All Chapters of You Don't Own Me, Mr Billionaire : Chapter 11 - Chapter 20

ISAACThe tailor cinches a tape around my waist while I stare past my reflection.The tuxedo is nearly finished, jet black with sharp lines and knife-edged lapels.It isn't my first bespoke suit, and it won't be my last, but knowing I'll wear this one on my wedding day lands like a punch.Pins-and-needles nerves prickle under my skin, yet my attention drifts miles from this room.All I can picture is Katya gliding down the aisle toward me.I saw the invoice for her gown. I can only imagine how extravagant it looks. She's trying to bait me with the price, convinced I'll blow a fuse. Even after our talk the other night, she still refuses to trust me.Mikhail's voice drifts from the far side of the room, hijacking my wedding fitting for an impromptu briefing. I don't hear a single word, yet I nod at the right moments and hum so he assumes I'm listening.My mind is miles away. I replay the way Katya looked in my office the other night, vulnerable and almost afraid. She bared her soul, con

KATYADawn breaks blindingly early on my wedding day. I sit up, bleary-eyed, and stretch. My limbs protest, taut and aching after a night of almost no sleep. The ceremony barrels toward me anyway, and in a few minutes a glam team will arrive to turn me into a bride. Papa chose them, of course.He hired the priciest, best-reviewed stylists in the city, determined that no last-minute sabotage slip through. They would never risk their sterling reputations by making me look anything less than flawless, no matter how much I might wish it.Resignation settles over me as I swing my legs off the mattress and shuffle into the shower. I linger under the hot spray, willing it to unknot my stiff muscles. If only it could rinse away the knot of nerves twisting in my gut. By nightfall I'll be Katya Kozlova, chained to Isaac for life.I slide into the underdress Maude laid out, then shrug on the satin bridal robe she left behind. A cheerful note rests on top reading: You're going to be beautiful!As

ISAACKatya thinks she's so clever.She wore black down the aisle, convinced it would rattle me, invite gasps, sidelong glances, maybe even a muttered curse. It works, though not for the reason she expects. The instant I caught sight of her, lips painted blood-red, eyes blazing, that sinful dress skimming her perfectly shaped body, I know I could stare at her forever.She's absolutely breathtaking, and more than that, she's mine. In a few minutes she'll belong to me for the rest of our lives. I plan to see her in and, better yet, outof a thousand scandalous dresses.She stops at the edge of the altar, chin tipped high in challenge, waiting for me to flinch. I don't flinch. Instead, I give her a slow, steady smile. She needs to learn she can't shake me. She can tilt the whole world off its axis and I'll still be here, braced for the quake."Dearly beloved, we are gathered here today." The priest drones through the familiar script, but I can barely hear him over the thunder in my ears.

KATYA The sun kisses my skin with easy warmth, yet inside I shiver. Before last night I would have sworn the chill was pure indifference toward Isaac, but I can't cling to that lie anymore. Last night proved I'm nowhere near indifferent to him. The cold feels less like temperature and more like numbness. Now that the adrenaline of the last few weeks has drained away, all that remains is emptiness. I didn't win. I'm married to Isaac. The papers are signed, the deed, quite literally, done. Yet it doesn't feel like a loss, and that unsettles me even more. I hug my knees to my chest and settle in the shade of the stone gazebo as the garden explodes with too much color around me. It's beautiful, quiet and peaceful in a way that feels almost cruel. This is my home now, my life. If I want, I can spend every dawn sipping coffee in this garden, soaking up the colors. It sounds blissful, so why does it feel like a prison? How can a garden be so breathtaking when my life is such a wreck? I

ISAACA week slips by, and life slides into a strangely easy rhythm. Being married to Katya feels at once effortless and wildly exciting. I fall asleep with her in my arms and wake the same way, her limbs tangled with mine. We don't even talk about the pull that's present every night we drift together like magnets, exploring one another's bodies and learning what brings the most pleasure. I'm already forgetting how it felt to sleep alone.This morning is too quiet, however, and never a good sign. The stillness pricks at me in my world, calm feels like a setup, the distraction before the storm.A quick knock, then the door opens. Mikhail steps in, expression grim yet steady. I motion to the chair across from me, but he stays on his feet."We still haven't located the people behind the firearms drop.I sigh deeply. Mikhail continues."Whoever they are, they've covered their tracks well. No chatter on the street, and none of our regulars have heard anything useful.""And the two we had i