Page 17 of The Pakhan's Sold Bride

“Are you always such a rude asshole?” she snaps at me, her blue eyes fierce, and angry, and beautiful.

“You have no idea,” I laugh, then slam the door shut, locking her in.

As I walk away, I hear banging and shouting from her room, but I ignore it. Tonight has been long enough already. I’ve got the problems with Miron to deal with, the problems with her father, the mess he made with my allies, the debt to settle with them—and now I’ve got to deal with her, as well.

I’m done for today.

The chef should have my dinner ready in the next thirty minutes. I have enough time to take a hot shower and try and wash away some of this stress, and then I’ll watch the last of the sunset from my balcony.

***

The hot water from the shower soaks my body, easing the tension in my shoulders. My muscles are tight. This marriage idea was such a spur-of-the-moment thing that I didn’t even have a chance to think it through properly or prepare for it. Now I have a beautiful woman living in my house, mywife, and I haven’t processed it at all.

She is gorgeous, though.

This bullshit with the pretending not to know what’s going on—it’s getting old. It has to stop.

Her father is a compulsive liar, though. He will literally say anything to get out of trouble. Flipping from one story to the next, even if he contradicts himself in the same sentence.Everything she learnt, she learnt from him, so I have to assume the worst with her.

She might have been in on the idea with him, but I reckon she had no plans of actually becoming someone’s wife today. Maybe she thought I wouldn’t go through with it?

Well, she’s just going to have to get used to it.

I wonder what she’s doing now?

I flick the shower off and wrap a white towel around my waist, walking through to the bedroom and pulling my closet open. Maybe I should check on her.

Dammit.

I should just leave her. She’s been enough of a pain today already.

No, I should check. I can invite her to sit with me for dinner if she’s calmed down.

I pull on a pair of jeans and a black shirt. While I’m out, I strictly wear suits, but in the house I can be more relaxed.

Showered, feeling refreshed and less stressed, I head across the hallway to her room.

Lifting my hand to knock, I notice the door is slightly open.

What the fuck? I swear I locked it.

I push it and it glides open easily.

And the room is empty.

“For fuck’s sake,” I groan loudly.

Running downstairs, I call out for my head of security.

“Jake?”

“Sir?” he arrives quickly.

“The girl. She’s not in her room.”

“I was just coming to find you, sir. My men caught her in the back garden. They are escorting her to the front now.”

“Dammit. How did she get out of a locked room?”