Chapter 4

We stepped into an office, the whole room decorated in warm, rich hues of brown and beige. A fire crackled in the large fireplace at the end of the room, the warmth filling the room. A large mahogany desk took up most of the space, the wall behind it occupied by a floor to ceiling bookshelf. Beautiful, classic paintings hung on most of the empty space on the walls.

Andreas took a seat on one of the beige chairs' in front of the desk, the man in the armchair behind it watching me silently. He was an older version of Andreas, still very handsome despite having at least thirty year on his son, his dark hair greying at his temples. The grey suit that he wore looked like everything else in this place; expensive, not to mention perfectly tailored to him.

He gave Andreas a genuine smile that only a father wore when facing their child. The sight made me miss my own. The two men in front of me began to converse in what I guessed was Russian, the younger of the two occasionally gesturing to me. When they were finished, the older man let out a low chuckle, giving me an approving look.

"My son tells me that you managed to escape him once." He said; his accent much more pronounced than his sons'. "Please sit." His tone was insistent though his words were that of a request. I did as I was told, knowing that I didn't want to mess with this man. Beneath all the kindness he was showing me now, I could feel something cold and manipulative lurking within. I'd expect nothing less of a mob boss.

I nodded, deciding that as such, bold was the way to go. "It wasn't that difficult."

He seemed to like my response. "Fearless, I appreciate that quality." He studied me like I was a piece of art he was appraising. "Well Nicole, for a while now I've actually thought that it was quite difficult to get away from my son, especially when he has a gun at your head. This has been proven to me time and time again, until he met you. That's why I've asked you back here, I have to admit that I was quite curious about you."

I relaxed in my seat, keeping eye contact as I spoke. "I will take that as a compliment, Sir."

He chuckled. "Please, Ivan will suffice." His tone was friendly, though not fooling me of his 'kind' nature for even a second.

"Alright Ivan, now that you've met me, may I know what will happen to me next?" I asked, my voice clipped.

A devilish smile appeared on his face, his eyes roaming over both Andreas and I. "Ah... that is what I wish to discuss with you both." He said something in Russian, something that must of had a meaning along the lines of 'get out' as all of the guards in the room, including Damien and Callum, left, leaving only the three of us in the chambers. "Andreas, when I heard about her," he gestured to me, "I knew she was something special. The kind of woman we'd appreciate in this family."

My eyes widened as my heart skipped a beat in my chest. No way. I opened my mouth to rebuff, but Andreas beat me to it. "Father, you're not suggesting what I think you're suggesting." His tone filled with indignation, a muscle ticking in his jaw. "Haven't you and mother attempted this plenty?"

His fathers' earlier demeanor melted to one I assumed he wore more often; cold and menacing. "You continue to associate yourself with trashy, useless women then decide to act shocked that we see fit to choose an appropriate life partner for you? What would you do in our place? We wish to see you settled, as all parents wish for their children." Clearly this was a topic they had discussed often, the frustration evident in his expression.

"You don't even know her. How can you trust her so easily?" His son retorted.

The ire in his father's expression subtly but surely built. "As always, a full background check has confirmed that she is someone I would not mind having as my daughter in law. Do you see me as a stupid man?!" He growled, his raised voice booming across the room.

Some of Andreas's anger faded. "Of course not, father, but-" His father held up a hand to shut him up.

"Andreas, although I understand that you have reservations, I still want you to prepare to settle down and there's no way I will allow you to do that with someone I do not trust to allow into our family." He leaned back in his chair before explaining something else to Andreas in Russian. He listened intently before he responded in turn. What are they talking about?!

My heart was hammering in my chest, my mind unable to concentrate on anything as it rushed to decide on which of my thoughts I had to focus on first. Ivan Petrov was trying to marry me off to his son.

I leaned forward without realising. "What if I decide I don't want to go through with this?" I piped up, drawing their attention back to me. My voice was void of any emotion, my system in shock. I did not think this was where this meeting was going to go.

Ivan smiled at me, though it was anything but comforting. "I don't think that would be in your best interest, my dear." I got the message loud and clear; either I allow myself to be married to Andreas and his family 'business' or I end up six feet under. The choice was pretty clear. At least until my own family comes to bail me out.

I met Ivan's hard stare with an unwavering gaze. "Understood." I muttered, Ivan's smile becoming somewhat more geniune.

Father will not be happy when he finds out. I sighed mentally, my gaze travelling to Andreas beside me. He was rigid in his chair, the muscle in his jaw still twitching as he did his best to appear calm. I did it without thinking, resting my hand over his clenched fist to try to give him some support. He pulled his arm out of my reach, giving me a look that made my blood run cold. He turned to his father.

"I have much to think over. Is that all?" When his father agreed, he stood up and walked out of the room. I sat there staring at the door until Ivan spoke up.

"My son will get over this, as I know you will." He said surely, calling someone over an intercom on his desk in Russian. A petite woman walked in, motioning for me to follow her as she led me out.

***

She brought me up the grand staircase at the end of the entryway and put me in a large room decorated in a deep, forest green, cream and dark wood to match the rest of the house. "We've prepared some things in here for you." She explained before leaving me to get settled in.

I spotted my backpack at the foot of the bed, but knowing my phone was no longer in there, I didn't bother with checking it. I threw myself onto the bed, closing my eyes as my body began to relax, despite all the confusion and agitation swirling within me. I couldn't fight it as I began to drift off, exhausted from this whirlwind of an experience.

***

I was rudely awoken by the sound of the door slamming against the wall. I jolted up into a sitting position to see a pair of people trying to suck each other's faces off. My irritation surfaced as I realised the man was Andreas. I guess he's way over me now. Cest la vie, he wasn't mine to begin with anyway. I cleared my throat loudly, forcing them apart. The blonde woman in his embrace raised a brow at the sight of me on the bed.

"Who is she?" She asked in a heavy accent, her red lipstick smudged over her swollen lips.

Andreas' unfocused eyes travelled to me, groaning as soon as he saw what his partner was talking about. He must be drunk. I concluded to myself as he raised a bottle of what looked like whiskey to his lips, choking down the remnants of the bottle. "That's her." He slurred, his tone frustrated.

The blonde woman seemed surprised as she studied me from head to toe. "She's so plain though." She sneered, her tone smug. I snorted.

"Any face would look plain compared to yours, you clown." I crossed my arms over my chest as I stared her down. I enjoyed makeup as much as anyone could, but my goodness, this woman before me obviously showed no restraint in the matter; appearing to stiff arm a whole rack of product onto her face with no care of how it would turn out. I could see she could be pretty under all that product, but I wasn't going to divulge that information to her anytime soon, especially as she stood before me with a scowl carved into her face.

"Andreas! Did you hear what she said to me?" He sighed as he rubbed at his temple.

"You know what, you don't seem all that attractive anymore. Get out." He ordered, releasing her as he shoved her in the general direction of the door. I watched amused as blondie's expression turned to one of anger.

"What?!" She growled. I could see that that was a mistake as soon as Andreas's brow furrowed. He whipped around towards her faster than she could blink, with an expression on his face that promised a slow and agonizing death.

"Did I stutter?" He demanded. Horror was evident on her face then, her heels clicking loudly as she ran out, apologising repeatedly, even after she had shut the door. With that settled, he turned to me. He cocked his head to the side as he watched my every move. "Maybe I should just shoot you and make this whole marriage thing go away." He mused quietly, watching my lack of a reaction.

I sighed, my arms returning to my sides. "Are you sure that would be wise? Your father seems very insistent on the wedding."

He walked over to me, stumbling a couple of steps along the way. "Don't tell me what my father wants. You don't know anything about him! Or my family!" He's drunk and upset, do not punch him in the face. He grabbed my chin hard. "If I'm forced to do this, I can assure you this union will be one you regret for the rest of your life."

"Do what you will, but just know that however you treat me," I flashed him a menacing look of my own "I will do the same to you." I finished calmly, ripping my head out of his hold. I swiftly got out of bed and walked out, smiling sweetly at him over my shoulder before I was out the door.

The moment I stepped outside, I ran into Damien. He hadn't changed since we'd gotten here. "Nicole, is Andreas inside his room?" He asked.

I raised a brow. "Don't know where his room is Dames. He's in this one though." I motioned to the door behind me.

"That his."

I groaned. "They put me in his room?"

Damien shrugged. "It appears so. Just tell him that his mother and father wish to see the both of you at dinner tonight." He scrutinized me for a moment. "You might want to change your outfit though, you'll be going out."

I winced. "Is it possible for me to change somewhere else though? I think Andreas may be a little drunk."

"Yeah, you can use the room next to his for that. I'll tell Maya you need something to wear. She was the woman who brought you up here." He explained as he noticed my raised brow.

"Okay." I mumbled, stepping into the room he'd indicated.

***

Maya had come in about an hour ago with some toiletries and a towel, telling me to shower and shave before I changed into the outfit I would have to wear for dinner. I studied myself in the mirror. The bun on my head was Maya's handiwork, her deft fingers putting my hair up into an intricate updo faster than I'd ever seen anyone else do. A few strands of hair hung on either side of my face which had been made up by Maya as well.

My blue eyes stood out against the light brown smokey eye she'd done quite perfectly. My lips were tinted red under a thin layer of lip gloss. A diamond choker was around my neck over the black, long, strapless dress I'd been given. The top of my dress clung to my body while the skirt was slightly looser, though not by much. If it wasn't for the long slit up to my thigh on one side, I probably wouldn't have been able to walk. The outfit had been completed with a pair of silver stilettos and a delicate, white gold bracelet.

I heard a knock on the door, Maya going over to pull it open. Andreas stood in the doorway in a black tuxedo, looking incredibly charming and startlingly sober. He hesitated for just a second, his eyes quickly scanning my entire body before his cold, distant mask snapped back into place. "Shall we?" He muttered, a dash of disdain tainting the tone of his voice. Guess that's goodbye to flirty Andreas.

I trailed behind him as we descended the staircase. He grabbed my wasit as we approached the front door. I silently cursed them for not giving me a coat as the cold air hit my bare arms and shoulders on our way to an awaiting, signature dark sedan. Andreas pulled the door open, pushing me inside before getting in himself. I flashed him an irritated look as he shut the door behind us. Don't get all rough with me mister, not my fault we're in this mess.

I shifted until I was sitting on the opposite end of the backseat, as far away from him as I could get in the confined space. I kept my arms crossed as I stared out the window, choosing to ignore him for the whole ride to wherever it was we were going.

***

The car pulled up in front of a high-end restaurant located in the center of whatever town we were currently in. I stepped out behind Andreas, my hand being forced into the crook of his arm sometime during our way past the entrance.

As we entered, everyone seemed to notice him, and by association, regarded both he and I, almost with adoration. I caught jealous looks from other women more than once as we were led to our table. You want him ladies? Come and get him, please! Andreas' parents were already waiting, sipping on their wine. They stood when we approached. Ivan regarded his son, while his wife turned her attention to me.

Andreas' mother studied me with her bright green eyes. The woman was a vision of elegance with her thick black hair in large waves over her shoulder. Her slender frame was not much taller than mine, and draped in a backless, full length, long sleeved gold sheath paired with a pair of dazzling, tear-drop diamond earrings. The only indication of her advanced age was a single streak of grey running through the front of her hair. "Nicolette, so nice to meet you." Her voice, like the rest of her, was beautiful and airy. She moved forward to reach for me.

I smiled, reciprocating her hug. "It's an honor Mrs. Petrov."

She pulled back, gesturing for all of us to sit. Andreas surprisingly, considering his earlier behaviour, pulled my chair out for me. "My dear, that's my mother in law. To you, I am just Dalphine." Her smile was warm and sincere, unlike the treatment I'd received from the rest of this family, and immediately made me feel at ease.

The conversation remained on lighter topics as we all ordered. We dined in silence for the first half of the night, until the main course. Ivan took a sip of his wine before dabbing at the corner of his lips. "So your father is in the military Nicole?"

I nodded, quickly swallowing the bite of duck I had in my mouth. "Yes, he was. He's retired now, gone into doing private security." Like you didn't know that from the background search.

Ivan's expression became pleased at my response. Testing me? "Maybe you can get his company's contact information for me. We are currently in the market for such services." Perfect.

Andreas frowned at that. "Its my understanding that we have an internal team, do we not?"

Dalphine chimed in then. "My darling, what is a little extra protection, hm?"

I nodded at Ivan. "Of course. I can key the information directly into your phone if you'd like Mr. Petrov." I caught the subtle look he gave Andreas as he handed his phone over to me. My date for the night watched intently as I punched the contact information and only that into his father's note application. If they think this is my big plan to escape, they must think I'm incredibly stupid.

Once his phone was back in his pocket, he asked, "So you're an only child, is that correct, Nicole?"

"Yes, I guess one was more than enough for my parents." I chuckled along with Dalphine.

"Did you never ask for a little sister or brother, my dear?" She asked. "It sure made our house more lively, having my boys running around."

That peaked my interest. "You have other sons?"

Daphine smiled, the love she felt for her children clear as day. "Yes one other, Alexander, Andreas' baby brother and his partner in crime growing up. Alex always had to be a part of Andreas' various schemes.

I couldn't help but giggle at the thought of two, dark haired little boys running around that huge estate causing mischief. I unconciously smiled over at Andreas, his expression unreadable as he met my gaze. His mother looked over as well, prompting him to return my grin. "What was your most successful one then?" He opened his mouth to speak, but only his eyes moved, studying my face. What is it Andreas?

"I seem to remember a number of successful cookie heists." I turned back to Dalphine, and couldn't help but laugh along with her as she recounted the various ways they'd managed to fool the housekeepers into giving them the treats despite their mothers' no sweets policy before dinner.

"So, Andreas has always been a charmer."

His mother smiled lovingy at him. "Ooh yes, though his brother seems to use it more often, he's a helpess flirt, my second boy." Oh you have not seen what I've seen lady. Andreas uses his charm plenty. "Alex is away in Europe right now, but don't you worry, you'll have plenty of time to meet him before your wedding."

Andreas excused himself rather abruptly then to go to the bathroom. After a few moments, I did the same. A quick canvas of the entrance and windows revealed the various large men not so subtly guarding the exits. No wonder I'm free to move around in here. I walked quickly across the dining hall to the corridor that led to the restrooms. As expected, I ran into Andreas on his way back.

Time and time again, his insanely good looks always took me by surprise. My lips turned up in a small smile of their own accord as my eyes met his. "Hi, are you okay? You've seemed off the whole night."

His brows furrowed. "What is this Nicole? I don't have time for this faux kindness. It's not me you need to kiss up to, though I think you've figured that out quite quickly considering how thick you're laying it on for my mother."

And just like that, my good mood from the conversation earlier was gone and replaced with genuine, unfiltered irritation. "Okay, where is all this animosity coming from? It's not like I of all people asked to be in this situation with you, so why are you using me to vent all your frustration and anger? You don't have the right to shove me around or call my genuine effort to make the best of this shitty situation, disingenuous." I pushed past him to the women's restroom. "Forget I fucking asked, asshole."

I peed quickly and washed my hands, drying them before checking to make sure my makeup was all still in place. After reapplying some lip gloss from the tube Maya had put in my crystal encrusted clutch, I took a deep breath. Ok, dinner's almost over, home stretch.

I returned to the table halfway through some ongoing conversation. Dalphine was the one to notice me approaching. "Ah, my dear there you are!" She smiled, regarding the men at the table as well. "We were just discussing how it would be only right that you and Andreas spend the next couple of weeks to get to know one another a little better, to make sure this is truly a good fit. If all is well, we'll proceed with the wedding. How does that sound to you?"

I took my seat. "Could I return to New York for this period?"

She nodded. "Of course my dear, anything that would be comfortable with you."

My smile could not be anymore sincere as I rose to hug her. "Thank you Dalphine, that would be amazing."

"No worries my dear, if you two are to be committed for the rest of your lives, what is a few more weeks." Right. She patted my back as we pulled away. The rest of dinner was uneventful, with Andreas excusing himself to head back home earlier than his parents and I.

Hi all! I know I've been on an insane hiatus, but I'm hoping to get back to a somewhat regular schedule with updating my books. I am so so sorry for the wait and I'm so thankful for your support! Hope you enjoyed the new chap :)