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It’s honestly refreshing that he doesn’t care about being polite. I never did like having to follow social conventions. It’s so fake.
Like this marriage?
And yet…what will happen when I’m back home with him? What’s next? How exactly will we…begin the next era for the Romanovs?
CHAPTER TWELVE
Mikhail
I knewVolkov would try to sabotage my wedding.
Of course he would. He was, of course, unsuccessful. So when I get my bride in the back of our limo, driven by one of my men, I open the small bottle of champagne left on ice.
My bride.
We did it. We circumvented Volkov’s attempt to destroy my family.
His first, anyway.
"Champagne? It's traditional in Russian weddings to celebrate with champagne.”
"I would've thought vodka," she says lightly, belying the fear in her eyes. Good. If she fears me, she’ll obey.
“You want vodka?”
Shaking her head, she looks away. “Where are we going? Where are we?"
I hand her the half-filled flute. “Do you know anything about The Cove?”
She shakes her head. "Not much. I know that there's a beach, and…well, your family.” She takes a sip and sighs appreciatively. Kolya knows how to buy the good stuff.
"Yes. We’re in The Cove, where I run our operations. My father died just over a month ago, so I’ve taken over. As we're driving, we have begun a controlled leak of our wedding photos. A strategy to allow information to leak to the right channels, so that everyone knows we married. We won't reveal where, or who you are.”
"So you have an informant." She misses nothing, her mind as sharp as a steel trap.
"We have many."
“Media coverage?”
I shake my head.
"Do you have counterintelligence in place?"
“Of course. Right now, secrecy and security are paramount. We need word to spread to our rivals and enemies. They knew it was happening, which is why they tried to attack. So the leak will spread that word.”
"I see."
She doesn’t.
"We have our traditions," I say, intentionally leaving her hanging. I don't want her to forget that our marriage is also punishment. She's surrendered all control to me. "You'll see when we get back to my house, Mrs. Romanov.”
Light filters in from the window and highlights her widened eyes. I stare at my bride. She's so beautiful. My heart thumps with the knowledge that I own her. That she’s mine, irrevocably.
I’ll enjoy every goddamn minute of despoiling her.
I crook a finger at her.
"Come here."
