Besides, I’d already signed the papers and knew he wasn’t letting me out of his sight anytime soon. So I let him lead me back to the car like a little puppet. Let him think he had me, and when the time was right, I planned to make my move.
“Heading home, sir?” the driver asked.
“Yes.”
The car pulled away, and I pushed myself against the door as tightly as I could, all to keep as far from him as I could. We drove in silence for a while, and every second felt like a ticking time bomb.
I felt a sick churning in my stomach, thinking about what the driver meant when he said ‘home’. In my head, I was imagining some sort of grotesque Pavlov compound where I’d be kept under lock and key. I’d probably be surrounded by his family, and chances were, they’d hate me just for making the mistake of being a Lebedev.
I was making myself a nervous wreck, imagining the hell his family would give me.
The scenarios in my head played out in such horror that I had to force myself to think positively before I lost my mind.
Maybe, I flipped the scenario in my head, his siblings would be more level-headed and even come to my aid. And if they didn’t see the problem in what their brother did, I could appeal to their common sense. I could show them how badly thiswould end if Arko didn’t deliver me back to my family. Did the Pavlovs really need a war with the Lebedevs?
I started formulating arguments, making them airtight so they work in my favor when I try to get Arko’s family to knock some sense into him.
“You’re awfully quiet now,” Arko said. “What happened to the fiery princess who was oh-so-ready to make a run for it?”
“What happened to Viktor?” I hissed back, turning to throw him a glare before staring out the window again.
“Come on, Beatrice. You can’t honestly say you would have talked to me if I’d introduced myself as Arko Pavlov at the club.”
Okay, fair point. But it wasn’t my job to side with this man.
In that moment, I hated the very nerve of him. Just sitting next to him in this car made me feel like I was betraying my family. I couldn’t just forget the history between the Pavlovs and the Lebedevs and decide I wanted to play civil with Arko after all he did to my family.
Just last year, my brother Dante had gone into a frenzy, trying to protect his wife, Alisa Montes, all because the man next to me had bought her in some kind of deal from her father.
The way I saw it, Arko Pavlov was a monster. No sane human being bought a woman as a wife, especially one he’d never even met. When buying Alisa didn’t work out, he fucking stole me.
Wait. Scratch that. Arko Pavlov wasn’t just a monster; he was fucking deranged to think he could get away with this.
“Just wait until my brothers hear of this,” I said angrily.
“Your brothers don’t scare me,” he scoffed.
“Do you know my brothers?” I fumed.
“Do you know me?”
This man infuriated me beyond belief. His ego was bigger than the whole galaxy, as far as I saw it. There was no point talking to him, let alone arguing with him. After that, I refused to speak to him, and honestly, he didn’t try much either. Thank god for small mercies.
We drove farther from the city and entered tree-lined streets with homes that looked like estates. I kept staring out the window as we passed through large gates manned by armed guards and turned onto a private drive flanked by fountains, stone pillars, and manicured bushes.
“We’re almost there,” Arko said.
I didn’t bother replying. I didn’t really care if we were almost there. What I cared about was noting the routes and exits, so I could run the first chance I got.
Arko stopped right in front of his mansion. His house, I noted, wasn’t as large as my brothers’ homes, but impressive nevertheless. I craned my neck to take in the neoclassical architecture, with its massive columns framing the entrance.
Well, I had to admit, at least the man had taste.
“Welcome home, Mrs. Pavlov,” Arko said with a tinge of playfulness.
The driver turned off the engine.
“Don’t call me that,” I snapped, unbuckling my seatbelt. Arko shrugged, and I think I noticed a small curve to his lips as he stepped out. I realized he was about to walk over to my side,and there was no chance in hell I was going to allow him to play chivalrous after the fact that he kidnapped me.
