Chapter 3 Not Easy

Whatever was going through his mind when he declared his possession of Laskin's daughter, he refused to think about it deeply at the moment. It was not part of his plans and even he was surprised.

However, a punny girl like Kamilla Laskin should not be left alone in the world. She will be an easy prey for predators.

"I do not want to burden you any further, Mr. Petrov. "I know the way to my apartment." After a long silence, Kamilla's voice drew him away from his deep thoughts.

After they left the restaurant, she has been insisting on leaving. She refused to enter the vehicle, but his cold stare rendered all of her efforts futile.

"Believe me, Kamilla, you will never be a burden" Across from him, he met her panicked gaze and watched her restlessness.

Despite his efforts not to intimidate her, he could sense her discomfort. She has been relentlessly watching the road, seemingly waiting to be rescued.

"Don't you dare fear me, Kamilla" with clenched words, he warns. It irritates him seeing her cower from him.

His words caught on Kamilla, earning her attention. Her round puppy eyes reflect both fear and charm as she stares back at him. He watched her closely and was quite bemused by two disparate aspects of her.

Her frailty awakens his protector instincts, but her fear irritates him. He did nothing to make her fear him other than the fact that he was Petrov.

"You are a Petrov."Worst of all, you are Samuel Petrov," she mumbles softly to defend herself.

"What is that supposed to mean?" He heard her soft murmur and he was aghast by her defense.

Despite his desire to make her feel at ease around him, he could not help but be irritated, as evidenced by his grim voice.

"You have the darkest disposition among all of the Petrovs." Despite her obvious fear, she is refreshingly honest.

Her candor is putting him in a disparity. The girl has the ability to simultaneously annoy and amuse him.

"It runs through the family." Not knowing how to respond, he indulged her with a dismissal.

"You are the worst" she boldly insisted while he did nothing but calmly stare at her.

"You haven't met everyone in the family. How did you come to know? He coaxes her into a conversation. She appears to be forgetting her fear as she argues with him.

"Everyone in the country knows your reputation, Mr. Petrov" she continues to persist while looking almost vexed.

"You have time to listen to gossip" he casually shrugged and his nonchalance made her more irked.

"It is not gossip," she quickly countered, glaring at him.

He has no counter. How can he tell her all Petrovs share the same disposition as him? They just have different levels of temperament in certain circumstances.

"We're here" he muttered after the vehicle came to a halt.

Her attention is averted outside, and she realizes they are already parked somewhere. She noticed men dash towards their vehicle before the door opened.

"Where's here?" Suspiciously, she narrowed her eyes on him as she refused to move.

"My place," he replied as he casually stepped out and extended his hand to her.

"Your place?" Her brow furrowed, revealing her confusion and internal panic.

He watches her ashen face as she battles with the torment inside her head. He can do nothing but heave a sigh, seeing the fear in her eyes

"Come out now, Kamilla" he tried to be gentle but the girl vehemently shook her head at him.

"Look, I won't do anything but to get you settled. "I have a meeting in an hour, so I need to leave soon." Trying to be patient, he massaged his temple as he explained. He was not accustomed to explaining himself to others, but here he is.

"Just drop me off at my place so you can attend to whatever business you have, Mr. Petrov. I do not want to bother you any longer," she begged, hoping he would see her point.

"But that is not the case, Kamilla Laskin" Undaunted, he declared, "From now on, your place will be with me."

He watched as her perplexity deepened. Despite his dwindling patience, he allowed her to take her time.

"What exactly do you mean by that, Mr. Petrov?" Despite her shock, she managed to speak, albeit weakly.

"Am I not clear enough earlier, Kamilla?" He smirked, enjoying her quandary.

"You now belong to the Petrovs and you will not be anywhere else but in Petrov territory" He seriously added while holding her troubled eyes.

"I am not something to be owned," she says in fearful defiance.

"I am fully aware of that, Kamilla. You're a defiant soul in flesh and blood" he snickers his agreement.

"No, I am not..." she protests, pursed lips and almost sulking.

"Then, save us both from further trouble. We are wasting time, so let us go inside," his icy tone was unmistakable, and she recognized the command.

Despite her reservations, she nearly jumped out of the car in fear of his foul mood. She will never forget that she is dealing with Petrov. They are the Gods of this country, and they have the most formidable disposition.

Seeing her acquiescence, he gestured for her to follow, which she readily obeyed. There was silence as they crossed the distance between the vehicle and the private elevator. His brown formal leather shoes make a sound against the floor, whereas she tries not to make one with her sneakers.

Being inside an elevator with one of the world's most feared men is like slowly draining her life force. There was an awkward silence until they arrived at the heavily guarded floor. She hesitated for a moment before stepping out, but when she saw Samuel Petrov leave quickly, she followed suit.

Despite the intense yet subtle attention, she passed by grim-faced men who slightly bowed at Samuel Petrov and cast her curious glances.

"Why so many guards? Who will dare climb this high? That will be suicide" She whispers to herself while looking out of the glass wall and realizing how high they are. She could only see the tops of several skyscrapers in the city.

"I will not be a prisoner here, right? Will I be able to leave once I get inside? Am I being kidnapped?" She came to an abrupt halt, clutching her chest. Her eyes widen with terror as the realization dawns on her. She could feel her heart violently pounding beneath her palm.

"There will be no such thing, Kamilla. You are not being kidnapped. Of course, you can leave. But make sure to come back or I swear I will turn the country upside down to find you" Samuel's incredulous voice reached her ears, and she realized she had blurted out her thoughts louder than she meant to.

She was embarrassed not only towards Samuel Petrov, but also by all of the other men who had undoubtedly heard her ridiculousness.

Secretly, she compared herself to him. In contrast to his business attire, she is dressed in a unicorn-design t-shirt and tight, tattered jeans, paired with worn-out white sneakers. She looked like a lost teen in the middle of fine gentlemen. His security is better dressed than she is. How audacious she is for having such thoughts.

For a long moment, he just stares at her, seeming to be waiting for her response, which she doesn't have. She is too embarrassed to speak.

Despite it being disconcerting, she endures his silence. She was only relieved when he turned away and continued walking toward the massive door.

With downcasted eyes and bowed head, she hurriedly followed to escape everyone's attention.

As expected, inside the heavy door is an exceptionally elegant place. Fit for a Petrov.

Everywhere she turns screams luxury and it's intimidating for someone like her who is not used to such grandeur. Everything is speck clean. Almost gives the vibe that no one is living there.

Despite the elegance around and unquestionably expensive stuff, the place felt empty. Depressing.

She turns to Samuel to find him staring at her.

"Who lives here?" Not able to contain her curiosity, she softly asks.

"Me, if I'm in the City" he casually replies before turning to the two figures standing afar.

"This is Miss Kamilla Laskin. Attend to her needs" his voice is filled with unbending command.

"Yes, Sir Samuel" The two older women bowed with their submission while she gave them a shy smile.

"The stuff from your apartment will arrive before nightfall. If you need anything, just tell Beca and Cel. You can go shopping if you want. A vehicle will be on standby for you" he turns to her, to which she responds with a reluctant nod. She was surprised and overwhelmed to speak.

As much as she wanted to ask how they could enter her apartment, that would be pointless. The Petrov family and their men can do even the impossible. She can even bet her landlord would be so delighted to assist them in rummaging her place.

"I need to go. Make sure Kamilla gets settled in her room" he ordered while checking his wristwatch.

"Yes, Sir Samuel. I will make sure Miss Kamilla is comfortable" Beca politely responded with a bow.

Samuel turned to Kamilla but said nothing. He just stared at her for she didn't know how long. Despite it being overly intimidating, she boldly meets his gaze.

There was a moment of silence while their gazes were locked. He appears to have something to say so she waited. But after a while, she heard him heave a sigh and, without another word, turned towards the door and left.

"Wew, he is seriously scary" she softly murmurs after heaving a relieved sigh.

"All Petrovs are" a reply reached her ears, making her mentally groan. She was aghast at herself for being heard again.

"But they are respectable people, Miss Kamilla" the woman named Beca continued with a soft smile for her.

She has no come back to what the woman said so she remained quiet. Though the Petrov family is outrageously famous in the country and most parts of the world, nobody truly knows them.

"Though this is the first time Sir Samuel showed such concern to someone. Even if you are Damian Laskin's daughter, Sir Samuel is strangely attentive towards you" Beca added while giving her a peculiar look.

"Sir Samuel never brought someone here, even his cousins are prohibited to visit without prior notice. He strictly values his privacy" Cel spoke after her silence.

"Why do you think Sir Samuel brought you to his place instead of just giving you the death benefits of Damian?" Cel added while narrowing her eyes to her.

Two pairs of curious orbs were directed at her but there's no way she could answer their query. How in the world would she know what motive Samuel Petrov has?

"Damian, with his selfless dedication and unwavering loyalty, is unquestionably worth several million dollars. With his death benefits, you can live comfortably without needing to work. That is how the Petrov family values loyalty and hard work. Surely, they have also prepared a place for you to live" Beca muttered, keeping her gaze fixed on her.

The two women appear to be assessing the situation through her, which is absurd. Even she had no idea what was going on.

"But no matter how much the Petrovs value their people, no one in the family had become this...'personal'. Especially Sir Samuel who is the oldest and the most serious among the cousins" Beca trailed off her words, boring her with an intent gaze.

Since they started their assessment, Kamilla kept her silence. She is completely clueless of what was happening and what the two women were doing is starting to overwhelm her.

"How old are you, Miss Kamilla?" Beca did not hide her curiosity as she ask.

"Ahm...twenty-three" though puzzled, she softly replied.

"Well..." Beca and Cel exchanged strange looks, which she did not miss.

"Sir Samuel is thirty-six" Cel whispered which reached her ears.

"Thirteen years difference" Beca whispered back to Cel. They are talking in hushed voice like she was not standing in front of them. Are they not aware she could hear everything?

She is trying to ignore what the women are implying but she can't help but be incredulous of their thoughts. She also has a lot of questions, but she is at a loss for words.

Though they are quite straightforward, she cannot deny their genuine concern as they fixed their worried gaze on her.

"I pray you're a strong one, Miss Kamilla. Being with a Petrov is not easy" After heaving an anxious sigh, Beca mumbled sympathetically.

****tbc****