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Chapter Thirteen: The Lady Won
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The Mafia King’s Pawn Chapter Fourteen: Bought By The Devil
“You’re firing us?” My jaw dropped. “For what cause? What did we do?”“I don’t need one,” he said coldly.I stiffened. I hadn’t seen that coming, and I should have. A small-minded man like my boss would never stand being beaten in a card game by a female employee. He’d already resented me for weeks for the respect I’d quickly gained from the staff and all the notes I’d left in the suggestion box, listing possible ways to improve his management of the resort.“Fine.” I grabbed my handful of chips and glared at him. “Then I’ll tell you what I should have written up in the suggestion box weeks ago. This resort is a mess. You’re being overcharged by your vendors, half your employees are stealing from you, and the other half are ready to quit. You couldn’t manage your way out of a paper bag!”Mr. Aldric's face went apoplectic. “You—”I barely heard him as he cursed at me. These extra chips, worth thousands of dollars, would give both Lyra and me a new start—buy us a plane trip back to the
The Mafia King’s Pawn Chapter Fifteen: Unladylike Lady
LyraMy eyelids fluttered, then flew open as I sat up with a sharp intake of breath.I was still fully dressed. I was sleeping on an enormous bed in a strange room. The masculine, dark-floored bedroom was flooded with golden lights from the window.How long had I been sleeping? I yawned, and my mouth felt dry. Who had brought me here? Could it have been Viktor himself?The thought of being carried in those strong arms against his hard chest as I slept on, unaware, caused me to tremble. I looked down at the mussed white bedspread.Could it possibly be his bed...?With a gulp, I jumped up as if it had burned me. I glanced around the room and expensive furnitures. The clock on the fireplace mantel said three o’clock. Gracious! I'd slept for hours.I stretched my arms above my head with another yawn. It had been nice ofViktor to let me sleep. Flying to and fro to save my sister had drained me completely but I felt so much better after the long nap.Until I saw myself in the full-length m
The Mafia King’s Pawn Chapter Sixteen: Resisting The Charm
I smiled down at the hard black angles of his handwriting. I’dthought I hadn’t wanted a dress, that I wanted to keep our wedding asdull and unromantic as possible. But now...how had he known the smallgesture would mean so much to me?Then I saw the dress’s tag. Chanel. Holy cow. Maybe the gesturewasn’t so small. For a moment, I was afraid to touch the fabric. Then Istroked the lace softly with my fingertips. It felt like a whisper. Like adream.Maybe everything really was going to be all right.I exhaled, blinking back tears. I'd taken an enormous gamble, using mylast paycheck to come back to Honolulu, trusting Viktor to help me. But ithad paid off. For the first time in my life, I’d done something right.It was a strangely intoxicating feeling.I had always been the one who ruined things, not the one who savedthem. I'd learned from a young age that the only way to make up for allthe pain I’d caused everyone was just to take a book and go read quietlyand invisibly in a corn
The Mafia King’s Pawn Chapter Seventeen: A Tale Of Two Brothers
Lyra“I’ll look into it further.” He tilted his head. “After we are married. Right now, eat and sign the documents.”“Oh. Right. The deal.” I took a deep breath. “But she’s safe? I hope Andrei hasn't tried to hurt her.”He snorted. “What do you think? Why do you think she wouldn't be safe?”I looked up. “You think she is? I mean, they hate each other. It's only normal that he will try to hurt her.”“She is crafty. And sly. I doubt even my brother will be able to control her,” he said dryly. “It’s more likely she’d be putting him through hell. She has done that before so it won't be quite hard to do it again. You should not be worried about her being in trouble. Trust me, she isn't.”Feeling reassured, I leaned my elbows against the table. The way Viktor described her relationship with Andrei was quite weird. “You don’t like my sister, do you?”“She’s a liar,” he said evenly. “A con artist. What do I have to like about her?"“Not anymore!” I cried, stung. "She has changed. We have left
The Mafia King’s Pawn Chapter Eighteen: The Wedding Awaits
“Wait.” As he started to turn away, I jumped to my feet, grabbing hisarm. “I’m sorry. I’m so stupid, always letting my mouth get ahead of mybrain. My sister always says I need to be more careful.”“I’m not offended.” Looking down at me, he gave me a smile that didn’tquite meet his blue eyes. “You shouldn’t listen to your sister. I respect awoman who speaks the truth without fear far more than one who usessilence to cover her lies.”“But I told you—she’s not like that. Not anymore.” With a weak laugh,I looked away. “If she were, we’d be rich right now, instead of poor. Butshe gave up gambling and con games to give me an honest, respectable life.And just look at the trouble I’ve caused her.” I looked down at the floor.“I gambled at that poker game, and she had to sacrifice herself for me.Again.”He touched my cheek, forcing me to meet his gaze. “Lyra.” His eyeswere deep and dark as a winter storm on a midnight sea. “The choice shemade to sacrifice herself to my brot
The Mafia King’s Pawn Chapter Nineteen: The Wedding
ViktorAn hour later, we exchanged wedding rings, speaking our vows in a simple ceremony in the office of a justice of the peace indowntown Honolulu. I couldn’t look away from the radiant beautyof my bride.Or believe that I'd told her so much about my past. I’d told her aboutmy heartbreaking first experience with love. I’d told her I’d been a virgin at twenty-two. What the hell had possessed me? I had never been so vulnerable with anyone. Why was Lyra Bennet so different? I didn’t care if she looked at me with her weepy eyes and vulnerablesmile. I'd never try to comfort her again with a little piece of my soul.From now on, I'd keep my damned mouth shut. It seemed like charming people and getting anything out of them was a family talent they possessed. “And do you, Lyra Bennet, take this man to be your lawfullywedded husband, to have and to hold, in sickness and in health, for richer orpoorer, as long as you both shall live?”Lyra turned to look at me, her soft brown eye
The Mafia King’s Pawn Chapter Twenty: Falling For The Unladylike Girl
“Don’t be silly,” she said, wiping her eyes. “Of course I’m not crying.”I cursed aloud. “How can the small kindness of cake make youweep? What is so emotional about this?”“You listened to me,” she said, giving me a watery smile. “I’m not usedto anyone actually listening to me. Even Illyra just talks at me, telling mewhat I should want. I have never had anyone do the things I like.”“No more. Remember, now you’re a princess.” I gave her a suddencheeky grin. “Princess Lyra Andreevich.” Reaching down, I stroked hercheek as I looked into her eyes. “Princess Lyra, you’re perfect. You are just as perfect as I wanted."“Princess.” She gulped, then shook her head with a laugh. “If only thegirls who teased me in high school could see me now! I can't imagine their faces when they learn that I am married to one of the most powerful man in the country.”Setting my jaw, I looked down at her. “If any girls who teased you werehere right now, I’d make them regret they were born. They ha
The Mafia King’s Pawn Chapter Twenty-one: The Stolen Kiss
ViktorDamn her intuitive nature. I turned away, my shoulders tight. “Loved. J used to love my brother. But that wasa long time ago. When I was too stupid to know better. Now, I couldn't care less if he existed.”“You shouldn’t give up on him. He is not the only person you can call family now. You're all alone and I am sure that you wish to reconnect with him. You should—”“Leave it alone,” I ground out. "I don't care about family. Relationships are not built on blood but trust. He broke my trust and betrayed me. So he is nothing more than a stranger and a thief. And yes, I am not lonely like you think. I have women come up to my penthouse every day. I don't need anyone."“But you’ve spent the last ten years trying to destroy him—in thisinternecine battle. If you truly have forgotten he existed, why do you keep trying to get in his way? Why are you hell bent on clashing with him?”“Internecine?”“Mutually destructive.”“Ah.” My lips tugged up at the edges. “Well. Our rivalry has ce
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The Mafia King’s Pawn Chapter Seventy Five: Can You Ever Love Me?
As Andrei finished zipping up the ball gown, he turned her to face him. Brushing tendrils of hair from her face, he looked down at her with electric blue eyes. “Are you ready? The ball is in a few minutes.”Looking up at his handsome face, Illyra tried not to feel anything. But her heart slammed against her ribs.His forehead furrowed. “Illyra ?”She turned away with a lump in her throat. “I, um, need some lipstick.” Going to the mirror, she made her lips bright Chanel red. Lifting the silk hem of her gown, she stepped into her expensive shoes with sparkling crystals decorating the four-inch heels, and took a deep breath. “Ready.”Downstairs in the foyer, Andrei took a sharply tailored black coat from the closet, wearing it over his tuxedo. Then he removed a black hanging bag from the closet. He unzipped it. In dismay, Illyra saw white fur.He noted her expression. “Don’t worry. It’s fake.”Dubiously, she reached out and stroked the soft white fur. “It seems real.”“Well.” His lips cu
The Mafia King’s Pawn Chapter Seventy Four: I Cannot Love
He shrugged. “Perhaps she forgot something at your old apartment. You don't have to worry about her. She is old enough to take care of herself. You worry too much about her.”“Spending every penny she owns, just to go back for some old sweater or something?”Andrei pressed his lips together. Illyra saw him hesitate, then reluctantly say, “Apparently she was trying to get the police to take an interest in your case. But they laughed at her, both in Seattle and Honolulu.” He looked at Illyra sideways. “They thought our wager sounded like a lovers’ game between consenting adults.”“Right.” She had a sick feeling in the pit of her stomach. “So where is she now?”He shook his head. “The trail went cold.”Lyra was missing? Illyra opened her mouth, then stopped. Telling him her fears would do no good. She feared it would only set off another tirade from him about how Lyra was a grown woman and that Illyra should allow her sister to face her own consequences.And for all she knew, he was righ
The Mafia King’s Pawn Chapter Seventy Three: Something Is Wrong
The next night, Illyra paused as she got ready for the New Year’s Eve ball. She looked wanly out the tall curved window of their bedroom.The wintry Gulf of Finland on the Baltic Sea looked nothing like Hawaii’s warm turquoise waters. It was even worse than Alaska’s frigid sea. Even in the weak, short hours of daylight, the Russian waves were choppy and gray. But the sun had set long ago, and the world was dark. The black, icy water here could suck the life out of you within seconds if you were dumb enough to fall into it.Kind of like falling in love with a man who would neither love you back nor set you free.Illyra closed her eyes. Yesterday, the workaholic tyrant had been neither workaholic nor a tyrant, playing hooky from work to entertain her. Letting people keep their jobs in his merger. Tipping that saleswoman at the boutique. Getting rid of the men who’d threatened Illyra and her little sister. And more.I’ve never forgotten you, Aurora. She would never forget the stark vulne
The Mafia King’s Pawn Chapter Seventy Two: A Ruined Day
She stared at him, then shook her head. “I can see how you twist women’s hearts around your little finger.”“There’s only one woman I want.” He looked at her beautiful, stricken face over the flickering candle. “I’ve never forgotten you, Illyra. Or stopped wanting you.”He felt her hand tremble before she wrenched it from his grasp. She reached wildly for her untouched glass of vodka and, tilting back her head, drank the whole thing down in a single gulp.That gulp ended with a coughing fit. Reaching around her, he patted her on the back. Her face was red when she finally managed a deep breath, wheezing as she quipped, “See? I know how to handle vodka. No problem.”Somewhat relieved by her deliberate change of subject, Andrei laughed, his eyes lingering on her beautiful face. He’d said too much. And yet it was oddly exhilarating. The adrenaline rush of emotional honesty put skydiving to shame, he thought. About time he tried it.The waiter returned to take their order, and Andrei requ
The Mafia King’s Pawn Chapter Seventy One: I Can’t Be Bought
Andrei had truly expected this to be a quick stop en route to dinner at the best restaurant in the city. He’d assumed Illyra would quickly select one of the most expensive necklaces in the store: the looped rope of diamonds, the diadem of sapphires, the emerald choker that cost the equivalent of nine hundred thousand dollars. But an hour later, she still hadn’t found a necklace she wanted.“Six million rubles?” she said now, staring down incredulously at the ropes of diamonds patiently displayed by the portly jeweler. “How much is that in dollars?”He told her, and her jaw dropped. Then she burst into laughter. “What a waste!” She glanced at Andrei. “I won’t let you spend your money that way. Might as well set it on fire.”He didn’t have nearly the same patience as the jeweler. “Money isn’t a problem,” he said tightly. “I have more than I could spend in a lifetime.”“Lucky you.”“I mean it. After you make a certain amount, money is just a way to keep score.”“You could always donate t
The Mafia King’s Pawn Chapter Seventy: I’m Not A Good Man
Slowly, he turned to face her.Illyra’s hazel eyes were luminous, piercing his soul. “When we met, I thought you’d changed completely from the man I loved. But you’re still the same, aren’t you?” she whispered. “The other man—he’s just the mask you wear.”Andrei’s forehead broke out in a cold sweat. He felt bare beneath the spotlight. “You’re wrong,” he said roughly. “I am ruthless. Selfish, even cruel. Don’t believe otherwise.”She shook her head. “You’re afraid people will take advantage, so you hide your good heart—”“Good heart?” He grabbed her shoulders, looking down at her fiercely. “I am selfish to the bone. I will never put someone else’s interests ahead of my own. I cannot love, LIllyra. That ability is no longer in me. It died a long time ago.”“But—”“Would a good man keep you prisoner against your will?”She lifted her gaze. Her hazel eyes were suddenly troubled, opaque, full of shadows.“No,” she whispered.No. That one word caused an unexpected wrench inside him. As the
The Mafia King’s Pawn Chapter Sixty Nine: You Might Have A Heart
Illyra’s beautiful face came into focus. “Lyra and I have been fired like this before.” Her eyes were pleading as she clutched his arm. “You don’t know what it’s like, to always know that your boss or a single customer can just snap his fingers and take away your livelihood and your pride and your ability to feed your family.” She swallowed, her heart-shaped face stricken. “Please don’t do this.”Andrei’s lips parted. He didn’t even realize he’d agreed to her request until he saw Illyra’s beautiful face light up with happiness. He dimly heard the grateful sobs of the Russian girl, but as Illyra threw her arms around him, he felt only her. Saw only her.“Thank you,” she whispered. She drew back, tears sparkling in her eyes. “And thank you for that huge tip you gave her as an apology. I never expected that.” A smile lifted Illyra’s trembling lips. “I’m starting to think you might have a heart, after all.”Huge tip? Looking down, Andrei saw that his wallet was indeed open in his hand, an
The Mafia King’s Pawn Chapter Sixty Eight: You Belong To Me
He stared at her, and the air around them suddenly became electrified. “Of course they matter.” He took a single step toward her. “Illyra—”A knock sounded at the door. An older man poked his head in, an American with wire-rimmed glasses and anxious eyes. “Your Highness. Excuse me.”“What is it, Anderson?” Andrei demanded.The man looked at Illyra and then cleared his throat. “We’ve reached an impasse, sir. Svenssen is demanding we retain every member of his company’s staff.”“So?”“Our company has a thousand employees we don’t need. Drillers. Cafeteria workers in Siberia. Accountants and secretaries. Dead weight.”Dead weight. Illyra ’s spine snapped straight. He would no doubt consider her and Lyra dead weight, too, with their ten years of backbreaking, low-paying cleaning jobs. Every month, they’d experienced the painful uncertainty of never knowing if their jobs would last, or if they’d be able to pay their bills. Biting her lip, she glanced up and saw Andrei watching her. His eye
The Mafia King’s Pawn Chapter Sixty Seven: My Feelings Don’t Matter
Andrei frowned, drawing closer. “What are you...?” People passed them in the hall, two men in suits and three women in tiny skirts, all looking at them with intense interest. Narrowing his eyes, he growled, “Come with me.”He pulled her into the nearest private office, closing the door behind them. She wrenched her arm away, blinking fast. Her eyes were stinging with unshed tears as she tossed her head. “You’re out of your mind if you think...”She gasped as, without a word, he roughly yanked open her oversized coat. He saw the lingerie, the white lace bustier,G-string panties and garter belt, and drew in a breath. He looked at her darkly.“And you are out of your mind,” he said in a low voice, “if you think I’m going to let you leave.”He ripped off her long coat, dropping it to the floor. Pushing her against the wall of the private office, he kissed her hard. Illyra’s body stiffened as his mouth plundered hers. She felt the soft, demanding steel of his lips against her own. Against
