Chapter Five
Lucia
This marriage was happening, and whatever came next, I would meet it head-on.
The realization settled deeper than before, heavier now that it was no longer a possibility but something already in motion. The meeting didn’t linger after that because there was nothing left to say once the terms had been set.
Men like my father and Alexei didn’t waste time repeating decisions that had already been made. The room shifted quickly from negotiation to execution, and I was ushered out just as voices lowered while they worked out the details.
What had just been decided was something thatwould alter the rest of my life. It was already being reduced to timing, logistics, and control.
There was no place for me in the room now that my role had been established, no reason for me to remain while the finer points were handled. I allowed myself to be guided out without drawing attention to it.
One of the staff placed a hand lightly at my arm. I moved with her though my attention lingered for a moment longer than it should have. On him. Alexei. My future husband.
He hadn’t said much in those final moments but hadn’t needed to. His presence had weighed on me in a way that was difficult to ignore. Even when I wasn’t looking at him directly, I could feel his stare on me. It was steady and focused, and when I had met his gaze, there had been nothing unsure in it. No hesitation or no softness meant to make this easier. Just awareness, like he already understood exactly what I was to him.
I was led into the parlor where my mother and several female staff waited. The doors closed behind me, muting the low murmur of voices from the meeting. The conversation tapered off as the door shut.
“Come,” my mother said gently, motioning for me to sitbeside her.
I did, smoothing my hands over my dress as I settled into the chair, and just like that, the focus shifted to me without anyone needing to say it outright. My mother sat the closest, her presence steady in a way that had never been overwhelming. Her gaze was soft as it moved over me like she was taking in more than just the look on my face.
My younger sister Angelica lingered nearby, unable to hide the way her attention stayed fixed on me, her expression caught somewhere between curiosity and something she didn’t quite know how to name yet. Something that would one day be hers to understand.
The rest of the women gathered around, some family, some long-time staff who had been part of this house for years. There was a gentleness in the way they spoke to each other, like they were trying to make this lighter than it actually was.
The conversation turned instead to what came next, the details already being planned and laid without me having to worry about them. My wedding. Their voices were soft as they discussed the dress, the timeline, and the guest list. My sister leaned in at one point, offering an opinion on lace and color. My mother’s hand brushedlightly over mine, a small, grounding touch that said more than any word spoken.
They were all trying to make this feel like something it wasn’t, like this was a celebration instead of what it actually was. A binding, a decision made with a business deal, a future sealed without Alexei or me having a say in it.
I listened without really listening, their voices blending together in a soft rhythm that should have been comforting, and maybe part of me wanted it to be. But my attention kept slipping, catching on something else entirely. Something I couldn’t quite push aside no matter how much I tried.
Alexei.
I hadn’t expected to have my attention so trained on him. I braced myself to hate him, to loathe what all of this meant. He was bigger than I’d imagined, taller, broader, and built in a way that made it clear he was a man who was actively involved in his family’s business.
He looked like a man who stepped into the violence himself, who didn’t just give orders but enforced them, and that was exactly why they called him The Butcher. Not for show or for fear. But because he did the work himself.
There was something sharper beneath his exterior, something in the way he watched and held himself. It was clear he missed nothing and took everything in. Nothing about him felt careless, and that made him more dangerous than anything else.
I shifted slightly in my seat, drawing in a quiet breath as I tried to focus on the conversation again. But it didn’t settle the restless awareness that had taken hold. I didn’t know anything about Alexei beyond what I was told. But the fact he was the man I was going to be tied to whether I wanted it or not left uncertainty weighing heavily on my bones.
Men in this world weren’t known for their kindness, patience, or anything that resembled love. Some were distant. Others were cruel. Most were both.
I didn’t know which one he would be. Didn’t know if Alexei would be like my father, controlled and removed, offering protection without warmth. Or would he be someone harder, someone who would take without asking and expect me to endure without question. Someone who would see me as nothing more than part of the deal.
And that was what I couldn’t ignore, no matter how soft the voices around me stayed, no matter how gently my mother’s hand lingered over mine, or how brightly my sister spoke about dressesand flowers, like this could be something more than just a business deal.
Because whatever Alexei was, whatever this turned into, once it was real, I would be the one who had to live with it.
And that terrified the hell out of me.
Chapter Six
Alexei
The meeting ended exactly the way it was meant to, clean, direct, and final with nothing left open for interpretation once the terms had been set.
