[ZARINA] “Get out! And leave me alone!” I yelled, but the two women standing in front of me didn’t seem to be affected. They continued to stare at me, their expressions stoic and unwavering. The older woman had an air of authority about her, and her age showed in the fine lines etched around her eyes and mouth. Despite her age, she carried herself with poise and elegance. Her hair was pulled back into a sleek, low bun that accentuated her sharp features. She wore a black dress with white sleeves and a white garment draped around her waist, which gave her a regal appearance. A younger girl stood behind the older woman, with golden-brown hair elegantly knotted in a ponytail that swayed flawlessly behind her back as she craned her neck to check out the room. Despite the elegant appearance of the room, she seemed to be seeing it for the first time, which was unusual considering the maids were expected to keep everything tidy. She wore the same dress as the older woman, and her childlik
[LIZZY]“Out of curiosity, do you actually like being here?” She questions me with her curious blue eyes.Hmm. Let me think about it…“My father sold me to the Perazzo family to settle his debts. Until we pay off every single penny he owes, I have no other choice but to stay,” I reply with a poker face, because answering this question is far less painful and more entertaining.Just dripping with sarcasm.Honestly, it’s no skin off my back these days, not like it was in the beginning. Dad was never the warm and fuzzy type, anyway. The only time he ever treated me halfway decent was when Mom was still around. But even with Dad working his butt off day and night, we were always scraping by, unable to afford the fancy surgeries Mom needed to survive. And once she kicked the bucket five years ago, Dad was quick to turn to the bottle and the ladies of questionable virtue.So yeah, nothing about my fucked up family bothers me anymore.Zarina shoots me a glance of annoyance, or maybe it’s sym
[ZARINA]Hours slipped by effortlessly as Lizzy and I giggled and chatted about everything under the sun. It was surreal to talk so much as during my time at the orphanage, we were never allowed to spend more than a few minutes together, including mealtime. The warden was always afraid that we would plan an escape if left unattended. Looking back, I realize how unfair and biased she was towards us miserable kids.Throughout my life, I had never had anyone whom I could call a friend. But now, I think I had found one in Lizzy. Her warmth and kindness made me feel safe and loved in a way that I had never experienced before.I couldn’t help but worry that something might break this newfound bubble of happiness with Lizzy, and that she might turn out to be someone entirely different from what I had thought. However, I desperately hoped that this wouldn’t be the case.As our friendship grew stronger, I longed to confide in Lizzy about my dreadful plight. I hoped that she would understand an
[VLADIMIR] Zarina! I see her. I see her. And I lose it. I lose myself in a snap and end up doing something that I’m bound to regret. She evokes memories of my past and actions I am not proud of, ones that I do not need to be reminded of. I need to keep my distance; I keep saying that to myself. But as much as the hell I try, I end up destroying every fucking distance between us. Why is she different? Why isn’t she the same? It would have been so easy to let her go. Her being different raises hope—a wistful desire—that things could be different this time around. Maybe she won’t push me away this time. Just maybe, I’ll finally find the goddamn peace I’ve been searching for. However, her approval means nothing to me. She holds no significance in my life, absolutely none. She’s only here because Xavier desired it. He requires her for reasons that I cannot refuse, reasons for which I would gladly die a hundr
Breathing profoundly. That’s what Zarina felt like doing when her attention was caught by a tall, fair woman, who appeared to be around the same age as her. The woman appeared to be in a state of confusion, with wide, round eyes that seemed ready to pop out of her head. She ran her hands through her light auburn hair, as if she was frustrated or overwhelmed. After closing and reopening her eyes, she began to pace around anxiously, shaking her head in denial. “This can’t be real,” the woman muttered under her breath as she continued pacing back and forth. “I must be hallucinating or something.” Zarina remained still, leaning against the door which she had closed to escape the men who had been chasing her since her escape from the room. She had managed to dodge them and entered the only unlocked room in the maze-like corridors of Perazzo’s mansion. Her breathing gradually slowed down as she tried to calm herself. The intensity of a pair of glaring eyes jolted Zarina out of her tranc
[ZARINA]“Zarina!” Xavier whispered, hushing me as he looked directly into my eyes and gently cupped my tear-streaked face. “You need to calm down,” he murmured in a husky voice, his gaze conveying genuine concern and care.I couldn’t comprehend the intensity of his stare, as if he was searching for something within me; as if he was trying to uncover answers to questions I didn’t even know existed.His touch sent shivers down my spine, and I became aware of how close we were sitting. His face was mere inches from mine, but this proximity was vastly different from the uncomfortable closeness I had experienced with Vladimir.Yes, I know his name now. I know who he was. I know how cruel he could be, and what kind of monster he could become. He loved seeing people suffer and wouldn’t think twice before exploiting their vulnerabilities. Now, I know enough and all I feel for him is hatred. I hate him.I shook my head slowly and responded, “How could I?” My voice was filled with sadness and
Upon entering the room and closing the door behind him, Xavier declared, “I am aware that you have queries. I am here to provide you with answers,” accompanied by a faint grin, as he gazed at Zarina, hoping she would give him a chance to explain himself before making any assumptions. After the bone-crushing hug, the little girl greeted Zarina, Xavier stepped in and got hold of her. “Hazel, didn’t I instruct you to wait in the dining area?” Calmly, Xavier crouched down and looked into the little girl’s baby blue eyes. Reluctantly, the little girl nodded in agreement that Xavier had indeed instructed her to wait, and she lowered her head with a melancholic pout on her lips, fidgeting with her tiny fingers. Xavier escorted the girl out of the room, leaving Zarina stunned and struggling to come up with a reasonable explanation. Upon his return, Zarina’s eyes remained fixed on him, and even though he had already spoken her thoughts, she had no further response. “Then tell me,” she qu
[LIZZY] “Where is she?” I questioned Rose. If you assumed I was just a tad irritated, let me enlighten you with the truth: I was burning hotter than a raging volcano, ready to erupt like a lightning bolt on a destructive spree. Oh yes, my friend, I was bloody freaking furious. The moment I graced the office with my presence, a chorus of chatty maids caught my attention. At first, their words were a tangled mess, but as I inched closer, I caught the juiciest bits. My ears drank in their gossip, while my eyes turned a shade of red that could rival a stop sign. I mean, seriously, talk about seeing red! And there stood Rose, innocently arranging breakfast in the dining area. When she glanced my way, her expression morphed into a delightful mix of surprise and bewilderment. I can only imagine what she was thinking: “Uh-oh, someone’s inner volcano is about to erupt!” “What are you blabbering about?” she casually inquired, going as far as to shrug her shoulders. Can you believe the aud
“My world is a less scary place with you in it, baby. I will kiss you a thousand times every day if that’s what it takes to keep you in love with me for the rest of our days.” [VLADIMIR] "Do you take Vladimir Perazzo as your lawful husband, to have and to hold, from this day forward, for better or for worse, for richer or for poorer, in sickness and in health, to love and cherish until death do you part?” I would be lying if I said those words spoken by the priest don’t fill me with dread. Because they do. Something inside me is awfully worried for no specific reason. Perhaps it’s the fear of being tricked by fate again. Perhaps I’m afraid that the past would repeat itself in a much more monstrous and hurtful way. It’s just there. Ticking like a bomb. Making me break into some serious amount of sweat. But I hold it in. Not because there’s no other choice now that dozens of people are watching us, but because the woman standing in front of me is looking at me with so much love and w
[ZARINA]“Mir, this is...” I gasp.“Do you like it?” pressing those words into my ear, he grazes his teeth below my lobe.“...gorgeous. It’s gorgeous.”After our deep and long conversation, the previous night, Mir and I woke up with someone causing a ruckus at the door. It was only then it dawned on me that I ended up sleeping in his room. Something Aunt Alessia had been warning me since the moment we got here. Even though she was quick to assume that we had already done the deed, she expected us to be patient until the marriage and keep our desires to ourselves.And now that we’ve broken one of her directions, she sure sounded angry beating the door outside. To be honest, I panicked a little originally. Not wanting to give anyone a reason to be upset with us. But Mir had different thoughts regarding the matter. He blatantly and outrightly ignored all her screams and peeled the covers off me instead. Despite my reluctance and attempts to reason with him, he moved between my legs with
[ZARINA]Frozen to my spot and shocked to the deepest of my bones, I struggled to get some air into my lungs.Did I really hit him? But why? Was that because he was doing something I did not approve of? Or because...he wasn’t himself?No matter what the reason was, my face seared with embarrassment. My heart palpitated poorly against my ribs and the knots in my stomach tautened to the extent I couldn’t breathe.After fixing me with a glare for a minute too long, Vladimir retreated and stormed into the bathroom. He shut the door so loudly that my entire body shivered. My nerves caused havoc; wild goosebumps crawled like insects all over my skin. Regret pierced my chest like a cruel knife, and the more I thought about it, the deeper it burrowed.It hurt. So much. But why? He was the one who crossed the lines. Why was I on the verge of breaking down? Why were my eyes damp and blurred with tears? What was this pain...Sucking my lips, I leaned my head against the wall behind me and closed
[ZARINA]After Mir left for God knows where, I spent most of the day following Aunt Alessia around. She’s a nice person. Talks really quickly and maybe a little oftener than I’m used to, but seems like she’s only excited to have Mir back. It’s been a while, she said, as long as Mir’s grandfather (her father-in-law) was alive, he used to visit nearly every month without fail. But after the old man passed away, he stopped visiting.He stopped caring.She also told me that Mir and his grandfather were really close. Together, they hung out more than Mir and his father ever did. The way she said those things, I felt as if Mir and his father did not have a smooth relationship. Though Aunt Alessia seemed as chatty as one could be, she seemed mindful not to bring up the subject of Mir’s parents.It was only then I realized I knew nothing of Mir’s past. Sure, I know about his failed marriage to Aurora and that he had a brother and Hazel as a niece, but...what about the rest? He mentioned nothi
[VLADIMIR]“What is this place?” Zarina asked, her gaze pinned on the enormous villa in front of us. The heavy curiosity in her voice did something silly to my chest, and just like that, the desire to kiss her rose once again and darted down my veins. But I suppressed it all by removing my gaze from her. It had become a pattern of sorts. Whenever I needed time off from my chronic horny aspirations, I would look away and try to think of something less provocative. Like a bald head or something.She probably had no inkling of how hard it was for me to keep my hands off her. She was right here, so gorgeous, so tempting, so ready to be my wife, to be mine—I still couldn’t fucking believe it—and I couldn’t even do things to her that haunted me day and night. I had been practising so much patience for the past few days; I fucking deserved a noble prize for it. Or maybe an academy award for the best performance of the century.But I didn’t have to try that hard this time to distract myself f
[ZARINA]An hour later, we were approximately 40,000 ft above the ground and I was yet to ask him where we were heading. With Vladimir being so dark with rage, I couldn’t muster up the courage to say anything at all, let alone the destination of our unexpected trip.Once the car pulled up at the hangar, Mir slid out while one of his men opened the door for me. The sight of the massive jet, the one I had seen only once before when he came to rescue Julie and me from that hell, brought back some unpleasant memories. However, I got little time to dawdle in the past because the next thing I knew, we were being ushered inside the jet, everyone preparing to leave.Vladimir ignored me the entire time until the jet was ready to take off. But even after he sat across from me, he kept himself occupied with the stack of papers he took out from a leather bag. He was taking his sweet-sweet time to go through each one of them. From the look on his face, they seemed of great importance to him. So in
[ZARINA]The tension in the room was so thick that one could easily cut it with a knife. It was even darker and more dangerous than the time when Lorenzo decided to be an ass. No one in the room knew how this discussion between the Perazzos and Galantes was about to end. After what happened at the church, it was safe to say, some of the people were pissed off at the way Vladimir orchestrated the entire thing.They were mad because he didn’t include them in the plan.They were mad because he deliberately made them go through hell before showing up like a damn hero who saved the day.To be honest, I was a little upset by the entire dramatics he pulled, too. At least, he could have warned me instead of letting me suffer till the very end. It was cruel and quite ruthless on his part. And once we left this God-awful suffocating gathering, I would rain him with the questions for sure. It was about to be an endless day for him.Although that was the least of my concern for now.Right now, I
[ZARINA]After waking up the second time this morning, I found Vladimir moving back and forth in the kitchen. Preparing breakfast for both of us. Something warm and sweet curled up inside as I tried not to fall so hard for him. Watching him from a distance and offering no help made me feel like a creep. But it wasn’t my fault that I couldn’t muster up the courage to be in front of him as if nothing had happened the previous night.Or this morning.A ticklish dash of heat glided down my spine at the thought of his mouth on my core, his fingers pumping inside. Those sweet words he spoke in that sexy voice of his. All those hot and needy touches. Impassioned kisses. Our bare skin pressed against each other. The feeling of him and me together. Thinking about all of that was enough to drive me crazy and for my thighs to squeeze together to relieve myself of the ache he left behind. But it never eased.I couldn’t tell what was holding him back from giving me everything he had, or if he was
[VLADIMIR]Blinking against the mellow rays of the early sun, I woke up to find Zarina cuddled to my side. Her dark brown hair scattered messily over the pillow while she slept on her side with her face turned to me.I smiled, warmth spreading across my chest.Last night was anything but normal. I hadn’t expected myself to return only to find Zarina sleeping in my bed with literally nothing but my shirt. It felt like a dress on her, but fuck, did she look good in it? She looked like fucking mine.Mine.The only reason I hadn’t fucking died in the last three months was that I had to come back to her. Michael’s bullet might have driven me to the brink of hell. But it was the realization that I had in what I thought to be the last moments of mine that held me from tipping over. I couldn’t die without telling her how I felt about her. I couldn’t die without making her mine.With a deep sigh, I used my fingers to move some curls out of her face. She stirred against my touch. Her cheeks flu