Claimed By The Enemy

His gilded cage

The kitchen of Bella Vista was a loud, messy place, the air thick with the smell of old grease and the steam from boiling pasta

I moved through the kitchen like I was invisible, my breath coming in short, panicked gasp. I spotted Alexander and Valentina from their little corner near the back door. They were halfway through a drawing, their crayons still in their hands. They stopped immediately I grabbed their little hands, I didn't have to explain and I couldn't possibly tell them the man from my worst nightmares was sitting just a few away, waiting to take us. They won't even understand.

“ Izzy? What are you doing?” Sarah, my coworker, stepped in front of me.

She was holding a stack of dirty plates and was looking at me like I was crazy

“ That guy at table nine..... He's still sitting there like a king and there is a huge black car in the alley with a man who looks like a bodyguard ”

I didn't answer instead I move around her to leave the kitchen but she stepped in front of me again

“ You can't just leave your shift, Izzy. Where are you going?”

“ I have to go, Sarah” I whispered. My voice was shaking so much I could barely speak.

I didn't wait for her to answer, I pushed past her, leading the children toward the kitchen back door.

I stepped outside into the humid air and my heart stopped, Ivan was standing directly just a few feet away from me. I thought if I ran through the alley and hit the main street, I could disappear into the crowd

“ Don't ” He warned as if he was reading my mind

I didn't listen, I turned to the other direction, my feet hitting the ground as I tried to pull the twins with me. I only made it three steps when a large heavy hand clamped onto my waist and suddenly my feet weren't touching the ground. My stomach hit his shoulder with a thud, my hair fell over my eyes and I could not see.

“ Let me go! Ivan, please, let me go!” I screamed, my voice broke and I started to cry as I fought him but it was like trying to move a faint rock.

“ Put me down! You cannot do this! Please, Ivan. I am begging you, just let us stay here!” I sobbed, my voice was muffled against his back “ We were fine, we were happy. Please do not take us!”

Ivan did not say a single word, his hand clamped over the back of my legs to hold me still as he walked to the car with steady step like I wasn't hanging upside down on his shoulder sobbing

He reached the car and dumped me onto the leather seat. He was rough and possessive and it left me breathless. I tried to move toward the door but he was already leaning over me. His massive body blocked my path

“ Stay” he commanded. It was just one word but it sounded like a deadly threat.

Before I could beg again, a stranger opened the door and picked up my children. Valentina was sobbing and Alexander was shouting in his small voice. The stranger ignored their cries as he buckled them into the seat next to me very quickly and slammed the door shut leaving us locked in.

I looked around the car to see if there's a way out but I stopped because there was a woman at the passenger seat looking at me with pure hatred, she looked at my dirty apron and messy hair with disgust. Then her eyes moved to my children holding onto my legs, her eyes went white

“ Ivan?” Her voice was high and sharp, she looked at the back of Ivan's head as he got into the front seat.

“ Who is this woman? Why is she in our car? With these? Ivan, we are late for our lunch. What is going?”

Ivan did not say anything to her, in the mirror I could see his eyes, they were grey and watching me. He started the car and drive out.

The woman's confusion turned into a mean rage, she leaned toward me and pointed a finger at my face.

“ I asked you a question!” she screamed “ Who are you? Are you a maid? A beggar?” she leaned so close to me, I could smell her perfume “ Listen to me girl , I do not care what lie you told him, you are nothing and if you think bringing these bastards into his car is going to get you money, you are wrong ” She reached out and grabbed my arm, her sharp nails dug into my skin “ Answer me! Who are you?”

I flinched and cried out but I kept my eyes on the mirror watching Ivan , waiting for him to say something instead he kept his eyes on the road, it was as if he was testing me to see if i would fight back against this woman.

“ They are my children, Katerina ” Ivan finally said, his voice low.

Katerina froze, her hand dropped from my arm as if I had burned her. She looked like she had been slapped, she turned her head slowly toward Ivan , her mouth was hanging open in shock.

“ Your children?” she whispered “ But that is impossible. You do not have children ”

Ivan didn't say anything and Katerina sat back against the seat.

I could still feel Ivan's gaze in the mirror, even without him touching me, my body felt hot, my heart was racing. I felt a strange pull toward the man who has just kidnapped me.

We pilled into a private garage, my door was opened by the stranger. I unbuckled the twins and got out and immediately the twins held onto my dress because they were scared.

Katerina pushed past me, she hit her shoulder against mine on purpose “ I will not allow this, Ivan! They cannot stay here!” she yelled

Ivan finally got out of the car, he walked toward me ignoring Katerina's yelling, he stopped right in front of me blocking the light.

He reached out and put his arm on my neck, his thumb presses against my jaw as he force me to look up into his dark grey eyes .

“ You are shaking, Isabella ” he whispered. His voice was dark and soft, it made my knees feel like they were going to melt. He leaned down until his lips were right next to my ear “ Are you afraid of h

er? Or are you afraid because you know that after four years, you are finally back where you belong?”