Chapter Nineteen | Ekaterina
My body was still fucking aching, but there was no way in hell that I'm gonna stay another day in that house, I hated being stuck in the same place for a long time so I wasn't going to tell Alexander any of that, I wanted to see Layla and Adrian.
Not sure about Adrian though, but I already liked Layla the moment she started talking to me in the bathroom, it's a weird way but what isn't weird about this life?
And just when I'm about to let those thoughts consume me, My name on Alexander's lips cuts them off as I slowly let out a breath and open the room's door, "good morning." I offer sweetly, a small smile spread on my face as I rub my eyes, giving him my best act.
"How are you feeling?" His brows furrow as the words leave his lips, eyes scanning me from head to toe as I cross my arms across my chest, forcing my chin up to give me a wave of confidence after I saw how messed up my face looked.
I can feel the bruises through my fucking skin and the meds aren't even helping at this point, "absolutely alive." I exclaim giving him a thumbs up and he squints those gray eyes in my direction as suspicion grows clear in his gaze.
"Don't bullshit me." He protests, not dropping off the topic as I expected him to, Christ, "I want to-" I start but thankfully Vlad's voice cuts through the air and I could worship the ground he's walking on right now for this interruption.
"Your phone woke me up, asshole." He calls out to Alexander and he arches a brow opening the door further for his brother to walk in, Vladimir isn't wearing anything but a pair of boxers and my eyes uncontrollably trail down his body.
While almost half of Alexander's body is inked, I see no trace of tattoos on his brother's, and before I can continue my way, Alexander steps in front of him, cutting off any view I had as he narrows his eyes at me,
I just arch a brow in return and Vladimir laughs, making me Avert my gaze on him, "what?" I blink in confusion as I narrow my eyes, "sorry, it's nothing." He laughs under his breath again and I get defensive as I cross my arms over my chest.
"Where's the fucking phone?" Alexander's voice echoes through the air and his brother places the said phone in his hand, wiggling his brows at me and descending into the hallway, before he turns one more time and motions at Alexander, winking at me.
*:･ﾟ✧*:･
We were dressed up about half an hour before we were supposed to leave so here we are sitting doing absolutely nothing, and from the corner of my eyes I can sense Alexander's gaze,
"Okay, can we make this bearable?" I ask bluntly as I turn my eyes on him, taking in his usual look, the same black tux, and undershirt but this time surprisingly, his hair is styled, wow.
Speaking of our looks, this is the first time that I've ever gone to an important meeting or event like this without hiding my scar, so I can't stop the wave of self-consciousness that's spreading through my body.
"It is bearable to me." He offers arching a brow, I just narrow my eyes at his usual bored expression, "okay mind that, so we'll play a game alright?" I say and don't wait for his answer,
Amusement slightly flashes across his face and his lips twitch as if he's holding back a smile, "it's not exactly a game but it's something so we can get to know each other further." I protest lightly and his brows furrow before he gives me a curt nod.
"You tell me two lies and a truth, and if I guess them right, I'll get a reward and the other way around as well." I say excitedly as I shrug in his direction, "what's the reward?" He asks, heat picking up in his gaze as his eyes stay right on mine.
My breath heaves a little and I clear my throat "each one can choose, well with limits of course." I warn as I hold up my index finger in his direction, he rolls his eyes and motions for me to start.
"You go first." I insist and he sighs, giving in easier than I thought, he takes a moment before he starts speaking, "I'm colorblind, I have a sister, and the first man I shot was my father." He says so calmly and I almost choke.
The first one is an obvious lie, he would have stopped making fun of pink at every opportunity if he was color blind, unfortunately, he isn't, the second one is a lie as well because—if he had a sister everyone would know that.
The third one is what makes my heart drops in my chest, Christ, "on accident?" I clear my throat as I hopefully wait for an answer, "no." His immediate response causes shivers to run down my spine.
"Adorable." My sarcastic response doesn't seem to surprise him as he motions for me, "your turn." He says raising a brow, I lean back into the sofa and give it a long thought.
"The scar on my face was intentional, I'm a twin, I was vegetarian." I say wiggling my brows at him as I shrug, he raises a questioning brow and gives it a longer thought, "the first two are a lie." He says confidently and I break into a grin,
He got it right which is not surprising, they were easy, I nod as a phone ring startles us both, and he rolls his eyes as he hangs up on whoever is calling, "Come on, let's go." He says sternly standing up,
Holding out a hand for me, such a gentle gesture for an asshole like him but I hold back that thought and straighten the dress down my thighs, placing my hand in his as his eyes swiftly scan me from head to toe and satisfaction crosses his face before a little smirk tugs at his lips.
*:･ﾟ✧*:･
It didn't take long before we finally arrived at this new restaurant they talked about earlier, I step out of the car and Alexander comes up beside me, his hand sneaking around my waist as he pulls me to him and I ignore the shivers running down my spine again as we enter the restaurant.
While Alexander introduces himself to the waiter so we can find Adrian's damn table, I just scan my surroundings, starting with the huge beautiful paintings and the decorations, "Ekaterina." He squeezes my hands slightly and my attention snaps to him.
"You okay? You seemed—to be somewhere else." He says gently and I smile a little, ignoring the sudden tightness in my chest, what's wrong with me? "I'm perfect." I immediately add, trying to fake a smile,
"Glad we finally agree on something." He replies calmly and I choke on an inhale of air, holding back a smile that's threatening to spread on my face, "how sweet of you." I feign a shocked expression and he blinks at me, showing off his normal dry stare.
But no glaring, I'm thankful for that "here." A waitress appears out of nowhere and i startle as my eyes turn on her, she's not even looking at me, just at the man beside me with two cute puppy eyes,
I grit my teeth and ignore the boiling rage inside my mind right now as she continues to act disgusting,
am I going insane? Over him? Alexander doesn't bulge nor does he even give her any attention,
His gaze stays on mine as he arches a brow, and from the looks of it, it seems that he knows exactly what's going in my mind, "follow me." She stands awkwardly as she motions with her hand and immediately starts walking,
We follow her as we descend down the stairs, entering a room that has VIP written all over the door, and sure enough, when she finally leaves, we find Adrian and Layla waiting for us inside.
striding towards them, Alexander's hand tightly wrapped around my waist as if he's 'claiming' me, which isn't surprising for men like him, I avert my gaze from him as it lands on Layla,
A bright smile spreads on her face, the men exchange handshakes and weird pats on the back, I roll my eyes as Layla takes me in a hug, "you look beautiful." She whispers in my ears and I break into a grin, I really like this girl.
Pulling back as I scan her tall frame, she's wearing a long red dress with heels, making her taller than me by a decent amount, but still not even close to Adrian's height, who looks about the same height as Alexander.
Adrian's gaze lands on me as we shake hands, "Ekaterina." He says sternly in a British accent as I do the same, moments later we all sit down, ordering food and drinks before they start discussing why the hell we're here.
I ignore them but my attention soon snaps back when Alexander places his hand on my thigh, causing my breath to hitch as I try to ignore the heat creeping up my neck, Jesus Christ.
A small smirk tugs at his lips as his attention turns back to Adrian, talking intensely as if he's not aware of what he's doing to my traitorous body.
The Prick.