AllFreeNovel
Share Us
CHAPTER5
Elena
“So, how did it go?” Letta has a hint of excitement in her voice, despite the fact last night was not for me. It was a show of power from Charlotte Fraser and my father. Neither of them care whether Kane and I will be happy together. Why would they? They have what they want. An alliance between Fraser and Adams. It will make both families unstoppable.
I lean back into my pillows and press the phone harder to my ear. “Kane is… different.”
“Different?” I understand the confusion in her voice. Different is a strange word to use for what Kane is. Terrifying, a monster, a man who invades nightmares. And yet, when my father had tried to harm me, it was Kane who stood between us. He made it clear my father was not to touch me again, something I think Hamish will adhere to. I never expected the protection of my husband in this way.
“He showed moments of caring, but also indifference, as if he would rather be anywhere else but with me. I have no idea what to make of it, of him. He is not at all what I expected.”
Letta snorts rather indelicately. “What were you expecting? A handsome prince? These men are hard, Elena. They only know one thing: How to get what they want.”
I huff out a breath, my heart feeling heavy. Each beat feels as if it takes me closer to calamity. “It’s a done deal. We signed the paperwork. Now all that is left to do is the actual ceremony itself.” I say it calmly, even though my body feels in turmoil. I hold up my hand and peer at the heavy engagement ring locked on my ring finger. It’s a symbol of ownership, and I have no doubt who it is that owns me.
Mrs Elena Fraser.
It doesn't sound horrible, but it doesn't sound like me either.
I am an Adams and will always be one. A name change doesn’t make any difference. I am only going ahead with this marriage for my family. They need this alliance to keep us safe from outside forces and to continue building our empire. With the protection of the Frasers, we will be able to breathe freely for a while. It doesn’t mean I have to be fucking happy about it though. Marrying Kane Fraser sounds like a nightmare.
I bring my attention back to my sister and my fiancé. “I was expecting a little conversation. I'm not sure that's too much to ask for. The man barely spoke two words to me, and what he did say was not polite.”
Letta laughs. “Leelee, he's the heir to one of the largest criminal enterprises in London. If you were expecting rainbows and unicorns, hugs and kisses, you're going to be sorely disappointed. Men like him are not capable of showing affection. They live in a realm that is completely different from the rest of society. Kane will have blood on his hands, just as our father does.”
This isn't something I haven't thought about before. I know my fiancé is a man who wears many masks. There is his public persona, his business persona, and there is his criminal one. They make up the man he is, the one who has been written into legend. I've heard the stories as much as everybody else has. I know he's rumoured to have done despicable things to other men in the name of his family.
So no, I didn't expect him to be hugs and kisses, not truly, but I did expect some kind of interaction with him. Instead, I was greeted with a brick wall, one I could not scale no matter how hard I tried. The rest of the party, he did his best to avoid me, and eventually I was able to excuse myself and leave.
“Do you think it's possible to be happy in a marriage like this?”
Letta is the wrong person to ask considering how unhappy her own marriage is. Her husband is a monster too, but the worst kind of one because he pretends not to be. At least Kane is upfront about who he is. I have no doubts on that front.
“I thought so in the beginning, but I'm not sure. Michael has been better since…” She drops her words, but I know what she was going to say. Since Dex and I discovered that fucker was hitting her. I'm glad we at least put enough fear into him to keep his hands to him-fucking-self. I have no objection to going back if he needs another lesson.
“If he lays another hand on you again, I will cut his balls off and feed them to him.”
“When did you become so bloodthirsty?” I hear the humour in her tone as she speaks.
“About the same time that fucker started hitting you. He lays another finger on you, Letta, tell me. It'll be the last thing he ever does.”
She dismisses me, as if she wasn't the one on the phone sobbing hysterically that night. “You don't need to worry about Michael and me. We are doing a lot better now.”
It better stay that way.
“Are you seeing Kane before the wedding?” she continues.
I have no idea. He hadn't made it apparent he wanted to see me again, and from his attitude I doubt he does. “Is there any point?”
“You are going to spend the rest of your life with this man. It might be an idea to get to know him a little better before your wedding night.”
I have mixed feelings about Kane. On the one hand, he, like me, is in a situation that is not of his own making. Neither of us would have chosen this path. But here we are. He must love his family a lot, just as I do. The reason I'm doing this is for them. On the other, I’m in the same boat as him, so it wouldn’t kill him to be a little understanding.
“I don't think he would be open to that.”
“You might be surprised. This can't be easy for him either.”
“I suspect it's far easier for him since he has all the power in this relationship. I'm supposed to just be a good little queen and sit at his side silently.”
