Chapter 1

Vanna

“Hold still,” my tyotya Louisa griped, pulling the strings on my corset tight enough to make me wonder if it was her way to stop me from running away. If I couldn’t breathe, I wouldn’t get very far.

I took shallow breaths, knowing running was out of the question no matter how much she tightened the strings.

Not that I would ever consider going against my father’s wishes.

Waving a hand in front of my face to get more air, I took a wheezing breath in, wrinkling my nose at the floral scent engulfing the room.

Why are there so many flowers everywhere?

The sickly-sweet smell filled the dressing room, not helping my current state. I was one inhale away from throwing up.

My hands trembled, and I wasn’t sure if my legs would hold me up.

But no matter how much I pleaded and begged, my father was unbending. He wanted a union between the two most powerful families in Chicago, no matter the cost. Selling his own daughter to the most influential bidder was his way of ensuring he’d get it.

I had never met the man I was supposed to spend the rest of my life with and only knew his name—Gabriel Olysses.

Louisa stepped back, sweeping a critical eye over my obscene wedding dress. “There. Done.”

I continued fanning my face with my hand, each breath harder than the last. If I had to describe my life, it would be “rainbow puke.” Because no matter how much you put a pretty word in front of it or tried to disguise it, it would always be puke.

My father had always made any decision about my life for me. And today he’d hand me over to another man to control my every move.

A wedding was supposed to be the happiest day in a girl’s life. But all I felt was resignation. I hoped my husband wasn’t cruel. Maybe he’d lose interest quickly and take a mistress. Then I could spend my life safely locked away. Solitude was something I was used to. Something I could deal with.

A knock on the door interrupted my frantic fanning and panting.

The wedding planner stuck her head through the small gap in the door. “We’re ready for you.”

Louisa wiped a tear off her cheek. “If only your mama was here to see you now. She’d be so proud.”

Thoughts of the only person who had ever meant anything to me sent a sharp pain through my chest. She was supposed to be here. Standing by my side. Telling me everything would be okay.

Instead, she was long gone, another casualty in Aleksándr Volkov’s mission to become the most powerful man in Chicago. She’d been hit by a bullet meant for her husband.

Ushering me out of the room, Louisa fluffed up my long train that made it hard to walk. I’d have never chosen to wear something so attention grabbing.

But since my wishes didn’t matter, I was wearing a dress I would never have picked, shoes that made me look like a newborn foal trying to walk for the first time, and a veil that blocked most of my view.

My fingers tingled from the cold, the church too large to heat. Despite its grandeur, the dress didn’t keep me warm. My shoulders and arms were exposed, the lace doing little else but looking pretty.

“Would it kill you to smile? This is the happiest day of your life,” Louisa hissed under her breath, a big smile on her face for anyone who might walk past.

I didn’t see the point in exercising my face muscles since nobody would see anything until I had to lift the veil.

Ignoring my tyotya, I stopped in front of the imposing doors, the only barrier between me and the rest of my life. But I’d endured worse. This was merely a bump in the road.

I can do this.

My bridesmaids, whom I’d never met, stood in front of me, their excited chatter fading as soon as the doors opened, revealing a church filled with people I didn’t know.

The music started, and a blur of lavender moved forward in perfect sync.

Louisa gripped my arm when I took a step forward. “Not yet. Didn’t you pay attention to anything the wedding planner said to you?”

Waiting for a signal I didn’t know to wait for, I stayed put, wanting nothing more than to be back in my room, hidden away from the world.

Aleksándr appeared next to me, his face pinched in displeasure, as usual. I didn’t know what I could have possibly done wrong now, but there was no use agonizing over it. Slipping my arm through his, I stood up straight and took a deep breath in.

A push to my back made me teeter on my heels. “Move,” Louisa hissed.

Gripping the flowers someone had placed in my hands, I took small steps, my gaze fixed on the floor. The walk seemed endless, each foot I placed in front of the other harder to take, my otets a gloomy presence next to me.

I finally passed the front pew, then walked up the three steps to the altar where my future husband waited.

Lifting my head, I blinked, wondering if this was a joke. The man standing in front of me was my every fantasy come to life. His clean-shaven face with its sharp angles and high cheekbones was something you would see in a magazine. His full lips looked like they were made for kissing, and his broad shoulders and narrow hips made the suit look as if the designer had created it just for him.

My breath stalled, this time having nothing to do with my tight corset. I’d been prepared for someone a lot older than me. Someone I wasn’t attracted to. But Gabriel was about ten years older than my twenty. And I doubted there was a woman alive who’d kick him out of her bed.

Aleksándr shook Gabriel’s hand and said something to him that I couldn’t hear. After shooting me a warning glare, he took his seat.

My future husband took my hands in his, the contact sending shivers down my spine. What in the fresh hell is this? I expected someone to jump out from behind the priest, yelling, “Got you.”

But the priest started the ceremony. After what must have been almost an hour, he finally arrived at the vows. Gabriel didn’t respond when the priest asked him to repeat after him.

After already having stood up for hours, since I couldn’t comfortably sit down in my dress, I was out of patience. My feet hurt, my back ached, and the corset was doing its best to keep me on the edge of passing out.

Wanting this ordeal to be over, I dug my nails in his hand. He startled but finally seemed to pay attention.

“This is the part where you need to say something,” I prompted when he looked at me with a questioning expression.

He finally said his part, and then I did mine. There was no use in delaying the inevitable. We’d be married today, whether or not I agreed.

“You may kiss the bride,” the priest announced, and my body stilled, all my aches forgotten.

Lifting trembling fingers to my veil, I pulled it back. My husband didn’t move; instead, he stared at me as if he’d never seen a woman.

I knew I wasn’t ugly. I might not have been an exotic beauty, but there was nothing wrong with my face.

Embarrassed by his continued silence, I took a shuddering breath in. “Are you just going to stand there? This is the part where you kiss me,” I whispered to him, immediately regretting my outburst. I didn’t usually speak up. But if Aleksándr thought Gabriel didn’t like what he saw, there’d be hell to pay later.

And I had no intention of pissing Aleksándr off because my husband didn’t want to kiss me.

Taking his hand in mine again, I squeezed to get his attention that was currently on my lips.

Instead of looking up, he crushed his mouth to mine, taking away what little air I’d had left. His tongue demanded entry, and since I needed to breathe, I opened my mouth in a gasp, unwittingly allowing him inside.

I sank into him, my arms automatically going around his body, holding on. His muscles moved under my hands, and I wondered how they would feel without his suit on.

The kiss ended as forcefully as it started, leaving me swaying on my heels.

Taking my hand, Gabriel turned us to face the guests, then lifted our joined hands to the cheering strangers.

Aleksándr would never do something as common as cheering, but he stood up, fixing me with one of his icy stares. Louisa stood next to him, clapping and smiling.

A squeeze of my hand tore my attention away from my family and to my husband.

But what I hadn’t been prepared for was the hungry look that greeted me when looking at him.

“Let’s get this over with,” he said, nodding to the crowd of people.

Following him outside, dodging petals thrown our way, I was grateful to see our car already waiting. Gabriel didn’t delay in walking me to the classic Rolls Royce, even opening the door for me.

After pushing all the tulle of my dress inside, he slid in behind me, closing the door and shutting out most of the noise. We’d be meeting everyone at the reception venue, only a ten-minute drive away. Since I couldn’t sit down properly, I was leaning on my side. For the first time today, I was grateful for all the tulle since it mostly hid my awkward position.

Gabriel turned to face me, his leg brushing against the tulle of my dress. “Just so we’re clear, this isn’t going to be some fairy-tale bullshit. We both know this marriage unites our families. You can continue living your life, and I’ll continue living mine. As long as we don’t get in each other’s way, everyone’s going to be happy.”

Okay, I guess we’re doing this now. The honeymoon was apparently over about five minutes after we said our vows.

Lifting my face to his, I took in his sky-blue eyes, his perfectly coiffed hair, and his firm and sensual lips. “Fine with me.”

He leaned back, his eyes glacial, his square jaw tightened. “Glad we’re on the same page. Because no matter how much I want to fuck you, it’s not going to happen.”

Mirroring his pose, I leaned back as well, putting as much distance between us as possible. His crude words rang in my ears. I wasn’t shocked by his language—I was used to much worse—but his directness. Backstabbing and fake smiles were the norm in my world.

The car was charged with a tense silence, the sight of the white towers of the wedding venue a welcome sight.

Gabriel didn’t bother helping me out of the car, not even when all the tulle threatened to bury me alive.

Fighting my way back out with a huff, I straightened my dress as best as I could, the train bunched up and dragging on the ground. I couldn’t remember how to detach it and hoped Louisa would get here soon to take care of it.

“You going to stand there all day?” the asshat asked, halfway to the front door already.

Best to get this over with.

Gathering as much of my dress as I could hold, I followed, taking one careful step after another while cursing under my breath.

He slammed inside, not bothering to hold the door. I awkwardly leaned my back against it and took myself and my train inside.

Leaving me standing in the middle of the foyer, hands clenching my dress, my body alight with fury, he disappeared into the reception hall.

Storming after him, I found him at the bar, ordering a drink.

Facing the room, Gabriel sipped at his shot, leaning back against the bar.

The suit stretched over his chest, giving me a glimpse of what lay beneath. And even though I hated myself for even thinking about it, what I’d seen and felt so far was impressive.

Before I had another chance to steal furtive glances at him, Louisa hustled inside in a rush of pink taffeta, her bright dress and hat hard to miss. “Let’s fix up the mess you’ve made of your dress.” She took my arm and led me away.

I couldn’t help but look over my shoulder, catching Gabriel’s eyes, which had been following us out of the room. His face was pinched tight, confusion marring his beautiful features.

Louisa dragged me down a long hallway and then into a dressing room. It didn’t surprise me that she already knew exactly where everything was. My tyotya was all about preparation.

She detached the train with a few flicks of her hand, tutting the whole time about its crinkled and dirty state. Its oppressive weight fell away, allowing me to walk without feeling like I was pulling a truck along with me.

The dress underneath was a fitted, floor-length lacy gown, showing off more than I’d ever feel comfortable with. My usually small boobs were pushed high, making them look at least two sizes bigger than they really were. Satin underlined the white lace, leaving gaps on my waist, along my thighs, and on my back.

Tugging my hair back into submission, she studied my face with a critical expression. “I guess this will have to do for now. Your husband said no photos, so I only booked the stylist for the church.”

I didn’t care if there were no mementos of the day, since it would make it easier to pretend it had never happened. Once Louisa was satisfied I wouldn’t besmirch the family name with my bedraggled appearance, she released me. I didn’t delay and hastened back to the ballroom.

If Aleksándr was already there, he’d be furious if I made him wait.

When I stepped through the large double doors, the first person I locked eyes with was Aleksándr. I refused to call him by anything but his name. There was nothing fatherly about any of his interactions with me, and I’d always thought of him as my prison guard rather than a family member. And based on the malice gleaming in his eyes, I’d pay for not being there to greet him.

Curse my luck. Or lack thereof.

Pasting a bright smile on my face, I took a deep breath and walked up to him. Delaying the inevitable had never done me any favors. And if there was one thing I’d learned growing up, it was how to face my punishments without delay, as that would only make them worse.