“Don’t call me that. Where is she?”
She bowed her head. “She’s getting ready.”
Maxim climbed the stairs two at a time. Thankfully, the upgrades halted on the second floor. She didn’t have enough time. Well, she missed her chance. Maxim pounded on her door, but then remembered she was his wife and he didn’t care if she was indecent. He shoved his way inside and went through herliving room to stop short at the open doors of her bedroom. She spun around with her arms over her chest and a towel pressed tight to her. Her strawberry blond hair dripped over her shoulder, and her cheeks were red from the heat of her shower.
He had met plenty of beautiful women before, but the way she stood before him was enough to pause his breath, and he stood there, ridiculously stunned.
But only for a moment.
Maxim fisted his hands. “What did you do to my house?”
“Please get out.”
“You had no right to change a thing.”
Kira shifted behind the banister of her bed. The curtain was just wide enough to hide her while she slipped on her panties. “It is my house too.”
“No, Morozov, it is not.” Maxim wasn’t about to reveal he could see the side of her naked hip and just the edge of her breast. He looked away. “You own nothing here. My family risked tooth and nail to be where we are. It wasn’t just handed to us on a silver platter.”
“So I am to be hated because of who I was born to?”
“How does that feel?”
She tightened her lips and pulled up the dress before stepping out. Maxim stared at her, and though she expected no reaction, she still felt disappointed when there wasn’t one. “I have never hated anyone for the color of their skin, so take your resentment somewhere else.”
He took a step forward, enjoying how she took a step back. Did she know that the dress she wore revealed too much cleavage? It was perfect for her tits, and it aggravated him how much he liked it. “Where did you get the money?”
“Your ‘allowance’ was pitiful. So I used some of my inheritance. If you think I need a man to care for me, you foolyourself.” Kira went to bypass him, but he snatched her arm, ignoring her wince.
“You are my wife now. You do not go to your family for a thing.”
Pulling her arm free, she snapped back, “You leave me for weeks, and you think I will just sit idly by? This is the twenty-first century,good husband. If I want something, I will get it myself.”
“Not anymore. But that is the end of this discussion. My brother is here, and you will behave.”
She scoffed. “Why, yes, sire, whatever you bid me.”
Maxim eyed her and just for spite, he bit, “Change. That dress is hideous on you.”
Chapter five
Duties
Kira unwrapped a piece of candy and stuffed it in her mouth before she opened the doors to her room. She had changed, as requested, but now wore a black, heavy funeral dress with long sleeves, a long skirt, and laced fabric that went up to her neck. It used to be her favorite dress during her ‘emo’era, and one her father abhorred. It was a little bulky considering the weight she lost for the wedding, but what did that matter? She followed her husband’s directive like a good girl.
Kira was bitter because for most of her life, she had witnessed Rurik and Luerna’s marriage, and she promised herself she would never be in that position. She would never allow a man to dictate who she spoke to, to lock her in the house, or to keep her from freedom. Kira thought she had chosen better than that.And now here she was, slowly walking in the footsteps of every sister before her.
No.
Kira promptly turned around and rushed back into her room to put on her dress. She didn’t care if he thought it was ‘hideous.’ She loved that dress. It was the only one so far she felt remotely comfortable in. She didn’t have much self-confidence, and maybe it wasn’t the best color on her, but she wasn’t quite sure what color was. She hated how she looked in everything, but this dress, she hated it a little less, and that mattered.
Kira looked at herself in the mirror. She swayed, smiling, feeling like a fairy in the chiffon fabric, and her fingers glided along the purple embroidered flowers. Her small breasts sat comfortably in the halter, making them appear larger than they were. It was perhaps too much cleavage, but what did it matter? He was clearly not attracted to her.
Kira wanted to smother his anger with kindness. She thought all she did for the house would show him how much she was invested in their future. She wanted to be a good wife. So why did he continue to be cruel?
Kira snatched another piece of chocolate and popped it into her mouth before any tears could escape. She was not going to cry. She was stronger than he knew, and she was going to show him. Even though she felt fragile, more delicate than the fabric she wore.
Kira went downstairs and, with some direction from the servants, she traveled through the hallway and out into the large carport next door. She hadn’t been in this area yet. She had busied herself with the downstairs to surprise him when he got home. She hadn’t even thought it possible for him not to like it. What was there not to like? It was beautiful now. Who cares who bought it?
