Page 2 of Between Power and Passion

"I give to you a virgin daughter of the Makarov family." He curls my limp fingers around an ornate gold locket. It feels heavy and warm against my icy skin. "An offering for your continued loyalty and service protecting our business."

A deafening roar of approval crashes over the ballroom. Men bellow like bloodthirsty wolves, pounding their fists and slapping tables in a chaotic display of masculine bravado.

I can't breathe, can't think. My world has shattered like a music box ballerina. Mikhail gazes down at me, expectant and remorseless, as if he's already claimed me as his possession to use and discard as he pleases.

A scream rips up my throat, exploding from my lips in a keening wail of horror before my knees buckle. I crumple toward the stage.

"Get her out of here." I hear Father's disgusted rasp before the dark swallows me whole.

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When my senses eventually come back, my shoes are off, and I'm sprawled across rumpled silk sheets. Moonlight filters through the parted curtains, illuminating the familiar wood-paneled décor of my bedroom.

Home. I'm home.

My fingers curl into the plush silken bedding. It was just a dream. Father wouldn't betroth me to some brute without discussing it first.

An explosive slam jolts my eyes wide, and my heart stutters in my chest. Father is standing in the doorway of my room. His tuxedo shirt is untucked, and his jacket is hanging on his shoulder. I've never seen him this disheveled before. His chest is heaving like an enraged bull as he stomps toward the bed.

"You disrespectful little bitch!"

My heart sinks at the vile tone laced through Father's words. This isn't a dream at all. I push myself up on trembling elbows, my gown bunching around my waist.

"Father, I... I didn't mean to disrespect you."

He stalks closer, creeping like a great bear about to maul its prey. "You embarrassed me in front of dignitaries and powerful business partners." Spittle flies from his lips, his eyes blazing with an unholy rage I've never witnessed before. "After everything I've done to secure your future!"

My chin trembles, but I force the words out in a ragged whisper. "You disrespected me first by not even discussing this... this arrangement," I fling out a hand, gesturing vaguely, "giving me no choice in the matter of who I marry."

A harsh bark of laughter explodes from his chest, the menacing sound making me flinch. "Choice?" He rakes a hand through his silver hair, lips twisting into a sneer. "You silly girl. You don't get a choice. You'll do as I say, your choices be damned."

He can't be serious! I'm not some pawn to be married off without consultation.

White-hot anger surges through me, burning away the cloying tendrils of fear. I throw back the covers and plant my bare feet on the plush carpet, rising to my full height to stare up at the towering man before me.

"I am your daughter, not your subject!" The words rip from my throat, startling us both with their vehemence. "I deserve the basic courtesy of being consulted about life-altering decisions concerning my future."

Father's eyes go wide for a heartbeat before narrowing to slits. He descends on me in two long strides, powerful fingers clamping around my upper arms like a vise. I cry out at the bruising grip, struggling against his superior strength as he gives me a sharp shake.

"You'll take the husband I choose for you, Valentina." His hot breath washes over my face, sour with the reek of expensive scotch. "This merger with the Kozlov family is crucial to maintaining our dominance. Your defiance threatens everything I've built!"

He's really going to force me into this loveless marriage with that brute Mikhail, all for his precious criminal empire?

Bile burns the back of my throat as I glare up at him, my heart shattering into a million fragments. I wrench out of Father's iron grip, fury and desperation lending me strength. "I will do no such thing!" I snarl, staring defiantly into his smoldering eyes. "I won't marry that man, Father. I won't!"

The resounding crack of his palm across my cheek steals my breath. Agony blossoms, and I collapse onto the bed, clutching the blazing imprint of his hand. Tears blur my vision as I gape up at him in shock, utterly stunned by his violence.

He's never struck me before. Never.

"You ungrateful, insolent child!" Father towers over me, chest heaving with rage. "The marriage will proceed in two days' time as I've decreed. There's nothing you can do to stop it." He jabs a finger at my stricken face. "This is not a negotiation, Valentina. You belong to me until I give you to another."

The words lance through me like shards of ice, stealing what little breath I have left. I'm a possession to barter off to him, nothing more.

He whirls on his heel and stalks out, the door slamming like a judge's gavel, sealing my fate. I flinch at the deafening bang, curling into a trembling ball on the rumpled bedding. I begin to sob, making harsh, ragged sounds as the truth sinks its claws into my heart.

He's really going to do this, sell me off to strengthen his criminal ties.

My entire life has been an elaborate pretense, a cage crafted by my father to keep me prisoner until I could be traded for profit and power. I've been foolish to think I had any control over my destiny.

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