Chapter fourteen | Ekaterina
"What do you mean?" I find myself asking as confusion rattles through my expression, Alexander doesn't look surprised which is slightly offensive,
"There's a huge event tonight, it's one of the main reasons we traveled here, remember our deal?" His question echoes through the air for a while,
Before I finally gather my thoughts and answer him, "so you want me to go with you?" The clear boredom on his face answers my stupid question,
"Shocking." His dry tone makes my blood boil as I stare at him, hundreds of murderous thoughts running laps through my mind right now.
"Okay." I reply sternly and he raises a brow, "yeah?" His surprisingly amused tone makes me straighten as I brush my hair,
I take a long breath and avert my gaze from him, "you've been acting weird." Shifting the topic off me might as well be one of my talents,
"Me? I'm the one acting weird?" The disbelief in his voice is as clear as the sun shining outside, "yes." I reply without taking my eyes off my tangled hair.
Avoiding his gaze as I brush it, "correct me if I'm wrong, but I haven't been avoiding looking at you by any chance, right? Nor have I been so nervous around you lately, I'm also sure that I'm not the one who sleeps with one eye open." The sarcasm in his last sentence makes me arch a brow,
That later falls when I start processing his harsh words as my insides twist, it's been three days since I woke up in Alexander's arms, and I know exactly why I'm ignoring him,
But I don't think I'm ready to admit it yet,
Actually, not at all.
"Why are you ignoring me, Ekaterina? Do you want to act like it didn't happen? Fine by me." Hope sparks inside my stomach as his words hang through the air,
Then he starts walking towards me and my heartbeats go erratic as my eyes meet his in the mirror, when he stands right behind me I feel heat radiating off his body,
Causing shivers to run down my spine, "now, you didn't answer me why are you ignoring me?" The question I've been dreading seems to be thrown in my face a lot lately,
So I embrace myself as I take a breath, forcing myself to turn around even when his presence intimidates me,
His frame hovers over mine, looking down at me, eyes glistening with heat and all the sharp edges contouring his face,
"I don't want you to ask me questions about it," I don't want him to dig into my thoughts and secrets, even when I know that he'll end up knowing them,
I'll just wait for the disaster to happen, but I won't be the one bringing it with my own hands, "Is that it?" Low-measured words cut off my thoughts and I clear my throat,
"Yes, and you will ask, I know you, you will want to know every single detail about why I have those nightmares." A fool could think that they're just normal nightmares,
But I'm positive that Alexander noticed the anti-depressants medicines in my drawer, he could easily connect the dots and dig more,
"Then you should've told me that, I won't dig into something that you'd rather not tell me." He says like the amazing human being he is,
My face twists as a bitter laugh slips out of my mouth, and he looks genuinely pissed off, glaring at me as he always does
"You're telling me that you're that generous, if you want something you will find it, Alexander I heard the rumors about you, when you want information out of someone you either force them to tell you, or you find other ways..." the words are slipping out of my mouth at an uncontrollable pace,
Surprise flashes across his face before he masks his expression perfectly, his gaze holding mine as I feel the tension coursing through the air,
"The rumors aren't wrong, sweetheart, but you're not someone," he says and takes a step forward, my back hitting the mirror as my breath hitches,
"You're my wife." The words slip out of his mouth as a promise, and they sound sincere, "stop letting your mind fool you, Ekaterina," he says and I grit my teeth,
Annoyance spreads through my veins as I stare at him, placing two hands on his chest to Push him off, he doesn't even stir, and I squirm away, wanting him to let go of me,
But he makes it impossible when his body is blocking the way, so I just continue to breathe his intense scent,
Leaning down as his lips brush my ears, "you'll find your dress in the closet, I'll wait for you downstairs." He says and pulls away,
Leaving me with a racing heart and a confused mind, suddenly feeling at a loss—no not going there, absolutely not.
So I just sigh and walk towards the said closet, opening it as my jaw unhinges,
The pink dress he was so happy that it wasn't in stock is staring right at my face, looking expensive and flawless.
Joy and excitement flood through my body as I grab it, a smile spreading on my face as I start slipping it on,
*:･ﾟ✧*:･
"Stunning as usual, kat." Vladimir's cheery voice meets my ears the moment I descend downstairs, a smile immediately brightens my face as I walk towards him,
He gives me a sheepish grin, it's weird how different he and Alexander are, Vlad is definitely more approachable and warmer,
When my eyes find alexander across the room, he's already staring at me as he slowly approaches us, wearing an expensive black suit of his,
Black undershirt and shoes, his hair is disheveled on his head, and thick strands fall on his eyes as he runs a hand through his hair, making him look sexier,
His eyes roam all over my body, taking his time as his gaze finds mine again, his lips are slightly parted, "beautiful.He mouthes and heat creeps up my spine as I shrug,
I step forward and place a hand on his tie, adjusting it, "that's not how it's done." I mutter under my breath and he raises an amused brow as a small smirk tugs at his lips,
"How sweet of you, my beautiful wife." He says, sarcasm slightly clear in his voice and I roll my eyes, "well, I don't want people to think that I don't have a good taste in men, hmm." I mutter and he smiles,
Really smiles,
Genuine and brightening up all his dark edges and it spreads a spark of victory through my body as I finish his tie, "trust me, they won't." He says and I roll my eyes,
"Arrogant, asshole." I say and he places the most nonchalant expression on his face, "Kat, darling I need your help with something." Vlad's voice cuts off our moment and I turn my gaze to him,
He's walking towards us wearing a navy tux with a white undershirt, perfectly styled brown hair, and a billion-dollar smile plastered on his face,
"What's wrong?" I ask as my brows furrow, "Kat?" Alexander's murderous tone makes me stop in my tracks, ah hell no,
"Yeah, Ekaterina is way too long." Vlad replies sheepishly and Alexander glares at him, woah woah, "no shit, Vladimir." He grits through clenched teeth and I interlock my hands with his,
Catching his attention with anything as my eyes widen, Vlad looks sincerely annoyed right now which is rare, so Alexander must have hit a nerve by calling him by his full name,
This family is as weird as shit,
"Come on, I think we'll be late," I say and tug at Alexander's arm, finally, his eyes Avert on mine and I give him a begging smile,
He raises a brow but doesn't complain as we walk away toward the door,
Praying that no one dies today,
*:･ﾟ✧*:･
"Will the pakhan arrive here?" I find myself asking nervously as we step into the party, or more likely the event, "yes." Alexander says and I sigh,
He gives my hand a reassuring squeeze but it doesn't help that much, "remember, we need to act like a happy married couple alright?" His tone sobers me up and I nod.
Jesus Christ,
Just a moment after we find a seat at the bar, a beautiful woman appears in front of us, and the recognition on her face is clear as she talks with Alexander,
Her short black hair falls in small curls around her neck, dark brown eyes shimmer under the intense light, and her tanned skin glows as well, "Camilla, the pakhan's assistant." Alexander introduces us and she shakes my hands,
A sweet smile spread on her face matching the one plastered on mine, everyone is acting here, it's lovely.
"I'm Ekaterina." I say and she nods, "I know you, darling, everyone knows about you." Her words confuse me a bit as I raise a brow in Alexander's direction,
He doesn't give me any satisfying reaction as long as Camilla stays in our presence, moments later she finally leaves and he leans down whispering in my ear,
"they know you because you're my wife, the pakhan knows everyone here, anyway." He says and I nod, not completely satisfied by his answer but I don't complain when another person approaches us,
He looks utterly familiar for some reason, with perfectly styled black hair and intense blue eyes, his beard is trimmed along his sharp jaw and strong cheekbones,
He starts talking with Alexander, and his presence itself seems intense, I clear my throat and remind myself that feeling scared is ridiculous,
They talk in Russian which I clearly understand, they're talking about an attack that happened by the Irish lately and lots of other shit so I just ignore them,
My eyes roam across the room until Alexander's tone sobers me up, "My wife, Ekaterina." He says and I nod sternly at the scary guy in front of me, he leaves moments later and I turn to him,
Waiting for a clarification, "Romero Volkov, he's my ally." He says and doesn't offer me any more information and I don't push, it's not like I'm interested in that bullshit,
His phone rings and he answers it, the expression on her face not making me at ease at all, "that fucker." He mutters under his breath and I raise a questioning brow.
He narrows his eyes in return, "come on, saying it out loud will make you less mad." I say logically and he doesn't look convinced but starts speaking,
"You know the guy—who was supposed to be the head of the bratva?" He asks for starters and I nod, knowing exactly who he's talking about,
Years ago, it was a scandal, because no one dared run away from the Russian mafia it might as well be a death wish.
His name was on everyone's tongue before the situation started fading away,
"Yes, what about him?" I reply to his earlier question, "he's here, the pakhan invited him over for some reason." He says and surprise courses through my body,
This can't be good,
"But I'm sure he won't do—something bad to him, will he?" I find myself asking and he runs a hand across his jaw, brows furrowed on his face.
"Here he is." His tone shifts to something colder, and shivers run down my spine as I follow his gaze,
Sure enough, Adrian knight is striding towards us,
With his wife,