Chapter 2

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 her lips as she tries to wipe away the streams of sweat gathering up in her hands and face. 

Her mind goes back to the previous night, she and Damian didn’t even have sex!

“Was I drugged?” The shocking realization hit her like a sledgehammer. Apparently, they had few more drinks in the room, he seemed to have the perfect reply for everything. Lily didn’t want to feel guilty for wanting a man that wasn’t hers.

So she let herself go last night, but now from the situation of things it’s obvious that was the biggest fuck up of the century.

Her gaze strays to the window. It was high up, but by that point, she really didn't care. With a broken ankle, she was unable to run, but at least she can crawl if she makes it outside. She struggles her way over to the window, but just as she was going to climb up, the door burst open with a loud bang.

"Heyyyy! Stop!" A deep male voice yells, immediately turning she sees a tall man with a rough yet somehow gentle face standing in the doorway. In one second he leaps forward catching her before she could slide off the ledge.

"Let go of me!" she shrieks, trying to push him away. Her broken ankle protest as she struggles against him.

"I'm not going to hurt you.. hey.. hey!" he whispers, his hands firm yet not harsh as he slowly pushed her back toward the bed. 

He looked down at her ankle then back up into her terror filled face. "I’m Gabriel, Dimitri’s right-hand man. We brought you here in the early hours of this morning."

"Huhhh?!" she questions. " We? Who.. who’s Dimitri?”

Gabriel chuckles low in his throat, but belies an underlying gravity in his tone. "You are in a safe place, calm your nerves okay? My boss Saved you.” He reassures.

Lily's mind reels. 

Boss? Saved her? That makes absolutely no sense. "Where's Uhhh Damian? What happened to him?.. where am I?” she had a whole litany of questions rolling out, her voice rising in fear. 

Gabriel's features darkens. "That's something the man downstairs will explain to you. Come with me.”

He gestures for her to follow, and with trepidation building in her chest, Lily limps after him—each step sending a burning pain through her broken ankle. 

Gabriel leads her down hallways until the house started to feel more like a mansion: cold, dark, and a little unnerving, as if nobody had lived there in years. They finally went out into the much larger than expected backyard. 

There, in the middle, on a large pool of shimmering water, is a man.

Tall and broad-shouldered, his back was toward her. She sees the long black hair tied neatly into a bun, a shirt plastered on the muscular frame of arms in whose lengths tattoos snaked down in perfect detail. 

Lily’s feet jerks to a stop, breath catching in her throat as her heart begins a crazy pound. Her eyes just registered the impossible—he looks just like Damian.

He isn’t dead?!

“She’s here boss." Gabriel announces, his voice firm and respectful before turning to leave.

The man turns around slowly, his face caught in daylight, and he is no doubt the spitting image of Damian down to the sharpness of his jawline and the piercing green eyes. But there’s something— in the way that he carries himself, an oozing control that’s so smooth, so calm, his presence alone was alluring.

“Lily.” 

The way her name rolls out from his lips.

“You finally decided to wake up.” He walks up to her, letting her breathe in the smoke he puffed. 

This isn’t Damian’s hair though.

Lily's knees buckled. "Damian?" she whispers, though she knew that wasn't who it was. The presence in front of her was decidedly too strong. Sending shivers all over her body. Lily had a sudden urge to touch the man. To trace his lines..

Wait.. who was he?

Her stomach churns with turmoil, another trouble brewing?

His gaze locks on hers as he take a slow drag on his cigarette and then squashes it to the ground. "I know you didn't kill him. Don’t bother defending yourself.” he says in a low, gravelly voice laced with a thick Russian accent.

“Have a seat.” 

Lily blinked, a perplexed frown all over her face. 

She is about to speak when he turns away, walking towards the two men who sat near the pool all bound and bloodied into pulp, barely aware of everything happening around them.

 "Raise him up" he barks out his order, as one of his own men brought one of the bloodied men up on his knees.

“Where the hell is the chip?!”

Whimpering loudly, the other man shakes his head in denial. All the time, begging for his life. 

What chip?

Lily's head starts spinning. What’s going on? More importantly, why is this all happening to her? 

 “Say hello to Damian for me.” The Damian’s replica of a man lifts up the gun and in less than a second—with no mercies at all, he pulls the trigger right into his head. Blood splatters everywhere onto the concrete.

"Nooooo!" Lily screams.

He orders that their bodies be taken away, before eventually turning his attention to Lily. Smirking.

"Please, please, pleaseeee,.. who are you? Please.  I swrrr.. I didn’t do anything to Damian. I met him at the club that night, we ..we talked, and he asked that we head out to somewhere better," Lilly babbles, where traces of fear were centred in her eyes.

"And?" He questions. A smile dancing on his lips. 

It was obvious he finds her anxiety amusing. He had already done his background check on her and knew all he wanted to. She intrigues him. ‘Lily Hills.’

“We uhh..”

Sweat was dripping all over her. Chest rising and falling so painfully she starts to cough.

"Forget it. You're safe now." he assures, the words as cool and yet completely without comfort. “But you belong to me now Lily.”

The air suddenly thickens.

"What.. what  do you mean?" she stutters, getting up from her seat to move away.

He quickly pulls her to himself, breathing down on her face. “You just saw me killing a man, do you really think I’d let you just waltz out of here?” 

Fear grip her bones.

“Who are you?.. please..” She whimpers under his gaze. The way his eye dilate. He’s ..different. Damian had a weird energy around him. But this ..

And that's when all the reality comes down crashing to lily, the tattoos, the accent, his muscular body built, his long hair, and his striking resemblance to Damian.

He's the twin brother no one ever talks about. The same one with a hidden identity, you can’t find anything about him anywhere.. the one who’s been under the radar all these years. They were the Mafia brothers?. "You..you’re the beekeeper!" Lily stammers, almost having a heart attack.

He takes another large stick of his cigarette, lighting it up before offering her an answer. "Yes. I’m Dimitri Kalashnikov. And I’m going to be proposing a five year marriage contract to you this minute.” The words rolls out casually.

“WHAT?!” Lily exclaims, unsure she heard him correctly.

“There’s no time to waste and honestly speaking you don’t have much choice right now. There are men out there looking for you.. we both know why. And I’m the only one who can protect you." his voice as flat, with eyes piercing into her for a challenge.

“I ..I can’t. How do I just get married to you!” Lily is more worried about getting married to a ruthless mafia family than protecting her own life. Well. The ambiguity of it all.

 "Look, Damian was supposed to get married today, to rise as the head of the family. As per family policy, to attain the leadership as the company’s overall head then the person must be married. But since he is dead, I'm to take his place. 

“And YOU will take yours—at my side. A Kalashnikov wedding must happen today regardless. And you’re just the perfect bride.” He carefully explains.

She shook her head, her body stepping backward. "No! I can't-I won't.. 

Dimitri’s eyes flashes impatiently. "You will. I already have everything sorted out.”

“The wedding begins in less than two hours.” 

He didn’t expect her to jump at the proposition, but for her own sake she needs him more than he needs her. Plus the crime she witnessed and recorded yesterday?. Lily didn’t even know the gravity of trouble she’s in right now.

And of course, she just saw him killing one of his men who worked as a mole for Damian.

They stood, staring hard at each other. Her mind racing uncontrollably. She thought of her father, still unaccounted for, and her mother, hanging by a thread in the hospital. Her one time uneventful life had now taken a dramatic turn. 

“Lily?..”

 "Okay.. If I marry you… Will.. please will you help me find my father? Some men came into our house few weeks ago and kidnapped him.”

“And uhh also cover my mother’s hospital bills?" Lily recites. Hoping this was all a dream. It seems he’s her only saving grace at this point.

Dimitri twist an eyebrow. A smug little smile playing on his lips. "That's all you have to ask?” 

She nodds, her voice caught in her throat. "Yes. And I’m still confused how you were able to save me just in time.”

‘Did he plan all of this chaos?’

He then leans in close to her, towering over her. "All right, you will just play your role to the letter. As Damian’s bride. For today.”

The thought crawls into her head and sends a run of shivers down into her head. "As ..as Damian’s?" she voices fearfully.

"The world doesn’t know he is dead yet. We’ll be announcing it officially later on. And as for rescuing you? I’ll explain it all later.”

His words wrap around her like a shroud, and Lily's head bangs. Scandal, danger— it was too much. But what better choice did she have?

Dimitri’s voice cut through her racing thoughts. 

"See you at the altar, wifey. I have a surprise for you.” He whispers, tucking in a strand of hair from her face before leaving.