Nila's POV Handsome, and utterly lethal but Yet here I am chained by vows to the king of the Russian Bratva. It wasn’t love; it was leverage. A move on the chessboard I had no choice but to make. Now, I play the role of the devoted wife, Even as fear coils in my chest, Counting down the days until I’m free of this merciless man. Adrian Power bends to my will. Always. And now, I’ve claimed the most captivating liar I’ve ever seen. She thinks she can outmaneuver me, That her fake smiles and convincing kisses will shield her from the inevitable. But her fire only stokes my obsession. She doesn’t realize it yet, But freedom isn’t in her future. Our deal? Broken. Nila is mine. Forever.
View MoreShe yelled at him even more.” Katya said “What happened?”“Well, he yelled because she burned the first batch. She yelled because he didn’t tell her how long they should stay in the oven. They don’t understand each other, but it’s hilarious.”We watch them quietly from the doorway.“What happened with the second batch?” I ask. “Did that burn too?”“The second batch was fine. They took it out when the boys came in for lunch. Everyone grabbed one or two, and in five minutes, they were gone.” Katya laughs. “Oh, Nila was furious.”“Why? Did she want to eat them all herself?”Katya gives me a mischievous smile, like a cat who’s caught a mouse. “No, Adrian. She was mad because they didn’t leave any for you.”At that moment, Nila looks up, our eyes meet, and she gives me a smile that feels like the sun breaking through the clouds, warming me. I find myself wishing this moment was real and not just an act. Her heels click on the floor as she walks over to me, the sound echoing in the space.
“And all of them live here?”“Most of the men you met last night have rooms upstairs, but only Leonard, Pavel, Kostya, and Ivan actually live here.”“And what about the staff? The maids?”“Tina and Olga live on the other side of the house, near the kitchen. Katya has a small apartment there too. The rest of the staff go home at night.”“Is Katya your housekeeper?”“She used to be the housekeeper for the old pakhan, my dad. When I took over, I made sure she’d be well taken care of for life so she wouldn’t need to work anymore. She didn’t want to leave, and she still doesn’t. So, I let her manage the house. It makes her happy.”“She doesn’t want to leave you, I guess.”“Yes.”I can tell by the look in Nila’s eyes that she wants to ask more, but she doesn’t, and I don’t offer any more details. Some things are better left unsaid.“This is Sergio’s office, then Dimitri’s,” I say, pointing to the doors to the right. “Kostya and Ivan share the office next to Leonard’s. Mine is at the end of
“I don’t really know what you just said, but I agree,” I nod. “Do you need to call them to cancel?”“Yeah. Give me the phone.”Once we get to the living room, Adrian somehow manages to transfer himself to the sofa. I grab one of the large pillows and place it under his leg, then head to his room to get a blanket and throw it over him. Adrian watches me closely but doesn’t say anything. I don’t think he’s used to someone taking care of him. Maybe I’m wrong, but I think he secretly enjoys it. I go into the kitchen to check what’s left for breakfast. There’s a hand pie with fruit filling. I take a bite. It’s still warm and good enough for now.“I started watching a movie last night, do you want to join me? I only watched about fifteen minutes. I’ll catch you up,” I call out while grabbing orange juice from the fridge.“Sounds good.”“Is there any chance you have popcorn?” I ask as I open the cupboard.“I don’t think so.”“What about the kitchen downstairs? We can’t watch a movie without
Hello!” She waves and gives a friendly smile. No one says anything in response. Perfect.“We had a civil wedding this afternoon but decided to wait for the church ceremony until summer. Nila wants it to be outside by the lake.”“Yes, by the lake,” she says, kissing me on the cheek. “Thanks for agreeing to this, honey.”“I know this may seem sudden, but it doesn’t change anything. If anyone dares to show disrespect to my wife, they will regret it,” I add, locking eyes with each man at the table until I reach my uncle. “It doesn’t matter who they are. Is that clear?”“Yes, Pakhan,” they all respond in unison.“Nila, you already know Maxim and Dimitri,” I say, and they both nod. Then I shift my focus to the other side of the table.“This is Leonard, my uncle.”I watch his reaction carefully, but Leonard is no fool. He gives a polite nod, but the dark glint in his eyes is hard to miss.“On Leonard’s left are Mikhail, the brothers Ivan and Kostya, and Sergei. On Dimitri’s right are Yuri, P
He does the same for each pair of shoes, and by the time we finish, I’m feeling seriously excited. I didn’t know my feet could be so sensitive, or maybe it’s just the way Adrian kept gently caressing my ankle each time. I’m starting to think that if Adrian touched any part of my body, it would feel the same way. But I know I’ll never let that happen.“We’re getting all of them,” he says, motioning for Dimitri, who’s standing by the entrance.“Are you out of your mind?” I whisper so Dimitri doesn’t hear. “Let’s just take one pair.”“No.”“Adrian!”“All of them, Nila. Smile now.”“Thanks, honey, I love them!” I smile brightly at him and give him a quick kiss on the cheek.“Dimitri will take you to the art store, then to the car. Wait for me there. I need to run to another store and I’ll join you soon.”“Oh, that works. I’m not great at finding my way around new places.”“I know, love. Don’t worry, it happens to everyone.” He gives me a fast kiss on the lips and heads out of the store. I
“I need to go buy some clothes,” I say as I get off the bed, grab a sandwich from the tray the maid left, and walk to the door. “Your fancy wife wouldn’t wear one of my hoodies in public.”“I’ll take you tomorrow morning. Be ready at ten.”I look back at him and see him lying in bed, hands behind his head, making his already big body look even bigger. No one should look that good. And I missed the chance to check out his tattoos again. Damn.“Okay. Good night then,” I say and quickly leave the room.Adrian’s POVWhen I get to the kitchen around 9:30, Nila is already finishing her breakfast. Instead of sitting with her, I pour myself some orange juice and drink it standing at the counter. I’m not sure I’ll be able to get up if I sit down now. Warren pushed me hard in my physical therapy for almost two hours this morning, and I barely managed to shower and get dressed after that. I should’ve used the wheelchair right away instead of the crutches.“We need to make a quick stop before I t
Katya smiles. "That's better," she says. "When should I send the dinner?""In an hour," I reply."Great! I'll make sure Tina brings it. She told us all about what she saw yesterday. She’s very good at telling stories. The kitchen staff and some of the men who were there listened to her, saying how you never bring women here, so this one must be really special." Katya stops at the door before leaving. "Make sure Tina catches you two doing something more intimate. You don’t want people to get suspicious when you suddenly announce you're married."I stare at the door, confused and a little worried, and then turn to Adrian. "We are not having sex so Tina can catch us and gossip"He laughs and heads toward his bedroom. "I'm going to take a shower and change. If you plan on doing the same, be quick and wear something nice.""Excuse me?""There won’t be any sex. But Tina will bring the dinner to my room, and you need to be there," he says without looking back."In your room?""In my bed, Nil
She looks at me, confused and disgusted, so I guess I need to explain. "I’m talking about listening devices, not insects.""That’s a strange request, Mr. Di Salis. Want to explain more?""Just call me Adrian from now on. Make sure you don’t mess up when someone is around.""I won’t mess up, Adrian." She smiles and winks at me. She actually winks at me.I sigh. "I believe one of the people who helped plan the bomb to kill me is here in the house. Sergio placed most of the bugs in the rooms two months ago, but he can’t put them in the last few rooms without someone noticing.""Well, I appreciate you trusting me, but I don’t see how I can do it if Sergio couldn’t.""Because if anyone saw Sergio entering those rooms, they’d know something’s wrong. But if someone sees you, you can just say you got lost.""Your house is huge, but I don’t think I would get so lost that I end up in the wrong room." She looks upset. "I’m not an idiot.""This brings me to the second thing we need to talk about.
ADRIAN'S POV I stare blankly at Sergio, who is standing in front of my desk with his arms crossed, wondering where he suddenly got these dumb ideas from.“No,” I say.“Why not? It’s a perfect chance. She can just say she got lost or was exploring the house,” he argues.“Because, one, she probably doesn’t even know what a listening device looks like or where to put it. And two, no one will believe that she just wandered into Leonard’s room or his office by accident. We don’t know who else might be involved. It could be someone from the staff or one of the security guards. I don’t want her giving away any information to Leonard or his partner too soon.”“Are you sure it was Leonard?” Sergio asks.“Definitely.”“Then why don’t we just catch him now? Have Mikhail handle him. He’ll tell us everything by morning.”“And if it wasn’t him?” I ask. “Do you have any idea how it would affect the trust and morale of my team if I tortured one of my own men without proof, only to find out he’s inno
PrologueBeep. Beep. The sharp smell of antiseptic tells me I’m in a hospital. I’m alive. I try to open my eyes, but they don’t respond. The anesthesia must still be in effect. There’s no pain now, but I hear faint voices on my left. They sound familiar, but I can’t place them. Beep. Beep. “Can he hear us?” “No. He’s sedated, Will he survive?” “Yes, unfortunately. His chest wounds weren’t too serious. They stitched him up.” “We can always try again. Blame it on the Italians.” “Too risky. People are loyal to the pakhan. If anyone connects me to this, I’ll end up dead.” Beep. “Well, there is some good news. The bullet destroyed his knee.” “And?” “The doctor says he’ll never walk again. If someone stronger steps up . . . well, no one’s going to back a pakhan in a wheelchair when a better choice is available.” “Guess we didn’t fail entirely.” Two pairs of footsteps fade away, and the door clicks shut. Chapter 1Adrian's POV Seven months later There are nev
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