3. The wedding night
1037 Words
The night breeze crept slowly through the window, shaking the thin white curtains and causing the hem of Zalea's nightgown to flutter gently.
The sound of rain blended with the echo of the clock ticking away, indicating that midnight had arrived.
Zalea sat faithfully by the window. Cigarette smoke curled around her face, dancing briefly before fading away. Her red lips lifted slightly, a smile that never quite reached her eyes. Her gaze was fixed on a single point: the window of the master bedroom across the hallway. The bedroom of a man who was now, legally, her husband.
Lucien Volkov.
That name was enough to make the underworld bow its head. The heir to the Volkov Corporation. A man who could grace the pages of Forbes magazine in the morning and eliminate someone that same night—he was clearly dangerous. But Zalea was not afraid of him.
The last puff of smoke escaped her lips before she extinguished the cigarette in the ashtray. She stood up slowly, pulling the strap of her nightgown that had slipped off her shoulder, before stepping out of the room.
The hallway of the Volkov mansion was quiet. Only the dim light from the crystal chandelier reflected off the white marble, casting long shadows on the walls. From a distance, the sound of the guards' shoes could be heard faintly, accompanied by the flash of flashlights at the end of the corridor.
Zalea walked silently, her steps stopping in front of the door to the master bedroom, Lucien's room.
Zalea easily opened the locked door with her skills. A slight smile appeared on her lips when she heard the click.
She entered slowly. The room was filled with the scent of sandalwood incense hanging in the air.
Her gaze traced the contours of the man's muscles as he slept under the dim light of the lamp. Lucien was undeniably sexy. His nightgown revealed his tempting chest, as tempting as his extraordinarily handsome face. A face that made women out there fall to their knees... but that face only made Zalea want to vomit.
Her lips curled cynically. Something glinted from behind the folds of her nightgown. A small syringe tucked into her right thigh garter instantly moved to her fingers.
She bent down slowly. The syringe contained a few drops of clear liquid, enough to make a monster like Lucien experience pain in every part of his body as if he were being skinned.
Zalea wanted to make the man crawl and beg her. Then, after making him desperate, she would end it and put Lucien to sleep forever. Slowly, the needle was directed at Lucien's neck. Zalea couldn't hold back her smile, a grim and dangerous smile. Soon... her revenge for Alea would be paid.
Just as the tip of the needle was about to touch the man's skin, Zalea's fingers suddenly went stiff. A chill crept up her spine as the eyes that had been closed just a moment ago suddenly opened, emitting a sharp, dangerous glare.
"What are you doing, Mrs. Volkov?"
The sudden voice startled Zalea, causing the needle in her hand to nearly fall. Her gaze met a pair of sharp eyes on the bed.
Damn it...! Zalea could only curse silently.
She could feel the cold creeping up her neck. Zalea took a slow breath before regaining her composure.
The man lowered his gaze to the needle, then looked back at Zalea’s face with an expression that was difficult to interpret.
"Poison?" he muttered. "So," his voice dropped softly but threateningly, "you came to kill me."
Zalea's eyes flashed sharply as she tried to show a slight smile to dispel the man's suspicions. "If that was my intention, you would have been dead already."
A small movement appeared at the corner of Lucien's lips.
His hand rose, reaching Zalea's wrist. With one short pull, Zalea's body was in his lap. The needle was now right at Lucien's neck, in a position he had reversed himself.
"In that case," he said, his voice calm and low, "continue... Mrs. Volkov."
In her silence, Zalea hid her surprise. This man... was unlike anyone she had ever faced.
Zalea lowered her face slightly,
sliding the needle just a fraction of an inch.
Lucien observed every small detail. "Not going to do it?" his voice dropped lower. "Or are you just delaying because you know I'm still awake?"
Zalea smiled slightly.
She could continue, slowly injecting the poison, letting Lucien's body go limp without a sound. But their body positions, the angle of the light, the man's overly calm breathing... everything was a sign that Lucien was ready if she did it.
No.
Killing him now would prove that she was no smarter than him.
And Zalea refused to lose in the first round.
Her smile shifted slightly, becoming something colder.
"This injection," she said slowly, her fingers moving smoothly to slip the needle back into place, "is just a precaution. You're too dangerous to approach without protection."
Lucien didn't respond immediately.
He stared at Zalea for a long time. Then his large hand rose and gripped her waist.
"What a beautiful alibi," he muttered,
his head tilting slightly closer, the pressure on Zalea's waist increasing enough to make her breath catch for a moment.
"So, Mrs. Volkov..." His tone grew more dangerous.
"...what kind of game are you planning?"
Zalea opened her mouth, a sly smile beginning to form, but before a single word could escape her lips—
There was a knock at the door.
Lucien's grip on her waist stopped. Then slowly he released it. His touch moved down, his fingers sliding briefly from her waist to her hips before moving away completely.
"Come in."
His voice returned to its harsh, cold tone.
"Sir! There's an urgent situation."
Zalea turned toward the door, where Lucien and his secretary appeared to be discussing something serious, and from the man's face, Zalea could guess that something had happened.
After his secretary left, Lucien turned back to Zalea,
his expression hard to read, but the faint smile on his lips gave Zalea a bad feeling.
“My wife… it seems we have to go somewhere tonight. Get ready…”
- Writer
