Chapter 6
Chapter Six
Amy
“This is where you live?” I couldn’t help the surprise in my voice as the iron gates opened and we pulled onto a paved, curving driveway.
I don’t know what I expected, but the sandy colored mansion with its wide sweeping steps and pillars wasn’t it.
It looked too grand and old-fashioned for Alexei.
He always looked like a modern kind of man to me.
So, I expected him to have a penthouse full of abstract art, minimalistic furniture, and maybe a leather sectional without one soft pillow on it.
“No,” he said flatly. His voice was completely emotionless. Out of the corner of my eye, I saw him stiffen and realized he was as uncomfortable with this situation as I was. He didn’t want to marry me any more than I wanted to marry him. We were both being forced into it.
“I have a house and an apartment in the city. This is too old-fashioned for my taste,” his lips curled. “I prefer a more modern home.”
I couldn’t help it. My lips curved into a smile. I knew it. Alexei might think he was all mysterious, but in reality, he was really easy to read.
“But this will be where we marry and where we will live. Or at least where you will live for the first few months of this farce.”
“I see.” In my lap, my fingers entwined. “And where will you live?”
“Here, in the city, when I need to. It’s not really any of your business, is it?” he asked coldly.
“I guess not.” I went back to looking out the window. The rain had stopped, which should have been a good thing, but it felt wrong that the weak, late autumn sun was now shining. Surely it should be raining on the day I gave myself to a man like Alexei.
“I’ll be mostly here to start. I have a certain reputation to maintain, and people will talk if they think I’m stepping out on you so soon.” He chuckled, and a cold hand of dread trailed down my spine.
He was talking about cheating. We weren’t even married yet, and he already planned on straying.
“That bothers you?”
Oh, he knew it bothered me. “Of course, not as long as we both can—”
He cut me off, his hands closing around my cheeks and squeezing. “No.”
There was a wild look in his eyes, and I swallowed painfully.
“You will remain my faithful wife. Any hint of your indiscretions, and our deal is over. Is that understood?”
“Perfectly,” I said tartly.
“Good.” His grip loosened. “I won’t step out on you, Amy.” He said with a sigh. His hand dropped to his lap. “This wedding needs to be airtight.”
“Is your grandfather withholding your inheritance or something? Is that why you agreed to this? You are rich, handsome, and powerful. You can have any woman you want. Why are you marrying me? You don’t even like me.”
He did a double-take. “I don’t dislike you, Amy.
I don’t really have any feelings for you at all.
My grandfather isn’t withholding anything.
He isn’t making me do this. I am doing this of my own free will because making him happy in his final years is important to me.
Just like your sister is important to you.
No one is forcing us.” His eyes flashed with mine for a second before lingering on my lips.
“We are doing this because we want to, and I think if we both agree to keep things professional.” Again his eyes darted to my lips.
And the look he was giving me wasn’t professional at all. It was heated, and my cheeks flamed. Why did he keep staring at my lips like that?
“Then, we will be fine. I might even say happy. There is no reason we can’t be. As long as you—”
“Behave?” I asked unhelpfully.
A smile tugged at the corner of his mouth. “That wouldn’t have been the word I would use, but sure, let’s go with that. Let’s get inside. You have to get ready, and I have a million things to do.”
I followed after him, out of the car and up the wide steps. The door opened. There were people milling about. Women in what looked like maids’ outfits and men in wrinkled shirts.
I eyed them suspiciously.
“Don’t worry, everyone will change before the guests arrive,” Alexei muttered. “This way.”
He led me forward so quickly that I didn’t really have a chance to take in much else. Some of the staff smiled at me, their eyes full of the kind of pity that I didn’t understand. One passed with a huge vase of tropical-looking flowers in a cut crystal vase.
“Are they our wedding color?” Craning my neck, I watched the maid disappear into a different room.
“Yes.” He didn’t look back. “Is that a problem?”
“No.” Stumbling after him, I shook my head. “They just aren’t what I would have picked,” I muttered as he swung open a door on the second floor and stepped back.
“Of course not.” He rolled his eyes. “They are the ones I picked. This is your room.” He pointed inside.
“Make yourself at home. I’ll have the ladies come in to get you—” his eyes swept over me, taking in the ripped jeans and my oversized puffer jacket with a sneer.
“Presentable. I will see you downstairs.”
He ended the only half-decent conversation we had ever had by slamming the bedroom door in my face, leaving me standing there staring at the dark, stained wood with my mouth hanging open like a fish.
Alexei was an asshole, that much was clear, but he was right about one thing: we were doing this because of the people we loved and cared about, and to me, that was the only thing that mattered.
My sister had to live.
Sighing heavily, I shrugged myself out of my jacket and hung it over the back of an antique-looking chair tucked under a carved vanity table.
Everything in the room looked expensive, like it should be stored behind red rope or a glass case in a museum.
Idly, I trailed my fingertips over the glossy, polished wood, looking around.
The center of the room was taken up by a bed. A massive thing that could easily sleep six, with high towering posts on each corner and curtains pulled back.
As a child, I had always dreamed of a four-poster bed like a princess would have. But this didn’t look like the one in my imagination. It looked almost threatening, not a bed for a princess, unless she was being held captive in a tower by some evil prince.
My eyes darted towards the door. Alexei wasn’t a prince, although he had a big enough ego for one. The thought made me smile, but the grin only stayed in place for a second before an uneasy thought entered my mind.
Was I a prisoner here? Moving quickly from the bed, I reached for the brass doorknob and held my breath.
Alexei had said this was because I had chosen it, but—
The knob twisted, and the door was pushed open. Startled, I took a step back as five women sauntered into the room. Each so put together that they all looked like supermodels.
“Amy?” The front-most said with a smile that flashed teeth that were so white and even that they had to be fake. “You’re Amy, right? Our beautiful bride?” Her eyes appraised me, but her smile didn’t even fade.
Silently, I nodded. Shuffling backwards so they could crowd inside. The last one carried a huge garment bag, and I eyed it warily.
Was that my dress? It was strange because I hadn’t even thought about what I would be wearing. It kind of made sense that Alexei would have thought of everything.
“We don’t have long, so let’s get you sat down and—” the lead woman, who I was guessing was some kind of make-up artist, took me by the arm and led me towards the vanity, but paused when she caught sight of my face in the three mirrors.
“Are you OK, Amy?”
“Yes.” I took my seat, staring at my reflection. I looked pale and drawn. The lack of sleep had given me a hollow look, and there were dark circles under my eyes. I looked haggard. I didn’t look like a blushing bride at all.
“Yes, of course.” I forced myself to smile, and hers faded a little. “I’m just tired and a little nervous.”
She looked like she wanted to believe me, but didn’t. “Nerves are to be expected,” she said finally and patted my shoulder. “But you don’t need to worry, we are going to make you—”
“Beautiful?” I raised an eyebrow.
“You are already beautiful, Amy. We are just here to enhance that beauty. Don’t you worry. By the time we are finished with you, that handsome groom of yours won’t be able to keep his hands off of you.”
I blushed scarlet at her words. Would Alexei want to consummate the marriage?
We hadn’t talked about that side of things, but then again, we hadn’t really talked about anything.
I knew absolutely nothing about him, except that he was dangerous, and in less than a few hours, I was going to be his wife.
“Ready?”
Blinking stupidly, I met her gaze and nodded. “As I’ll ever be.”
“And do you have any ideas on hairstyle? There’s a veil and—”
I cut the other woman off. “Up, please.” I said without hesitation, and they began speaking amongst themselves, making plans that I wasn’t a part of, even though they directly involved me.
That’s what my life was going to be like from now on, I realized. Alexei would dictate every aspect of it.
I hated the very idea of it, but if it meant my sister got the best medical care, then I would be the best fake wife Alexei could ever want. I would be everything he needed me to be. Even if—
“There, all done?”
I glanced up in shock. What did she mean by “all done”? But one glance in the mirror, and I knew what she meant.
My face was flawless, smoky eye, subtle glistening lips, and a soft glow. My hair, which was usually wayward and curly, was pulled back in a sleek twist.
“Wow.” Leaning forward, I touched my fingers to my cheek. “I don’t even look like me.”
“You look beautiful.” They stepped back, clearly pleased with their handiwork. “Do you like it?”
“Yes.” And I did like the way I looked, but whether I liked it or not didn’t matter. It was Alexei’s opinion that mattered around here.
“Dress next. Up you get.” I was pulled up by my hands when I didn’t move and dressed like a child, twisted and pulled into the figure-hugging satin until I couldn’t breathe.
“And our work here is done.” She turned me towards the full-length mirror, and I stared at myself without really seeing anything. It wasn’t me who stared back. It was someone I didn’t recognize, someone who would look good on Alexei’s arm, not some exhausted care-worker from a nothing family.
“Your groom left this for you. We were told to give it to you when you were done.” She handed over a small envelope. My name was written in beautiful cursive on the front. I ran my fingers over it.
“We will leave you to read your love letter,” winking and giggling, they shuffled out, leaving me alone with my thoughts and, more importantly, the letter in my hand.
I knew it wasn’t going to be a love letter, but my heart fluttered in my chest as I tore it open anyway. Inside was a simple printed pamphlet. I scanned it quickly. A private hospital, which just happened to have the best heart specialist in the country working there.
And a handwritten note.
You have five minutes to get downstairs. Otherwise, all of this can change.
I swallowed the bitter lump in my throat. The threat was pretty clear. If I didn’t marry him, then any hope of my sister getting care in that swanky hospital was gone.
She wouldn’t survive without that kind of care. Scrumpling the note in my hand, I tossed it onto the vanity and walked towards the door on high heels that were already pinching my feet.
I ignored the pain in my feet and the fact that I couldn’t breathe in the tight dress and just concentrated on one thing.
Walking down the stairs with my head held high to marry a man I didn’t know, so I could save my sister’s life.