“Not a commodity?” I cut him off, letting the sarcasm drip. “Lukin, let’s be honest. The Laurent girl came with a name, an empire, a reputation…and a weakness. I didn’t create that. Her father did.”
A tense silence falls across the room. My brothers’ eyes flick between one another. Niko shakes his head, taking a slow sip from his glass. Adrian doesn’t bother hiding his frustration.
“I know this is all about revenge for you, Dimitri, but the girl is innocent,” Adrian says.
I arch an eyebrow, letting the words sink in. Innocent. Right. As if that matters.
“Okay,” I say slowly, my voice measured. “Are you all suddenly paragons of morality? Adrian, remind me—how did you marry Jennie again?” I glance around the room, letting the question linger like smoke. “In fact, all of you married your wives the same way. Do I need to run through the list?”
Roman scoffs but doesn’t answer immediately. I turn to him. “Roman, wasn’t your story with Elara similar to mine? You tried before she became your wife, and I was there to—what?—congratulate you? Don’t piss me off.”
“You know what the difference is,” Roman says, his voice sharp. “We realized we had something for these women before they became our wives. It was only a matter of time. Do you feel the same for Vivian?”
I let the question hang between us like a blade. My brothers shift, the tension thick enough to taste. Kaz suppresses a grin. Lev rubs his temple. Niko watches me like I’m about to detonate. Adrian’s jaw ticks, his frustration clear.
I lean back in my chair, eyes narrowed, and let out a slow, lazy exhale. “Do I feel the same for Vivian?” I repeat, my tone deliberately casual, almost mocking. “No.”
Roman’s eyes narrow, but I don’t flinch.
“No,” I say again, firmer this time. “Because this isn’t a love story. This isn’t some Rusnak fairytale where the man falls first, and the woman softens him. There’s nothing to fall for.”
Adrian lets out a sharp breath. “So you openly admit you’re punishing a girl who did nothing to you?”
I stiffen, just a flicker of heat crossing my face—small, quick, gone before they can name it.
Kaz leans forward, a sly smirk tugging at his lips. “Ah. So she did do something.”
I fix him with a glare, warning sharp as a knife. “Careful, Kaz. Keep your mouth shut unless you want your teeth knocked in.”
He laughs. I shift my gaze back to the room, letting the tension settle. “She’s a Laurent,” I say finally, voice low and cold. “That’s sin enough.” I rise from the chair. “Now, pardon me, I have to return home to my new wife.”
I leave the room without a backward glance.
Chapter 6 – Vivian
The morning after the wedding feels like waking inside a gilded prison. The penthouse is quiet except for the soft hum of the city below, a constant reminder that life is moving, indifferent to my misery.
I sit by the window, legs curled beneath me, still in my wedding-night lingerie—untouched, unwanted, humiliated. The silk grazes my skin like a cruel reminder of what should’ve been a night of celebration, not this slow-burning torment.
Since Dimitri left in the elevator, I haven’t seen him. The thought should bring relief—he didn’t touch me, didn’t claim me—but instead, it stings. He did it with such cold precision, leaving me there to simmer in my own anger and frustration. Pride bruised. Desire confused. Fear creeping.
What a bastard.
My fingers trace the edge of the glass window, and I can’t stop replaying his words, his tone, the way he smirked at me as if I were already his property. Every memory feels sharp, like the edges of broken crystal.
I press my forehead to the glass, trying to will myself into calm. Not tonight. Not yet. But I already feel the war has begun, and I’m standing in the center of it, unarmed.
I close my eyes, inhaling the city air, bitter and electric. The truth settles in my chest: this man is a storm, and I’ve been swept into it.
And somehow…somehow, I know this is only the beginning.
I hear the front door open, followed by footsteps. I sit up instantly, heart leaping to my throat, and hurry out of my room—ready to confront Dimitri.
Ready to tear into him for leaving me here.
Ready to regain even a shred of control.
I don’t know what I’m going to say yet, but I know the moment I see him, the spiteful words will fly out of me without effort.
