AllFreeNovel
Share Us
“You’ve robbed me of my life. How did you expect me to react?” she shouts through her sobs.
“Don’t talk shit, I did a background check on you, and you had no life. Your life consisted of a shitty cheating boyfriend, work, and a crappy apartment. You’ve been upgraded, so you can be damn grateful it’s me and not some backyard drug dealer or bookie that would abuse you.”
I leave the room, slamming the door behind me. I go back to my room and slam the door as well. I get into bed and pull my pillow over my head, trying to drown out the sound of her crying, but it carries on for another full hour.
Eventually, I fall asleep from exhaustion because I can’t take it anymore. I wake up, and a few hours have passed. It’s probably about two or three in the morning, but thankfully, she’s not crying anymore.
I pull the pillow off my head and lie on it instead. I stare up at the ceiling and feel bad. I feel bad that I yelled at her whileshe was crying. I know I was just tired. I will have to make it up to her.
Chapter 10 - Penny
I don’t want anything to do with this asshole, but as the days go by, he lays down the law pretty thick.
First, it’s the meals. I have to eat most of my meals with him and present myself as his perfect fiance whenever anyone is around, regardless of who it is—staff or family.
He has started dropping hints about how I will behave around his mother. How I will be agreeable and how I will be pleasant. I don’t agree to any of this.
I’m sent out shopping with some guards and a designer to get new clothes. I won’t lie, I did enjoy this part. I get to go to the high-end boutiques that cater to curvier women, and I get some totally nice fitting clothes, and just to spite Kervyn, I spend as much as I can on clothes and things for my bedroom.
He insists I always wear my engagement ring. It’s beautifully designed, a white gold band with a leaf of diamonds on top. He says it doesn’t mean anything. It’s just for show, but I notice him eying it out now and then as though trying to accept that he’s engaged.
I don’t know why he chose me. I’ve seen some of the women at the club where he works, and they are drop-dead gorgeous. They could be or probably are high-end models. But he’s marrying me.
At meal times he plans the wedding with me. He says no cost is too great, and although I’m tempted to go over the top lavish and ridiculous with this, I have always wanted a beautiful wedding. If this is going to be my only opportunity to have one, then I am going to make it count.
I sometimes meet him at the club for lunch so he can show me off. It’s been officially announced amongst his men that I am his fiance, and I’m pregnant with his child. I have a security detail that goes with me everywhere except the toilet.
When we have lunch with his men or anyone from the family, I am to be seen and not heard. I’ve learned that the hard way.
When I’ve spoken out a few times about something to ask a question, the men laugh at me, and Kervyn tells me to mind my business. He’s quite cold with me when his men are around. You would swear this isn’t the same man who made such passionate love to me two months ago.
I’ve had another checkup on the baby, and Kervyn insisted on coming with me. He was disappointed that it was too early to tell the gender of the baby. That gave him the idea to have a gender reveal party, which is another thing I now have to sit and plan.
I’m eleven weeks pregnant, and my cravings are pretty bad. At the moment, pickles and mayo on brown toast are my thing. I make sure to wake Kervyn up with this craving most nights, and on nights he anticipates it, I indulge one of my others just to annoy him.
I plan on doing just that as I come downstairs when I notice a dark-haired stranger standing at the base of the stairs. He looks up at me, and his green eyes meet mine. I blush slightly.
I’m wearing an off-the-shoulder flower dress and sandals. My hair is loose in lots of little curls.
“Ah, you must be my cousin's fiance,” the man says with a thicker accent than Kervyn and his brothers have. “My name is Zakhar. It’s a pleasure to meet you.”
He holds out his hand, and I take it. “I’m Penny.”
He lifts my hand to his lips and kisses it. “A simply beautiful name for a simply beautiful woman. My cousin doesn’t know how lucky he is.”
“Your cousin knows exactly how lucky he is.” We turn to see Kervyn come downstairs with a smile. “Zak, it’s a pleasure to have you visiting.”
I try to move past them as they speak and go to the breakfast nook. It’s the sunniest part of the house in the morning and perfect for breakfast.
Kervyn and Zakhar sit opposite me. I butter some toast as they speak in Russian, minding my own business again.
“Forgive me,” Zakhar says, suddenly looking at me. “We should speak English so Penny doesn’t feel excluded.”
Kervyn hesitates, then nods. “It’s fine.”
“You’re lucky you got Kervyn and not my cousin Luka. There would be women parading in and out this house through various windows at his whim.” He chuckles. “The man is a, what do you call it, player?”
Kervyn smiles and turns Zakhar's attention back to business.
