
“This is my outfit for the night.” My voice was cool as I stared him down. “For poker.”"Are you going in to play?" He asked me, looking shocked. "Yes, my sister started a game and I am here to end it." I replied. “Oh.” His round, friendly face looked confused. “Well. Okay. Go in, then.”“Thanks.” Forcing the ice in my voice to fully infuse my heart, I pushed open the door. There was no going back, and I knew it. I walked into the room and exhaled. The private room for the villa residents had a cavernous ceiling and no windows. Everything was built with security and privacy in mind. The walls were soundproofed with thick red fabric that swooped from a center point on the ceiling. The effect made the room glamorous and cozy, and claustrophobic all at once. It felt all too dark and unhealthy for me. I wondered how Lyra was brought to a place like this and didn't freak out. To me, it felt like entering the tent of a sheik’s harem. But as I approached the wealthy men who were playing
Andrei Andreevich's eyes narrowed with recognition, and then I felt the rush of his sudden searing hatred like fire. I could feel the heat of his intense eyes all over my body. “Have you met Prince Andrei?” Aldric asked, looking between us. Everyone at the table was staring as well. Maybe it was the way I looked like I had seen a ghost or the way he was gritting his teeth. Either way, we both looked vicious. “Prince?” I choked out. The last time I remembered, he didn't use his worthless title. I could not look away from his face, the face of the man I’d dreamed about unwillingly for the past ten years.His cruel, sensual lips curved as he leaned back in his chair. My heart tried to pump blood aggressively, but I resisted. I wasn't going to let my guard down for him. “Miss Bennet,” he drawled. “I didn’t know you were in Hawaii. And gambling. What a pleasant surprise.”Miss Bennet? He would never call me that ten years ago. He loved to call me Illyra all the time. His tone also carri
Fine. I felt the same about him. Let him hate me. I hate him as well. He could glare at me for hours, and I don't care. His hatred bounced off the thickening ice of my scorn for him. I’d thought he was so perfect and noble. I thought he was the right one who would love me unconditionally. I’d killed myself trying to be worthy. I gave away everything trying to fit into his life. But when he’d learned the truth about my past, he’d deserted me without giving her a chance to explain. He had abandoned me without thinking about all the promises he had made to me. So much for his honor. So much for his love.My lips twisted. Turning away, I gave the rest of the men a sensual smile. “Win this first hand, and you’ll have me at your mercy. You’ll get your revenge. Humiliate me completely. Take my body, and make your last memory of me one of your own pleasure.” I gave a soft sigh, allowing my lips to part. “My skills at cards are nothing compared to what I can do to you in bed. I’ve learned
My brow furrowed as I tried to read his expression. I couldn't understand what he was trying to do. What on earth was he doing? What was Andrei planning in his dark mind? Was he trying to help me? Or giving me more rope to hang myself with? It had to be the latter because his eyes screamed mercilessness. Andrei would never help me, especially when he had a chance to revenge. Repressing my inner tumult, I stared him down. In for a penny. I could use his idea to my advantage. I lifted my chin. “If it’s worth five more, why not ten more?”The corners of Andrei's mouth lifted. “Yes, indeed. Why not?” He looked around the table. “Miss Bennet has raised the wager by ten thousand dollars.”To my shock, one by one, the men agreed to my supposed “raise,” except for the German, who folded with an unintelligible curse. What was happening? Could I really win and save Lyra? Was Andrei helping me, and for what reason? And just like that—oh, merciful heavens—there was suddenly a pile of chips at