"Holy sh- Are you crazy woman?! How can you do this? How could you agree to something like that?! You hardly know the guy and you went ahead and agreed to friggin' marrying him?!" Casey exclaimed once Trinity had finished explaining all that had happened between her and Dimitri. Though she was glad that Casey wasn't drinking the coffee which was kept on the table between them, for she was sure it would've come spurting out of her mouth had she taken a sip.
"Last time I checked, I was completely normal and I don't think it's possible for someone to go crazy overnight, unless, of course, they have suffered from a head injury and from what I remember, I haven't," Trinity replied half amused and half worried that her friend's head was going to explode if she kept on going about it like this.
"Stop being a smart- ass Tri! Do you even realize what you have agreed to? He is a billionaire! A damn billionaire! He could have any girl he damn well pleased but he chose you! Someone he didn't know existed until last night! Doesn't that make you suspicious of his intentions? I thought you were smarter than that. But this, this is absurd!" Casey ranted on, equally worried and angry at her friend.
Casey knew that Trinity was an impulsive woman but she also knew that while her friend acted on instinct, she wasn't a fool. From what she had gathered, Trinity had agreed to marry this guy purely because she understood his predicament and wanted to help him. But she had to understand that not everyone was as good as her, not everyone helped others simply because they wanted to, like she did all the time.
Trinity sighed inwardly, she knew what her friend was trying to say here. She understood that Casey was worried for her and simply looking out for her but she hadn't seen Dimitri like she had. She hadn't met him or talked to him like she had.
Her hard life where she had to work for everything and anything she wanted had taught her many things and one of those was that it had made her a good judge of character. She could tell that what Dimitri had said last night- or this morning, depending on how you looked at it- was true. He hadn't been kidding when he had said that he needed her help and the way he had talked about it told her just how desperate he was to save what he had worked so hard to achieve. She could understand where he was coming from. If what she had spent the better part of her life working her ass off for something then she wouldn't stop at anything to save it if it was in danger and that was exactly what Dimitri was doing.
Besides what other reason did he have for asking her to marry him? From what she knew he just wanted a girl willing enough to marry him for a year. If she didn't agree to it then he would look for another girl. It could have been any girl, it was just her luck that she was the one he chose.
It wasn't as if he was forcing her to do it either. He had given her a choice. He had told her that she could back out of it anytime before signing the contract. But once the contract was signed, there was no backing out after that, which she thought was pretty fair.
"Look I know what you are trying to say here. I know that this is really weird and no matter how I put it, it wouldn't make all this any less weird. But I'm just trying to help him out, okay? He's a nice enough guy, besides, it's not like I have anything better to do. I've already lost my job as it is and I'm completely broke right now. It's not like he's going to tie me down and not feed me while I'm with him. I'll be fine with him for a year, you really don't have anything worry about. I mean, what can possibly go wrong here? I'm supposed to be his wife and he'll obviously take care of me, even if it is just for a show. And what's more, I'll get to know how these rich people live. It'll be a new experience for me." Trinity explained in a calm voice, trying to reason out with her friend.
Casey looked at her for a long moment without saying anything. She huffed slightly before picking her mug from the table and settling back into the chair. Taking a small sip, she smirked a little, "Well yeah, he will treat you properly, alright, because if he doesn't, I'll kick his sexy little butt all the way to Alaska."
Trinity chuckled lightly. "Well, I assure you there will be no need for that."
"A little too confident, aren't we?" She teased but Trinity merely rolled her eyes in response. Casey continued after a short pause, her voice stern," But you can't just go ahead and marry him just for the heck of it. What are you even getting out of this other than getting a brand new experience? I mean I know, it's you we're talking about here but if it was any other girl he would've had to make his offer a hell a lot of tempting for them to accept it, because let's just face it girl, everyone's not a saint like you are and they won't go ahead and marry some random guy just so they could help him. So, what's the catch?"
"He may or not may not have offered five million dollars for marrying him." Trinity murmured, frowning slightly as she recalled their conversation. Once she had agreed to marry him, he had looked at her as if she were crazy before asking her if five million dollars were enough.
This time she had looked at him as if he was crazy. Why would anyone want money for helping their friend? She had then politely declined his offer saying that it was too much money and she couldn't take that much money from a stranger.
Dimitri had burst out laughing saying that she could agree to marry a complete stranger but not take money from him which in turn had made her blush.
Well, she hadn't thought of it like that. But five million dollars was a lot of money! And she just couldn't take that much money from someone, even it was from her soon-to-be-fake-husband.
She had told him the same. He had looked at her with something akin to awe in his eyes before telling her that no matter what she had to take that money, claiming that it was the least he could do to return the favour and that he refused to take no for an answer.
The hard set of his jaw and the way his chin jutted out stubbornly was a clear enough indication that he wasn't ready to back down on this one. She had never seen a guy so hell-bent on spending his money, she had thought with an amused smile. But that still didn't change the fact that she couldn't take that much money from him. Besides, what could she possibly do with that much money? She'd still have plenty left even if she bought a nice house and a car.
Maybe she could convince him to at least lessen the amount? She had thought to herself but she knew, she just knew that he wouldn't agree.
Oh well, too bad he'll have to. She thought with half a smirk. Deciding that she'll cross that bridge when she got there, she had conceded.
"What?!" Casey's indignant shriek brought her out of her thoughts. This time though, along with the one word a good amount of coffee came out as well.
"Yeah, he said that he'd give me five million dollars once the year was over. I mean I told him that I didn't need his money and that I was just doing this to help him but he wouldn't listen to me, that stubborn man!" Trinity huffed, crossing her arms over her chest petulantly.
Casey looked at her friend wide-eyed, almost as if seeing her for the first time. She knew Trinity was anything but a materialistic woman but this was just too much, even for her. How could someone refuse five million dollars as if it was nothing?
She could do nothing but stare at Trinity with her mouth agape, torn between picking up the vase kept on the table between them and knocking some sense into her with it or kissing the ground she walked on for being such a kind-hearted soul.
If it was anyone else, Casey would've called her a lying bitch straight to her face and told her to drop the too sweet and too innocent act but this was Trinity they were talking about. And as she looked at her friend sitting across the table from her, frowning at nothing, in particular, she knew that Trinity was anything but a lying bitch.
"Trinity are you....did you...." Too stunned to form a coherent reply Casey finally gave up on convincing her otherwise and sighed in defeat, "Are you sure you want to do this?" She finally asked.
Trinity looked at her friend for a long moment. This was the moment where she could say she didn't want to do this. This was the moment when she could just back out and act as if last night hadn't happened at all. She knew she still hadn't signed the contract, but for Trinity, confessing it all to her pink-haired best friend would be making it more permanent than any signature on a piece of paper would. But from where she was standing at the moment, she couldn't really find a reason as to why she should say no to this, so with determination glinting in her unusual violet- grey eyes she said, "Well, even if something goes wrong, which it wouldn't, it isn't as if I have anything to lose. So yeah, I'm sure."
She didn't have anything to lose, huh? Yeah, that might be true, only if we don't include her heart into that 'anything'.
Dimitri's secretary stared at the phone in her hand for what seemed like an eternity before her boss's authoritative voice brought her out of her supposed shock."Stacy? Are you there?""Y-yes, sir.""I said that I was going to take the day off so I need you to cancel all the meetings for today, have I made myself clear?""Uh...s-sure, sir." She stumbled through her response. "Can I please ask you a question, sir?" She added quickly."Yes, but make it quick.""Are you...uh...are you sick, sir?""Stacy?""Yes, sir?""Goodbye," Dimitri said and hung up, not in the mood to deal with his black-haired, brown-eyed secretary, his thoughts drifting off to a certain blonde-haired beauty with the most unusual pair of eyes he had ever laid eyes on, as they had been ever since he had dropped her off at her run-down apartment and come back to hi
"Are you really going to go and see him wearing that?" Casey asked, staring at her best friend as if she had gone crazy."What's wrong with this?" Trinity frowned, looking down at her all time favorite navy blue tank top and dark wash jeans."Tri, you're going to see a damn billionaire! You can't go out with him wearing something as simple as that." Casey said, exasperated. How Trinity could do something as crazy as that was beyond her. From what she knew, Dimitri had called her last night and told Trinity that he'd be coming to pick her up this afternoon and they were going to go for a 'lunch date' and 'talk'.Any other girl would have started picking out what clothes to wear and what shoes would match them the moment she had finished talking had a billionaire asked them out but not Trinity. No, the girl was going about her business as usual making batch after batch of cookies to take with her when she went to see the girls a
"Hey, Tri, you comin' tonight?" As they made their way down the corridor from Trinity's apartment, a voice which she recognized as Nigel's asked.Dmitri turned at the sound of the voice to see a guy who looked to be in his early twenties staring at Trinity with a dazzling smile on his face.Much to his annoyance Trinity flashed him a full blown grin ,"Do you even have to ask? Course I am!"The guy laughed and nothing irritated him more than that obnoxious laugh of his, "Gee, my bad.""So going out on a date?" The brown haired boy asked, gesturing to Dmitri, a teasing glint in his hazel eyes."Yes." Trinity squeaked, her cheeks turning a light shade of red.Clearing her throat, she continued, "Nigel this is Dmitri and Dmitri, this is Nigel, my neighb
"Tri, you came!" Cindy exclaimed as she watched Trinity place a basket at the center of the coffee table. Running towards her at breakneck speed, she wrapped her tiny arms around Trinity's legs.Laughing, Trinity picked up the little girl who looked adorable dressed in a light pink frock. "Of course I came." She replied and Dmitri watched in a trance like state as more children came rushing into the living room, all eager to get a hug from her.He couldn't help but grin as he watched Trinity twirl a girl around, making her giggle. There were almost more than half a dozen of them. Nine, he counted.Not long after, a slightly plump looking woman entered the room, her eyes lighting up as she saw Trinity."Trinity darling! It's so good to see you." She exclaimed, moving in for a hug."Hey, how's it going?" She grinned down at the old woman."All's well. Just that the donations haven't been much th
Once they were out of the house, leaving a blushing Patricia behind- for Dmitri simply couldn't leave without complimenting her- Trinity asked Dmitri if he had made reservations somewhere. Dmitri told her that he hadn't and was just about to say something else when Trinity pulled him in the direction of a nearby Mexican restaurant. She claimed that it served the best tacos in the world which he simply had to taste, leaving his car in the orphanage's driveway since it was just a few blocks down.The restaurant was a quaint little place which gave off a friendly vibe. The bell jingled overhead when Trinity opened the door, pulling a rather amused looking Dmitri behind her. She was the first girl ever who had actually denied going to a fancy restaurant with him, instead choosing to go to a restaurant so small that one could have easily missed it if it wasn't for the shiny board overheard full of twinkling lights.A toasty warmth enveloped D
So, where's he taking you today?" Casey asked, her eyes catching Trinity's in the mirror who was busy munching on a bag of chips while Casey put on her usual winged eyeliner with painfully careful precision.Trinity took her time chewing as she watched Casey put the eyeliner back in its place. It was only once she'd turned around to look at Trinity did she speak up. "He said that he was going to take me shopping for a few gowns."Casey raised a brow at her friend. "And you agreed without putting up a fight?" She asked, narrowing her eyes skeptically. If there was anything she knew about her friend, it was that Trinity would much rather dig herself a hole and spend the rest of her life in it before she let anyone spend money on her."Well, not really." She muttered, frowning slightly as she recalled the argument they'd had over Dmitri buying her clothes, expensive designer clothes at that."You'll h
The ride to the boutique was spent in a comfortable silence, the only noise being the soft music coming from the car's stereo system.Dmitri told her to wait in the car with a grin. He quickly got out and jogged over to the passenger's side door before opening it and holding his hand out for Trinity to take.She smiled at the gesture, her heart melting a little as he put his hand on the small of her back once he'd shut the door behind her, locking his car. "Chivalry isn't dead, I see." She commented, making him chuckle.The doorman held open the door of the boutique for them to enter, giving a small bow as he did so."Welcome, Mr Kaverin!" A leggy blonde wearing a bright red dress greeted them with a too wide smile, her eyes fixated on Dmitri.Dmitri nodded at her politely. "Hello, Candice.""What can I do for you this evening?" She asked, batting her eyelashes at him.
"Wh-what?" Trinity stuttered out, too shocked to do anything else."You're moving in with-" Dmitri started again."I heard that." She quickly cut him off. "I mean- what I mean to say- I can't just-" Not being able to form a coherent reply, she squeezed her eyes shut, groaning as she did so.Shaking her head to herself to ward off the shock, she finally settled with, "Don't you think we're going a bit too fast?""Nah, I think its fine. Besides, the sooner we're done with this, the better." He explained."Oh. Alright then." Trinity nodded in agreement, trying to wrap her head around the fact that she was going to be living with him from now on."I don't have much with me other than my clothes, books and a few other things." She told him after a while. "So it's not gonna take much time for me to pack everything up." She added.Dmitri hummed his agreement. "
9 years later..."Nico! Come on, dinner is ready," Trinity called out to her son as she set the table.Dmitri had returned home in time for dinner as usual and was helping his wife set the table as they waited for their oldest child to join them so they could start dinner.When there was no response, Trinity turned to Nico's twin. "Nadia, go get your brother."Nadia, ever the obedient bright little girl, rushed off to do as her mother had asked of her."Mum, I'm hungry, can I eat now?" Maxim, their five year old asked, his lips pulled into an adorable little pout."In a minute, Max. Your brother will be here in a minute and then we'll all eat together. And what did I tell you about a family that eats together?""A family that eats together, stays together!" Max suddenly grinned, seemingly proud of himself for remembering what his mother
It was the third day when the police came to take Trinity's statement.She told them everything that had happened truthfully while Dmitri sat there right next to her, all the while holding her hand to show his support. She squeezed his fingers once she was done and the policemen left, promising to put the culprits behind the bars as soon as possible."Are you okay?" Dmitri asked her, pushing a strand of her hair away from her face as he rubbed soothing circles on the palm of her hand."I'm fine," Trinity whispered back. "I'm glad that that statement is out of the way. I hope they can catch those kidnappers soon.""They will, milaya. I'll make sure of it," Dmitri vowed, his expression grim."I just want this all to be over already," Trinity admitted softly.Dmitri stared down at her, his expression softening almost instantly. "Me
Screams echoed all around him but Dmitri couldn't decipher one voice from another, nor did he care to, as he jumped at Samantha on instinct so she couldn't fire the weapon anymore.She screamed as she fell and Dmitri wasted no time in snatching the gun from her and throwing it away.It took him a moment to realise that he'd jumped on top of a pregnant woman but the guilt vanished as quickly as it had come when he heard his wife's pained groan.He then quickly got up before running towards a bleeding Trinity, pressing his hands to the wound on her side to stop the bleeding. With his other hand he pulled out his phone and called 911."Hang on, tight, Milaya. I'll get you out of here," Dmitri said to her once he was done calling for the ambulance.The two kidnappers Samantha's had hired tried to make a run for it especially now that Samantha lay on the floor, sobbing hysterically with blood pooli
"You wanna go first, or should I?" The tattooed guy smirked at his companion, nodding his head at Trinity.His companion laughed, the scar running down the side of his face contracting, making him look almost maniacal. He probably was too if the way he stepped towards Trinity with an evil glint in his eyes was anything to go by.Tyler struggled harder against his reigns. "Don't you fucking dare touch her! I'll skin you alive if you touch a hair on her head!"Their kidnappers simply laughed at his useless attempts and baseless threats. Trinity, though, was oddly calm.She was waiting for either of them to open her bounds so she could grab the opportunity and try to get away from them. She planned on running upstairs and threatening Samantha so their kidnappers would let Tyler go. And then she'd call the police to come rescue them.It wasn't ex
Even though Trinity had expected the answer, she was still shocked."How? When?" She couldn't help but ask, thoroughly confused.Samantha chuckled. "That day at the club opening. I'd planned to drug you all and have my way with Dmitri. Unfortunately, I got too drunk along with you guys and it wasn't until I woke up that I realized it was Tyler I'd dragged into bed with me and not Dmitri. And it was his child I'd be carrying," her lips pulled into a thin line at the admission before pulling up into an all too evil smirk. "But nothing was going to stop me from getting what I wanted. So I decided to improvise. Pretended the child was Dmitri's and you fell for it right away."Trinity looked at her as if seeing her for the first time. And she was. She was finally seeing her for the two faced, conniving bitch that she was."Everything was going according to plan for you until I stepped
A piercing pain at the back of her head was the first thing Trinity registered as she came to, a groan leaving her lips almost involuntarily."Trinity? Trinity? Are you awake?" Came an urgent, frantic voice from somewhere close to her. In the back of her mind, Trinity knew who the voice belonged to, but in her half awake state, she couldn't quite put a finger on it.When Trinity didn't reply, the voice tried again, more urgent this time. "Trinity?! Are you alright? Wake up, please! Open your eyes! Talk to me!"Open my eyes? Trinity thought to herself. Opening her eyes seemed like the most difficult task she'd done in a while for her eyes felt heavier than lead, as if someone had glued them shut. She almost didn't want to try, but something at the back of her mind told her to listen to the urgent, nagging voice. So she did.She tried with all her might to peel her eyes open. She le
Trinity had been distracted with her jumbled up thoughts all the way back to their apartment.Casey, however, thought that Trinity looked so put out because of what she'd said to her in the parking lot. Which made her feel immensely guilty.So in an attempt to make things right, Casey began, "Tri? I was very rude and insensitive back there at the parking lot and-"Trinity cut her best friend off with a shake of her head, lightly patting Casey's injured leg which was lying in her lap as if telling her that it was okay. And it was. "No, Case. You were right about everything. And I needed to hear that. And I was thinking about what you said too. I think I should at least talk to Dmitri about it once," Trinity confessed."Really?!" Nigel, having obviously been listening in to their conversation exclaimed from the front seat, his lips pulling into a wide grin."Ah, fucking fi
Trinity wrapped an arm around Casey's back to support her as she pulled her best friend out of the car in the hospital's parking lot. Once Nigel had rounded the car and was standing next to Casey, supporting her, Trinity let go so she could lock the car."Ugh, stop mollycoddling me, you two. I can walk just fine on my own," Casey huffed, rolling her eyes.It was a few days after when Tyler had come to their apartment that Casey was due for a visit to the doctor to have a look at her still-in-a-cast leg. So here they were, in the hospital's parking lot, ready to go in."I hate to break it to you Case, but you can't. You can hardly put any weight on your leg, let alone walk," Nigel muttered, looking thoroughly amused as Casey huffed again, trying to balance her weight on her good leg.Suddenly, Casey pulled her shoulders back, looking awfully determined. And then she went ahead and put her weight on h
"Whoa, easy there," Dmitri muttered, holding onto the person he'd just crashed into on his way out of the office to his car."Oh, uh, hey," Samantha murmured, tucking a loose strand of hair behind her ear almost shyly as she stepped back, her hand going to her slightly rounded stomach almost reflexively."Samantha?" Dmitri looked down at her, stepping back completely.Samantha gave him a small smile as she looked up at him, taking in his unshaven face and the bags under his eyes. Clearly, the split up hadn't been good for him."Yeah," Samantha muttered, nodding a little."Wow. You're pregnant," Dmitri observed. "Congratulations on that." He continued, trying to make conversation. He'd been so busy drowning himself in work ever since Trinity left that he'd hardly talked to anyone if it wasn't work related. So making conversation for the first time in so