Safe "Crawl to Nikolay's office, press your body against the floor, get there and call Will, tell him what's happening."I shook my head and wanted to explain why I didn't want to do that, but I was only able to vocalize one word."Nikolay," I said between tears, and when the shots started again, Levy covered my mouth again, which was ideal because I screamed again."I'll take care of Nikolay, call Will, and then go to a safe place. Nikolay will find you there.""Safe place?" I asked, confused. I had no idea what he was talking about."He didn't give you a safe place? Damn it, Nikolay is an idiot. How could he not give you a safe place, if you're his woman?" he rolled his eyes. "Are you sure he never mentioned a safe place? Absolutely sure?""I have no idea what a safe place is, Levy!" I exclaimed loudly.It seemed like he was about to respond, but something interrupted him: the sound of the door being kicked in."Go now, time is running out," Levy looked at me, and seeing the seriou
Fights, Moodiness and JealousyI smiled a little, feeling her becoming more real, closer. I wasn't afraid, just excited.Apparently, Margaret caught my gaze because she covered with her hands the small bump that had caught all my attention."Levy isn't bad, Nikolay, you should give him a chance. He just wants to be part of your life, I don't think he's interested in the gang, just getting back into your life. He's alone, he only has his daughter, and he wants his family back."Her words completely snapped me out of my trance, and I looked at her."He made his decision, Margaret, he chose to leave, you don't know what you're talking about.""Then tell me, explain to me once and for all what happened. You're not a damn onion, it's exhausting to find out everything little by little. I want to know, I need to know, this is my family now."Her eyes had an incredible seriousness and determination when she spoke.My family.I liked the sound of that too much."Several years ago, Levy was the
Together again"He's the father of my son," I declared, swallowing hard."There's nothing wrong with falling in love with the father of your child. What are you so afraid of? That he'll reject you, Margaret? He's crazy about you, otherwise he wouldn't have you by his side like this.""He has me by his side because he has a son with me and because of all the drama with Mike, otherwise, it wouldn't happen. He's not crazy about me, I hate to break it to you," I said bitterly, looking away because I felt too vulnerable under her penetrating gaze."Margaret, don't be afraid to love someone just because you've been with trash in the past. You don't have to cling to him; let him go, don't let him hurt you, don't give him that right.""Don't call him trash.""Why not?""That's a very nice nickname for him," I looked at the plants. "The little time I spent in his house was hell, despite him being nice to me at first.""Oh...""The bastard didn't want me for anything but his personal satisfacti
Bewitched by her NikolayDamn Margaret.She and her lips that drove me crazy, just like her eyes, her body, her moans where my name was intertwined...This woman had done something to me, I had never felt like this before. It had been many years since I had felt so calm and satisfied.Having the naked, excited, and beautiful woman in my arms had just made me lose control.We had rough and completely hot sex, I couldn't hold back; I wanted her, I needed her, and I was going to get her. This woman was mine, the baby growing inside her was mine, she wanted to give it a shot with me and I with her; we were giving each other a chance.And there was nothing in my plans to mess that up. No way.You don't harm things that are worth it, you take care of them; when you find a diamond, you take care of it. That's what I intended to do with Margaret, I wasn't going anywhere, and I wasn't going to let go of the feeling she had revived in my chest.During the hour I had been awake, I kept replayin
A relationship of two"When I was around 15, I wasted my time with an older and idiotic guy, he was Mike's friend, who, as usual, was also into stealing back then; they stole cars and sold the parts. I did it a few times too.>>I always liked numbers, never hated math, and was very good at it, which led me to university; to two other boyfriends, each lasting about two months, and to quitting stealing cars."Her demeanor became distant as she spoke, as if recalling that time with bitterness rather than fun."I met a guy named David the same week my parents died, he was in the hospital at the same time as me. He accompanied me to the cafeteria while I waited for my parents to come out of surgery. Mike only showed up for the funeral and didn't even give an excuse.>>I didn't expect anything less from him, but the point is that looking back now, he met me at the worst stage of my life; when I was more vulnerable than ever, and he helped me a lot. Suddenly he made me so blind. When he aske
A terrible pastI hated that expression in her eyes, as if she should be ashamed of something, as if it were her fault for being abused by a sick bastard."Since I arrived, about 2 months," she said almost in a whisper. "I don't know why I'm ashamed of what happened, but I am, Nikolay. It makes me ashamed, angry, and disgusted to know that I was with someone like that, to know that I almost married him," she stopped looking at me and reclined to stare at the wall. "I used to dream of killing him, you know? I could spend hours thinking about it, does that make me sick or a bad person?"When she asked, she turned her face and looked at me, a smile forming on my lips, before saying simply:"No, darling, that doesn't make you crazy or a bad person. What were they?""What were what?""The ways you planned to kill him," I replied, and a small twisted smile formed on her face."Mercury poisoning," she said with a smile on her face. "That was my favorite option. Very difficult to detect in ti
EmergencyNikolay"There was only a small table in the kitchen and a king-size bed in our room. We have a lot to choose from to fill the space, unless you don't like the place, then we can move," I spoke, watching as Margaret closed her eyes. I didn't know if it was from tiredness or pain.I took her hand and brought her close to me, giving her a kiss as the elevator continued to ascend."You're a little warm," I murmured, touching her forehead and cheeks. "Just a few moments ago you were cold, Margaret, this can't be right. We need to go to the doctor, I don't want to wait until this morning. This doesn't feel right."Margaret barely opened her eyes to look at me. I saw her attempt to step back, but she staggered and collapsed into my arms.I caught her and immediately tried to get her to react."Margaret? Margaret, damn it! Can you hear me? Babe, please," I pleaded, continuing to shake her to get her to respond.I glanced at the elevator screen; we were only on the 4th floor. I pres
Unexpected VisitorsMargaretI opened my eyes to the light streaming into the room, then immediately shut them again.Damn, my head was pounding.I glanced around the room, and when I tried to move, I felt a weight on my thigh. I lowered my gaze to see Nikolay asleep beside me, his head resting on my leg.My eyes roamed the room, noticing the IV line in my right arm.What the hell had happened? Had I lost the baby?No. No, no, no. Oh God, no.Panic began to rise within me as tears welled up in my eyes. They spilled over as I frantically searched for a button to call the nurse and explain what the hell had happened.The last thing I remembered was getting on the elevator with Nikolay; after that, everything was black.I searched and searched, but found nothing. I was about to wake Nikolay up when I heard the door open.When I saw Sasha walk in, I couldn't believe it. Our eyes met, and she immediately made her way over to me, a coffee in her hand.She reached my side, hugged me, and I h
A New LifeMargaretIt had been a year since my brother's death. He was buried in the park where we used to go for walks when everything was fine, long before we discovered where he was getting the money that kept us afloat.Nikolay didn't understand why I still felt affection for my brother, despite everything he had done. I didn't even know myself, but I supposed I was grateful to him for taking care of me when we were alone in the world.However, now I was not alone and would never be again.It had been a very long year, but finally, Nikolay had left behind the mobster life he had led before he met me, although that didn't mean he couldn't afford the luxuries to support his son and me.In fact, our wedding had been postponed at my request. I wanted a peaceful atmosphere and to avoid any misfortune."What's wrong, darling?" Nikolay asked me with a concerned expression."It's nothing... I was just thinking..." I bit my lip, letting out a brief sigh."It's supposed to make you stop t
Recovering KatrinaMargaret The next morning, I changed my clothes and headed towards Katrina's room. It had been some time since I had set up her crib in the adjoining room, and I felt very strange without my little one nearby. Although thanks to her and John, Nikolay was back by my side, and this time I wasn't going to lose him for anything in the world.I had arranged to meet him in Central Park, but first I needed to feed and bathe Katrina.I entered her room and approached the crib with a smile... a smile that froze on my face when I saw the empty crib. I tried not to lose my mind, but it was very difficult.Then, I remembered the kind conversation I had with Mike, and something didn't add up.I had never wanted to harm anyone, but I knew that if I found the man I once called brother, it would be very difficult for me not to kill him for taking my daughter.I ran to the living room and called Nikolay, who answered on the second ring. I couldn't help but tell him the events hasti
Perverse PlanMikeI knew I had behaved like a pig with Margaret, but I was truly going crazy without her, and it had always been the two of us... until that damn Nikolay Ivanov got in the way.I had to lie that I was going to distance myself from them to get him off my back, but I also knew people and had my tricks to give his men the slip, and with the help of a favor, I was already on my way to New York.Margaret didn't want to see me, but I needed to confirm that the rumors about her giving birth to a daughter from that damn Russian mutt were true. I needed to see it with my own damn eyes.I glanced at the clock. It was lunchtime, and for sure my Margo was with that guy, living the life I had yearned for all my life.Since the confrontation we had that night in the park, I had avoided crossing paths with him by all means, and I even gave Margaret a choice, but I had to leave far away and now I was back.I couldn't believe what had happened; Margaret had gone through a lot, and the
A ProposalNikolayI had to travel to Russia following an important lead and sort out some matters.I missed my wife and daughter terribly, so I sent for them when I realized my affairs were going to delay me more than expected.We then spent another week in New York. I made sure to see Margaret every day when I had a free moment, as the rest of the day I was busy running errands and working like crazy to wrap up all my business.I didn't want to condemn my daughter to a bad life, nor Margaret, although I wasn't ready to break this news to her yet.During those days, I didn't encounter Mike again, and that was a relief. The bastard had begged me for mercy, and although I usually didn't give it to anyone, I thought of Margaret and how sad she would be if I ended her only brother, even if he was an asshole.It's not like I cared in the slightest about what he thought, but I had to keep an eye on him from now on, mainly because he loved Margaret, or so he said. Besides, I was sure that i
Family DinnerI didn't know Nikolay's brothers well, but the last time they all appeared together; it had been fun, crazy, and overwhelming at the same time.One thing all the Ivanov brothers had in common was their love for splurging money and, above all, arguing with each other over any little thing.Although they hadn't had the chance to travel yet, Nikolay's brothers had photos of Kat, and they had sent her beautiful gifts, although I had to return one or two.It seemed that Yarik thought a necklace and earrings of rubies were appropriate for a baby who hadn't even turned two yet.After he got the message, he deigned to copy his sisters' gifts and sent toys and clothes. The only brother who had held baby Kat in his arms was Levy. Nikolay acted as if he didn't care, but he couldn't completely hide the smile on his face.But my daughter hadn't met her grandparents yet, and that terrified me a little.Victoria and Alexey Ivanov, as always, looked like they came out of a magazine, but
The Baby On The Way"LOOK AT THE DAMN ROAD, NIKOLAY IVANOV!" she screamed with panic, almost deafening me."Is it time already? Are you giving birth?" I felt my heart in my mouth, Margaret seemed to be pushing and I didn't want to receive her under these circumstances. "Damn it, what do I do?!""Just keep driving! Ahhhh!" she screamed and the pained groan sent shivers down my spine.I felt like I was going to lose my damn mind.We raced to the emergency room and they almost had to put me on a gurney, but I didn't want to miss the birth of my daughter, so I had to behave like a true man and get up from there, having one of the most memorable episodes when I heard my baby's cry.My girl, a beautiful baby girl whom I could smother with kisses, starting with those chubby cheeks."You're strong and brave, baby," I kissed her sweaty forehead and she smiled at me. "I'm so proud of you.""Thank you for being with me and for staying for the delivery," she smiled half-heartedly, looking quite t
LeakageDays later"Sir, I have to inform you about a Code Orange."Damn."What's going on, Tyrell?" A shiver ran down my spine."Sir, I've been called by the police, where Mike was detained, reporting that he escaped and they haven't found him yet."The hair on the back of my neck stood up."Tyrell, how is that possible?" I pounded the table in frustration. "Call Abel and sort this out now."My mind raced; I couldn't believe it. He was sick. Would he come here?Margaret.I looked at Tyrell with wide eyes, and he nodded with concern. He knew what I was thinking."Have Luca be Margaret's bodyguard. I don't want her going anywhere alone, understood?" Tyrell nodded. "Alright, I want Luca with her. I don't know how I'll do it, but I'll try to convince him," I sighed and rubbed my temples.This would be a problem, I knew it. This was a sign that someone like me didn't deserve to be happy; eventually, the darkness of my past would catch up with me, preventing me from being happy."Yes, sir.
HitsNikolayAfter leaving Margaret with my sister and Kate, I couldn't help but feel uneasy, like a strange premonition in my stomach.I was sure it wasn't paranoia; it was a feeling I had often when danger was looming, and I hoped none of our enemies would dare to ruin my wife's vacation, because they would have to deal with me.I was capable of pulling out someone's teeth one by one if they interfered.I tried to relax and called Will; he could surely cover for me for a few days while I stayed close to Margaret, just in case.I left the hotel where I was staying, wanting to clear my mind and wondering if it was Jennifer or that idiot Mike lurking around to continue messing with our lives.I strolled leisurely, contemplating the scenery, but something interrupted my peaceful walk. Someone managed to block me and threw me to the ground roughly.Seeing that it was Mike, I counted to ten. I had to avoid hurting him by all means, or Margaret would be angry. We hadn't talked about what w
JealousMy brother smiled."Don't worry, if they're leaving, we'll go after them," he said sympathetically.I raised an eyebrow."Seriously? I thought you didn't repeat," I joked. "And now you want to go after a girl? What happened to 'if I've seen you once, I don't remember you'?""I like her like no other, but you know what women want from us," he chuckled.Being in our position was sometimes a curse. You never knew when or who might stab you in the back. Women's eyes lit up when they knew you had money."I want to take it slow with her, get to know her, see how things go," he nodded. He was right to take it slow if he wasn't sure."If she's still around tomorrow, we can meet up for dinner or drinks around 4," he patted my shoulder. "I haven't seen you in quite some time," he reminded me.My brother and I got along very well, but we had both been immersed in work, unable to find anything else that motivated us more. Now I had found it: my precious goddess, and I had seen her displea