Page 11 of Unwritten Vows

Liza

I wake up the next morning, hung over and still pissed at myself.

How did the night get away from me so quickly?

I know Derrick is gorgeous, but there are plenty of hot guys around me all the time.

The school I go to might be small and exclusive, but it’s for the very rich.

Access to braces, contacts, and plastic surgery, along with amazing genetics, tend to make rich people very good-looking.

And the truth is, I always thought I’d be above that.

I always thought I’d find a nice, average looking guy, take him into my family, let him go off on mafia escapades with Daddy during the week, and go with him to exotic islands on the weekends.

If I’m being honest with myself, I didn’t want someone who has been in this business their whole life and grew up in it.

The fact is that as much as I love my father, I have heard the stories about him, and I hate them.

I don’t like to think of Daddy like that.

I don’t want the man I marry to have that particular similarity with my father.

I want him to be good, and I want him to love me.

I know that’s a tall order in the life we live, but it feels like we can either have both or neither. And often, we get neither.

I’m in a good position, because I know that Daddy wants me to have love, at least. I don’t think he realizes that it can’t happen with a man who has been in this life forever.

A man who has been brought up this way will be greedy, cutthroat, and preoccupied with business. This is the reason mom died, after all.

I push the notion away. There is no good that can come from thoughts like that.

Unfortunately, there’s nothing I can do to stop from hearing Daddy talk about Derrick like he truly is the Greek Sun God himself.

I catch his side-long glance out of the corner of my eye as soon as I walk into the kitchen for breakfast. I try to ignore it, but I have to look at him when he starts speaking to me. “Derrick Stepinov called for you earlier.”

I snort in derision. “Of course he called the house line. Like we’re in highschool or something. Did he ask for permission to take me out again, too, Daddy?”

Daddy looks at me in that stern but loving way he always gives. “No, he did not. But you know what I would say to him if he had, Solnyshko .”

I roll my eyes. “I’m sure you would have jumped up and down yelling, ‘Da, da, pozhaluysta, sdelayte !” Perhaps I’m exaggerating by the accusation that he was probably jumping up and down when Derrick asked this, but I’m sure he would have been excited to give Derrick his blessing to take me out again.

“You need to watch yourself, Liza. Do not roll your eyes at me.”

I hate it when he talks to me like I’m a child because I’m telling him things he doesn’t want to hear. I lower my eyes. “Yes, sir.”

I only call him sir to make him feel bad about something, so his mood sours even more, but I can tell he feels guilty. “If only you knew why I do these things. I want you to be safe. I want you to be with someone who can take care of you.”

I almost roll my eyes again, but close them instead.

I know Daddy really does just want the best for me, but it’s so hard to deal with his oppressiveness sometimes.

I feel as though he’s always been in control.

And not just of my life, either—it feels like he’s always controlled everything around me, as well.

I have to remember, of course, that so many others in this life, billionaires and mafia princes and princesses alike, have had it far worse than I.

I still feel like, in so many ways, he’s caged me in.

I wish I had been able to have a more normal life.

And now, the only way he wants me to be able to experience any of the things I truly want to experience is by accepting yet another choice he’s made for me.

“I just don’t understand what you see in Derrick Stepinov, Daddy. He’s a trouble-maker and a womanizer.”

He looks at me, finally with a thoughtful gaze, truly considering my words.

“I would kill him with my bare hands if I ever gave him my blessing and he took another woman, Solnyshko . It is why I haven’t given it yet.

Do you think I haven’t watched him closely?

When he realizes what a treasure you are, he will do better just for you.

I don’t want you to help him—in fact, I discourage it.

But I can tell that he is not like his father, my little love.

He doesn’t want that. He wants something deeper and just does not realize it. ”

I blink a few times, absorbing everything that I’ve just heard, before I finally find my voice. “How… what would make you think of all this? It just seems like an awful lot of assumptions.”

My father smiles and his eyes crinkle at the corners to show me that he truly means it. “Do you think your Papa would allow just any man to touch you, Solnyshko ? Let’s just say that I have had him vetted closely for the past few weeks.”

I put my hands on my hips. “No, Daddy, let’s say more than that. What have you seen that I have not?”

My father idly slides a bit of poached egg onto his toast. “I suppose I might find time to show you pictures if you were interested.”

My eyebrows squinch together—another constant habit of mine, even though mom always used to tell me it would give me wrinkles. “Show me pictures? Of what?”

“I had Mikolov follow him for weeks, my little love.”

My mouth drops. Mikolov is one of Daddy’s best men.

“He didn’t realize you were trailing him? He seems smarter than that!” I realize a moment too late that I’ve given him a compliment.

Daddy raises a dark brow. “Ah? Smart? Perhaps you are seeing a bit of what I have seen.”

I try to backpedal hard and fast. “No, no. I mean, just, more aware. How could he not be? He’s grown up in this life and been taught to look out for those things since he was a child.”

“We use state of the art technology and world class hackers, my little love.”

I sigh in frustration because, despite myself, I am dying to know what Daddy has seen of this beautiful, man-whoring mobster that I have not. “So, tell me! What did you see then? What makes you so sure he’s different?”

“I said, I think . If he ever gave me an indication that he was not who I thought, or that you were not the right one for him, then I would call it off immediately. I love you, Solnyshko . I only want the best for you.”

I soften right away after those words, as I always do, but I don’t let him off the hook. I keep my arms crossed and watch him expectantly so he’ll continue.

“Derrick Stepinov has a great poker face, and has been taught to have one his entire life. He keeps it up perfectly until he thinks he is out of sight of cameras and other people. And as soon as he’s out of range, poof , it disappears, like a magic trick.

But you can see his indecision or disgust when he leaves.

Every time, he leaves the conversation or some place where he’s shooting for his infantile social media page, looking cocky and confident.

But as soon as he’s in his car… his entire face droops like a sad dog. He hates it, Liza. He…”

Daddy trails off and takes a deep breath, chewing his eggs and looking out the window, lost in his thoughts. I want him to continue, but he’s extra pensive today, and I don’t want to inhibit his train of thought. So I wait patiently.

“He reminds me of myself when I was a young man. I didn’t meet your mother until my late thirties, you know.

Before then, I wondered if I would ever marry.

My father wanted me to, of course, but was not nearly the tycoon I am.

And he was killed when I was in my 20’s, before he thought to force his will upon me anyway.

After inheriting everything, I didn’t have to make that choice. But I did when I met your mother.”

I bite my lip hard to stop from caving in too quickly. I have more questions. “That’s a whole lot to assume just from seeing an expression Mikolov considers to be sad-looking.”

His gaze flicks to mine, and he considers me for a moment. Then he seems to make a decision and nods to himself, as if approving of it. He snaps for the butler, whispers something to him, and the other man disappears for a minute as I look at Daddy curiously.

“What is it?”

“I am going to show you, Solnyshko . You decide to see for yourself and make the decision. I do not want to take that away from you, my little love.”

I feel emotional, realizing immediately that none of the girls I know in this life would have the same opportunities as Daddy is giving me right now.

I’m certain I know what he’s about to show me, and although I can’t imagine being swayed, when the pictures drop down in front of me, I give a sharp intake of breath.

I never thought Derrick’s perpetually smug expression could morph into something this sad and pensive.

He looks like he’s mourning a loss of something, but I don’t know of any loved one he’s ever lost. His mother passed away when he was a young boy, so perhaps that could be it, but that seems unlikely to make him so upset at random times.

Still, even the idea that he might feel sad about that makes some of the ice around my heart melt a bit.

But I need to stay strong, especially now that I know Daddy thinks Derrick is like him. When Daddy sees something in someone, he initially trusts more than he should. His gut instincts are usually right, but they only needed to be disastrously wrong once for my mother to pay with her life.

These days, Daddy rarely sees anything promising in anyone besides me, so I’m surprised. Still, I hold my ground. “It’s just an expression, Daddy. If he knew you were following him, he could have done it on purpose.”

My father looks at me in curiosity. “Why do you think that a man like Derrick, with the ego he has, would allow someone else to see him this way? Even if he was in on it. Don’t you think he would have put up some false bravado?

Why would he change his expression from his cameras to mine?

I’ve only been speaking with him for a couple of weeks, but my man has been following him for over a month.

He didn’t even know of my interest when most of those pictures were taken. ”

I look down and scour the pictures again to see if I can find just an indication of a lie to show me that Derrick knew he was on camera the entire time.

But there is just something so painful in the despondent look he gives his rearview mirror, as if all the wind has been taken from his sails, and all of his hopes and dreams with it.

I know why my father is intrigued because, despite myself, I am too. But I must stay strong. “Despite what we may see in these pictures, it could all be a mirage. You know that, don’t you Daddy? We have to be careful.”

He puts his hand over mine and squeezes. “Yes, of course, my little love. That’s why I am always watching. You understand?”

“Just… make sure we have some space, Daddy,” I say, feeling my cheeks flame while considering what Derrick did to me last night.

I know that Daddy’s men couldn’t have been nearby or they would have shielded us from the reporters, but I suppose my cheeks will heat forever when I think of what I did last night. “But otherwise… thank you.”

“Ah, you’re grateful. Does that mean I’ve earned a good deed in return?”

My face falls into skepticism. “What, Daddy?”

He pops his yolk and dunks his toast right in, taking a bit and munching before answering. “Call him, Solnyshko . And go out with him again”