My Sweet Indulgence

Vladimir Romanov's POV The vans are ready, everything is set. My head hurts because everything happened all at once; everything that was planned, everything that should have been, will now be set aside. At least for now, because it would be inconsiderate to celebrate a marriage given the current circumstances. No one is going to celebrate, it's true, but that doesn't mean I won't make her my wife. Even if I have to force her to sign that paper, she will do it, she will sign. And if things go as I have organized, by the end of the week, Rebecca Reed will be mine by all rights. She will no longer be a Reed, she will be Romanov. She will no longer be my sweet and innocent fiancée, she will be the queen I boast about with grandeur. She, who has always been my sweetest temptation. She, whom I promised to protect as my greatest treasure from the moment I saw her from afar. She, the very one taken from me as payment for a debt due to past dealings my father was involved in. She, the very one who unknowingly became my greatest obsession. She, the damn cause of me removing more than one from the path, just to see her, just to smile at her, just to desire her. Thanks to her, I've committed a few irrational acts, unacceptable even for a man as questionable as I am. But, how do I let them covet what is mine? How do I allow them to touch it, profane it, or harm it? That is unacceptable to me. I am selfish, I always have been when it comes to what is mine, what belongs to me, what is rightfully given to me. She is all that and more. I will marry her, I will make her my wife, even if it means keeping her on this mission like a glass prison just to have her by my side, I will do it without hesitation. Because she cannot leave me, because her life is in danger, because I gave my word to my father, to hers, and my word is law. Because there is a pact to fulfill and even if my sweet fiancée decides to run away, I will find her even if I have to search under every rock. Because under the temptation, the obsession she awakened in me with her sweet beauty, I also made her a promise. One that will never leave my lips, because my actions will speak. I finish adjusting the tie around my neck in front of the mirror when I see the door to my room open, letting me see my brother enter. I raise an eyebrow when I see him head towards the bed, letting himself fall very relaxed, with his feet crossed, still with shoes on, as if he doesn't give a damn, knowing what I think about putting shod feet on the bed. I don't like it; it annoys me and gives me the creeps. Dimitri pulls out his sharp knife from his side, which he never leaves behind. He starts playing with the blade as if it's nothing, sliding his finger with calm. I am a very patient man, something I learned from my father, but Dimitri has the power to unsettle me when he acts in that calm yet dangerous manner. 'Just spit it out already, damn it." I turn to look at him, moving towards where my suit jacket is to put it on. "What's on your mind, Dim?" "I just came to ask one last time, that's all... " I sigh, it's the third time he's come to me today for the same thing, and it bothers me that he thinks I have doubts about it. "Are you sure, Vladimir?" "I've always cleared the path; why would it be different now, Dimitri?" I retorted. I returned to my closet in search of my watch. I see her suitcase still in that damn corner, unpacked, and my eye twitches. They've been here for two weeks and I don't understand how it doesn't occur to her to unpack them. And I could bring someone to do it, but she herself asked me not to, that she would unpack her things herself. I've been wondering for two weeks when the hell she'll finally do it. I swear if she doesn't do it tomorrow, I'll do it myself with my own hands, because there's no way I'll let anyone else touch her things. I returned to the room and now Dimitri is sitting on the bed with his blue eyes fixed on me. "Even if you deny it, this time is different." "Why?" "Because she's in love, and you know it." I clench my teeth at that truth, feeling my pulse quicken. "I don't give a damn if she is or not, Dimitri. Do what I ordered, and if you don't consider yourself fit for the job, leave it as it is, because I'll finish it myself tonight," I declare. "Eventually, you'll thank me for asking you this three times, you idiot." "Watch your tone, Dimitri." "I'll use this tone with my brother whenever I damn well, please, don't start with me now about being my brother, Vlad." I count the seconds in my mind to avoid grabbing him by the neck at this moment. He knows it, the damned is very aware, and that's why he looks at me with that twisted, sadistic smile. I shake my head, having no choice but to leave the room because it's not enough for him to look at me with that devilish grin on his lips, but he's also given me the honor of leaving first. And I do. I move toward the door and when I get in front of him, I stop. "Eventually, she'll thank me, and you know it." I give his cheek a hard slap, hearing the curse that escapes his lips, but I don't care. I continued on my way with my brother by my side to finally leave the mansion. When I'm going down the stairs, I see Artem standing at the bottom. He's smoking a cigar, dressed in a suit and wearing sunglasses inside the house. I don't blame him, we've barely slept since that night, and both he, my brother, and I haven't rested a damn bit just to make sure everything goes well today. "How is he?" I asked as I stepped off the last stairs. "How did he wake up today?" Artem removes his glasses under my watchful gaze, revealing his green eyes, tired but filled with the same hatred and thirst for vengeance that mine have been reflecting this past week. "He can answer that question himself. He's outside, in the van, waiting for you." I frown, look at Dimitri, and he just shrugs. "Couldn't you have told me that upstairs?" "You would have found out when you came out anyway." I bring my fingers to my forehead and, without saying anything else to them, I leave the mansion for the van. I do it with anger. I do it stubbornly, because he shouldn't be here, because he should be resting, recovering, and not out of bed, as if his life didn't matter at all. Rocco, seeing me approach the way I do, lowers his head but opens the door for me. "Can you tell me why the hell you're not in bed resting, Christopher?" I feel my head heat up and the anger boils in my veins when he just looks at me as if the question were an insult. I don't fully enter the van, I just lean toward him to make him understand a bit of my small feeling. "You almost died on us, i***t. A damn week, unconscious. A damn week, hearing your sister's cries. One. Damn. Week," emphasize each word, "—believing I would lose you, and you dare to defy my order, when you know very well you shouldn't be out of bed yet, Reed?" I clench my teeth only as a defense mechanism to not explode at this moment. I'm a patient man, but when it comes to the Reed siblings, my patience wavers. Like right now, when I see him, give me a sly smile. "I miss you too, brother." He pats my shoulder, as if everything I just said didn't matter to him in the slightest. "And I really appreciate your concern, but I can't leave Rebecca alone today, and you know it very well, Vlad." I remain silent, trying to understand his position. You are my boss," he continued. "I respect you. I am loyal to you and always will be, but Becky is my sister and I don't intend to let her go alone over there. She will need me and you know it." I take a few minutes to assess this. He's not supposed to be here; he has a recovery period to fulfill. He knew the plan, I explained it to him myself as soon as he opened his eyes. I needed to calm him, but not my friend per se, rather Reed the Reaper. He understood, despite his anger and shock from waking up from a coma without understanding a damn thing, worried about his family, he accepted his fate, didn't complain, and faced the situation with his head held high, and after that, he understood the plan. And part of it was that he needed to stay in bed recovering and not be there, ready to stand for more than two hours at the event. But he's right, she is his sister, and if there's something I know to respect even as a leader, it's that, for now, they only have each other, and it's for the same reason that I can't force them to be apart. "Very well," I break the silence, standing up under his attentive gaze. "You can go, but as soon as we return home, I want you back in bed as the doctor ordered, Christopher. I don't want to see my right hand fighting for his life in a damn hospital bed again." I turn to go to my vehicle, but what my eyes see stops me in my tracks. Wearing a simple yet elegant black dress that clings to her body like a glove. Black pointed high heels, black sunglasses, and a wide-brimmed hat that covers half of her face, Rebecca Reed is coming down the stairs, so delicate, so innocent and at the same time imposing due to her striking beauty. Her white skin contrasts with the black dress, making her appear even paler, but it doesn't matter to me. She walks with elegance, with her chin up, and I can bet that with her green eyes, she's glaring at me through her sunglasses. She hates me, but what she doesn't know is that the more she despises me, the less she'll be able to get rid of me. When she was about to reach us, I approached our vehicle and opened the door for her to get in myself, but I had to clench my teeth to avoid cursing at her childish act. Rebecca had got into her brother's vehicle, without even looking at me, passing right in front of me as if I were nobody. Does she really want to play with fire and go down that path? "Fine." I got into the vehicle, leaving the door open. "I'll be patient, I'll wait for you here, dear Becky." "Should I close the door, sir?" "Not yet," I reply to my driver with my eyes fixed ahead. "She will come." I look towards Christopher's vehicle, patiently waiting for the minutes to pass, not getting upset, instead, smiling with satisfaction, when I see the door open and a pensive Rebecca emerge. She slams the door shut, making it clear once again how capricious she is. She approaches our vehicle with threatening steps, her head held high, surely wanting to kill me. I watch her until she reaches the door, then turn my gaze forward again. I don't help her in, I'm not chivalrous because, minutes ago, I tried to keep things peaceful, but she remains determined to make my life difficult. "I didn't know being your fiancée meant always traveling with you, in the same vehicle." I take my time to respond. With deliberation, with all my calm, I turn my neck towards her, fixing my eyes on hers, even though she still has the glasses on. I look at her impassively, showing no expression. I notice she shifts a little, just a little, because she still holds her chin high, with that energy that emanates from her when she's on the defensive. I could stop being so lenient, I could grab her by the neck and make it very clear that if she continues down this path, her arrogance will cost her dearly. Because maybe since the damn night of the accident I've shown her a side of me that few know, because maybe my tolerance has confused her a bit, because maybe having indulged her has led her to believe she can use that tone with me. But, my fiancée is mistaken if she thinks she can cross the line without paying the consequences. I lean towards her, smiling inwardly when I see the effect my presence has on her. Rebecca steps back, putting more distance between us. "Being my fiancée means everything, Rebecca," I stated firmly. "It means that you sleep in my bed, it means that you eat by my side, it means that you hold my hand, it means that wherever we go, you will always have to go with me in my damn car, quietly, without a word. It means that you must behave, it means that you must stop trying to ruin my life or, otherwise, you will have to face the consequences. Is that understood?" My words leave her frozen, because she doesn't reply, because she doesn't move or struggle. Rebecca Reed stays still in her place, looking at me through her glasses, but for me, the staring contest is over. I slide my gaze back to the front, feeling how hers slowly buries me. She doesn't respond, and I don't need her to. "I'm glad you understand, fiancée." "Exactly what?" Her retort makes me look at her again. "That you've confirmed I'm just a pretty trophy for you? Or... that I'll end up as the w***e in your study if I don't follow your orders?" "Perhaps —" I hiss, swallowing the pleasure her silence gives me. "A lot of things go through my mind, Rebecca... but that's not your concern." I have no intention of clarifying whatever is going through her mind because it suits me better to feed what she thinks. The SUV starts moving along with the others. Today, after two chaotic weeks, we can finally say goodbye in this way, so... necessary. Because of the goodbye they deserved we already gave them, and today, after two weeks, it's all formalities.