Total pages in book: 25
Estimated words: 23013 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 115(@200wpm)___ 92(@250wpm)___ 77(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 23013 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 115(@200wpm)___ 92(@250wpm)___ 77(@300wpm)
“Don’t worry about that. Leave the business to the men,” Vitaly’s cousin says to get my attention away from what is happening. “Now let me see this ring.”
The doors to the dining room lock, and the rest of the women are already in the salon like this is totally normal. I pause right outside of it with Gianna.
“Oh my, no one is going to miss this iceberg,” Gianna laughs while holding my hand up to the light to inspect the giant diamond. She's right; it’s massive.
Vitaly was so sweet when he gave it to me. It confused me because I’ve only gotten a glimpse of this side of him. Most of the time, he’s like the guy in the dining room that’s about to cut someone's tongue out. Should I fear him? I guess first I need to know what his intentions are for me.
“He turned me down when I proposed,” I remind Gianna. She saw it happen. What has changed over the last twenty-four hours? Yesterday I didn’t think he cared for the sight of me. Now he wants to marry me? He’s standing against my father, and I wonder if there’s something I’m missing.
“I think my dear cousin was shocked more than anything, but I knew you had his attention.”
Can anyone really shock Vitaly Parlov? “How do you know that?”
Her words give me a ray of hope that this could be something more. It’s a silly thought because we all know what marriage means in our world. There are no fairy tales. The best you can hope is that your husband isn’t cruel and offers you some line of respect.
“Because he took you.” Her smile is so bright as she says it, and she seems truly happy. From what Vitaly said about her, I think he might see her more as a sister than a cousin.
“He took me because of my father,” I correct her. He didn’t see me and fall madly in love. “If not for my last name, I would have been tossed out on my ass.”
Gianna rolls her eyes. “If that was the case, he would have sent you with one of his men. They would have put you up somewhere to hide you. But he didn’t do that.” She gives me a knowing smirk. “From what I heard, he brought you into his home.”
“Is that a big deal?” I know I’m fishing for information, but I can’t help it. He’s going to be my husband, so I want to know why I’m different.
“Of course it is. Men like him don’t take random women to their home.”
Right, they take them to a secret apartment or hotel. My father always had mistresses, even before my mother passed. I can recall them fighting about it when I was little.
I’ve only got a few memories of my mother because I was so young when she died. I hate that the ones I have are of their fights. She would cry over him, and I never understood why. There’s nothing to love about my father, and I don’t think he’s capable of loving someone besides himself. That’s the only person he truly cares about. Women are nothing more than objects to be used.
But what if my mom was like me? What if she hoped that the husband that was chosen for her could grow to love her? She could have wanted love so badly that she talked herself into loving my father.
That’s not what I want.
“I guess.” I shrug. “I suppose it's good they don't bring mistresses home.”
That means I'm likely the only woman who's been in Vitaly’s bed. As pleased as I am that he agreed to marry me, it’s still not sitting right. I want to be excited, but doubt still lingers.
“Let me introduce you to some of the wives,” Gianna says as she takes my elbow. “I’ll let you know who to watch out for and who are good ones.”
“I’d like that.” I force a smile, wanting to be polite. I don’t want to think about what might be happening thirty yards from me in the other room.
I let Gianna lead me into the salon, where all the women are drinking and snacking on desserts. Seeing all the ladies together and laughing makes me miss Nolia. I wonder what she is up to and what might have happened when they realized I was missing. It’s possible my father didn’t know until tonight. I can go several days without seeing him, so no one might have noticed I was gone.
He seemed unbothered when he entered the restaurant, and then when he recognized me, his expression changed to shock. I glance beyond the salon to the other room, wondering again what might be happening. I still have a fear that my father will find a way to get me back. It's a familiar sensation that makes me want to run.