Chapter 2
523 Words
•|• Author's POV •|•
Five years ago she had run because she was terrified.
Not of Aleksandr hurting her.
But of loving him.
A man like him consumed everything around him. Power radiated from him like violence waiting to happen. Even in bed he held her like he already owned her soul.
And the terrifying part?
She would’ve let him.
She remembered the final night vividly.
His large hand resting against her stomach absentmindedly. His lips against her shoulder. The deep Russian accent murmuring, “You belong beside me, little mate.”
Mate.
At the time she thought it was just possessive flirting.
Now the memory haunted her.
Her phone buzzed suddenly.
Nathan Bennett.
She frowned before answering.
“Hello?”
“You forgot the Zurich contract.”
She shut her eyes. “I hate this job.”
“I’ll pretend I didn’t hear that.”
“You absolutely heard it.”
A pause.
Then surprisingly:
“You can bring it tomorrow.”
Thessira blinked.
“That’s… merciful.”
“You sound exhausted.”
She leaned back against the couch. “Long day.”
Silence stretched between them.
Oddly comfortable.
Nathan finally spoke again, quieter this time. “Get some sleep, Valerie.”
The way he said her name startled her.
Gentle.
Human.
Then he hung up.
She stared at the phone strangely.
Nathan Bennett was difficult, cold, demanding—
But lately she’d begun noticing things.
The way he always made sure she ate during long meetings. The way he watched over her boys when they occasionally visited the office. The way his expression softened whenever she laughed.
Dangerous observations.
Her life was already complicated enough.
Still…
For the first time in years, someone other than Aleksandr had begun slipping past her walls.
And that terrified her too.
•|•|•|•|•|•|•|•|•|•|•|•
Friday arrived too quickly.
Thessira spent the entire morning nauseous with anxiety.
The twins were dropped at school. Coffee was made. Meetings prepared.
But her hands shook the entire time.
“He’s here,” one employee whispered excitedly near reception.
Aleksandr.
Every muscle in her body locked.
Nathan exited his office adjusting his suit. “Conference room. Now.”
She grabbed her tablet automatically, heart pounding violently.
No.
No no no.
The conference room doors opened.
And there he was.
Aleksandr Volkov stood near the windows overlooking New York, enormous and impossibly commanding in a black suit. Time had only made him more dangerous. Sharp silver eyes scanned the room lazily before landing on her.
Everything stopped.
The world. The air. Her heartbeat.
Recognition hit his face instantly.
Pure shock.
“Thessira.”
Her name left his mouth like a growl.
Nathan looked between them slowly. “You know each other?”
Aleksandr never took his eyes off her.
“Oh,” he said softly. “Very well.”
Fear crawled down her spine.
Because the expression on Aleksandr’s face wasn’t anger.
It was hunger.
The kind a starving wolf wore after finally finding what belonged to him.
- Writer
