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CHAPTER 1
CALLA
Being summoned by my brother to his office always leaves me feeling uneasy. I never quite know what I’m going to find on the other side of the door. It’s not like how it used to be when our parents were alive—then I knew warmth and pride would greet me when I walked in. Now, there is always the undercurrent of a power play.
Pavel, my older brother, doesn’t realize I have no interest in the shady dealings done under my family’s name. I’m not like him. He has always thrived under the Sokolov name, his need for power growing with every taste of it he got.
I’m more than happy not being in the spotlight and nothing inside of me craves power. Well, maybe that’s not entirely true. I want enough power to make decisions for myself and live my life how I choose.
Our father was a good man, but he had some old school opinions when it came to women and their place in the world. He believed men were above women. It was misogynistic, but it also came from a place of love and protection. My brother carries those beliefs as well, but his feelings come from a place of subservience, greed, and control.
My heart aches from missing my parents.
Their death feels like an unanswered question. Like a memory at the corner of your mind you can’t fully grasp, but you know is there. Their deaths haven’t sat right with me for the last ten months when Pavel informed me of their demise, as if the whole thing was a business transaction.
I remember the day he told me about their deaths like it was yesterday. His face was devoid of all emotion as he studied me, “Our parents are dead, Calla.”
I wasn’t fast enough to stop myself from gasping in surprise and grief. I swear I saw his eyes glint with satisfaction. Reaction was weakness; it was a lesson we both learned early on, and I gave him exactly what he was looking for.
He leaned forward, his elbows on his knees and everything about him was casual while I was trying to breathe through grief which felt like knives. “Do you know what that means?”
I whispered, barely able to get the word out, “What?”
His eyes lit up and he was basking in my inability to be strong in a way he never had before. His words were sharp, serrated, “It means it’s time you fulfill your role as the Sokolov princess.”
The smile on his face was cruel and evil. The memory of that smile has stayed with me. I didn’t ask him to elaborate. I didn’t want to.
Instead, I focused on getting the funeral services for our parents ready. Then I was caught up in telling them goodbye. I tried to avoid Pavel as much as possible because every time I saw him, I could see the wheels in his head spinning. I had a feeling I was on borrowed time.
My father promised me when I became a teenager that my body would always be mine and he would never try and use itas a bargaining chip for the family. That doesn’t mean I’ve been given a lot of freedom when it comes to my body. My parents sheltered me as much as possible and never let me date. My tattoos were the only form of rebellion I was allowed. It’s why I’m still a virgin.
What man would want to go up against the Sokolov king for me? I tried to romanticize the whole thing and told myself that one day someone would. Now? I’ve let the fantasy go.
It’s just as dead as my parents are.
My gut has been warning me that Pavel will use me in whatever way he can. Considering he’s never ascribed much value to women, I can only imagine what he’s planning.
I knew whatever reprieve I was being given would come to an end, which is why I have been making plans. I am so close to seeing them come to fruition. I am so close to getting away.
With every step I take closer to Pavel’s office, which used to be our father’s, I know I should have planned faster. The man walking a step behind me is someone I don’t know. Pavel replaced almost everyone in the inner circle with his own guys before our parents were even in the ground.
I’ve never learned this guy’s name and I have no desire to. All the men Pavel surrounds himself with give me the creeps and I avoid them as much as I can.
I’ve never despised being a Sokolov more in my life.
When a woman’s loud moan comes from the other side of the office door, I cringe. Thankfully, my back is still to Pavel’s giant monkey, and he can’t see it. I take a moment to put on the neutral mask which has become increasingly harder to keep in place since my parents’ deaths.
With a big sigh, full of exasperation, I turn toward the man. “I have no interest in seeing my brother’s exploits.” I curl my lip in disgust and the man smirks.
“I’m sure he’ll be done playing with his toy soon.” He shrugs one shoulder like it’s no big deal.
“Maybe I should come back,” I hedge.
I hear the woman shriek and my body goes rigid. That was not a sound of pleasure at all. Creepy gorilla man lets out a dark chuckle and he shakes his head slowly.
“Boss wants to see you right away.” There’s no room in his voice for an argument even though one is bubbling up inside of me.
Why the fuck would Pavel call for me if he’s entertaining a woman? I don’t want to be listening to this shit. I don’t need to be this close to a man who I want to shrink away from.
