Chapter 7 – Kat #2
“I don’t know the precise details, but Eduard explained the basic stuff to me.
Since your name appeared in the Sivella Holdings file, various enemy groups have become active.
They all want the amassed money and information about the company, information that means trouble for the Yezhov Bratva,” she explained.
“And I have to be a victim in this power play?”
“No, it’s not about power, babes. It’s about survival,” she clarified. “If you’re left alone, outside the Yezhovs’ protection, it’ll be too easy for the enemies to come after you.”
“So,” I started, my throat heavy, “I have no other choice? No better way of getting out of this? I don’t want to be stuck in this.”
“Sadly, no,” she revealed, shaking her head, sympathy apparent in her expression.
In that moment, I discovered how exactly I felt—probably how I’d been feeling for a while. The feeling was resignation. There was nothing I could do to change it; I was getting married to Danil Yezhov.
I fell back, my back silently hitting the soft mattress. Marielle did the same, and we burst into giggles.
“Gosh, I’ve missed you so much, babes,” she uttered as our laughter died down.
“I missed you more,” I admitted, sitting up. “How’s married life treating you? I mean, from our phone conversations and what I can see, it perfectly favors you.”
She sat up. “It does favor me. I don’t know about the perfectly part, though.
I’d be lying if I told you I wake up every morning smiling about being married to Eduard.
There are times I don’t even want to be in the same room as him.
But the assurance that every single thing that matters to me is of utmost importance to him,” she explained, her faraway look graced with a smile. “That’s the beauty of it all.”
“I’m happy for you. Remember, I kept insisting on video calls when I returned from Spain; I wasn’t sure you weren’t just in a Stockholm syndrome phase or that he was coercing you. It was fast, you know.”
“Too fast. But then, it went from being out of necessity to being out of choice,” she revealed.
“I’m glad,” I uttered. “This darling husband of yours is either the white sheep, or Danil is the black sheep.”
She was about to speak when a brief sound permeated the air in the room. She unlocked her glittery purse and brought out her phone.
“Just a few minutes left,” she noted, looking up from her phone. “Thank goodness your dress and shoes are all that’s left.”
She looked to the right, obviously for my wedding dress.
“It’s here,” I remarked, heading for the closet to the left.
“Black? You go, girl!”
I chuckled as she moved closer to unzip the back of the dress.
“Hm. Bougie. I love it,” she commented, running her hand over the fabric of the dress.
“The color was the major consideration,” I told her as I took the robe off. “Something to tell the arrogant bastard to go fuck himself.”
She laughed, helping me into the dress.
“Danil isn’t a monster, you know,” she stated, her tone turning less playful. “He’s not a man of many words, so I won’t be surprised if his silence has annoyed you. But he is one of the good ones; he’s loyal to the core. Danil will die protecting you if that’s what it takes. He’s that kind of man.”
His handsome face came to mind as I digested what my best friend just told me, but the image of him forcing me to sign the marriage papers was enough for me to shake it off.
The door opened at that moment, and Sava came in.
“It’s about time,” he announced, and Marielle nodded, picking up her purse.
“I’ll see you down there, babes,” she said, pulling me into a warm hug. “My biggest wish is for you to look back at today with not a hint of regret, babes.”
As she left the room and Sava approached, I didn’t know if I wanted her wish to become true.
***
“If you want to fake a faint and run, I have a Vespa Sprint ready, and it’s pink,” Sava revealed, making me laugh.
We were walking toward the end of the hallway, toward a door that I was sure led to the back garden.
Sava’s compliments weren’t the only basis for me to know how beautiful I looked; I saw it myself before I stepped out of the room.
I suddenly felt all eyes on me as we got to the entrance of the garden. My heart warmed as I realized Sava’s remark was to lighten the mood and calm my nerves.
My eyes skipped over the small crowd comprised of the suited men and glamorously dressed women to the man who stood at the altar.
The man who would become my husband in a matter of minutes.
Danil Yezhov.
He looked cold as always, but still appeared spotless in a black suit and white shirt, his hair slicked back perfectly.
“See ya,” Sava whispered as he stepped away from my side.
I swallowed as the soft music began to play. The short distance I had to walk to the altar didn’t seem so short. I gritted my teeth, pushing thoughts of how sweet it would have been if my dad were there to ‘give my hand.’
Let’s get this over with.
Marielle threw me a kiss as I walked down the aisle.
Coming to stand in front of an expressionless Danil, I tuned out everything the middle-aged officiant recited.
Of course, I couldn’t care less. For all I knew, everyone watching us was a member of the Bratva, and they knew the circumstances leading to the marriage.
There was no point in selling them a ‘happily married’ facade.
My eyes shifted from the greenery behind Danil to his face again. That was when I noticed a tiny but clear change in his expression.
His left eyebrow was raised, and the ends of his lips twitched like he was holding back from saying something. Something bad, if the intensified coldness in his blue eyes was an indication.
“Do you accept, Miss Katria Wolfe?” the officiant asked.
I looked to see the audience look on with anticipation. It hit me then that that wasn’t the first time the officiant had asked the question.
I blinked at Danil, daring him to make me speak like he made me sign the papers.
“She does,” his voice was cool as he answered for me.
The officiant’s disapproving look was met with Danil’s threatening glare; the former let out an awkward cough.
“I now pronounce you husband and wife,” he uttered, a forced smile on his face. “You may now kiss the bride.”
Can he just make him skip this part with another threatening look?
I knew I was out of luck when Danil took a step closer. His left hand went to my waist while his right forefinger lifted my chin.
He’s rubbing it in my face that I can’t do anything now.
“I’ll ruin you,” I uttered as his face inched closer to mine.
“Then, we’ll burn together,” he answered without missing a beat.
Then his lips landed on mine. He didn’t wait for me to kiss back before moving his lips over mine, nibbling and sucking. The fervor in his kiss made me forget my resentment as I melted into him, kissing him back.
The hoots, claps, and laughter from the front rows—definitely from the other Yezhov brothers—woke me from my trance. I pulled back almost violently.
The bastard brought his other hand to my waist, drawing me to himself as his lips held on to mine. I stopped moving my lips, but he didn’t stop for a few seconds.
I smiled inwardly at his raised brow when I held his lower lip between my teeth, as he moved to step back.
Two can play.
My eyes met his for a moment before I stepped back, having sent my message.
The ceremony went on in a blur as different people congratulated us, telling me names which I forgot almost immediately.
As I petulantly moved away from the altar with Danil, something fell from the bouquet that was handed to me.
It was a small white paper cutout.
Picking it up, I saw it had a short handwritten text that read:
“Feliks knows the truth.”
What truth?
Who is Feliks among them all?
As I hid it, I decided to find out. If the message was in the bouquet, it was definitely for me. And any private message to me from these people who knew next to nothing about me must be important.