Page 9

Dinner was beef stroganoff paired with mashed potatoes and a glass of expensive red wine. It’d been days, and I still couldn’t get used to the fancy dinners. They were delicious, but after watching the chef put so much time and effort into making it, I would honestly prefer a burger and fries from McDonalds.

It was nearly nine p.m. when I finished. Most days, I had dinner by six or seven at the latest, but I had slept through most of the evening, and when my growling stomach finally forced me to wake up, it was already eight p.m.

Luckily, the chef had asked what I would like for dinner during lunch, so she made it earlier.

After my meal, I sauntered back upstairs, ready to slide under the duvet and go back to sleep, when I passed a door at the end of the hall, far away from my own room. One of the maids had told me it was Andrei’s room. It was locked at all times, and no one was allowed to go in there when he wasn’t home.

It was open today, though, and I couldn’t resist the temptation to peep inside. Given the type of man Andrei was—cold, cruel, calculating—I needed to see what the inside of his room looked like. Perhaps he had a human body hidden under his bed.

I pushed up onto my toes and crept over to the slightly open door. A Caravaggio-style dramatic art of lone, brooding figures sitting right above his bed caught my attention when I popped my head inside to make sure there was no one there.

The painting was one of a kind. From afar, I could tell whoever the artist was had taken his time and crafted such a magnificent piece of art with gentle strokes of his brush.

I wanted to make something as beautiful as that one day.

Maybe I could use it as a source of inspiration.

I looked behind me to make sure there was no one watching before I gently pushed the door open to make more space for my frame, and I sauntered inside.

His room wasn’t very different from what I imagined: white walls and ceilings, with a touch of dark grey décor and furnishing. A king-sized bed sat in the middle of the room, and a recliner was right in front of the glass wall at the other end.

I neared the painting, folding my arms and taking in the details. From what I could tell, the painter was telling the story of a man who’d become a darker shadow of himself while walking down a path no one else could. There were what appeared to be dead bodies littered behind him, and it seemed like his soul died a little with each step he took.

On the other hand, it could be interpreted as a man killing old habits and walking down a new path to self-discovery. The pieces of his soul vanishing could also be seen as them returning to him. It was a beautiful yet thought-invoking painting. I wondered what it meant to Andrei and if he had a different perspective.

I jerked away from the painting when I heard the creaking of the bathroom door as it suddenly opened, but before I could slip away, Andrei stepped out.

My heart stopped beating, and my jaw dropped. He’d been home all this while. When then the hell had he returned, and how come I never noticed?

Goodness, it must’ve been when I was sleeping. Shit. How was I going to explain this—me being in his room, so close to his bed, and staring at the painting on his wall? What if he thought I was here to steal from him?

Those were real problems, but what bothered me the most was the look of him with his wet blond hair and a white towel wrapped around his waist. His bare chest was exposed, giving me a perfect view of his broad shoulders, abs, muscled chest and—Goddamn it, he was hot.

His piercing blue eyes met mine.

I wished he’d look away just so I could gather my thoughts and regain my composure, but I was completely taken aback by him, by those beautiful blue eyes that held nothing but darkness and that handsome face. This man was gorgeous in a way that should’ve been illegal.

No one had the right to look that good, especially not him.

My heart rate doubled, and my stomach fluttered with heat. It was dangerous to be in the same room as him when he was barely covered. I wasn’t afraid he would do something inappropriate; I was afraid I would want him to do something inappropriate, like stride over to him and….

That was it; I had to stop my mind before it went too far with thoughts like this. “I-I’m sorry,” I stuttered. “I shouldn’t be here.”

Holding my breath, I turned around, intending to walk away as quickly as I could, when his deep voice stopped me right before I could take my first step.

“You shouldn’t, but here you are anyway.”

I could feel his gaze on me, burning up my skin and making it harder for me to breathe, to think, to talk.

I turned around to face him. “I saw the door open, and I—”

“You saw it as an invitation to sneak into my room,” he said with a smirk, drying his hair with a small towel. “You’re very gutsy, solnishko .”

My eyes darted to the painting on the wall and right back at him. “I don’t know what I was thinking. I should leave now.”

He scoffed. “I was going to come see you anyway. I have something to tell you. It’s better I do it now.”

God, I really hated my life. There was no escaping from this man. He’d been away for the five days I’d spent at his house, and suddenly, tonight, when I was in his room, and he was only in a towel, he had something to tell me?

I let out a deep breath. “What is it?”

“The news of you being my fiancée spread like wildfire. I wasn’t expecting it to, but it seems people can’t ignore other people’s business very much.” He gave me a look that made me want to vanish into thin air, like he was judging me for trespassing, too.

I rubbed my clammy hands on the thick flare dress I was wearing and forced myself to stare into his eyes. I had to keep my chin up. I couldn’t show fear or nervousness around this man or he’d feast on it like a wild beast.

“Good thing the news spread. Isn’t that what you wanted when you lied at the police station?”

“It wasn’t what I intended, but I don’t mind, solnishko .” He walked to a drawer at the other end of the room and grabbed a bottle of deodorant. “Now that I think of it, you’d make a perfect fiancée.”

I narrowed my eyes at him and frowned. “You’re not thinking we’re actually engaged now just because the news went round, are you?”

He stared at me, a witty grin emerging on his face. A fire of amusement danced in his eyes for a moment before he finally spoke again. “Do you hate the idea of being my fiancée that much?”

I shrugged. “For starters, I am not your fiancée, and if it were up to me, I wouldn’t be here. There, you have your answer.”

“You and that smart mouth of yours.” He inched closer, his chest flexing with every step.

Seriously, how often did this man workout, and how much protein did he consume to grow all that muscle? As if being tall wasn’t enough, he just had to be intimidating as well. Nature wasn’t being fair at all when it gave him all the good looks and the attitude.

I hated to admit it, but I could totally see myself falling for him if we’d met under different circumstances.

Who wouldn’t fall for a man who looked like a God, even though he might’ve been the devil himself?

He was close enough for me to get a whiff of his shampoo and the minty scent of his deodorant. “For someone who wouldn’t be here if you had a choice, you’re a little too relaxed, solnishko . You’re even trespassing.”

My throat went dry and remained dry no matter how much I swallowed.

I rolled my eyes, pretending to be as uninterested as I could. “I’m only here for one reason, Andrei.”

He cocked his brows.

I rolled my eyes again. “I want to find the men that killed my father.”

“And yet you haven’t given me the information I need,” he drawled, studying me with squinted eyes.

That was because I didn’t have the information he needed.

For a moment, I considered making a deal. I could pretend I knew where the shipment was and would give it to him if he found the people who murdered my father, but that could be a double-edged sword.

I couldn’t trust Andrei or anyone else in the mafia. If I lied about knowing the whereabouts of the shipment, they could imprison me and torture me, maybe even kill me if they found out I didn’t really have it and was trying to manipulate them.

No, I couldn’t play a dangerous game like that.

“I would’ve given you the information already if I had it,” I explained, my tone sounding more desperate than ever. “I spent the last couple of days wracking my brain for a clue on what that text meant. I’m sure it means something. I just haven’t figured it out yet.”

He nodded doubtfully. “Am I supposed to believe that?”

“Yes.”

“Well, you need to wrack your brain harder, solnishko . Think until you figure it out. In the meantime, I need you to do something for me.”

“Do you want me to lie that I’m your wife this time?” A teasing smile played on my lips. “Maybe we can spice it up and add that we have seven children. How does that sound?”

Andrei laughed.

And it wasn’t the sardonic type of laughter a sadist would huff right before they killed someone. His laugh was throaty, rumbling from his chest in a very genuine way. His blue eyes glinted, and he looked so handsome.

It was a weird sight, yet it made me want to laugh along with him.

“You have a great sense of humor, Giselle.”

I tilted my head. “Thanks, I got it from my dad.”

His smile vanished at the mention of Dad’s name, and that darkness crept back into his eyes. Something in the atmosphere shifted.

“I don’t need you to pretend you’re my wife,” he deadpanned, his jaw twitching. “I need you to keep playing the role of my fiancée.”

“Aren’t I already doing that perfectly?”

His lips flattened, making him look dead serious and even more terrifying. “Get ready. You’re accompanying me to my commander’s dinner party tomorrow.”

I raised a brow.

“You’re coming as my partner for the night at the exclusive gala event. You need to look your best.”

He wasn’t asking; he was ordering.

“I don’t have something to wear,” was the only argument I could make. “I need to go back home and find a dress, a purse, and heels, as well as get stuff for my makeup and hair.”

“That won’t be necessary. Get whatever you need online, and I’ll pay.”

He’d pay just like that? I almost laughed. “Okay, but I have to warn you, I’m greedy, and I go for really expensive things.”

“Even better. My fiancée has to look the part,” was all he said.

I stood there, blinking at him like a complete moron. I shouldn’t have brought that up. I mean, for a man as rich as him, a $ 10,000 dress was nothing. I bet it wouldn’t even matter to him if I spent twice that amount. That was a dumb argument on my part.

I’d never been to an exclusive gala event, and I’d always wanted to be at one where I would network for when I became an artist. But for some reason, all I could feel right now was the anxious churn of my stomach.

Going to an event like that wasn’t the problem, I was good with handling crowds, but going as his fiancée— that was something I hadn’t prepared for. Refusing wasn’t an option; his tone and the way he turned his back on me and went back to his business made it clear he wasn’t going to entertain any arguments.

The decision was made. All I had to do was play along.