He paused, his expression darkening ever so slightly. “Don’t test my patience, Ellie….”
“Ellie?” I lowered the magazine, frowning at him. “No, no, Mister, you don’t get to call me that.” I rose to my feet, closing the distance between us. “We’re not there yet. In fact, we’renevergonna be there. So stick to Miss Hendy.”
Silence.
He wiped his palm across his mouth and stared at me for a second. “You really should be more grateful, you know.”
My brows shot up in disbelief. “You want to legally bind me to you after holding me here against my will, and you’re asking for gratitude?”
“It’s the least you can do for someone who’s trying to protect you.”
“Protect me from what? The enemy who’s only interested in me because of you?” I raised my voice a little higher than usual. “I was just a student with a case file before you kidnapped me. Nobody knew me, and nobody was coming for me.”
He didn’t respond.
I went on, venting my frustrations. “That was, of course, until you decided I was a problem, and now suddenly I need your last name to survive.” I let the words sink in for a bit. “You’re not protecting me. You created this problem, and you’re solving it in the way that benefits you the most. So don’t act like you’re doing me a favor.”
A pause.
Then he spoke. “It’s easy to put the blame on me, forgetting that you spent ten months pulling threads attachedto people who bury problems permanently.” His voice was quiet and precise, and every word landed like a measured thing.
I listened in silence.
He continued, “You’re delusional if you actually believe that I was the only one watching you. I wasn’t. You were already being watched by people who do not have my kind of patience.”
I swallowed hard, my pulse quickening by the second. The air between us thinned, and it felt as if an invisible force were pulling me to him. The scent of his cologne drifted into my nostrils, awakening emotions I wasn’t ready to feel.
My heart slammed against my ribs as I held his gaze at such close range. He looked at me for a long moment, something flickering behind his eyes. I couldn’t name it. I wasn’t even sure what it was, and it vanished as quickly as it appeared.
“The fittings and measurements will be rescheduled for tomorrow,” he said, his voice laced with finality. “I suggest you cooperate.”
Leaving no room for unnecessary banter, he turned toward the door and left. Watching his back as he walked away, I sank into the couch, hopeless and defeated.
I’d tried to fight, tried to delay the ceremony. But his words made it pretty clear that he was done playing games. Maximum cooperation was expected of me. Until now, he hadn’t punished me for my stubbornness or defiance.
I still had no firsthand idea of what he was capable of, and I didn’t want to find out. Maybe I shouldn’t push him to the wall—at least not so soon. I didn’t realize my hands were trembling until I glanced down at them.
My whole body was shaking, and my heart was racing. He might’ve been a douchebag, but he was also right about his patience. And now I couldn’t help wondering what my life would’ve been like if he hadn’t been the one who kidnapped me.
Maybe I would have already been dead, and that begged the question: Did he really deserve my gratitude?
Was he really the cause of my problem, or was it my own quest for justice?
Chapter 12 – Karik
I stood at the altar, dressed in a white tuxedo, a black bow tie, and tailored black pants. It was the day of the wedding: a private ceremony, controlled and efficient.
The crowd was small. Just a few close friends and family members. My Uncle Pavel had called two days ago, apologizing in advance because he wasn’t going to make it.
He was in Ukraine on a secret Bratva mission that would keep him there for the next few weeks. Part of me wished he were here today, to witness this union, to behold the beauty I was settling down with.
But he wasn’t, and that was fine.
Sergei and five of my most experienced men mounted both sides of the altar, their watchful eyes roaming the church’s interior. A few others were positioned outside at strategic points, making sure no unauthorized personnel had access to the building.
The wedding was strictly by invitation because it wasn’t a celebration. It was a confirmation: one that needed only witnesses. Not guests.
I turned toward the entrance as the front door opened and she stepped inside. Dressed in an ivory gown that swept the floor behind her, she walked down the aisle.
