Chapter 27 Dimitri
DIMITRI
“Segodnya solnechno.” Today, it is sunny.
“Mne nravitsya kogda svetit sonce.” I like when it’s sunny.
Sienna’s voice echoed through the house while she practiced Russian, leaving a tornado in her wake.
Once she was in her room for the night, I would go through the house and inspect the things she’d strewn about.
So far, I’d collected empty cardboard boxes, a pair of headphones, neon Post-its, a sweater, and three pairs of socks.
Chaos followed her. Along with that fucking wolf. Vovk had never shown a shred of affection towards anyone, but right now he was sitting in the garden with a blue and pink rain jacket while Sienna cooed at him and took his picture.
“Zavtra budet dozhd.” Tomorrow, it will rain.
I landed back in the black leather chair in my downtown office, jaw clenched as I watched her through the security cameras.
Today marked one week since we’d gotten married, and I’d spent less than thirty cumulative minutes with my wife since.
I left the house early and returned late, except for the nights I just stayed downtown.
Separating myself from her physically was easy, but the hold she had on my mind had only grown until she consumed my every waking thought.
I fucking hated it.
Now when I was in business meetings, I wondered what she was doing.
When I sat alone in my penthouse apartment, she was the one I watched through the cameras on my computer.
The staff and guards knew to stay away from her, but it had only been a week and even they were breaking.
Sveta and Polina were especially charmed by Sienna’s determination to communicate with them in Russian.
My office door opened and Maxim slipped inside. He slumped down in the seat across from me, jaw clenched and shoulders tight.
I cocked an eyebrow. “If you have something to say, spit it out.”
He crossed his arms. “I don’t get this. You couldn’t stop thinking about the girl from Paris. Now she’s a few feet away, ordering rugs for your house, and you’re avoiding her.”
“Because she isn’t the girl from Paris. She lied to me.”
“And you were honest with her, Declan?”
I ignored him, my eyes flitting back to my computer screen.
Apparently, the wolf photoshoot was over because Sienna was grabbing a chocolate chip cookie from the kitchen.
Yesterday, Sienna had FaceTimed Sofiya for hours while my sister tutored her in Russian and instructed her on how to make chocolate chip cookies.
At one point, Sienna had misplaced an entire stick of butter.
When she couldn’t find it, she’d shrugged her shoulders and grabbed a new stick out of the fridge.
I’d moved the lost stick of butter from its inexplicable spot on the windowsill back where it belonged when I returned home late that night.
Now she was walking back to the sunroom, which she had claimed as her own.
The first time I’d seen her in there through the cameras, a fury had filled me and I’d almost jumped in my car to tell her to get the fuck out.
The only thing that stopped me was the realization that telling her that would reveal one of my few weaknesses.
In the days since, my anger had faded. Now, I waited every day to see what she would add to the room.
I ripped my eyes away from the screen. “Did you get it?”
Maxim sighed and pulled two small boxes out of his pocket before handing them to me.
I flipped one open to check the ring inside.
I’d picked out the diamond from my collection—just over four carats with perfect color and clarity—and our jeweler had put it in a gold setting surrounded by smaller diamonds and created a matching gold wedding band.
The second box contained my ring. A black titanium band with a line of gold running through it.
I tucked both boxes into my jacket pocket. “Make sure she doesn’t move anything heavy.” Two days ago, I’d come home to find her dragging a massive rug through the foyer. After moving it into the living room, I’d told her not to do it again, but Sienna had a habit of doing whatever she wanted.
“Oh, so are we allowed to interact with her now?” Maxim asked.
When I became Pakhan, I told Maxim I didn’t need my second to be a yes man. I needed him to speak his mind and not be afraid to challenge me. Without that, I was no better than the corrupt leadership we had deposed.
I was regretting that decision now.
“No English, and remind the men not to fucking stick around.”
No one could stay in her orbit for long and resist her charms.
Later that day, while Sienna ate dinner, I slipped into her bedroom. I didn’t have cameras set up in this room, so this was the first time I’d seen it since she’d moved in.
It smelled like her. Like vanilla edged with something sweet and floral. It was also a fucking mess. Piles of clothes and boxes lined the walls…the unfinished walls. Unfamiliar feelings of guilt burrowed into my chest. I’d put the mother of my child in an unfinished bedroom with plywood floors.
I sent a message to Polina to coordinate with the contractor to fix this.
My hand ran along the tangled sheets and blankets on the unmade bed. Those nights in Paris were the first I’d ever shared a bed with someone.
I slipped the ring box out of my pocket and left it on top of her pillow.