7:00pmGigi's House.Family was everything to Lily hill, even though she had lost someone very important, she still wanted to have happy memories with the family she had left.“Uncle Albert isn't coming home today ?” Lily asks, pushing the last pile of dishes into the sink.Dmitri hadn't returned home the day before so she had decided to just spend a little more time at home.She had decided to come stay with Gigi for just the evening but ended up having dinner with the family. This time Gigi's mom was home and she insisted she stayed.Gigi hung the towel back on the shelf before turning to face Lily.“He said he had something to catch up on at work.”She moved the counter, removing the last bit of dishes.“ I thought he worked from home.”“Yeah, but something came up, he should be back by now, guess it's a lot of work.”Lily dried her hands, leaning against the counter. “Uncle Albert seems so busy lately. He’s not like this usually, right?” Gigi shrugged, her expression tight. “No
9:00pm‘He really was still out there the whole time?’Lily's heart that was racing slowly returned back to its normal pace as she looked over Gigi's shoulders to find Dante standing there. “Sorry for interrupting you girls, but it's getting late and Mrs Kalashnikov really needs to be on her way home.” Dante's voice was at its usual calm pitch but Lily already knew he was anything but calm on the inside. “I think she should stay, it's alread–”“Okay, that’s it let me get my things.” Lily interrupted, grabbing her purse for the couch and slipping past Gio. Lily avoided Dante's gaze as she walked to the door, feeling the tension radiating from him. She didn’t need to look at him to know he was irritated. His calm demeanor was always a mask, but tonight it was thinner than usual.Gio shot Dante a questioning look, but he gave a small shake of his head. She frowned but didn’t argue, stepping aside to let Lily pass.“I’ll call you tomorrow,” Gio waved as soon as Lily got out. She was
“P-punishment?”Lily’s voice trembled, what did he mean by that. Dmitri's lips curled up into a sinister grin.He gun trailed over her face, trailing from her lips down to her chin.“Yes, princess. A little lesson in obedience never hurt anyone.”He straightened his posture, his piercing gaze slicing through her as he lowered the gun to his side.“Let’s see who should take the fall for this. Shall we?”Her heart pounded in her chest as Dmitri turned to Gabrielle, who stood like a shadow behind him. “Bring Dante,” he ordered.“No! Wait!” Lily blurted out, stepping in front of him.She raised her hands in desperation.“Please don't, It was my fault. He didn’t do anything wrong.”Dmitri ignored her, his gaze never wavering from Gabrielle, who nodded once and stepped out of the room.Lily’s legs felt like jelly as she moved to block Dmitri’s path.Her face finally met hers. What a confident little girl.“I’ll take the punishment! Whatever you want, just don’t involve him. He’s innocent.”
Days turned into weeks with Lily stuck under Dmitri's house.Every free time she had–which was basically all the time– was spent writing a Biography she was assigned to.Dmitri had warned her that although she was to write his biography, there was no digging in his personal life involved.Lily found this difficult especially because that was her job and how the hell was she supposed to write a biography about someone when she wasn't even allowed to know much about them.Lily mingled with the pen in her fingers before biting at the tip. After another minute of thinking what next to write she slumped down on her book.“Urghh.” She groaned. “This stupid house.”Finally giving up for that day, Lily found herself scribbling random figures on the pages while fiddling with the pen.She had managed to sketch a shabby looking dove that looked more like a bat than a dove.Lily was still busy trying to get the animal's perfect shape and didn't even notice when her room door creaked open.Dmitri
Kentucky Border.7:00pm.“I have to pee.”Dmitri's gaze was forced to shift to hers.“Pee?”She nodded.They couldn't stop to pee now, they still hadn't reached their destination.“Hold it, we are almost there.”“What the freaking heck. I can't hold it, I'd pee all over the car.Lily's face has gone paler than its usual self. She wasn't lying and he knew he had to stop now if he didn't want the entire car to smell like human waste product.“Ostanovis' seychas!” (stop now.)The driver didn't need to be told twice and in the next minute the car pulled up in the middle of Kentucky and Chicago borders.The car rolled to a stop, gravel crunching beneath the tires. The countryside stretched out endlessly under the golden hues of the sunset.The plan was to get her out the house mainly because of the people he was tracking down. Kentucky had some lead and what better excuse to get her out of the house and still under his watch. Dmitri glanced at the rearview mirror, his eyes scanning the
Whoever invented one night stands should be nailed to the cross!“Arghh.” Lily winces, her stomach twisting in knots as fragmented memories come flooding back; she flirted with him, shared one drink too many, and it was all so unclear. But this... this.. wasn't part of the plan."Where am I.. what is that smell?" she mutters to herself as she made an attempt to sit up. The bed felt uncomfortable. The dimly lit motel room made her head spin.Shit! What had she gotten herself into, having an illicit affair with her clients supposed groom?Briefly, she looks about the room: the gloom is hardly lessened by the small light that struggles to seep between curtains. Her stomach heaves on the sight of the blood-dark, carmined stains across her hands, her clothes, and the bed. Panic clawed at the throat in a vice while trying to make out that awful smell, she suddenly jerks her head to one side. “What!.. what in the!!??..” Lily gasped, her hands quickly covered her mouth in shock.Next to h
TWENTY FOUR HOURS EARLIER….Damian Kalashnikov’s voice slices through the cathedral, razor-sharp, dripping with venom. "We're calling off this wedding!" His sudden announcement sends undulations through the crowd in a ripple of gasps.Lily can hardly catch her breath as she snaps the picture. Her hands shake, but she holds tight. Chaos explodes before her-literal chaos-just like it was staged and stolen right off some reality TV show gone horribly wrong.In the centre bride Alicia Luxembourg stands. Her white rehearsal gown is pristine and virginal, but on her it clings to her shaking form while her face contorts in disbelieving horror, tears beginning to streak down her cheeks. "What are you talking about?" she shrieks, voice cracking as she lurches forward towards him. "What are you… what? You can't do this!"Damian gazes down at her, his eyes cold with contempt; his jaw clenched, the muscles furrowed tight with anger. His gaze meets with the officiating priest as a warning to stay
PRESENT DAY..10:55am…Dimitri Kalashnikov’s safe house. Lily wakes up groggy, disoriented, staring up at the ceiling of a room that was unfamiliar to her. The bed beneath her is soft, but her body was sore-most especially her broken ankle, which was now tightly bandaged. The events of the night just passed, floods into her mind like a deluge; Damian’s dead body, frantic struggle, head spinning.. the man from the alley... She rubbed her temples, hoping somehow she'd make sense of how she'd gotten there."Hello.." Lily calls out with a whisper at first. "Is anybody there? " an entire room pin drop silence welcomed her.She panicks and hobbles her legs over the side for the door. She reaches for the handle, twisting it, but it was locked. Instantly, her heart starts beating rapidly against her chest. She lost her mind, banging on the door, screaming, "Help! Somebody help me!" Her voice echoed in the room.No answer.“Why am I so unlucky? What’s.. oh my goodness.” She bit down hard on
Kentucky Border.7:00pm.“I have to pee.”Dmitri's gaze was forced to shift to hers.“Pee?”She nodded.They couldn't stop to pee now, they still hadn't reached their destination.“Hold it, we are almost there.”“What the freaking heck. I can't hold it, I'd pee all over the car.Lily's face has gone paler than its usual self. She wasn't lying and he knew he had to stop now if he didn't want the entire car to smell like human waste product.“Ostanovis' seychas!” (stop now.)The driver didn't need to be told twice and in the next minute the car pulled up in the middle of Kentucky and Chicago borders.The car rolled to a stop, gravel crunching beneath the tires. The countryside stretched out endlessly under the golden hues of the sunset.The plan was to get her out the house mainly because of the people he was tracking down. Kentucky had some lead and what better excuse to get her out of the house and still under his watch. Dmitri glanced at the rearview mirror, his eyes scanning the
Days turned into weeks with Lily stuck under Dmitri's house.Every free time she had–which was basically all the time– was spent writing a Biography she was assigned to.Dmitri had warned her that although she was to write his biography, there was no digging in his personal life involved.Lily found this difficult especially because that was her job and how the hell was she supposed to write a biography about someone when she wasn't even allowed to know much about them.Lily mingled with the pen in her fingers before biting at the tip. After another minute of thinking what next to write she slumped down on her book.“Urghh.” She groaned. “This stupid house.”Finally giving up for that day, Lily found herself scribbling random figures on the pages while fiddling with the pen.She had managed to sketch a shabby looking dove that looked more like a bat than a dove.Lily was still busy trying to get the animal's perfect shape and didn't even notice when her room door creaked open.Dmitri
“P-punishment?”Lily’s voice trembled, what did he mean by that. Dmitri's lips curled up into a sinister grin.He gun trailed over her face, trailing from her lips down to her chin.“Yes, princess. A little lesson in obedience never hurt anyone.”He straightened his posture, his piercing gaze slicing through her as he lowered the gun to his side.“Let’s see who should take the fall for this. Shall we?”Her heart pounded in her chest as Dmitri turned to Gabrielle, who stood like a shadow behind him. “Bring Dante,” he ordered.“No! Wait!” Lily blurted out, stepping in front of him.She raised her hands in desperation.“Please don't, It was my fault. He didn’t do anything wrong.”Dmitri ignored her, his gaze never wavering from Gabrielle, who nodded once and stepped out of the room.Lily’s legs felt like jelly as she moved to block Dmitri’s path.Her face finally met hers. What a confident little girl.“I’ll take the punishment! Whatever you want, just don’t involve him. He’s innocent.”
9:00pm‘He really was still out there the whole time?’Lily's heart that was racing slowly returned back to its normal pace as she looked over Gigi's shoulders to find Dante standing there. “Sorry for interrupting you girls, but it's getting late and Mrs Kalashnikov really needs to be on her way home.” Dante's voice was at its usual calm pitch but Lily already knew he was anything but calm on the inside. “I think she should stay, it's alread–”“Okay, that’s it let me get my things.” Lily interrupted, grabbing her purse for the couch and slipping past Gio. Lily avoided Dante's gaze as she walked to the door, feeling the tension radiating from him. She didn’t need to look at him to know he was irritated. His calm demeanor was always a mask, but tonight it was thinner than usual.Gio shot Dante a questioning look, but he gave a small shake of his head. She frowned but didn’t argue, stepping aside to let Lily pass.“I’ll call you tomorrow,” Gio waved as soon as Lily got out. She was
7:00pmGigi's House.Family was everything to Lily hill, even though she had lost someone very important, she still wanted to have happy memories with the family she had left.“Uncle Albert isn't coming home today ?” Lily asks, pushing the last pile of dishes into the sink.Dmitri hadn't returned home the day before so she had decided to just spend a little more time at home.She had decided to come stay with Gigi for just the evening but ended up having dinner with the family. This time Gigi's mom was home and she insisted she stayed.Gigi hung the towel back on the shelf before turning to face Lily.“He said he had something to catch up on at work.”She moved the counter, removing the last bit of dishes.“ I thought he worked from home.”“Yeah, but something came up, he should be back by now, guess it's a lot of work.”Lily dried her hands, leaning against the counter. “Uncle Albert seems so busy lately. He’s not like this usually, right?” Gigi shrugged, her expression tight. “No
Day 2. When the day of death is already decided, the least a man can do is enjoy the countdown.“Make sure she's safe and I swear to the devil if I come back to any single mark on her body then I won't spare you.” Dmitri warned Dante over the phone.Dante was the bodyguard Dmitri had assigned to Lily, he entire life was on the line if anything happened to her and he knew.“Yes sir.”The line went dead soon enough and Dmitri focused back on the scene in front of him.A lifeless body sprawling across the floor. Dmitri had managed to track down a few leads of the people who followed him the previous night.He wasn't planning to kill anyone like he promised but the man kept spitting out nonsense concerning his wife.“Clean this up.”Gabrielle soon flooded the scene with a few capos to clear the mess he had made.Dmitri turned, waking back into the Mercedes Gabrielle had just called for. He had initially come in his own car but had soon realized that he was being followed.He slumped behi
FLASHBACK….5:30pm.Moscow skyline. “It's about time you came to Chicago.” Dimitri chuckled lowly, “The first Kalashnikov wedding, I couldn't miss it bràt.” “Glad to see you'd be present for my Omertà then.” Dimitri clenched his grip on the phone a little. Damien's ascension wasn't something he was looking forward to. “Alicia hun?” Dimitri asked almost sarcastically.He already knew there was only one reason Damien would want to marry Alicia–being the head Irish mafia's daughter. “Yes.” He simply replied and the next second the line went dead. By the time Dimitri’s private jet touched the ground of Chicago, the city was cloaked in the night's darkness. It was enveloped by wind and chaos filled the air like a familiar song—sirens wailing, neon lights flickering, and the pulse of a metropolis that never slept. But Dimitri wasn’t here for nostalgia. His mind was already running through the logistics of maintaining control over his Moscow operations while playing the dutiful brothe
~Back in Dimitri’s Estate~“That's not a very nice way to welcome your husband now, is it tservena?” Lily didn't know why but ever since she woke up her mood had been down. Dmitri had just arrived home since yesterday and he was already in the mood for another tease with his wife.Lily's head jolted to the side as she for the sudden sound of his voice. She was roaming through the halls but she truly hadn't seen him pass by.“I didn't see you…sorry.” Her lips knotted into a thin line.She didn't know why but ever since their visit to his family house, she couldn't help but feel this bubbling in her stomach anytime he was around.Dmitri eyebrows choked up and his playful instincts kicked in. He took two long strides towards her, closing the distance between them in seconds. Their faces were just inches apart. “Do you see me now?“ Lily's breath hitched in her throat at the sudden closeness between them and unconsciously nodded. Dmitri lips tugged to the side as he noticed the tr
12:50pm Dimitri's Estate.Maybe being the mafia's girl did have its pros and well a lot of cons. But still it would hurt to have a few thousand enemies. Lily was still recovering from the previous night's shock. She slept last night with just a half mind and her body still on guard, aware of her surroundings or so she thought, Lily had always been a deep sleeper and afterwards she collapsed in bed. “Good morning sunshine or princess?,” Dimitri's cool voice greeted her as she stepped down from the grand staircase. She yawned, her hands reaching to cover her mouth. “I wonder if you'd be able to stay up when we do what couples do cause gosh you're a heavy sleeper.” Dimitri teased. Lily had soon started dozing off as soon as they switched places in the car the previous night and although she tried to keep her eyes open she failed terribly. Lily ignored Dimitri's comment.“Won't you ask your lovely husband how his night was princess?” Lily's gaze shifted to Dimitri's direction. Sh