Maxim Vasiliev~•~FLASHBACK (TWENTY-TWO YEARS AGO)I sat at the edge of the pool, my feet dipped into the water. My nanny always told me not to go near the water when I was alone but she wasn’t around so I could do as I liked.She hadn’t been back in a few days, which was odd, but Father refused to tell me where she went and if she would be back. I was bored. Usually, my nanny would be around to keep me busy, but then again, if she was around, I would probably be having my afternoon sleep after my lesson.Unlike other kids, my lesson consisted of learning about various weapons and how deadly they were. Today, I learned about the VSS Vintorez. VSS stood for Vintovka Snayperskaya Spetsialnaya, which was Russian for ‘special sniper rifle’.It was a rifle that was created in 1981 and it was quite long with a barrel length of 200mm. I wasn’t allowed to hold it just yet. My Father said I would learn how to use it when I was older. My thoughts were interrupted when I saw a mop of blonde h
Maxim Vasiliev~•~PRESENT DAY“You’re lying,” I told Brielle. I refused to believe that my father had been lying to me all my life and kept up with it religiously. It had to be a lie. Did my father ever care about me at all?Two pairs of eyes were rooted on me, watching my reaction.“You have got to be lying,” I repeated, knowing fully well that it was possible my father lied. After all, he did the same concerning my relationship with Landon. He fed us lies since we were little, causing us to resent each other until Landon’s last breath. Was it just a game to him? What was he trying to achieve?“I’m not lying, Maxim.” Brielle stood up, approaching me carefully.My fists clenched in anger. I felt like a damn fool. It agitated me. “All these while,” I spoke through gritted teeth. “I needed someone to blame and I blamed your father, not knowing the culprit was right in front of me.”“You can’t be mad at yourself.” She spoke softly, already knowing what was going on in my head. “You coul
Brielle Clarke ~•~My sisters coming to my house was becoming a thing now. It was weird the first few times, but apparently, they had a lot of free time on their hands and my house seemed interesting.The day that broke the ice was the day we all got drunk together and crashed in one of the spare rooms, giggling and reminiscing on the few good times we had in our childhood.Today, we were trying out the pool together. Maxim had finally warmed up to them. He had been distracted these few weeks and I had a feeling he was scheming. He said he was going to make his father pay and everyone knew Maxim did not make empty threats. It wasn’t in his nature.I didn’t know what he was up to and he didn’t tell me. I gave him space to do what he wanted but I let him know that I was there for him if he ever needed me.“You look stunning in that piece, Bri.” Avery complimented me, mimicking the whistle of a sex-starved man.I was putting on a black one-piece. It was plain but backless. It was simple
Brielle Maxim~•~“Why don’t we throw a party?” All eyes, except Maxim’s turned to Mikhail. Why was he talking about a party when Maxim hadn’t settled his score with his father yet? Everyone would finally be able to relax when we knew the man was behind bars, paying for his crimes.“Why? The alcohol you are consuming right now is not enough for you?” Andrei asked sarcastically. We were at a bar, drinking together and I was the only woman among them. I wanted to stay at home and let them have a boys’ night out but Maxim refused and demanded I follow them.It was just me, Maxim, Andrei, and Mikhail. I wanted to bring Marina with me so I wouldn’t be the only female but she happened to be busy. Sometimes, it sucked that I didn’t have any friends, but most times, I was grateful for the tight-knit circle I had. I didn’t have to worry about betrayal and someone giving out my information to the enemy.Being with Maxim meant I inherited all his enemies and I could never be too careful. I had
Maxim Vasiliev ~•~I had put Brielle through a lot this year. I had put her through too much in general. Aside from the hell I gave her, she was kidnapped because of me and she was made a target because of my numerous enemies.Climbing up the ladder wasn’t so easy in our world. It meant making a lot of enemies. It meant defeating these enemies, but the problem was that some always came back.I wanted to give Brielle the perfect gift for her birthday, which was in five years, which was why I focused all my attention on stripping my father of everything he owned.He was the man that killed her mother. He was the one that made her go through all the shit she endured from her so-called family, and if I didn’t take care of him fast enough, I knew he was going to go after Brielle. She was my weak link. Everybody knew that:I wanted her birthday to be a special one. I wanted to throw her a grand party. Something told me she didn’t usually celebrate her birthdays because of the kind of famil
Maxim Vasiliev ~•~Brielle’s bright idea was to ignore me. She didn’t talk to me all day when on a normal day, she would come into my office at least, five times. She didn’t sleep in the room as well and I hadn’t seen her all day, except for when we all had breakfast together this morning.I didn’t know why she was acting up when all I was doing was for her safety. I didn’t tell her she couldn’t go out. I just told her she shouldn’t go out until it was relatively safe; when she could go out without me worrying that my evil father would get to her.“Trouble in paradise?” Mikhail laughed as he joined me in the gym.I rolled my eyes. It was obvious she had told him about it already. Sometimes, I wondered if he was my best friend or hers, but then again, aside from Marina, he was the only close friend she had.“She’s being a child.” I understood that she had been locked in all her life but she was twenty-two, an adult, and now exposed enough to know that I was only looking after her.“I
Brielle Clarke~•~Just because I slept in the same bed as Maxim last night didn’t mean I’d forgiven him which was why I sneaked out of the bed early in the morning before he could wake up.It was a first for me.“Good morning, Mrs. Vasiliev.” Aubrey joked immediately after I answered her call.I rolled my eyes. “More like Miss Clarke.”“You could’ve fooled me. You said you weren’t sure about today because of your husband’s disapproval?”“He’s not my husband.” I gritted out, irritated by her teasing.“Okay, then how come he’s making decisions for you already?”I sighed. In the beginning, Maxim used to be very protective and controlling, but now, I knew that he wouldn’t tell me not to go out for no reason. He probably had something up his sleeve. The problem was that he didn’t trust me enough to tell me what it was and it aggravated me.That was the main reason I was ignoring him.He got so mad at me when I didn’t trust him and now that I trusted him with my life, he couldn’t share sma
Maxim Vasiliev ~•~I received an enraged call from my father this morning. He was pissed as fuck, but that did not stop me from going on with my plan.When I woke up this morning, I saw that Brielle wasn’t in bed with me, which meant she was still mad at me, but I didn’t have the time to stick around and wait to apologize to her. When I was done dealing with my father, I would explain everything to her.“You’re not taking it easy on the poor man,” Andrei said. He had also been pained by my father’s betrayal because he was a man we all trusted.“He deserves it,” Mikhail replied from the back seat. “He should have seen it coming. He knows the kind of son he raised.”Not to brag but Mikhail was right. He did know the kind of son he raised. Unlike him, I didn’t hide any parts of myself. I didn’t pretend to be who I wasn’t, so he knew me. He knew what I was capable of and he knew how I’d react to a betrayal. Betrayals were something I didn’t take lightly because a betrayal could ruin the
Brielle Clarke~•~Maxim had no plans of making use of the toys anyway.It was very late at night and every sane person that was present at that party was asleep already, but not me and Maxim.I was naked and on my knees. The only accessory on my body was the collar that Maxim made me wear. It was black with a silver pendant that had his name on it. It was very derogatory, but it felt hot as fuck.Maxim had me waiting on my knees while he freshened up, which made me anticipate what was going to happen. Only thinking about sex with Maxim had my arousal dripping down my thighs and he hadn’t done anything yet.I heard the closet door open and my eyes snapped up. Maxim was still fully dressed in his three-piece suit, with his tie in place.“Who said you could look at me, whore?”My gaze dropped immediately before I could think twice about it. I heard him approach me and in no time, he was squatting in front of me.He lifted my chin, finally giving me permission to look. My eyes were stuck
Brielle Clarke~•~I knew Maxim had plans for my birthday, but what I didn’t know was that he planned to have a party as big as this.I almost chickened out from descending the stairs when I saw the crowd below it. Maxim had given me a black sleeveless dress to put on and Marina had helped me with my makeup and all that, keeping me inside the room for hours, giving him enough time for all the guests to arrive.“What’s this?” I questioned, my eyes stuck on the people who were eagerly waiting for my arrival.“I told you you deserve to be celebrated, baby. Didn’t I?” I was speechless. I couldn’t fucking speak. “That’s what this is. Now, stop putting on that alarmed face. One would think you were being kidnapped.” My eyes snapped to him and he raised his hand in surrender. “Too soon, I guess.”I laughed, kissing him shortly before he led me downstairs.“Happy birthday, Brielle.” They screamed in unison, making my pale face turn pink.It was night time already and I thought Maxim wanted to
Brielle Clarke~•~After the whole thing, Andrei helped me and my sisters get to the car and drove us home. Maxim didn’t even bother looking at me when we were leaving. I didn’t speak to him either because I knew he was in a difficult state. I didn’t know what to say to him and I didn’t want to say the wrong thing. “Take them home,” Maxim told Andrei. He didn’t flinch. He acted like he was okay like he didn’t just end his father’s life. Throughout the ride home, I was thinking of how Maxim felt. He was definitely angry at me because I wanted to shoot his father. Did I cross a boundary? But I only tried doing it because I wanted to protect Mikhail. “Are you okay?” Aubrey broke the silence in the car. I sat in the middle of both of them and hadn’t moved since the ride started.“Yes, I’m okay.” I lied. I didn’t want to talk about what just happened. I was still trying to process it. “It’s okay if you’re not okay. What happened back there must have been traumatizing.” She didn’t buy m
Brielle Clarke ~•~I looked up when I heard the door open, already knowing it was going to be Maxim.I felt awful. Maxim had seriously told me not to leave the house yet I did, putting myself and my sisters in danger, along with Maxim because who knew what his father wanted to do to him.From the snippets of conversations I’d heard around the house, Maxim had been provoking his father. Maybe, it was finally time for his father to retaliate and he was only able to get to Maxim through me.I was scared as fuck, but I felt even more guilty.Maxim looked right at me and took a step forward, only for his father to point the gun at me, making him come to a stop immediately. “Not so fast, boy.” He shook his head mockingly. “Are you that eager to save her?”I saw him clench his fists before putting them in his pocket. “What do you want?”“For you to undo all the stupid stunts you pulled.”“I’m sorry I can’t restore burnt buildings.” Maxim gritted out, unable to withhold his sarcasm even in
Maxim Vasiliev ~•~I received an enraged call from my father this morning. He was pissed as fuck, but that did not stop me from going on with my plan.When I woke up this morning, I saw that Brielle wasn’t in bed with me, which meant she was still mad at me, but I didn’t have the time to stick around and wait to apologize to her. When I was done dealing with my father, I would explain everything to her.“You’re not taking it easy on the poor man,” Andrei said. He had also been pained by my father’s betrayal because he was a man we all trusted.“He deserves it,” Mikhail replied from the back seat. “He should have seen it coming. He knows the kind of son he raised.”Not to brag but Mikhail was right. He did know the kind of son he raised. Unlike him, I didn’t hide any parts of myself. I didn’t pretend to be who I wasn’t, so he knew me. He knew what I was capable of and he knew how I’d react to a betrayal. Betrayals were something I didn’t take lightly because a betrayal could ruin the
Brielle Clarke~•~Just because I slept in the same bed as Maxim last night didn’t mean I’d forgiven him which was why I sneaked out of the bed early in the morning before he could wake up.It was a first for me.“Good morning, Mrs. Vasiliev.” Aubrey joked immediately after I answered her call.I rolled my eyes. “More like Miss Clarke.”“You could’ve fooled me. You said you weren’t sure about today because of your husband’s disapproval?”“He’s not my husband.” I gritted out, irritated by her teasing.“Okay, then how come he’s making decisions for you already?”I sighed. In the beginning, Maxim used to be very protective and controlling, but now, I knew that he wouldn’t tell me not to go out for no reason. He probably had something up his sleeve. The problem was that he didn’t trust me enough to tell me what it was and it aggravated me.That was the main reason I was ignoring him.He got so mad at me when I didn’t trust him and now that I trusted him with my life, he couldn’t share sma
Maxim Vasiliev ~•~Brielle’s bright idea was to ignore me. She didn’t talk to me all day when on a normal day, she would come into my office at least, five times. She didn’t sleep in the room as well and I hadn’t seen her all day, except for when we all had breakfast together this morning.I didn’t know why she was acting up when all I was doing was for her safety. I didn’t tell her she couldn’t go out. I just told her she shouldn’t go out until it was relatively safe; when she could go out without me worrying that my evil father would get to her.“Trouble in paradise?” Mikhail laughed as he joined me in the gym.I rolled my eyes. It was obvious she had told him about it already. Sometimes, I wondered if he was my best friend or hers, but then again, aside from Marina, he was the only close friend she had.“She’s being a child.” I understood that she had been locked in all her life but she was twenty-two, an adult, and now exposed enough to know that I was only looking after her.“I
Maxim Vasiliev ~•~I had put Brielle through a lot this year. I had put her through too much in general. Aside from the hell I gave her, she was kidnapped because of me and she was made a target because of my numerous enemies.Climbing up the ladder wasn’t so easy in our world. It meant making a lot of enemies. It meant defeating these enemies, but the problem was that some always came back.I wanted to give Brielle the perfect gift for her birthday, which was in five years, which was why I focused all my attention on stripping my father of everything he owned.He was the man that killed her mother. He was the one that made her go through all the shit she endured from her so-called family, and if I didn’t take care of him fast enough, I knew he was going to go after Brielle. She was my weak link. Everybody knew that:I wanted her birthday to be a special one. I wanted to throw her a grand party. Something told me she didn’t usually celebrate her birthdays because of the kind of famil
Brielle Maxim~•~“Why don’t we throw a party?” All eyes, except Maxim’s turned to Mikhail. Why was he talking about a party when Maxim hadn’t settled his score with his father yet? Everyone would finally be able to relax when we knew the man was behind bars, paying for his crimes.“Why? The alcohol you are consuming right now is not enough for you?” Andrei asked sarcastically. We were at a bar, drinking together and I was the only woman among them. I wanted to stay at home and let them have a boys’ night out but Maxim refused and demanded I follow them.It was just me, Maxim, Andrei, and Mikhail. I wanted to bring Marina with me so I wouldn’t be the only female but she happened to be busy. Sometimes, it sucked that I didn’t have any friends, but most times, I was grateful for the tight-knit circle I had. I didn’t have to worry about betrayal and someone giving out my information to the enemy.Being with Maxim meant I inherited all his enemies and I could never be too careful. I had