Holding out my hand, I spoke a bit too loud, hearing the anger spill through my tone. “No, Mila, please come with me.”
She looked up at me, her eyes narrowed, and frown lines formed on her forehead. Pushing my hand aside, she got out andwalked to the door. I unlocked the double glass doors and held them open for her to enter.
Mila stormed through the door and headed upstairs. Following close behind her, I knew she had no idea where she was going. She stopped on the second floor and glanced around. Then she headed further up. As we stepped out on the third floor, she stopped. Mila leaned against the wall, staring at the floor.
I could see the displease written on her face. I moved past her to my office door. After unlocking it, I glanced back as I spoke. “Come, have a seat inside.”
She didn’t move. My patience was almost up with her. As I got closer, she turned and started to walk down the passage leading to the conference room. Walking faster, I caught up. I grabbed her arm as lightly as I could. Feeling my anger about to turn to rage, I took a deep breath. I didn’t want to grab her out of anger as I might bruise her.
But she was a feisty one. Mila spun around, pulling her arm out of my grip. She stepped closer, looking into my eyes with what I could only assume was hatred. This was it, the final straw I thought looking into her eyes. No more Mr. Nice Guy. “What’s your problem? You agreed to this marriage!” I spat at her.
Her eyes were filled with hatred and disdain. I knew we would have some rocks to push out of the way. But I didn’t expect to be climbing mountains. I felt my blood heating and starting to boil as she stared at me.
As she spoke, I felt a wave of shock surge through me. “I just married you for my family’s sake. This is a business deal and nothing more. It’s a fake marriage, so don’t think you have the right to tell me what to do!”
There was a bitterness dripping from every word that came out of her pretty mouth. For a moment, I was stunned as my mind milled with this information. I didn’t care if she thought this was fake. It didn’t matter anymore. She had agreed to this marriage, and it was done legally. There was no turning back.
Taking hold of her arm a bit harder, I started walking to my office. Her attitude made me want to pull her over my lap and spank sense into her. But I knew something like that would cause a rift bigger than the San Andreas Fault.
Mila pulled back and twisted a couple of times. But this time, I wasn’t letting go. Once we entered my office, I shoved the door closed. Letting her go, I spoke harshly. “I expect to be treated like your husband. This marriage is real dear whether you like it or not.”
I heard her making a ‘pfff’ sound as I turned and locked the door before taking a seat at my desk. “I want to live with you. You will share my bed and give me children in time.”
Fear flickered through her bright eyes as I spoke. I could barely contain my commanding tone and realized I had struck a nerve. The shock she felt was evident as I studied her beautiful face.
I knew I had not mentioned any of this at the meeting. But I knew if I did, her brothers would never have agreed. I didn’t think she would have either. We wouldn’t be here if they knew how I felt about her.
“Sit,” I said, pointing to the dark leather couch in the corner of my vast office. Switching on my computer’s screen, I quickly looked through my emails. I sent a copy of the marriage license to my lawyer. I also asked him to meet early the next day. Once that was done, I could concentrate on Mila.
I wasn’t the kind of person to leave things half-done. I was fully committed when I took on a project, a job, or a wife. I stared at her, sitting in the oversized chair in silence. Since I met her, I have felt a change happening inside. I had become obsessed with her.
Now that we were married, she was mine. I didn’t intend to let her go, ever. Glancing at the door, I rose from my desk. “Are you ready to go?” I asked, walking to the door. I had never felt this possessive of anyone before.
This was a new side to me that I didn’t even know existed. The emotions were still tricky to deal with, but I would get a grip on them. As I stood entranced by my mind, a loud bang brought me back to the office. Mila stood by my side.
Her hand was formed into a fist on the door. She spoke loudly just a couple of inches from me. “I will not do any of those things. This marriage was a business transaction. You are going against the agreed deal.”
The fire in her eyes sent my boiling blood to all the corners of my body. My heart skipped a beat as I inhaled deeply. She had a sweet leathery smell to her like a new car. Closing my eyes, I felt movement in my pants. I couldn’t let her see the effect she had on me.
Stepping back, I spoke softly. “Dear, you can either agree and behave like my wife. Or…”
“Or what?” Mila replied in a calmer tone.
“Well, I can make every member of the Smirnov family’s lives a living hell. Those are your choices.”
Mila lowered her head. Defeat was clear as her shoulder sagged. I suspected she never thought I would go so far. But she barely knew me. She didn’t know what I was capable of.
Stepping up to her side, I took her phone, which was peeking out of her jeans pocket. “That’s mine!” Mila spat as she tried to grab it from me.
“You can have it back later,” I said, walking out the door. Mila mumbled behind me as she followed. She slammed the car door shut as she got in. Ignoring her anger, I got in and drove home.
Chapter 4 - Mila
I hadn’t seen much of his mansion as we entered, even though there were enough lights. But by the outside appearance, I knew his home was more like a castle than a home. I noticed the white flower beds on both sides of the driveway as we entered the large wrought iron gates.
The driveway, which wasn’t as long as ours, was paved with white cobblestones. I led up to the front of the house and carried on past where we stopped. At the front door was a large circle with a fountain in the middle. The driveway went around it on both sides. Stopping, we were met by two guards, the doorman, and two other staff members.
Getting out, I looked in awe at the majestic building. The stairs leading up to the solid double wooden doors formed an arch. The two young men quickly collected my bags. There were also some boxes and other items Aleksandr had brought with him. Once they had everything, we moved to the door. The butler held the door open as we entered. Inside, I felt like I had just entered a fairytale.