Total pages in book: 37
Estimated words: 34410 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 172(@200wpm)___ 138(@250wpm)___ 115(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 34410 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 172(@200wpm)___ 138(@250wpm)___ 115(@300wpm)
“Let me go.” She tried to pick up the sheets but they had been shredded.
He grabbed her again and this time, she whirled around and slapped him hard across the face. No one, not in a long time, had struck him. The single action took him by surprise, but he stared at her. His jaw clenched.
In response, Alix put her hands against her mouth. “I’m sorry.” Her apology was muffled but he understood it.
“I have killed men for less,” Dmitry said.
With her surprised at slapping him, he played the upper hand and grabbed her. He pulled her out of the bedroom.
He was going to have a word with his men. Yes, he had told them to trash her room, but not destroy it. Like him, they must have assumed she was plotting to get rid of him, when that was the furthest thing from the truth. Dmitry knew he was an asshole for what he had done. Alix had told him on that first night she’d been trying to get a divorce but George wouldn’t listen. She explained that she had nothing to do with her husband. They didn’t talk or have a proper marriage. It was when she told him they had a marriage to appease their parents. That was all. And Dmitri had treated her like a criminal.
He took her to his bedroom and she tried to fight him. None of his men interfered. They might have seen the anger in his face. Either way, he had fucked up today. Once inside his room, he let her go and when Alix whirled around as if to slap him again, he stopped her.
“Do not hit me.” He captured her wrist and stopped the slap that was undoubtedly aimed for his face. His cheek still stung from the first slap.
“How dare you!”
“You will stay with me.”
“Why? I will not sleep with you!” She glared at him and then swiped at her eyes as the tears had still been falling. There was nothing he could say to make up for what had happened.
“All of my belongings that you allowed me to bring have been broken.” She shook her head. “What did I do?”
“George is missing.”
“And you assumed I would know the answer.” She shook her head. “I’ve got to … Sofia needs me. I’ll clean up the mess in my room later.”
“You’re not going anywhere, Alix. Don’t forget you belong to me and if you continue I am going to have to punish you.”
She laughed. “Punish me? I’m not the one who’s done something wrong here. You have. You accused me of … what? Ugh, I don’t even know what you’ve accused me of.” She shook her head. “This is crazy.”
“I’m going to go and take care of Sofia. You are going to stay here, calm down,” Dmitry said.
“Calm down? Are you completely insane? Can you even hear yourself?”
Dmitry had heard enough. He’d never been around highly emotional women, not unless they were about to meet the Grim Reaper and were begging for their lives. This was different. Alix was angry. She was hurt. And in that moment, he knew she hated him.
****
When Dmitry had collected her, he’d told her to pack a few items, so she had. Nothing of any real value, as she didn’t own anything like that. She’d taken a few pictures of her parents which brought her peace, a few items of jewelry that her mother used to wear, several changes of clothes, but that had been all. He’d not given her long to decide.
She hadn’t put up a fight or questioned what was going on. Dmitry had explained some of it in the car. That George had given her to him as payment. Alix now belonged to Dmitry or George would be dead. Alix didn’t care about George. She was pissed at him for doing this, but even though she didn’t love nor care for him, she didn’t want his death on her conscience.
So, she accepted what was about to happen. There was also the tiny little smidge of curiosity about the man she’d met at the party, who she thought about … a lot. Certainly a lot more than she should. She couldn’t not think about him.
So, this was where she was. The jewelry was broken as were the pictures. The clothes were no longer wearable. She sat on the floor at the edge of the bed and wrapped her arms around her waist. Why had it come to this? All her life she had been an open and honest person. Even with Dmitry, she’d been honest.
Her mother had always told her that honesty was indeed the best policy. So she stuck by it. She had even told George, on their wedding night, that there was no way they would ever be a real couple. He thought they were going to have regular sex and all of that. She had told him firmly, no. That was never, ever, ever going to happen.