A short, curvy woman with dark curly hair comes in first. She’s almost as pale as me, with extremely rosy cheeks.
A tan woman with long dark hair comes in. The first thing I notice about her is the baby bump. She has a hand placed over it, but it’s still noticeable.
These two look around my age. The third woman that comes in is old enough to be my mother, but there’s no mistaking who she is.
The tall brunette has the same hard cheekbones and stature as Dominic Monclair. This is clearly his mother. But on her, their shared features look kind.
But I know better than anyone how deceiving looks can be.
“Hi…” I pause, not sure where to go with this. “Can I help you?”
“I’m Margot! Matthias’s wife,” the short one says as she bounces on her feet. She seems so hyper, I’m not sure if this woman is capable of standing still. When it’s clear I don’t know who Matthias is, she continues. “I’m Dom’s sister-in-law.”
“I’m the other sister-in-law, Cecilia,” the pregnant one says softly.
“And I’m Evelyn, Dom’s mother.”
Oh, I get it. They’re here to threaten me. They don’t want me in this family any more than I want to be in it. This day just keeps getting worse.
“Katerina, we’re here to welcome you into the family. We were sad you weren’t able to make a family dinner before today, but we understand the circumstance,” Evelyn tells me. Her voice is sweet but stern. I can tell she’s a force to be reckoned with.
“Thank you. It’s an honor to be a Montclair.” It most certainly is not, but it can’t be worse than being a Sokolov, right?
“I’m so glad Dominic has someone now. He’s never been close to a woman before. It soothes my heart that he’ll have you. He needs a woman. And aren’t you just beautiful.” Evelyn looks me over with a soft smile. “Some motherly advice, he may seem callous on the outside, but that’s just because he’s good at hiding his emotions. If you dig a little, you’ll find a man capable of love.”
I glance at the other two women, but they don’t seem as confident as Evelyn.
“Dom’s not a bad guy, per se. He’s a little… icy on the outside, but maybe there’s more underneath,” Margot chips in.
“Oh yes, Dom has a steady head on his shoulders. He’s a great leader. I’m sure he won’t be a bad husband,” Cecilia adds.
Neither of them seems too sure of their compliments of Dominic.
Perfect, not even his family thinks he’s a good guy to marry.
I’m about to marry a man who’s been described as ‘emotionless’ and ‘icy’ by his family. This is going to be a shit show.
Chapter 14
Dominic
I straighten my bowtie on my tux as my brothers lounge around the room carelessly. Only Roman seems solemn about my current situation.
He’s barely looked at me today. I know he’s ridden with guilt. He knows this is his doing, and I’m having to make this sacrifice to fix his mistake.
But I don’t have the energy to deal with him.
Dad walks in and looks at us.
“My sons. You boys looks so handsome,” he says, and I swear I see his eyes glisten.
This man used to lead the Syndicate, and now he’s teary-eyed over his sons in tuxes. It’s ridiculous what love does to someone. I just don’t understand it.
“Dom, I’d like to have a word with you,” he tells me.
Dad leads me outside to the garden behind this church. I’ve never been to an Eastern Orthodox church, but it’s where Katerina wanted the wedding. It’s a mix of American andRussian architecture and has a lot of Russian writing throughout it.
“What is it?” I ask him.
