AllFreeNovel
Share Us
If my brothers knew it was Nik who had me, and the extent of what happened, it wouldn’t end well for him. For my sake, they’d likely take care of him, and that didn’t entirely sit well with me.
It was all so confusing given our history, and I didn’t know what to make of it. But given what would be at stake if he gave me my laptop back, I could only imagine Nik would have his means of monitoring me, and reaching out to my brothers would be impossible without an incredible risk to myself.
“I don’t mean to rain on this parade, but you know that regardless of what happens, my brothers and cousins will track me down eventually. They have eyes and ears all over the city,” I warned him, trying to not sound combative. “Even if we’re married, they won’t give up without a fight, especially when they find out I didn’t make this choice myself.”
Nik nodded absently to himself as he leaned against the countertop, then he met my gaze and shrugged. “If and when that happens, I’ll take care of it. There are rules and courtesies in our world, and I’m hoping your family will respect them.”
“I wouldn’t count on it,” I returned, doubtful that someone like Yaro would ever let Nik get away with forcing me into marriage. He wouldn’t take that news well. “They aren’t shy about flexing their influence.”
“So I’ve heard,” he said with a final tone. “If you’re patient, I’ll bring your laptop as soon as I can.” Nik pushed away from the counter and approached me, giving a tap on his cheek, silently demanding a kiss there. “What do you say?”
Rolling my eyes, I pressed my lips to his cheek in a quick peck and reluctantly murmured, “Thank you.”
“Good,” he hummed, flashing me a forced smile. “I’ll be back by six. Don’t get into any trouble—I’ll know.”
With that, Nik made his way toward the door and slipped out. It would be hours until I’d get to see anyone’s face again, and I knew I had a long, boring day ahead of me. At the very least, I wasn’t stuck in that godforsaken bedroom.
There was no mistaking how annoyed I was to have my freedom stripped away from me, but despite that, Nik accepting my wish to keep studying felt like a small start. It was far from perfect, but it was something.
Chapter 14 - Nik
Driving through the city, I watched as the sun came up and gleamed against the high-rise buildings, beginning the day on a decent note.
Things could’ve been worse with Anastasia, and from what the undisturbed security system had to tell me, she hadn’t tried to run away or burn my house down, so it was a start.
As incredible as our night post-elopement had been, I knew it wouldn’t be enough to win Anastasia’s full trust. It seemed to calm her down to some degree, but beyond that, I had a significant amount of work ahead of me still, and I was determined to make that happen.
I didn’t mind the idea of her continuing her studies, since it would keep her busy and stop her from becoming restless. Plus, by extending an olive branch to her, I hoped she would take it as a sign of good faith and begin to see that I didn’t want her to suffer.
Even if I didn’t have the most effective way of showing it before, I wanted her to be comfortable and safe, and able to find that old connection with me again. We were able to reach a mutual understanding, even if her side had been a bit more reluctant.
So long as she stayed at the house and didn’t get herself into trouble, I could keep an eye on her and make sure that nobody took advantage of our new marriage. If anyone were to take her under my watch, I’d never forgive myself.
She deserved to be safeguarded from the feud and constant rivalries that were always popping up around the city. The less everyone knew about her and us, the better.
As much as I wanted to believe that she was just exaggerating about her brothers, I knew Anastasia was right.
Soon enough, her family would sniff out my trail, and they’d do whatever their hearts desired with me. Whether it was slow and deliberate or fast and immediate, my death would be imminent.
I had been worried about that very thing myself.
The Levovs weren’t known for messing around with things, especially not when it pertained to anything that affected their family. When I needed to know more about them, I did some digging and asking around, and I heard enough brutal stories to know that I wouldn’t be a special case.
Kidnapping anyone they cared about was immediate grounds for bringing an entire operation down and taking out anyone who got in the way.
I had been so focused on getting Anastasia back in my life and trying to figure out how to appeal to her, all while she fought me every step of the way, I had ended up ignoring the most dangerous part of it all.
Despite being married, there was no ignoring how their legacy loomed over me like a wolf prepared to strike, and I was a meager rabbit frantically trying to avoid slaughter.
I wanted the Levovs to respect our marriage since it was legal, but I couldn’t guarantee they would. In fact, they had every right to want it to be over. To get their sister back and declare an all-out war on Erasmo and his men.
But I couldn’t let that happen. Because of our union, I needed to consider both our best interests. According to the law, we were supposed to be partners, and that was exactly what I wanted. I needed her to trust me and to know that I didn’t commit to her on a whim.
Being caught up in the feud between the Levovs and Caprises wasn’t ideal, and I wanted Anastasia as far away from it as possible.
Continuing through the city, I couldn’t help but think back to our time together, and how incredible it felt to be with her again. It almost felt like reliving that night in Europe, but knowing she was my wife added another layer of appeal to it.
We were certainly dysfunctional, and we didn’t start in the best place, but there was a chance we could make it work. A foundation had been laid for us, but I needed to keep her happy. I needed Anastasia to feel just as connected to me as I did to her.
