Lahat ng Kabanata ng Owning Vic: Kabanata 11 - Kabanata 20

Vic rolled over in bed and groaned as every muscle in her body cried from the non-stop events from yesterday. After spending what felt like hours letting Maddelena dress her up and ask millions of questions, Rocco and Max showed up to take her for an introduction to their version of “keeping fit”. The hand-to-hand with Rocco had been relatively routine, but Max had taken her to a range Volkov had on the compound. Some of the high-powered rifles Max insisted she fire had jarred her shoulders and hips before Rowan decided to put her body through more rigorous physical challenges. Vic sat up and pulled her shirt up with a grunt to survey the damage, her sides were already starting to bruise while her stomach and chest were peppered with overlapping darkening marks. Pushing her shirt back down, she glanced at the small alarm clock Max had given her and rolled her eyes. She still had over an hour before it would go off on it's own, so she decided to turn it off and take a nice long shower.

Vic closed her eyes and bumped her head against the door to what was now her room instead of Max’s. After their fairly gentle drills, he took her back to the room and told her it was hers now; that he would leave anything she wanted and bring her anything she was missing. He had told her to shower and put on fresh clothes so he could take her to meet with Volkov. She was nervous but also hopeful that maybe he would decide she wasn’t worth the trouble and let her go back to some semblance of her old life. She showered and changed without incident or interruption from the other occupants. When she emerged from her room, the lights in the main part of the cabin were out except for a single lamp in the kitchen where Max stood with a small flower in his hand. Vic twisted her wet hair up into a tight bun as Max approached and offered her the small white daisy. “A peace offering from Ro.” he said with a husky, but sweet voice. Vic only shook her head. “Really? This pretty little daisy is fr

Vic walked around the rounded room with her mouth open, “You made all of these?” she asked and the sound of Maddelena Volkov’s light laughter floated around the already full room. “Yes, as the daughter of a powerful man and the wife of an even more powerful man, I don’t get a lot of opportunities to shop in actual stores or leave the comfort of my own compound.” she said as she walked back into the center of the room. She handed Vic a pile of different colored silk and satin feeling fabrics. “It’s not as damsel in distress, princess locked in a gilded cage as it sounds, but you can open doors for yourself if you know where to look.” she said and winked at Vic who gave her an ear-to-ear smile. “I think I know what you mean. My life wasn’t exactly cookie cutter, even for the outcast family.” she mumbled. Maddie nudged her shoulder, “Go try those on. Yes, you have to show me, and you weren’t the outcast family.” she said then bit her lip as Vic cocked an eyebrow. “Maddie, my las

Vic sat ram rod straight as her exposed shoulder bumped Volkov’s perfectly pressed suit while the car made its way out of the parking lot. She tried not to stare at Rocco, who sat directly across from her, a sleeping Maddelena sprawled out on the seat with her head in his lap and his jacket covering enough of her body that Vic was suddenly envious of her small stature. Vic could never remember a time she wanted the protection of a man but looking at Rocco cradle Maddelena so carefully made her stomach churn with longing for some reason, and she decided to attempt and distract herself from the more than hazardous thoughts she was beginning to have of Rocco Volkov. “Can I ask you a personal question sir,” she asked softly, glancing sideways at Volkov, who seemed pleasantly surprised by her.“Please, ask me anything anytime Vic, as long as the occasion is appropriate,” he finished and although her knee jerk reaction was to ask him when it might not be an appropriate time she stuck to her

Vic tried not to move around in the chair she was in as the feeling of Rowan glaring at her bore metaphorical holes in the back of her head. She sat next to Rocco with Max and Rowan standing behind them as they waited for Volkov to finish his phone call. The man had been stoic and mostly silent since they walked in with a phone pressed to his ear as he held his hand up to his mouth, almost gripping his own face in displeasure. Every once and while Volkov would hum or give single syllable responses, but Vic was sure whatever information he was receiving was not only pissing him off but had something to do with her because his eyes kept flipping to hers before he would respond. “I don’t care what that little shit told them, you tell them I will be there in two hours,” Alexander yelled into the phone before throwing the small device across the room. The poor rectangular device bounced on the marble floor before it shattered, and the bits slid to a stop. Volkov scrubbed his hands over his