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 his penthouse.
He had taken a shower, dressed up and gotten ready for going to the office, as usual, mindlessly going through the routine without actually paying attention to it, all the while thinking about her. About Trinity.
He had known her for barely half a day but she was all he could think about. She was the simplest woman he had met so far, yet, she was the most mysterious one. No matter how hard he tried but he just couldn't get her out of his mind.
He had thought that maybe going to the office and all but drowning himself in work would help him get rid of thoughts of her. But as he drove the familiar path to his office with his bodyguard Jack following closely behind, reminding himself for the nth time that morning to stop thinking about her, he knew that he wouldn't be able to work today, no matter what.
So he had pulled over to the side of the road, called his secretary and told her that he wasn't going to come to the office today.
Not even a minute later a knock came onto the window of his car and he rolled it down to find his hulk of a bodyguard peering down at him with concern filling his grey eyes.
"Is there something wrong, sir?" Jack asked.
"No, I just don't feel like going to the office today. We're going back to my penthouse."
"What?!" Jack exclaimed, eyes wide, mouth agape and Dimitri couldn't help but wonder if the guy peering down at him through the car's window was really his bodyguard. Jack had always been so placid that it was, for a lack of better words, downright weird seeing him lose himself like this, even if it wasn't much and was very short-lived. Quickly composing himself, Jack asked, "Uh, are you not well, sir? Or is there an emergency?"
"Everything's fine, I'm just taking the day off," Dimitri replied, half irritated and half-amused as he watched his bodyguard go almost rigid with shock, opening his mouth a few times as if to say something before quickly shutting it, nodding somewhat shakily, and walking back to the car behind him.
He knew that this was the first time in forever that he had decided not to go to the office and just rest for the day.
But it wasn't that big of a deal, was it?
As he turned to key into ignition and turned the car around to go back to his penthouse, he concluded that yes, it was a big deal. He didn't like wasting time, just lounging around at his place when he could have been working. He was a hard-working man and never in his life had he taken a day off unless he absolutely had to and even then he'd tell Stacy to postpone his meetings and appointments to later in the day. But today he had just told her to cancel everything. He could understand why both Stacy and Jack had acted as if he had just told them to stick a pineapple up their asses but he couldn't say he was any less shocked at what he was doing.
He was taking a day off for cripes' sake!
He had never done that. Ever.
So why now? Why today? He all but banged his head onto the steering wheel of his sleek Porsche out of frustration as he thought about it. He knew there was no point in going to the office when he wasn't going to be able to work. At all.
But all this because of a girl? A girl he had met just a few hours ago none the less. He had met more girls than he could count but none of them had plagued his thoughts like Trinity had. Not even Samantha, and that sure was saying something.
Any other girl would have been jumping at the chance of having five million dollars all to herself, but not Trinity. No, the girl had looked at him with an indignant expression when he had offered her the money and outright refused to take it, claiming that she couldn't take that much money from a complete stranger. He would've cooed at the cute blush that had covered her cheeks when he had said that she could marry a complete stranger but not take money from him had he not been shocked to his very core. She had just refused to take five million dollars as if it was nothing!
Seeing her run-down apartment and her beat-up truck it was more than obvious that she wasn't rich. From what he had seen, she was barely keeping it together, yet she had refused to take the money. Why someone would do that was beyond him.
She was a mystery to him and he'd be lying if he said that he didn't want to solve it.
"Just what the hell is this girl doing to me?" He muttered to himself, huffing slightly as he parked his car in its designated spot and got out, shutting the door behind him as he did so.
Determined to know just who and what this girl was, he ordered Jack, who had just gotten out of his car and was walking towards him, to find out all he could about a certain Trinity Johnson.
Jack took off to complete the task assigned to him, no questions asked. Dimitri had asked him to do things far more dangerous and far more difficult than this and even though Dimitri hadn't said anything, Jack could bet his right hand that this girl had something to do with the way his boss was acting ever since he had come back this morning.
Dimitri hadn't taken Jack with him when he had gone to the bar last night no matter how much of a fight Jack put up and now Jack couldn't help but curse himself for not going with him. He knew whoever this girl was, Dimitri had met her last night and she was the reason that for the first time in forever his boss was taking a day off of work.
Not being able to decide if that was a good thing or a bad one, he got into his car and drove off towards the address his boss had given him, all but dying to know about the girl.
Dimitri watched his bodyguard go for a moment before heading into the elevator and pressing the button to his floor. The expression on Jack's face told him that his bodyguard was more than curious about Trinity but he was glad that he hadn't asked any questions because, in all honesty, he was completely clueless when it came to anything related to a certain unusual eyed girl.
Entering his penthouse, he rang up Samantha. He knew she wasn't in town at the moment. Heck, she wasn't even in the continent but right then, all he wanted was to talk to her. To hear her voice. And why? Was it because he missed her? No, he concluded, frowning.
It was because he wanted to get his mind off of Trinity, even if it was for a little while. Deciding not to dwell too much on his real reasons for calling her, he concentrated on the constant beeping of the phone as he pressed it to his ear.
"Hello?"
"Hey, Sam, what's up, babe?"
"Nothing much, I was just about to take a short nap. Had a pretty long day, you know?"
"Oh. Well, I'll leave you to it then. We can talk some other time. Go-."
"Dimitri?" She cut him off.
"Yeah?"
"What's bothering you?" Samantha asked. Having been with him for a year now, she could tell if something was wrong with Dimitri even if he wasn't standing in front of her. While usually, that was something he absolutely adored about the girl, today he just wanted her to make him forget about it instead of talking it out like they usually did. But he knew she wasn't going to let it drop, not when she knew something was bothering him.
He was seriously regretting calling her in the first place.
"Dimitri? Babe, what's wrong? You know you can talk to me, right?" Samantha asked, concern lacing her every word.
"I know, Sam, I know." He sighed. Deciding to tell her everything, he began. She had a right to know everything, didn't she?
Then why was he leaving the part out about how he couldn't stop thinking about how unusually beautiful her eyes were? Or about how utterly breathtaking she looked when she smiled that sweet smile of hers?
"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. "
Trinity waited patiently as they rode the elevator together to the thirty second floor of the building where Dmitri's penthouse apartment apparently was. The soft music was the only thing keeping them company as they stood next to each other."Jack will bring your stuff up in a bit and I'll help you put it into your room. I'd ask him to put it away but we can't exactly have him knowing that we're staying in different rooms." Dmitri's explanation broke the comfortable silence that had surrounded them like a warm blanket.Trinity nodded at him. "That's understandable." Before she could say more, the elevator doors dinged open and Dmitri walked ahead of her and into his apartment.Trinity walked behind him, taking in the open space with eager eyes. They had walked from a large foyer into a larger living space with nearly twenty feet large floor to ceiling windows which overlooked the city's skyline where the opposite wall should
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