And we have a big problem in our hands...
Elena: I frowned when I saw Batrov in the garden, walking aimlessly as if he had nothing to do. The man had lost more than he would want to, and I knew that deep down, despite him not saying anything about it, that he might be blaming me for it. “Batrov.” I said, calling the man who had hurt me the other day. I could still remember how he held me the other day. The man who I trusted with something in this house was another to have hurt me. It was a shame. I had to admit, I didn’t like where things went, but I knew not to be foolish to trust him again. “You called for me, Elena.” He stated, looking down at his feet, avoiding my eyes. I could still remember when he would watch as his boss took me mercilessly. The man never bothered to stop him, but I knew that he had no other option. He wasn’t Vladimir, and he was loyal to Konstantin with everything that he had. But he still did suggest that he would help me run, and that was something that I couldn’t understand. Everything about him
Vladimir: “You are yet to answer my question, Vladimir.” Konstantin said, and I smiled at the man before pulling my phone out to show him where I was going. It was a message from a friend, Han Yong, a Chinese ally of the family. -The drinks that you’ve asked for are ready, Mr. Vladimir. Do you need us to deliver? -Han Yong. -No, I’ll pick them up in a bit. Have the men stow them well, I don’t want the bottles to break. -Vladimir. “You are going to get your drinks?” He asked, voicing out what he just read. I put the phone back inside my pocket. One of the things that were in the text was a picture of the bottles of wine, scotch, and vodka in a box. “You are playing with trust, Konstantin. And I think that you should know, more than anyone, that this game does not often end well, especially not for a man like yourself.” I said, nodding at the door. “Can I leave? Or do you have other things that you need to investigate?” “You are the heir of this whole family. Everything that I
Konstantin: “Boss, you are falling for his games and he is taking advantage of the soft spot that you have toward him. Do not allow it.” Batrov said, and I frowned at the man who was daring to question me. “I fall for no games, Batrov.” I said, glaring at the man who looked down at his feet, avoiding my eyes. “The fact that you believe that you can question me is amazing. I think that Vladimir was right, you really do seem to be forgetting your place.” “I am not forgetting my place, boss. I know that YOU are the one boss in this home. I cannot say that it is the same thing with the man that you want to address as your heir. The man seems to have more motivation than just being your heir. He is only taking advantage of what you are giving him, and to make matters worse, he is taking advantage of the fact that he KNOWS that he has an advantage over everyone here. He knows that you would be listening to what he says.” “And that is exactly how it is supposed to be. As my heir, my nep
Vladimir: Little did you know, sister, that years later, your own son would prove to be just like his uncle. And the funniest part was the fact that the offer came from you this time. Ah, how time can show things differently, right?” I watched as Konstantin spoke, voicing out his thoughts while I sat in Han Yong’s bar. His eyes met mine and I pinched the bridge of my nose. “Well, at least you know that he’s ordered against touching the woman that you fancy,” he said, and I rolled my eyes. I knew that he wouldn’t just stop there. No matter how much I wanted to believe that he would; this was far too easy to be true. “He has no other choice for now. The man has to believe that he needs me and not the other way around. And while I don’t like the idea of him thinking that he can get what he wants, simply because he wants it; I know that this is something that I am going to have to deal with,” I said, shaking my head. Han Yong was a friend, a good acquaintance of Killian and I, and one
Elena: “I am wondering what you’ve done to my nephew. The man seems to value you a little too much.” Konstantin’s voice broke my attention as I was working on the piece that I was knitting. It was the one thing that brought me peace within this place when Konstantin wasn’t here. He would often have the maids bring me fabric, and I would make stitches on handkerchiefs, scarfs, or sometimes my own dresses. I put the yarn down as I looked at the man, shaking my head in question, waiting for him to complete his sentence as I stood to face him. I looked down at my feet, not daring to look him in the eye, not wanting him to grow aggressive with me. It was a fear that I had, one that I knew he was going to take advantage of, one that killed me inside in ways that he did not understand at this point, but I knew better than to argue or question the fate that I had to deal with. “What kind of sorcery did you use on him? It is not like you’ve been untouched, nor is it like you are for him al
Vladimir: “I am curious, Konstantin, what are you trying to reach?” I asked, shaking my head at the man who was sitting in the living room, clearly waiting for me to come and snap at him. I wasn’t planning to, not this time at least. The man was going to know what it was to be challenging me the way that he was, and I was going to be sure that he ends up regretting doing so. If anything, I knew that he would start thinking twice about approaching my mate, I just had to find the right approach to doing so. Elena, who was now in the garden, roaming around with three maids keeping her company, was relaxed, happy, and more calm than she knew that I was home. But I knew that it wasn’t something that lasted for long, not when an enemy like Konstantin was here just waiting for me to leave the house for him to come and hurt her. “I believe that you’re still aware that she is my slave. The woman might be yours, but it is only because I am allowing her to be. It doesn’t mean that I am going
Elena: I ran my fingers through my mate’s hair, gently massaging his head. His eyes met mine as he looked up at me, and I couldn’t help but smile as I leaned in to connect my lips with his. He kissed me back, and I ran my fingers through his hair, deepening the kiss. The two of us pulled away to look one another in the eye, and Vladimir’s purred, making my heart swell. “You’re a gorgeous woman, have I told you that before, malyshka?” I bit my bottom lip, and he ran his finger over my waist. He massaged my back, and I couldn’t help but laugh as he tickled me. “You are my beauty, my mate, and the one woman that I would ever think of looking at. Don’t let anyone, not Konstantin, not Batrov, and not anyone in this world convince you otherwise. I am going to break their heads if they try to tell you that something is different.” “You don’t need to tell me twice, Vladimir. I know that you only have eyes for me, and I know that you won’t be looking at anyone else if they offer themselves
Vladimir: For an entire week, Elena didn’t say a word. She didn’t even look at me, nor did she respond when spoken to. I didn’t force her to. I knew better than to do so after everything that she’s been through. But I had to admit that it did hurt me to see her in this state. And the worst part about it was the fact that I knew that I was the reason behind her pain. “I take it that you and your concubine are not doing very well, are you?” Konstantin asked, shaking his head in question. The man was heading off to Paris in two days, and I could tell that even he had noticed that I wasn’t walking around with my mate. “I didn’t expect you to grow tired of her this easily. But it seems to me that I was wrong.” “I have things to take care of. It has nothing to do with me getting tired of her, Konstantin.” I said, choosing to dismiss his question. He shook his head at me, and I rolled my eyes, not bothering to say a word. I knew that he wanted to play with words, wanting to find the resp