Chapter 28Dmitri"Liora, what are you doing?" I rasped but she wouldn't even look at me, instead, she kept poking at Ariel's thigh until she had no choice but to lift her.I advanced toward them but halted when I saw how watery Ariel's eyes were. She looked very happy and pleased to hold my daughter in her arms like that, and that stopped me from doing what I'd intended. So I resigned to watching both of them keenly, wondering how Liora got so comfortable with Ariel that she had to ignore me. Though she wasn't so used to seeing me with my mask, she should have at least regarded me for a moment. My heart was shattered at her slight betrayal, but seeing her relaxed and calm gave me so much peace. I felt a squeeze on my arm and Vladimir silently nudged me to come along with him. My feet were still glued to the ground as I didn't want to leave her with Ariel whom I didn't fully trust. "Come on, bro. You and I know that Ariel can be everything else but a murderer," He muttered under h
Chapter 29ArielLying side by side with Liora who sleeping peacefully caused my heart to swell with excitement. This was the last thing I expected especially after I'd vowed never go to close to her again.Not because I wanted to stay away from her, but I wouldn't want to be locked up in a basement again and the fact that she was always throwing a tantrum each time I tried to establish closeness was discouraging.I tucked away the bangs covering her forehead and began to input the features of her beautiful face into my memory. Who knew when I'd have the opportunity to be this close to her again?Gradually, my eyelids became heavy and sleep crawled in with the liquor I'd taken in the club taking its toll on me. I took off my shoes and pulled the covers gently over us so she wouldn't be stirred from her sleep.After seeing to it that we were properly covered, I laid my head on the pillow and allowed sleep to claim my consciousness.~~~~Morning came by quickly as my eyes flew open when
Chapter 30ArielThe hall in which the party was held was brightly lit with chandeliers and incandescent bulbs producing enough illumination. The platform was intricately designed with dark linens forming drapes over the floral patterned gold-colored wallpaper. Each table had a bouquet that matched the decoration of the hall and I couldn't be more pleased.Tonight, it was just Dmitri and I. Fedor should have been around, lurking in the background, but Liora refused to stay back at Seattle the moment she knew that we weren't going to be around for the night so he had to stay back at the hotel and watch over her.It felt weird being alone with him, especially after the confrontation earlier this morning, but I was determined to enjoy the party even if it involved grating on his nerves."Do you want to drink anything?" He asked and I observed that it was a buffet party, though I could see some waiters walking around with trays holding drinks in their hands."No, I don't. Why do you care
Chapter 31Dmitri"Are you listening to me?" Mr Thomas patted me on the shoulder drawing back my attention to the meeting that I'd zoned out of. If not for the importance of the meeting, I'd have excused myself and crossed over to her. Did she think that flirting around with other men would make me discard her? If it was that easy, I wouldn't have married her, knowing fully well that she lived with Freud. "Of course, I am,"He passed me a knowing look and glanced in Ariel's direction. "You don't have to be uncomfortable with the man around your wife. That's my son, Darrell,"I massaged my forehead at the revelation and clenched my teeth in anger. His relationship with Mr Thomas was the only reason I wouldn't plunge a dagger through his knife for attempting to rile me up. "Oh, and is he aware that she's married to me?" I questioned through gritted teeth. He smirked smugly and raised his glass of champagne to his lips, taking a sip. "This isn't why you flew from Seattle to this plac
Chapter 32ArielThe injury on my arm stung like hell and the iodine that Fedor was applying tripled the pain. It would have been more complicated than this if Fedor hadn't stepped in when he did.I didn't know what I was thinking when I confronted a killer without any weapon or means of protecting myself, but all I knew at that point was that I had to ensure that Liora was safe and I didn't mind putting my life on the line. Luckily, the bullet only grazed my arm and not pierced it as I thought. The overwhelming feeling of protection I felt towards Liora was strange and surprising, but I didn't try to ignore it. But then it almost cost me my life. "Boss will have my head once he returns," Fedor began a conversation. I offered him a smile so that he wouldn't feel bad. "Are you scared of that?"He shook his head and his lips stretched to form a ghost smile although it disappeared almost immediately. It looked like the made-men weren't allowed to smile. I wished they knew how handso
Chapter 33ArielMy eyes nearly popped out of their sockets and I shook my head instantly. "Wait, Dmitri, you made a pact with your late girlfriend that no woman would ever see your face and now you want to break that vow for me?"Deep down, I desperately wanted to see how he looked without his mask, but his decision didn't sit right with me as I tried to put myself in her shoes."It's my choice, Ariel. Just allow me to do it, besides, I've caught you staring at me several times with the desire to see my face, even that time at the club," He noted and my cheeks turned red. Did he remember that? "Okay," I replied in a still small voice, having no choice but to agree. "Close your eyes," He ordered and I obeyed without hesitation. My lips trembled with expectation as I shut my eyes tightly until I heard my name leave his lips softly. And then my eyes opened to a stunning revelation that caused my jaw to drop and my lips to remain parted for as long as I could remember. I'd expected
Chapter 34ArielWhile marching to the foyer where Vladimir and some of the men were having a conversation, I kept contemplating returning to my room or going ahead to confront him.But with the intense disdain that boiled in my chest, I went ahead with the latter option.His annoying smirk faltered as I neared them and immediately he dissolved the meeting."I need to speak with you," I voiced out with a very harsh tone whilst hoping that Dmitri wouldn't bump into us.I didn't want to explain myself to him. Vladimir folded his arms and shrugged. "I can see that, sister-in-law. So tell me, what crime did I commit now?" He asked nonchalantly, further infuriating me."Why does it have to be her?"He fixed me a blank look and I raised my hand. "No, don't look at me like you have no idea of what I'm talking about. Back at the club, why didn't you push her away when she came to you drunk?" I intoned through gritted teeth. Talking to him with the carefree expression on his face tugged at my
Chapter 35ArielMy fingers trailed along the rail of the baluster as I imagined what Dmitri's reaction to my outfit would be. I doubted he picked my dress himself or he just wanted to show off that he had a gorgeous woman as his wife.My dress was the complete definition of a revealing attire, the length of it was just a deception.The red maxi dress he got for me complimented my tanned skin, and the slit began just above my upper thigh. We hadn't gone out yet and I was already exhausted with trying to keep my thigh hidden.The heels of my black glittery sandal clicked against the tiled floor, steering Dmitri's attention toward me. His eyes scanned my face which barely had any make-up.Guilia was still mad at me so she didn't bother to doll me up, and since I wasn't good at the art, I decided to play safe and apply some foundation powder and nude lipstick.Fortunately, she'd carved my brows the last she did my makeup so I didn't have to do much about that.And when I thought he was d
Chapter 98ArielTWO MONTHS LATERI stood before Dmitri with the priest holding a book in his hands. A petal dropped from the canopy of flowers that was used as a roof to shield us from the harsh rays of the sun.And Dmitri beamed at me with the brightest smile I'd ever seen as we renewed our vows to each other in the presence of my parents, Vladimir, Liora and a few important Bratvan members.He reached for my hands and squeezed them tenderly, peering into my eyes. "A year ago, I was bittered by the fact I'd be getting married to a woman whom I barely knew anything about. We met for the first time unconventionally and your sassiness strengthened my dislike toward the idea of marrying you. I continued to console myself with the fact that the alliance would help solidify the gang and our trade, but what I never knew was that the marriage was arranged to make me a better version of myself,"His voice cracked as he paused and I began to wonder when he became this emotional.I leaned clos
Chapter 97DmitriAriel should have been here with me to say goodbye to the last phase of our trauma, but her body suddenly started acting up this morning, and after what happened three days ago, I admitted her for a general body check."Wait, Dmitri," Anya's raspy voice stopped me from taking any further step out of the ward.She'd be locked in here until the psychiatrist decided that her mental health was back to normal. At least, it was better than living in guilt for the rest of my life.I spared her a backward glance, my eyes roving through her pale face. How did I go from being madly in love with this woman to feeling nothing for her?"What do you want from me?"Her hands had to be chained to the metal rail of the bed after she made two attempts to escape from her ward this morning. I couldn't have her doing more damage to my family so the doctor and I decided on forcefully restricting her to a place."I'm sorry," She sighed, running her tongue over her lips. "Can I have thirty
Chapter 96Ariel Anya smirked. "Who else do you think it was?"Dmitri's eyes shimmered with tears. "I loved you so much, Anya. Why didn't you just tell me who you were?"She sunk her ass on the edge of the chair and shrugged. "I was scared that you'd break up with me if you found out so I faked my death. The plan was to watch you from afar and make sure you were alright. I didn't want a woman whom I couldn't control to be around you so I sent Margaret to watch over you, fortunately, she was indebted to me,""Don't you think you need to visit the hospital? Who sends a woman to fuck their man?""I do," She flashed her teeth vilely. "The plan was going smoothly until you decided to get married to this bitch and fall for her. I couldn't bear it anymore and then I thought to come back and get my man. It's that simple,"Dmitri paced around the room in frustrated struts, while drawing in shallow breaths to control his anger. "I have a question for you, Anya, and I want you to answer me trut
Chapter 95ArielIt was another chill morning for me to experience different kinds of emotions while everyone went about their day peacefully. The worst part was that I couldn't follow Dmitri around as I wanted.His work was just too violent and unsafe and we couldn't tell the next enemy who'd waylay us and use me as bait.The drama playing on the television was too chaotic for me to follow so I turned it off flippantly in a bid to head out. Maybe take a stroll or stop by Cake Treats.The doorbell rang twice and I abandoned my initial plans, hurrying off to get to the door. I placed my eye on the peephole and my heart skipped a beat.Overcome with trepidation, I dashed back to the sofa to get my phone to inform Dmitri about Chiara's visit, unfortunately he wasn't reachable.Back in Chicago, we had a safe house where we'd hide if anyone was in danger, but I couldn't make assumptions and raise an alarm when I wasn't sure of her identity.At least she was here, and I'd get the opportunit
Chapter 94DmitriMy knuckles met on the wooden frame of the door and then I halted for a while, impatiently waiting for the permission to come in. Nikolai and I had never related to each other as brothers so I didn't have access to his house.We fought a lot when we were younger and while I thought that we'd grow out of the resentment we bore for each other, it tripled when I found him banging a girl I liked in high school.I was met with silence so I knocked again and my instincts urged me to open the door. The door gave way and I strolled in, quietly taking in the features of his mansion.I didn't even know he had a mansion here in Seattle.Giggles and murmurs resonated from the staircase to the living room where I was. Then he appeared behind her, spanking her ass while she blew a kiss at him.She froze when she noticed my presence, her eyes bulging in surprise. Nikolai trained a smirk at me, clad in a long black robe that he didn't bother to tie up.His face was quite red, his li
Chapter 93ArielAnger and jealous tears streaked down my cheeks as I palmed my face; my raging hormones spurring the roller-coaster of emotions that rode through me.I quickly wiped the tears off my face when the door made a creaking sound.Shit! How could I have forgotten that Dmitri would be returning home soon? Not wanting him to find me in this embarrassing position, I dragged my panties up to my butt and kept the dildo back in the drawer, leaving the frame on the desk.In hasty and sad strides, I pushed the door open and he waltzed in, his dark orbs scrutinizing my face meticulously. My emotions chose to betray me at that moment as tears welled up in my orbs again."What's wrong, Ariel?" His voice was so soft and soothing."I don't know. I missed you so much," The part where I missed him was partially the truth, but I couldn't tell him that I was grieved about his past.He cupped my cheeks, his thumb wiping off the tear that hung around my eyelid. "I missed you too," He replied
Chapter 92Dmitri "Shoot them," Enzo's gruff voice resonated in the darkness and I lurched forward, falling flat on my stomach as more shots were fired above me. Nikolai single-handedly cleared all the guards that came with Enzo and then the light flickered on. Dead bodies were littered around the room, some of them stacked upon each other like a pack of cards. A deep pain-filled groan caught my attention and I found Enzo, holding onto one of his thighs, the same one I'd planned to explore my artistic carving skills on. A black vest was flung at me and I put it on quickly. As I crossed over to him in slow and calculated strides, he cowered, his body trembling visibly while blood seeped out from the bullet wound on his thigh. "How the mighty has crumbled," I mocked him, reveling in his fear. He flitted his gaze around and the light dimmed in his eyes when he realized that no one was coming to rescue him, just the same way he'd made me feel some moments ago. "Please," His lips qu
Chapter 91DmitriIt was one week already and I was yet to believe that Ariel was in love with me, just as I was with her. My lips stretched wide with a grin spreading over my face; a light chuckle cracked from my throat. Fortunately for Vladimir and me, I wasn't in the driver's seat or our lives would have been under threat without how I was chuckling nonstop. Vladimir spared me a glance, his brows arched. "What's wrong with you man?""I'm in love again, brother. Never knew it would happen this soon," I declared, pressing my knuckles. I was sure that if we weren't on a mission, he'd have parked the car to the side and drilled me of all the details. "Fuck that shit, Dmitri! What did she do to make you this excited about love again? I thought you just wanted a physical relationship with her,""It's hard to not fall in love with a woman who's everything to you. She's carrying my child,"This time he couldn't help but step on the break and floor the gas. "How did that happen so fast?
Chapter 90ArielThe rays from the bright incandescent bulbs fixed on both sides of the room jolted me from my sleep. At least, I wasn't feeling exhausted anymore and my vision wasn't blurry.Forgetting that a cannula was fixed to the vein on the back of my palm, I sat up abruptly and passed a paranoid glance around and realized I wasn't in my room. This wasn't even the queen-sized, plush bed I enjoyed sleeping on every night.It wasn't that the bed wasn't comfortable. I mean it was bigger than the size of most beds in each ward, and maybe a little birdie might have told the nurses whose wife I was, but I wasn't just comfortable being here.Then my mind flashed back to the reason I was here and Liora who was earlier staring at the window, spared me a glance and came to me with a huge smile plastered on her face."Mommy, you're awake. I'll go call, Dad,"I grabbed her arm in shock before she could take another move. "Your father is here?"She nodded with a sweet smile. "I called him on