AvaFinding out my father sold me off to a sadistic Mafia Don to save himself was not how I expected my twenty-first birthday to go.But alas. Here, I am. “Are you okay?” My father asks, his voice layered with concern. I turn to observe him, my eyes roaming up and down his slouched shoulders. He was dressed in a black tuxedo one of the men who had brought us in had given him shortly after we arrived at the church. His hair was pushed back, the result of countless hand motions through the balding strands in order to appear much younger than he actually was.It doesn't work.“Ava… Please talk to me”I let out a breath, then pressed my lips together forming a thin line. How exactly did he expect me to answer that?Oh, of course, Dad, I’m fine; it’s great that you sold me to a literal mafia boss to save your life; I totally understand and forgive you.My lips twist downward at the thought.My father had sold me to one of the most ruthless men in all of Chicago in order to save his neck a
AVA I believe you have something that belongs to me. His words linger in the air for only a second before gasps erupt from the audience. My heart hammered against my ribs, and I blinked at the intruder in disbelief. His? What was he talking about? My gaze finds my father. He stands frozen, his lips slightly parted and eyes wide with shock as he looks at the man who called himself Nikolai. “What is going on Marcus!” Alessandro roared, his rage-filled gaze fixed on my father. His face filled with rage. A smile peaked at the corner of the intruder’s lips as he shoved his hands into his pocket. “It’s quite simple, Alessandro. You’ve been played.” Played? As if snapped from a trance My father looked up, his gaze finding mine amid the chaos. Remorse clouded his features. “Forgive me, Ava.” my father says, giving me an apologetic look. My brows knitted together as a slow wave of dread settled at the pit of my stomach, “What have you done?” “It was a long time ago.”
Ava I was married. Married. I still couldn't believe it. I was married to a man who crashed my wedding ceremony, declaring that my father had sold me to him when I was only seven. That couldn't have been legal. Oh, and that’s not even the crazy part. Far from it actually. Not only was I married to this crazy person, but apparently, this man was the long-lost heir of the Russian Mafia who was supposed to be dead. And they say weddings aren't fun. I drag my gaze towards the man seated in the driver's seat just a few inches away from me. He sits there composed and unruffled, an effortless control radiating off him like he hadn't just hurled me on his shoulder and out of the church like a caveman seconds ago. There was no denying the fact that the man beside me was the most painstakingly gorgeous man I had ever seen. His chiselled jaw, sharp cheekbones and tousled dark hair framed a face that belonged on the statue of a Greek god. But that still didn't give him the r
Nikolai Volkov “Papa” Kira's excited squeal hits me before I see her. She runs up to me, wrapping her tiny arms around my leg like a vine. It's a habit she's developed recently and one I planned on breaking - eventually. Her small, chubby face beams up at me, and her eyes sparkle with the kind of joy that I've become immune to. I let out a breath, resting my head on her curls. “What are you doing here Kira? You're supposed to be with Lydia” Kira giggles, clearly missing the annoyance in my tone. She's made a habit of escaping her nanny at every little opportunity since we got back from Russia. It was a habit that was becoming increasingly worrisome, considering she was a five-year-old child who thought that every opportunity should be seized to play hide and seek. Shaking her head, she grins up at me, revealing a missing tooth that was still intact when I left this morning. I make a mental note to put a hundred-dollar bill under her pillow tonight because the last thi
Ava I hardly get any sleep throughout the night. Each time my eyes fluttered shut, Nikolai’s face would emerge from the darkness, just inches from mine, the words he said yesterday lingering in the space between our barely touching lips. I had spent the majority of the night reminiscing about the events of my botched birthday turned wedding day trying to make sense of my current situation. Letting out a disgruntled groan, I turn away from the harsh rays of sunlight streaming in from my windows. Everything was so confusing. My entire life had changed. Everything I knew had been ripped out from under my feet and without an anchor, I had come crashing down into a pile of confusion and uncertainty. Nothing about my life felt real anymore. In the last twenty-four hours, I had gone from birthday girl to wife-to-be, and now I was married to a man whom I barely knew anything about and trapped in his house. Could my life get any worse? The low rumble of my stomach forces me out o
Ava The walls of Nikolai's office are cloaked in a deep charcoal that blends seamlessly into the dark wood design, creating an intense atmosphere. The shelves are filled with all kinds of books, new and old, all turned to the spine. The books are arranged in such precise colour coordination that they look a bit too perfect. The space is much bigger than I expected it to be and I'm almost consumed by its vastness. A large mahogany desk stands at the centre of it all, polished to a gleam with neatly stacked papers arranged on each side, and not a single paper document out of place. A sleek black leather chair stands just behind the desk, its high back giving off an air of authority against the soft glow of the crystal chandelier above the room. Nikolai occupies the chair, matte-framed glasses perched on the bridge of his nose as his pen moves frantically over a document, his brows furrowing in concentration. In the last twenty minutes I've been seated opposite this man
Ava "No" The word tumbles out of my mouth in a rapid fit. I shoot out from my chair, instinctively stepping away from him. A wave of disgust trickles up my spine before sinking its claws around my throat. "No?" Nikolai’s voice is deceptively soft, but his eyes flash with a dangerous intensity as he leans back against his desk. You would think he had never heard the word before with the way he was looking at me. "No" I repeat, firmer this time. "I will not help you kill my father. My God, what is wrong with you? I mean, I knew you were insane, but this? This is a whole new level, even for the likes of you." He leans back against his desk, watching me. He remains annoyingly calm, unfazed by my reaction. "Your father isn't the man you think he is.", My brows furrow as I try to read his expression"What's that supposed to mean?" He steps closer and runs a hand along his jaw, "Your father has blood on his hands, Solnishko, Russian blood to be exact." My shoulders stiffen,
Ava. The devil is real. And he is not a little red man with horns and a fork for a tongue. No, he can be beautiful. A fact I think most people forget. Nikolai was the devil in this scenario, and much like the actual devil, he was the ruler of my personal version of hell. He consumes my thoughts as l lay in bed, tangled in the sheets, our conversation from hours ago - if you could consider it that- replay in my mind. My thoughts drift back to his request in his office and I feel a knot tighten in my stomach at the memory. It was already dark outside, the cool glow of the moon slipped in through my window, casting a dim light across my bedroom floor. I had spent the last couple of hours locked up in here, trying to rid myself of the anger that had now turned to confusion that still burned brightly within me. Nikolai was accusing my father of murdering his brother who just so happened to be Kira's biological father. He wanted revenge for the blood my father spilled and he wa
Ava Fuck I hurl my clothes onto the bed, one piece after another, yanking them out from the bag Kat had packed for me. They were dresses, skirts, blouses, pants, and even tank tops, but none of them was what I was searching for. Fuck, fuck, fuck. She didn’t pack me a nightgown. Not even a t-shirt or anything remotely comfortable to sleep in. Of all the things to forget, how in the world could she forget that? Water drips down my body from my still-wet hair, pooling on the hardwood floor at my feet in tiny puddles as frustration burns my chest. I’d made a beeline for the bedroom the moment I stepped into the guest house desperate for a hot shower to wash off the stress of the day. Now here I am, freshly showered with a towel clinging to my damp body as I glare down at the mess of impractical clothing scattered across the bed. I let out a harsh breath and tug at the knot of my towel, its damp edges clinging uncomfortably to my skin. What the hell was I going to do
Tatiana Nikolai's wife is nothing like I imagined her to be. She’s quiet, but not timid, with an air of hesitance she tries—but fails—to conceal from me. I'm not sure how I feel about her just yet. She seems innocent, almost unsure about a lot of things but I know better than to underestimate her. She throws a look over my shoulder catching my eye as she moves. She looks like she wants to tell me something but she bites down on her bottom lip, stopping the words before they could let out. She's hesitating again. I want to know what's going through her mind. Does she suspect the real reason why Nikolai brought her to Russia? The idea nags at me, but I push it aside. That seems very unlikely. From what Nikolai's told me so far about her, she's determined not to help him with his plot to murder her father. If she had even the faintest inkling of Nikolai’s true intentions, I have a feeling she wouldn’t be here. She turns back around and continues to walk In Front of me shakin
AVA After over ten hours of being trapped in a plane, I can't help but breathe a sigh of relief when the plane finally touches down. The pilot's voice comes through, informing us that we've landed, and the moment the wheels of the plane hit the tarmac, I feel the heavy anxiety that had wrapped my mind during the flight slowly begin to unravel. I’d barely gotten any sleep throughout the flight and since Nikolai was my only source of distraction whenever the plane would stutter or shake, neither had he. “Let’s go” Nikolai whispers gently, taking my hand in his. I nod, following his lead and allow myself to relish the feeling of his callous fingertips against my palm as he leads us out of the plane. The moment my feet touch solid ground again, I'm immediately consumed with a sense of relief and gratitude. I turn to Nikolai, offering him a small smile, which he returns with a gentle squeeze of my hand. Never have I ever been as grateful for the feeling of the earth beneath my fee
Nikolai I should have known something was wrong the moment we boarded my private jet and I felt Ava stiffen beside me. “What's wrong?” I ask when I hear mumbling something under her breath I can't quite make out. She bites the inside of her cheek, turning to me. “I may have forgotten to mention that I'm kinda, sorta, afraid of flying.” She replies, forcing out a laugh. I stare at her, waiting for her to tell me that she's joking, but her lips remain pressed together as she grips the armrest tightly, holding on to it like it's her lifeline. Of course, she's afraid of flying. Her body trembles and she bites down on her lower lips once we reach the runway. She looks like she's seconds away from throwing up and for the sake of the people responsible for cleaning this jet, I hope she doesn't. “Why didn't you tell me?” I ask and she regards me briefly, her body still trembling. “I wasn't sure how you'd going to react.” She mutters. My stomach twists as the weight of her words
Ava I dig the tip of my fingernails into my palm as I glare at my husband, waiting for him to answer my question. The silence in the car is thick and it stretches to the point that it almost feels suffocating. Quite frankly I don't think I’ll be able to keep the anger burning in my chest from spilling much longer. Outside Benjamin casually leans against the hood of the car, his arms folded across his chest as he stares into the distance. He’s been standing there for the last five minutes, ever since I politely asked him to get out of the car while I had a conversation with my husband. A husband who was quite literally getting on my last nerves with the whole silence thing he was going for instead of providing me with answers. The parking lot is filled with people moving in and out of the airport with their luggage in tow. Nearby, a group of travellers rushed past, dragging their luggage behind them and happily laughing at something one of their members had said. Their happy
Ava I stare at the rows of glittering diamond and gleaming gold laid out in front of us in neat rows behind velvet-lined show glasses stretched across the room, each showcasing a set of glittering pieces. Each cut diamond and precious gemstone seems to capture the light in the room, refracting it in different directions until all I can see are the flashes of brilliance shimmering in the air. Nikolai brought me to a jewellery store. But not just any jewellery store. No, he brought me to the biggest one in the city. Éclat was known around Chicago for its unrivalled collection of diamonds and gemstones from all around the world. Each piece has been carefully curated by different masters of the craft, from renowned gemologists to expert artisans. It's the kind of place that only caters to the elite and the only place in the city where each piece was worthy enough to be a statement. Around us, only a handful of people browse quietly, moving from one display to the other with t
AVA “Your canvas is blank” Cara says, peeking over my shoulder, her eyes narrowed as she stares at the wide expanse of white space, untouched by the dripping paintbrush in my hands. I let out a sigh, a long shallow breath breaking past my lips. At the beginning of class, Mr Bennett, our painting instructor, scribbled down a prompt for all of us in class to follow and explained that he expected us to let out our creativity following what was written. I, of course, couldn't have been more thrilled. The past few days had been hectic, and I'd longed for an outlet, and this was the perfect opportunity. Or so I thought. It's been almost an hour since class started and while everyone seems to be enthralled in their work, I've spent my time glancing between my canvas and the prompt. Serenity and Calmness. I almost laughed when I first saw it. Nothing about my life in the last two weeks has been either calm or serene so how the hell am I supposed to craft a masterpiece out of somethi
Ava I can’t sleep. It’s currently twelve thirty am, and so far, I think I've developed permanent back pain from all the tossing and turning I've been doing. I spent the last hour listening to a pretty interesting ASMR playlist, but as usual, the internet lied, and the hour of soft tapping and nail scratching did nothing to cure my insomnia. After Nikolai and I got home, I’d spent the rest of my day with Kat who spent half the time we were together chastising me for leaving without telling her and the other half asking for details about how I spent my day. After dinner, I came up to my room and called Cara. She picked up on the second ring and asked if I was okay to which I replied yes. We spent the next thirty minutes catching up, and she told me how her car broke down before she could reach home, but luckily for her, Mark, a boy from our sculpture class, apparently saw her struggling and decided to offer her a lift. She seemed oddly excited about receiving help from the mysterio
Ava “Are you out of your mind!?” I screech, slamming my fist down repeatedly against Nikolai's back. He makes no effort to dignify my outburst with a response other than the low grunt that escapes him and continues marching down the parking lot towards his car. A small crowd has slowly started to form with people murmuring and exchanging glances as I dangle from my husband's shoulder like a sack of potatoes. Unfortunately, the growing crowd does little to sway my husband, and he continues to ignore the curious looks from the strangers around us, moving with calm, unhurried steps. His hold around the back of my thighs is the only thing anchoring me to him and my cheeks burn with a mixture of embarrassment and frustration at the position I'm in. It's official, today is officially the worst day of my life. Not only am I being hurled around by Nikolai on his shoulder, but, everyone can see it happening, and no one is doing anything to help me. “Put me down you pompous ass-” my