Melissa "6 years ago..."

I feel anger, boiling in my veins. In my head. Even in my damn ass from how ready I am now to take off like a balloon. Red balloon. And this is the only shade that I saw as my mother just said 5 words that made me feel a knot in my stomach and vomit what I heard.

"I'm sorry, what did you just say?" Swallowing down my nausea, I asked, wishing that I had simply misheard. "You should just marry him." Mom smiled nervously. "It's just a marriage of convenience." "Just?" My not cheerful laughter filled the space. "I'm going to study at Cambridge, that's it."

"Do you want them to kill us?" Her voice became a whisper. "Your father cared so much about us, about your future and..." "Don't continue that sentence!" I screamed, bending over the table towards my mother. "Mom, he took this fucking money from the Russian mafia and spent it all on booze and poker and just...died. And what? What does it have to do with me or you?" "It's the mafia, honey. Everyone has to pay their bills." "Wonderful. How much money do you need?" "Just agree to the deal." She rolled her eyes. "You won't find $500,000 in two days." "How much? Your husband had no brains at all, didn't he?" It took my breath away.

"That's why you need to agree." My eyes dried looking at the calm expression on my mother's face. "So you want your only daughter to marry some Russian asshole and save your ass right?" I grinned. "Why the hell did they even offer you this? Does he have problems with potency and he is 80 years old?" "I don't know. But those who came to me yesterday made it clear that we only have two choices." She pointedly touched the bruise on her neck. "Honey, I want to live in peace." "And I don't? Why me?" Misunderstanding seeped into my blood. "I don't know anything about him and he doesn't know anything about me."

"The mafia knows everything, but I don't think they know about your connection with Alex and don't talk about it, they will come for you tomorrow and I think everything will be fine." She got up from the table and headed into the living room, leaving me alone, but she managed to say. "Don't be selfish, girl.

I tiredly leaned back on my chair, feeling like she already knew that tomorrow I myself would go to my hell. Well done, Melissa, so you went to study. My eyelids closed and my thoughts began to tangle into a complex knot. This means that a stranger to me wants me to become his wife and so my family doesn't have this fucking debt. Could you die later, dad?

All my life I was the one who had to clean up all my father's crap. Even if I'm only 18, my mother is a spineless creature, I always picked up my drunk father from bars or worked double shifts in a store to pay off another debt. My father died due to a sudden heart attack and was considered one of the best lawyers in New York. This is not a joke.

More often than not, he paid for almost everything himself, but was too reckless. But it seemed to me that he at least had brains...I was wrong. Most likely he got into debt again saying that he needed money for a new project but to get involved in damn mafia affairs? Fuck my life.

I'm confused a lot right now. Like why the hell does the head of the mafia want to make me his wife? Without knowing me. Never having seen it. Actually fuck him and his plans.

I had my own. It's embarrassing to say this, but when my dad died a week ago, I felt relieved. It seemed to me that now I could live and breathe with full lungs. Study at Cambridge. Make friends. Fall in love. To be a normal girl and not her father's daughter.

But...apparently, I can't afford such luxury in this life. Now I can put aside my dreams and desires because a dangerous person wants to control me. The problem is that I love danger, but I don't even know his name, I can say that in this war he is not the only one who can play with fire.

The most dangerous women are those who are forced to do what they don't want and then we can not only play better but also make us regret starting this game because not only men can win.

I'll do it.

***

"What is this?" I disgustedly examined my appearance in the mirror. "Beautiful white dress." I looked at myself again. It was like they made a doll out of me. The fabric flowed to the knees with a small slit in the neckline. So white. Light. Perfect. Actually, none of this describes me.

My brown hair was curled in large curls but pulled into a perfect bun on top of my head. Even small hairs don't come out.

"Mom, tell me honestly. You decided that if I said yes, then you can make me a good girl?" "Please don't show your attitude." She once again went over my facial skin with a brush that had grains of powder on it. "Just be obedient. And grateful. These things were delivered this morning." "How nice." I muttered sarcastically. "And you know, from that moment on, this was the last thing I did for you." "What?" Her forehead wrinkled even more,

I heard the engine of a car clearly approaching our driveway. Get it together, Melissa. You will do it. All night I knew it would be better this way. I grew up in a family where I was used. The belief that I was loved or loved disappeared the moment this woman opened her mouth yesterday.

"What I meant was that you won't see your daughter again and you are no longer my mother." I took my purse and headed for the door, but once again I looked into her eyes, which seemed too wet. "Don't you dare cry. How many times have I asked you for a divorce? And take the side of your child? But you always chose him and his shit, which is why I always dealt with it. So consider that I saved you from death as my parting gift."

My heels rang out in complete silence throughout the room I called home. I won't be back. Knock. I'll start a new life. Knock. My marriage will be my war. Knock. I will win it or I will die. Knock. I opened the front door. I don't have any other solution.

***

I blinked twice. The man who sat opposite me was not just attractive. He was hot. So fucking damn hot and sexy. And now he's mine. Not bad.

I tilted my head looking at his sharp jaw which seemed sharper than any knife. And how perfect his jaw is is even scary.

His dark green eyes silently continued to watch me while I simply tried not to be nervous. I won't show it.

"How was your trip?" A shiver ran through my body from such a low voice. Mama Mia. Such a voice can not only wet your panties but also bring you to orgasm. Honestly. But I remembered my trip to this house.

"What is your name?" I asked the driver who came to pick me up, breaking the already 15-minute silence. "Misha." A cold man in a strict business suit with a white shirt answered. "Can you say more than one word?" I snorted, turning my head to the window, looking at the skyscrapers. "The boss said he would cut out my tongue if I did this." "Well, at least... you said 13 words. Progress." I made a sarcastic comment.

"That was cute." I smiled. "Cute?" His eyes flashed dangerously. "Misha was cute to you?" "He is clearly sweeter than you. His face is my type, don't you dare touch him." I became serious. "Now it's my turn to ask a question. What is your name?" "Roman. And our last name is Kirillov."

"Hmm, it could be worse." What? Melissa Kirillova doesn't sound so bad. "Now let's move on to the most important thing." "Why?" One of his eyebrows rose. I slowly got up from the table.

"You probably think that you know everything about me after reading the information you found, right?" My fingers began to take out hairpin after hairpin, deftly releasing locks of hair onto my shoulders. "Yes, I did."

"I have to say, you don't know the three most important things about me." I felt relieved to no longer feel pressure on the top of my head. "Enlighten me then."

"First of all, know that I love wrapped man around my finger and it doesn't matter are you the head of Russian mafia or Italian or just a random boy." I slowly removed my right foot from the uncomfortable shoe.

"Second of all, I hate it when someone thinks that a woman is weak. I'm not like that. I can fight to any man and walk away alive with their blood on my hands." Now I was barefoot.

"And third of all. You made a mistake, Roman Kirillov. I wanted to live a simple life but you decided to drag me into the darkness." I watched him as I began to unzip my dress letting it fall near my ankles. "But I feel good in this environment. I know how to act in darkness."

His gaze continued to wander over me. The goosebumps turned into trembling in my body from how shamelessly he fucked me with his eyes. "What are you trying to achieve?" I bent down and took the dress, throwing it towards him. "I'm not your doll and don't think that I ever will be."

"You want me to be your wife, so I have the right to act like your queen." I grinned. "But I'd rather have the title "She killed her fiancé." "Do you want to be my queen?"Cade acted as if he hadn't heard my second sentence. "Today I am ready to worship the body of my queen right on this table." "Then do it." I accepted his challenge. I'm ready to start our marriage. Our war.