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
AvaThe Uber rolls to a stop in front of a barely standing building. The middle-aged driver glances at me through the rearview mirror, his brows pinching together. I ignore the look he gives me and shove a few bills into his hand before stepping out.The address Aaron sends me leads me to the industrial side of Chicago, where rusting metal fences and abandoned buildings line the quiet streets. Why the hell did he want to meet up in a place like this? The moment I shut the door, the Uber peels away, the roar of the engine fading into the distance, leaving me with nothing but a puff of engine smoke and dust.Coming to an abandoned building in the middle of nowhere simply because my brother preferred it over coffee in a cafe like normal people should certainly count as my top ten biggest mistakes.My gaze scans the area, and so far, it seems safe and normal.Slipping away from Benjamin had proven difficult. I'd asked him to stop at a random art store, claiming I needed to get some art
AvaMy phone buzzes in my pants as soon as I step out of my art history test on Wednesday. I reach for it, my pulse thrumming when I see the unknown number flashing across the screen. I hesitate for only a second before answering, my hand fisting the phone tightly."Hello?" "How are you, Ava?"That voice. I knew that voice. I grew up with that voice."Aaron?""The one and only"It's meant to come off as playful but there's a restrained edge to it. He sounds tired somehow and nothing like the boy I grew up with.Whereas that voice was lighter and always playful, this voice sounded older, wearier—like life had taken its toll on him in ways I would never understand.Why was he calling me? Now of all times. He abandoned me and now he's calling me like everything is just peachy between us when it's not. He knows it's not.I open my mouth to tell him he's an asshole for ignoring me for months and then trying to joke it off like nothing happene
Ava"I want to show you something," Nikolai tells me when I step into the house after a very long day of classes. I'm tired and my feet ache from shuffling between one lecture hall to the other in hopes of learning something relating to the path I chose to walk in life but am now violently cursing myself from doing.Kira throws me a toothy grin from over her shoulder as she's escorted back to her room by Lydia, her nanny, a grey-haired Russian woman with manners as stiff as a stick. She smiles at me politely as she ushers the little girl who'd tumbled into my legs the moment she saw me walk through the door, her tiny fists clutching the fabric of my skirt tightly like she couldn't let go.It took a while for her to notice me when I first came in, but when she did, she smiled at me so brightly from her father's lap that my heart stopped right there in my chest. Is this what it feels like to be missed?I lift a brow at Nikolai clearly confused at what he needs to show me. Today he's dr
Ava"You look different"Cara announces when we meet up later at one of the cafés around campus. The place is buzzing with students even though it's a Saturday and the campus is less crowded than usual.I glance up from the heart shaped design on my latte, shooting her a puzzled look."Different how?"She shrugs, "Just different"That's strange. I hadn't done anything peculiar to up my style this morning. My hair was in a loose ponytail and the dress I wore to the studio today was less than flattering on my figure. It had to be since I knew that it'd be coated in paint whenever I decided to leave the studio today. Which was thirty minutes ago when Cara called to ask if I was free for lattes.Cara tilts her head, deliberately trailing her gaze up and down my body. She looks at me the way a scientist would look at an equation they can't solve, stern and focused and I try not to let it unnerve me more than it already does.I lift the latte to my lips, taking a sip. The heavy creamy textu
Ava."Are you going to the studio?" Nikolai asks me once I sling my backpack over my shoulder. I'm now fully dressed and trying to ignore the lingering heat on my skin from what happened barely thirty minutes ago between us. After running me a bath, Nikolai asked to join me to which I declined with a firm no. When he realised there was no shaking my conviction, he reluctantly left the bathroom with a small pout, eventually giving me the space I required to clean up.After my bath, he hopped into the bathroom while I got dressed. Since it was a Saturday, I didn't have any classes today, but the deadline for my art project was drawing fast, and I was still a thousand steps away from starting it, not to talk of finishing it. I had to be having some type of artistic block. I mean, what else would you call me just staring at my canvas for three solid hours before deciding that the line I sketched wasn't straight enough and redoing the whole thing.I've been going to the studio every day
AvaI wake up to the feeling of my husband's lips dotting wet kisses across my cheeks, down the column of my neck to the base of my throat and then lower.I stir in the bed, my eyes still closed, when I feel his smile against my skin. "I know you're awake, Solnyshko" Nikolai's deep, husky morning voice rumbles against my collarbone, sending goosebumps erupting all over my skin. He sounds so good for someone who just woke up."Open those pretty eyes for me"He drops another kiss on my collarbone, following it with a quick nip. I wince, involuntarily arching towards him. My eyes snap open and I glance down at the head of dark curls brushing lightly against my chest.Nikolai lifts his head, his piercing green eyes colliding with mine. His lips stretch into a slow, lazy smirk as he looks at me, and I can feel the organ in my chest go into partial shock from how gorgeous my husband looks at the moment. A small teasing glint sparks in his eyes when he sees me watching him and my body ten
BearThe new prisoner his father brought was rather chatty, Bear decided after he heard the third knock on the wall on the second day of his exile."Bear?" came the little voice, soft and curious, as always. He'd come to realize that despite himself he actually found her voice rather tolerable. It was a drift from the normal silence that consumed him whenever his father would send him on one of these exiles.He'd grown so used to the silence his father's punishments often left him with that he never thought that he'd appreciate the sound of another person’s voice. Yet here he was, lying against the cold wall, listening to the sound of her timid knocks and hesitant words, almost as if she was afraid he wouldn't answer.And he almost didn't."Bear, I know you're in there. The least you can do is tell me you don't want to speak to me instead of avoiding me"She had him there."Mozhesh' li ty byt' gromche?" he muttered, his voice slightly hoarse.(Can you be any louder)"I knew you were s
NikolaiAva returns with a pack of frozen peas, a thin towel and a change of clothes. She places the things she brought by my side on the bed and returns to her position on her knees. On any other day, the sight of my wife on her knees in front of me would've sent me coming in my pants, but the tightness in her lips, the subtle puffiness around her eyes, mixed with the throbbing pain in my ribs makes it impossible for me to get aroused in this situation."Take off your shirt?" She orders and I bite down on my tongue to keep from making a joke on how eager she was to get me naked. Considering how well she'd taken my last attempt at a joke stopping myself before the words slip out seems like the only wise thing to do.I discard the blood-stained fabric of my shirt to the floor a few feet away from her, wincing as the movement pulls at my ribs. Ava notices. Her fingers pause, hesitation flickering across her features before she schools her expression and reaches for the ice pack."Hold
AvaI spend the next day exploring the halls of the Volkov mansion. The library more than anywhere else and by the time it's evening, strange as it might sound, I'm more than excited to see my husband again Except I don't see him.Because he doesn't return. At first, I thought maybe something might have come up to keep him a day longer, but then, I didn't hear from him for the next two days, which only grooms my worry.My thoughts spiral, raging from, did something happen to him? To, What if he's hurt? And then my personal favourite, Why won't he answer his goddamn phone?I do everything I can to reach him. Calls texts, you name It. I try it all, and each time, I'm met with nothing. It's almost as if he just disappeared.By the time the third day rolls out, it feels like I can't breathe. I can't focus on anything else, and I try, my God, do I try to reach him, but as usual, I'm met with the constant automatic voice, which I've come to grow annoyed with, informing me that the number