The Bride He Meant To Break

Chapter Eleven

~Valentina~

I gasped when I took in what was in the box.

It's content shook me to the bone.

It was a weapon. A dagger. But that wasn't what had me shaken.

In our world, weapons were like an accessory. Gifting them was normal and very much appreciated. So I wasn't entirely distraught at just the fact that I entered my room to find a box containing a dagger.

What had me trembling was the blood that smeared the blade. Fresh blood.

Horror filled me at the thought of who the owner of the blood might me.

With shaking hands I picked up the box and made my way to Nikolai.

My mind was scrambling. Who could have dropped this? The thought that this might most definitely be a family member, put a bitter taste in my mouth.

I expected Nikolai to be in his study so I walked straight to it.

I didn't bother knocking as I pushed open the door and walked in.

Nikolai opened his mouth to start complaining but I'm certain he read my expression because his mouth closed instantly. He looked down at the black box in my trembling hands and his brows bunched together in confusion.

He got up and met me halfway across the room. I stopped in front of him and looked at the box and I expected he would follow my movement.

"f**k", he cursed, and I guess he had finally taken in the bloodied dagger.

His hands wrapped around mine and by the gentle and uncertain way he held them I knew he didn't know what he was doing.

Yet he moved me gently to a couch that was at a corner in the study and pulled me to sit down.

He took the box from my hands and placed it between us.

"Where did you find this?", he asked, as he took in the dagger. He didn't touch it with his hands, just like I made sure not to.

"I found it on my bed", I said, and he cursed in response.

He got up and I watched as his hands clenched at his side.

He walked over to his desk and sat behind it. I followed to him and stood beside him, wanting to see what he wanted to do.

He looked up to me from his desk chair, then looked back at his laptop screen, not saying a word.

He pulled up an application that showed a security footage. He rewinded to the hours of the party.

We watched everything, from the moment my family arrived to the moment they left.

Nothing seemed off.

Until I noticed something.

"Hold on a sec", I told him, and he gave me some space.

As my hand moved to the laptop, it grazed his and I ignored the spark I felt at the contact. I leaned on the desk so that I could be comfortable.

I rewinded the video and stopped when I noticed it again.

"Look here", I pointed at the time of the video.

"There was a lapse in time for about 6 minutes", I said and he frowned at the realization.

"Someone got into our system", he admitted what we both knew and I watched as his expression changed from annoyance to anger.

"Yes, they did. That was smart", I admitted.

"What?", Nikolai's anger shifted to me.

I rolled my eyes.

"I mean that it was smart that they were able to cover up their tracts. Although, that doesn't say much about your security", I said, taunting him and turned to look at him.

I caught him staring at my ass and heat bloomed in lower abdomen.

He felt my gaze and his eyes lifted to mine.

His eyes held an intensity I couldn't explain and for a moment I forget what we were here for.

One second I was leaning on his desk and the next I was in his lap.

"Nikolai!", I squealed, being caught completely unaware.

His pressed his face into my nape and grazed his nose along my neck. I delicious shiver ran down my spine.

"This dress...", he groaned and I suddenly remembered that I was still in my red dress from the party.

"What about it?", I asked, my words coming out breathless.

His hands squeezed my thigh in response and I felt his teeth graze my neck.

I felt my body heat up and I squirmed in his lap. The movement made me feel something hard against his thigh.

His hands moved over my sides, his touch hesitant yet greedy.

My dress had ridden up and it gave him access to graze my inner thigh. His hands travelled up, so close yet so far from where I wanted his touch.

His thump barely grazed my lace underwear when he let out a breath that sounded frustrated and he lifted me from his lap.

"I- I have to go", he said, his voice rough, as he placed me on my feet and moved away from me.

His strides where fast and he only paused when he reached the doorway.

"I'll try to get to the bottom of this", he said, then closed the door behind him.

I smacked the table in frustration, some papers flying off his desk in the process.

What was wrong with him?

His hot and cold sessions are really getting me annoyed.

I sat down in his desk as my s*x throbbed aggressively.

What was even wrong with me? I knew I couldn't give into this attraction yet. Not until this marriage was stable.

How can I even be attracted to such a cold asshole?

When I was finally feeling less stimulated, I got up from his chair.

I needed a cold shower. His study was making matters worse for me. His scent was literally soaked into the space.

I got into my room and the reason I left it crawled back into my mind.

I shook my head and assured myself that I was safe. No one was still here.

After my shower, most of the tension had left my limbs.

I sat by my vanity and was brushing my hair in front of the mirror when I saw a red dot moving above my head.

I quickly turned around to see my bedroom window was open and I just knew that in that very moment the red dot was on my head.