Chapter 3 - Avit
I watched as Sienna dropped the pen as though it had scorched her fingers. Then she turned and glared at me.
“You're not a man, you're a monster. My father may have sold me, but I’ll never be your slave.”
Though I felt the sting of her words, I didn't bother to correct her.
It didn't matter what I said to her now; she wouldn't believe me, anyway. Marrying her was to protect her from her father and any other schemes he may want to include her in without her knowledge. So, I ignored her comment, folded the certificate, and slipped it into my jacket pocket. I’d lock it in my safe once we got to the house.
“You’ll be staying at my place from now on.”
“What? Why? I have an apartment close to campus. There is no reason to live with you.”
I arched a brow. “You just got married to a Bratva heir. Do you really think I'd let my wife live anywhere but under my roof?”
“There are always exceptions to a rule.” She tilted her chin stubbornly.
“You are correct, but this will not be one of them. Besides, all your things have already been packed and delivered to our home. Let’s go.”
Her pale blue eyes almost seemed like glass as they shot daggers at me.
Done with the conversation, I strode to the door and opened it, motioning for her to walk out ahead of me.
Standing there was Wexler Durov, my most trusted guard, and one of the men I’d sent to bring her in.
I only sent the men I trusted most. They might have been loyal to the Safin faction, but their loyalty to me ran deeper.
Sienna and I followed Wexler to the parking lot. He opened the door for her, and she slid into the back seat without a word. I got in beside her while Wexler took the wheel of the SUV.
“Wexler, take us to the property I purchased earlier, the one where Mrs. Safin's things were delivered.”
“Yes, sir.”
As we pulled out of the parking lot, I glanced at Sienna.
She was leaning against the door, her hoodie shadowing most of her face.
Her knees were drawn to her chest, arms wrapped around her legs as if she could make herself smaller, or hold herself together.
I wondered if she even realized what she was doing…
or how many times she’d done it before, living with a father who drank and gambled.
Another thought struck me: how many of his messes had she had to clean up?
Her mother was diagnosed with cancer when Sienna was fourteen.
From everything I’d found, Jasper had loved his wife and daughter once.
But as the years wore on and the bills piled up, the worthless bastard of a man began to spiral, leaving Sienna to care for her dying mother alone.
She’d been at her high school graduation when her mother passed. Jasper? He’d been at the damn casino with another woman.
I’d ordered Wexler and the others to bring her in because I needed control of the situation and leverage over Jasper if he tried to run or make a fool of me again.
What I hadn't expected was how gorgeous she’d be, or how close her lips were to mine when I leaned in. As a tall guy, it was hard to find a woman I didn't have to bend over to chat with. She was the perfect height. And when she shot me a defiant glare…her eyes looked like frost…just beautiful.
Get it together, Avit. I scolded myself internally.
This wasn't about love; it's about making a statement to Jasper and Sienna. That crossing us was unacceptable, and there were hefty consequences that came with it. I just hoped that Sienna's life meant something to him.
I hadn’t fired Jasper, though. The idiot would lie low for a while, then go back to stealing and selling to his clients. That much I was sure of.
But if I were being honest with myself, there was another reason I took Jasper's deal. I wanted to marry her. My decision wasn’t just about leverage or making a statement. It was about ensuring her well-being.
I knew better than anyone that marriage would ward off any chance of Jasper trying to get Sienna back and giving her to someone else.
I glanced at her again.
Right now, it probably feels like the worst thing that could’ve happened to her. I knew she wouldn’t have signed if I hadn’t threatened Jasper. But soon enough, she’d see that she’d never want for anything again. That might take a while, though, since she thought I was a monster.
She was too smart to be dragged down by his lifestyle.
I was sure she knew more about the things her father was into than she was letting on, but I still felt her pain when the truth hit her.
It was like watching a knife twist in her chest. Her face drained of color, her body stumbled back, and I knew that moment would haunt her.
Maybe because I was the one who delivered the news, a part of her pain felt like my fault, too.
I sighed inwardly.
Jasper didn't deserve a daughter like Sienna. With a bright future in IT ahead of her, being tied to Jasper could send her down roads she might never recover from. And when his supply chain inevitably ran dry, he wouldn’t be able to protect her from the fallout.
I felt disgusted at myself, at the fact that I forced her hand. I’d never agreed with my brothers’ forced marriages. Hell, I even chewed them out a few months ago for marrying their women out of selfish reasons, out of need.
But this…this was different. This wasn’t about my selfish needs. Sienna needed someone in her corner, someone to stand by her side. Even if she didn’t choose me, I silently vowed to be there for her.
My fingers curled into balls on my lap.
I’ve always believed women had the right to choose who they wanted to be with. That’s what we taught our sisters, and here I was, doing the exact opposite. After everything the women in our family had been through, I knew they’d be furious. Hell, I was a little pissed at myself, too.
Still, I blamed Jasper for all of this. If it weren’t for him, Sienna and I wouldn’t have been forced into a marriage.
The man’s a conniving snake, and he’d been suffocating her for years.
Anyone could see it from the few reactions she had tonight.
But to offer her up, someone as innocent as she was, to a Bratva man? It was unforgivable.
Luckily for Sienna, unlike most Bratva men, I didn't mistreat women and wanted the best for them.
Still, I wanted nothing more than to beat the shit out of Jasper. He was supposed to be there for Sienna, but it ended up the other way around; she had to be there for him, coddle him, be strong for him. But who the hell was there for her? Whose shoulder did she cry on?
Knowing the kind of man Jasper was, I decided that since he couldn’t do shit for his daughter, I would. I’d protect her and keep her safe. I'd be her shoulder.
I knew how close I’d come to becoming an alcoholic myself, but my brothers pulled me back.
That wasn’t a road I wanted to keep going down.
I could’ve been the one to fuck up my family because of my addiction.
If I had, it wouldn’t just have wrecked our Safin faction, it would’ve put our allies like the Rykovs at risk, too.
One wrong deal, one bad night, and I could’ve endangered everyone.
Hell, it was because I started drinking and losing focus that little shitweasel got away with what he did for so long.
I fucked up because of my drinking, and I felt every bit as irresponsible as my father said I was. Now, whenever I woke from a nightmare of our last conversation, or when the urge for a drink hit, I went for a run or hit the gym instead.
“Mr. Safin, we’re here,” Wexler’s voice cut through my thoughts.
I nodded, pushed open my door, and stepped out.
Wexler did the same, circling around to open Sienna’s door while I made my way toward the house.
The other guards exited their vehicles as well.
I was lucky enough to find a place with an annex at the back that could comfortably hold six guards at a time.
The house wasn’t as grand as my brothers’ estates; I bought it on a whim that afternoon.
It was a two-story house with a red brick exterior and a wraparound porch.
There were five bedrooms, including a master, with one full bathroom downstairs, another upstairs.
It had an open-concept kitchen and dining area, a large living room, and an office.
I unlocked the front door and stepped into the foyer, waiting as Sienna and Wexler followed. She walked past me silently, her hood still up, eyes red-rimmed from crying. Wexler lingered beside me.
“Do you need anything else, Mr. Safin?” he asked.
“Have the men rotate in groups of three. And make sure the cameras and monitors are up and running by noon tomorrow. Don’t connect it to Timur’s network yet. Got it?”
“Yes, sir.”
Wexler gave a curt nod and left, closing the door behind him.
I didn't want the security system in Timur's yet because I didn’t want my siblings to know what I had done. If they met Sienna, they’d ask too many questions, and all roads would lead back to my mistakes.
I couldn’t have them knowing about that, not until I knew who Jasper was working with.
We had barely come out of the last three years alive.
I didn’t want them worrying about this mess too; they needed a break, especially Lev, Jaroslav, and Marten, who had been at the forefront of the fight.
After locking the door, I made my way into the living room. The house was unfurnished, except for a mattress in her room, one in mine, and a few pillows and blankets.
She didn’t even turn to look at me when I walked up, so I stood in front of her and lifted her chin so her eyes could meet mine. The pain and hurt were noticeable.
“This is your home now.”
She laughed bitterly, yanked her chin out of my hand, and stepped back. “My home? You force me to marry you and then have the audacity to call this place…my home?”
“Yes, it is your home.” I pulled out my wallet and handed her a credit card. “Use this. Order whatever we'll need, and decorate the house however you like.”
She pointed the card at me. “You think that by giving me a card and telling me to decorate, I can make this house into a home?”
She took a step back and opened her arms.
“In case you haven't noticed, I'm not the most fashionable person around.” She dropped her arms at her side. “And even if I were, there's no way I'd decorate your house. I don't want to be here.”
“Whether you want to be here or not doesn't matter at this point. You have a choice to be comfortable or uncomfortable. And you can be comfortable by getting the necessities for the house.”
“You think furniture would make me comfortable here with you? A stranger? A man tied to the freaking mafia? How would you feel if someone forced your sister into marriage?”
My jaw twitched. Because when I heard about what Artyom did, I wanted to kill the damn bastard.
“Arranged marriages are popular in our world, Mrs. Safin. A world that you are now a part of, whether you like it or not. Dwelling on it isn't going to change the fact that you're my wife, or that I'm your husband. The quicker you understand this, the better it will be for you.”
She closed her eyes and inhaled deeply. When she opened her eyes, there was no emotion in them. Like she had just flicked a switch and shut them off.
“I have some studying to do,” she said flatly.
“I’ll take you to your room.”
I made my way up the steps and down the hall to the last bedroom at the back of the house, overlooking the annex, and the only other bedroom with a bathroom. I opened the door.
“Go ahead and study. I’ll order us some dinner in the meantime,” I said.
She stepped into the room, threw my credit card in my face, slammed the door, and locked it.
I exhaled sharply, bent to pick up my card, and pulled out my phone to order two pizzas from Sienna’s favorite place.
Thirty minutes later, I knocked on her door with one of the pizzas in hand. “Sienna, I ordered us pizza.”
I waited for her to open the door or at least answer, but neither happened. I knocked louder.
“Sienna, it's time to take a break and have something to eat. You can't study on an empty stomach.”
Still nothing.
“Sienna, I'm leaving the pizza by the door.”
No response.
I wanted nothing more than to break down the door and demand her attention, but I knew it would make things worse between us. She needed time, and I'd give it to her.
I placed the pizza by the door and walked to the master bedroom. I stripped down to my boxers and collapsed on the mattress, exhausted from the day. I closed my eyes, even though I knew sleep wasn’t coming anytime soon. I stayed awake, worrying about her and listening for her door to open.
At the crack of dawn, I began getting ready for the day.
Tension rolled through my muscles, and a headache throbbed behind my eyes, maybe from worrying about Sienna, lack of sleep, or both.
After a quick shower and pulling on a fresh suit, I saw the untouched pizza in front of her door and knew it was going to be a long fucking day.
I grabbed the box and made my way to the kitchen. After I tossed it into the trash, my phone rang. It was Pyotr.
“Hey, where the hell have you been? You aren't at the club, the headquarters, or home,” he said, concern etched in his voice.
“I had a few last-minute files to review,” I replied. “And staying anywhere I usually would have meant you finding me and distracting me.”
“If by distracting you, you mean reminding you to take a break every once in a while, then I’ll happily distract you. But at least someone would’ve known where you were. Mariya was worried. I stayed at the family mansion with her last night.”
“I’m sorry. It slipped my mind.”
“Avit, it slipped your mind to call and let Mariya know you weren’t coming home?” Pyotr asked suspiciously.
“She couldn’t have missed me that much if she didn’t call or text. Neither did you.”
“That’s because we expected you to call, like you normally do,” Pyotr said, disbelief lacing his voice.
“Fine. I’m sorry. I won’t let it happen again.”
“Great. Now call Mariya so she knows you’re not in a gutter somewhere bleeding or dead. And Lev wants us at headquarters at eight.”
“Sure thing.”
After Pyotr hung up, I left a short apologetic voice note for Mariya, then shot a text to Wexler to meet me at the front of the house.
I needed to figure out how to juggle visiting the family mansion while keeping Sienna here without raising suspicion.
And with my phone still linked to Timur’s security network, I’d have to reroute my location before anyone started asking questions.
It was going to be a long-ass fucking day.