Chapter 16
CHAPTER SIXTEEN
FIONA
There’s a weight in my chest before I even leave the house. A pressure that has nothing to do with Aleksei, yet everything to do with him. Because even when I haven’t seen him, I feel him, like smoke clinging to my skin long after the fire’s gone out.
It’s been a week. A full seven days since I let him touch me again. Since I dropped to my knees for him and hated how much I liked it.
I haven’t heard from him. Haven’t even seen him. But I know he’s still watching.
I check the mailbox out of habit before getting into my car, my hand remaining on the cool metal just a moment too long before I lift the lid. No letter today. No envelope with mocking, cryptic threats.
Maybe whoever’s sending them finally got bored. Or maybe this is just more of their game.
I exhale a slow breath as I slide behind the wheel and try to clear my head. I need to if I want to make a good impression on the new investor Mom was going on about yesterday. She didn’t give me much info when I asked, which I did find weird, but I think after Wesley, she’s being extra cautious.
All she knows is that Wesley backed out after meeting me. That’s what his text said the next day, though I’m not convinced he even sent it. If I had to guess, it was Aleksei who made him write it.
Maybe he’s already dead. I haven’t looked into it. I don’t want to know.
Either way, Mom’s been pissed. She didn’t see it coming, and I get it. She thought Wesley was a sure thing. She even asked what I did to scare him off.
I told her the truth. That he was a creep. That he put his hands on me. That we didn’t need someone like that anywhere near our family business. She agreed. And Dad swore he’d kill him, which is laughable, because the man couldn’t hurt a fly.
When I pull into the lot beside the main building, a few cars are scattered around, but one stands out: a sleek black Bentley that definitely doesn’t belong to anyone here. Must be the investor.
Straightening my spine, I grab my bag and head inside, knocking once on the office door.
“Come in,” my mom calls out.
I step inside and immediately notice the tension. They’re sitting on the sofa, whispering until the door opens. My mother throws on a smile that’s way too bright, and my father…won’t even meet my eyes.
The hell is going on?
I remain standing, arms crossed. “So, where is he?”
Dad scratches the back of his neck, avoiding the question, while Mom rises slowly.
“He’s out walking the property. Said he wanted to get a sense of the place before we all sit down to talk.”
Something twists in my gut. Unease settling like a stone. This already feels wrong, and I don’t know why.
Then she reaches for my hands and grips them tight. Too tight.
“Fiona,” she says gently. “I need you to go into this with an open mind, okay?”
My stomach knots. “Why? What’s going on, Ma?”
Her eyes gloss, blinking too much, like she’s holding something back. “This investor…he’s serious. And this might be our only chance.”
I glance at my dad, but he’s not looking at me. He’s just staring into his lap, his hands clenched so tight that the skin over his knuckles has gone pale.
“What aren’t you telling me?” The tension continues to grow. “Dad?”
He lifts his head, breath hitching like he’s about to confess to a crime. “Fiona, I—”
But then I hear it: the voice that lives in my nightmares.
“Good morning, Ms. Prosecutor.”
No. No, no, NO!
All the blood rushes out of my body.
“It’s good to see you again.” Every syllable is soaked in smug satisfaction.
I don’t want to turn. I already know what I’ll find. But I do anyway.
Leaning against the doorway—coffee cup in hand, hair coiffed back, black shirt tucked into tailored slate-gray pants that hug the rippled muscles of his thighs—stands Aleksei Marinov.
All the air leaves my lungs.
This isn’t happening. It can’t be happening. My parents know what he is. Who he is. They know what his family is capable of. They would never do this.
Would they?
I squeeze my eyes shut, praying he’ll disappear. That he’s a mere hallucination. But when I open them, he’s still there. Still watching me. Still looking at me like this has already been decided.
Over my dead body.
“No,” I snap as I whip toward my parents. “Absolutely not.”
“Just…hear him out,” Mom pleads, words thin with desperation. “Please, Fiona.”
“We are not dealing with that family, Ma! Are you kidding me right now?”
“Wow, Ms. Clark. You think so highly of us. I’m honored.”
“Go fuck yourself, Aleksei. No one’s talking to you.”
“Fiona!” Mom scolds like I’m a child.
“Oh, come on, Ma,” I scoff. “I’ve said way worse to him.”
“She has,” Aleksei murmurs, that irritating grin curling across his face…and God, my stomach flips for all the wrong reasons.
This is all wrong. Every part of it.
“All I’m asking is that you hear him out.” Mom runs a hand down her face, every inch of her tight with exhaustion. “If you don’t like what he says, then… Then that’s that.”
But we both know what she means.
If I say no, we lose everything. The vineyard. Their legacy. The only life they’ve ever known.
How the hell am I supposed to let that happen? But how am I supposed to accept help from Aleksei Marinov?
My eyes drag back to his, which are full of some unreadable intensity that makes my skin prickle. I turn, unable to handle the way he’s looking at me like he’s already won. Instead, I focus on the two people who raised me. Who gave me everything. Who are now drowning, and he knows it.
He came here because they’re desperate and he knew I’d want to help.
Is that why he took Wesley?
Not because of what Wesley did to me…but because he wanted to hurt me through my parents? Is this all just another game?
“I’m not here to cause trouble,” Aleksei says calmly, eyes fixed on me.
That’s because you are trouble.
“I’m only asking for a moment of your time. A simple conversation. We can walk the grounds if you’d prefer some privacy. Then you’re free to say no.”
God, I want to scream. But talking in private is a good idea. I don’t want my parents to be here when I tell him to fuck right off if he thinks I’ll allow him to hurt them.
“Fine.” My gaze flicks to my parents. “I’ll be back.”
“Okay, honey.” Mom tries for a smile, but it wavers. “We’ll be here.”
And my father…still won’t look at me. Now I know why.
Aleksei moves ahead to open the door, his arm sweeping wide like it’s some kind of courtesy.
I step through, and he falls in beside me, close enough for the air between us to tighten.
His cologne drifts over, woodsy and clean, and to my disgust, it stirs something in me. A dangerous kind of comfort.
The sun has climbed higher, but the warmth doesn’t reach me. Not with him beside me. I swear, I can’t escape this man no matter what I do.
His arm slides around my waist and drags me against him as we round the corner past the tasting patio, while his voice dips low, a slow rasp that curls along my skin. “It’s been too long since I’ve had you this close. Have you missed me the way I’ve missed you?”
“I actually forgot you existed.”
He laughs under his breath, turning me to face him with a smooth twist.
“Liar.” His fingers catch my chin, tilting it up until his mouth lowers, hovering a breath from mine. “I know exactly how wet you get when you’re fighting me. And I like it a little too much.”
So do I.
No. Stop that!
“My parents could be watching.” I try to shove him off, but he doesn’t budge.
“Let them.” His lips graze my ear, setting my nerves alight. “They should get used to seeing me right where I belong.”
I close my eyes, forcing a breath into my lungs before I push at his chest. “Cut the act, Marinov. Why are you here? Is this another one of your games? Because I swear to God, if you so much as think about hurting my parents—”
His laugh is dry, almost cruel, and he finally lets me go. He strolls toward one of the patio chairs, moving with a calmness that makes my stomach knot. The patio’s empty; it’s too early for guests. Thankfully.
He pulls a chair out for me as if we’re at a polite lunch, not a hostage negotiation. Against my better judgment, I sit.
He studies me for a beat as he lowers himself opposite me, his gaze unblinking. “Whether they’re hurt depends entirely on you.”
A chill slides through me. “What the hell is that supposed to mean?”
He smooths a hand down his shirt like he’s already bored of the conversation. “We had a nice talk before you arrived, and now it’s all up to you. Their entire future is in your hands, Ms. Clark.”
My pulse drums hard against my ribs. “Then stop circling and get to the point.”
His grin spreads. “I offered them a deal. One that saves the vineyard, secures their future, and wipes away their debts.”
“What kind of deal?”
“Marinov Holdings takes control. We invest, expand, make it profitable, while keeping fifty-one percent of the shares. But…” He pauses, letting it hang between us, and then leans forward, elbows braced on the table, his eyes catching mine. “There’s one more condition.”
I force my face neutral even as dread crawls up my spine. “And what’s that?”
His gaze skirts up my body. “You marry me.”
My jaw drops and a strangled laugh escapes. “You’re joking.”
But his expression doesn’t shift. His features harden instead.
“Oh my God… You’re actually serious.”
“I don’t joke about business, Ms. Clark.” His voice is calm, too calm. “You want to save your parents? Become my wife. Bind yourself to a man who will never love you.”
Every word is filled with contempt, and I feel it in every inch of my body. Has this been his plan all along?
My spine stiffens. This is a death sentence.
“Why? Why would you even want that? This is your life too. Why the hell would you want to be tied to someone you despise?”
“Because…” His hand glides over my throat, light and deceptively gentle at first, until his fingers curl around my neck and squeeze. Hard enough to try to make me feel powerless. “When you swore to destroy me, I made a promise too.” His grip tightens. “That one day, I’d take everything from you.”
A cold rush floods my veins.
“And now…” His thumb traces the line of my jaw. “I’ve found the perfect way to do it.”
He crowds into my space, his stare burning like a fuse.
“You wanted to see me rot behind bars. But instead, you’ll have the distinct honor of wearing my ring.
Bearing my name. And every day you share my bed, share your body…
” His fingers constrict, forcing a breathless gasp from my throat.
“I’ll remind you that you failed. That your entire life exploded in your pretty little face and I lit the match. ”
“You’re sick.” My teeth clench so tight my jaw trembles.
“Perhaps. But you’re mine now, moya okhotnitsa, for better or worse.”
I try to jerk back from his grasp, but he won’t let me go.
“I won’t do it.”
“Fine.” He releases me with a shrug, stepping back like none of this matters to him.
“I’ll let your parents know the deal is off.
That their daughter chose pride over their survival.
But know this: if you don’t accept, I will take everything from them.
Every penny will burn to the ground until they have nothing but the clothes on their backs, and even those, I will take from them. ”
Fear tears through my chest like a scream that won’t come out. I stare at him, at the cold certainty in his eyes, and I know…
He’s not bluffing.
He turns, strutting away without a backward glance like he didn’t just detonate my entire world. My breath comes fast, my heart hammering like it’s trying to claw out of my chest.
I can’t do this. I can’t marry him. He’s going to make my life a living hell.
And if he wants kids? God, I can’t have children with him.
The farther he gets, the deeper the terror drags into my bones.
I open my mouth. “Wait!”
He pauses, slowly turning, his gaze drifting over his shoulder like he already knows what I’m about to say. “Yes?”
My lips part. My mind splinters. I can’t think. But I can see my parents in that office: the fear in their eyes, the weight of their future pressing down on them.
They’ve done so much for me. College. Law school. Even helped buy my home. How do I turn my back on them?
But how do I marry this man?
Yet what choice is there, really? It may seem like he’s presenting me with one, but it’s not much of a choice. It’s all smoke and mirrors.
Still…this doesn’t have to be permanent.
Emilia might be able to help. If Konstantin steps in and talks to his brother, this whole thing could end.
Maybe Aleksei won’t want to go through with the marriage.
Maybe he’d divorce me if he does. There has to be a way out of this for me, but my parents don’t have that option.
Bitterness rises in my throat as the words claw their way out.
“I’ll do it,” I whisper. “I’ll marry you.”
His smile cuts across his face, polished and poisonous. “Of course you will.”
God, I want to wipe that haughty look off with my fist.
“I have conditions, though,” I bite out as he draws closer.
He dips his head slightly, one brow arched. “Naturally. Shall we discuss them over champagne?”
“I’d rather swallow broken glass.”
“That can be arranged.” His fingers barely skim up my hand, but my body screams for more. “You do understand that there’s no getting out of this marriage, don’t you?” His hand climbs higher until it wraps around my throat. “You will be my wife until your very last breath.”
He drops his arm and starts to leave, but not before he adds, “How does it feel, Ms. Prosecutor? To have no control?”
My hand balls into a fist.
“Welcome to your new life, Mrs. Marinova. I trust you will find it quite agreeable. Maybe.” He chuckles.
I can’t believe I agreed to this. I sold my soul to the devil and singlehandedly just made the worst mistake of my life.
And I’m not sure there’s any way back.