ZARYA ROGOV
I'd been in this room ever since I entered this cursed mansion. Except for the butler, who came in with the breakfast and lunch, no one stepped into the room.
The food remained untouched in the corner; the hunger was long gone.
The tears no longer burned my eyes, though my heart continued to bleed. I wasn't sure whether to blame the circumstances or myself for being stuck with a man I would never want to cross paths with.
The sudden knock at the door had me raising my head, which was resting on my knees. I didn't answer, and they didn't wait for my permission either before opening the door.
It was Alek.
He wasn't here with dinner this time.
As the man stepped inside, his gaze first landed on the untouched food in the corner and then on the wedding ring lying right next to the dishes before his gaze settled on me. There was animosity in his gaze. I could see it, feel it.
"Master Sergei has demanded your presence," he said and moved forward to pick up the ring from the floor.
I didn't budge.
He finally remembered the worthless captive he captured.
"Please follow me," he turned his back on me, waiting for me to follow him. "You wouldn't like him coming here." His voice held a vivid warning, and I knew better to follow him out.
As we made our way out of the servant quarters, the cracked and colorless walls were taken over by well-crafted ceilings that screamed luxury, one of the words I was familiar with.
The maids working around gawked at me, some whispering between each other, and some just staring. My eyes went towards the mansion's door. My instincts told me to run, but I knew the security outside wouldn't let me step a foot out of this hell.
Alek paused near his study, knocking on the door.
My heart beat spiked upon the mere thought of seeing him. I wanted to run away, hide, but I stood on my ground like an immovable force. I knew I couldn't stay in that room forever. He brought me here to ruin me.
Alek opened the door and stepped aside. I took a deep, shaking breath, trying to calm my nerves before walking inside the study. I unconsciously fixed my top, my eyes too focused on the floor to notice my surroundings.
"Took you some time," Sergei told Alek, his voice rich with deepness and silk.
"Pardon me." Alek apologized and walked towards Sergei's desk. He quietly put my ring on the desk and stepped aside. Agh, this old man. Who told him to even pick up the ring?
For a while, Sergei said nothing. I didn't look up to see his reaction, I was too scared to do so. My heart was literally thumping like it was on the verge of bursting.
"Leave us alone, Alek." The stern command in his voice had a zap of current electrifying my back. Alek bowed and quietly left the room.
The moment I heard the door closing, my eyes snapped up and clashed against his dark hazel ones. He was staring at me too intensely, as if trying to see through me. I unconsciously took a step back.
He leaned back against his master chair, his long and thick fingers rolling my ring in a circle.
"This ring is the only thing that protects you. My people hate Rogov's deeply... including me." His gaze remained on me, unwavering.
"T-Then why did you-u marry me?" I blurted out, hands turning into fists on either side. I surely disliked my father, but I loved Rogov more than anything. It was my identity and my honor.
"You know..." The calmness of his tone made my jaw twitch. I knew...
Of course, to ruin me, to ruin Rogov.
He married me to humiliate me.
"Now...since you're my wife, you will have responsibilities. Means you will be putting me and my family before yourself." His words were like daggers, sharp and dangerous.
He wanted to leave nothing of me.
"Never." My denial came out more abruptly than I'd cared to admit.
"Never?" He tilted his head. "But I didn't ask you."
"I-I never wanted this marriage. I'm n-not your wife." I managed to speak for myself, but stuttering was a constant shame for me.
His hazel eyes slowly, dangerously narrowed at me. The way he looked at someone alone had so much power. I immediately started regretting my previous protest.
"I could show you exactly who you belong to, right here, right now." My fists trembled at his words, his voice too calm, too low.
"Don't tempt me to ruin you already." I immediately lowered my eyes, unable to match the intensity of his gaze.
The brief silence began to suffocate me.
I felt extremely small and vulnerable under his gaze.
"Now...as my wife, I expect you to tend to me whenever I ask for you. No matter what place and what time." Tend to him? What does he mean by that? My head felt heavy, and I wished I could faint and maybe just die.
"You will take care of my son, cook for my family, and serve us." He slowly stood up and rounded the table. His movements were calm like a storm. Deliberate, imposing, and threatening. He paused right in front of the table and leaned against it. His arm muscles flexed through the tuxedo shirt when he crossed them over his chest.
"You will do everything I demand. Do you get me?" He asked, eyes fixated on me like flames ready to burn me. He waited for me to deny him so he could show me exactly why he was a Pakhan.
But I couldn't just say yes...
"I'm not your maid," I retorted.
"You are my wife." I never knew the word wife could sound this threatening.
"I'm no-" I immediately shut my mouth.
When I didn't say anything, he gave me a firm nod. Sliding his hands in his pants pocket.
"Wh-What if I don't do it?" I asked, wanting to see how he would react to it though the expressions on my face had started to showcase my fear and helplessness. If I didn't obey, he would hit me like my father. He would burn me.
But he was calm, always calm.
"You wouldn't like to know, Zarya." My name rolled off his tongue like silk filled with venom, alluring yet deadly.
My face paled. I tried to keep my cool, but failed miserably. I looked pathetically scared.
His gaze was unfazed, as if he was used to witnessing such fear. He lived on it.
His eyes slowly traveled down my body, and I felt goosebumps rising on my skin. I shifted uncomfortably on my footing.
He suddenly rose to his full height. I immediately became hyper-alert and began to take a step back when he stepped towards me. He stared down at my feet before slowly looking up at me.
He smelled it...the fear.
It boosted his so-called pride.
In just a few strides, he was in front of me.
I gasped when my back hit the wall, and he towered over me. I cowered back, wanting to disappear. I began to tremble, and I hated how weak I appeared in front of him.
He gripped my trembling hand and pulled it up. Seeing my fingers shake, he raised his brow but said nothing and put the ring back on my finger.
"If I see it missing from your finger again..." He roughly pulled me towards himself, making me bump into his hard chest.
"I'll carve my name on your very existence."