Chapter 3 - Maxim

Chiara’s hands are wrapped so tightly around the railing that it looks as though her she is trying to snap the iron bar in half. Even in the soft lighting, I can see her knuckles glowing white.

“My father didn’t mention a single word of this to me. And then, he tells in front of a massive crowd. I know he did it on purpose, so I couldn’t cause a scene. But it isn’t fair at all. He should have warned me, he should have told me in private. He told me it was a family emergency when he called me and asked me to get on a plane to come home. This isn’t an emergency, this is some sick joke. How am I supposed to marry someone I don’t even know? This isn’t what I wanted for my life,” she continues, rushed, angry, and frustrated.

She huffs loudly and brushes a stay curl from her face, glancing at me with her nose wrinkled, her dark eyes fierce.

She pauses, falling quiet for a moment, looking over my face.

So, this is the girl who is going to be my wife. She is beautiful, there is absolutely no doubt about that. Her dress shows off her incredibly long, shapely legs, and her slender figure has curves in all the right places. Her features are almost otherworldly. Her chocolate-brown eyes are round and bright, her lips luscious, plump and rosy.

She is gorgeous. But what stands out the most to me right now in this first encounter with her is how feisty she is. Defiant and temperamental. Am I going to be able to put up with her attitude in order to get through all this? I like peace and quiet.

She looks away from me again and resumes talking. “I had a life planned, one that did not involve getting married, or even coming home. I wanted to start a business of my own, and not be involved in all of this—um, family business. And now I”m supposed to be someone’s obedient wife, smile and look pretty and do as I am told. My father has made a mistake. He should never have done this to me. He can’t be serious. I”ve never even heard of this Maxim guy before, and it’s all for business. Does love not even factor into this world anymore? Do I not get to experience that in this life?” She glances at me again, her eyes lingering on mine. “Sorry, I”m really upset.”

She looks away again, out into the garden. She is almost aggressive when she speaks, and I can see she is going to be difficult to manage. I never imagined myself marrying someone like that. I always thought I would meet someone kind, gentle, and quiet, with no mafia ties at all.

I sigh inwardly and turn to face the garden as well.

“I understand what it’s like to have your family take control of your life in ways that you never planned on,” I say, at least understanding what she”s going through. I don’t want this either, but my brothers have called me to action. And I can’t let them down.

“You do?”

“I do. Duty calls, and sometimes you can’t say no. Because it’s family, you know. We all have to do what is right by those we love. Even if it challenges us or isn”t what we saw for ourselves.”

She nods, and her shoulders relax a little. I can tell that she has no idea who I am, and right now, I think it”s better to just let her vent. I”ll introduce myself when she”s calmed down a little. Perhaps I can even learn a bit about her before my identity is revealed.

“I always thought my stepbrother would be the one who would marry for an alliance. He knows the business, and he knows most of my father’s associates. He would be a better fit for this. I thought my father knew that I didn’t want this. I don’t think I’ve ever even thought about marriage—not yet, not for a long time.”

“It’s hard to fit into the molded expectations that families put on us. My brothers are pushing me to become more involved in certain aspects of our family business that I have no interest in, and I”m having to change my life around, too. I guess, at the end of the day, it”s just about trying to accept what has to happen and making the most of it.”

She tilts her head. “So, I”m not the only one struggling with this dutiful? bullshit”

“You aren’t alone, no. We”re both in the same boat,” I smile.

Her eyes search me, and a slight smirk paints across her beautiful lips.

“Perhaps you and I should run away together, then? We can escape this, go live on a tropical island, have a wild love affair, and never be seen again? How does that sound?” She turns her body towards mine, her hand gracefully tracing over the railing, making me wonder what her touch feels like.

“No more family drama, just white sandy beaches and freedom?”

“Exactly. We could sip cocktails from coconut shells and swim naked in the ocean.”

“Naked?” I chuckle, raising my brows at her.

“Of course. It is a tropical island, after all.” She looks down, her thick dark lashes fluttering over her gorgeous eyes.

I chuckle again, and then realize that the deep sound of my own laugh is something I have not heard in a long time.

This girl intrigues me; perhaps I could even say she”s caught my attention.

Her flirtation and suggestive comments most certainly have. I can feel my body stir in response to her and the way she moves, her expressive eyes hinting at things that tease my mind.

She goes quiet for a moment, then says more softly, “Maybe I should just run away.”

I can’t tell if she”s being serious or not, but her tone suggests she”s feisty enough to try and make a run for it. That wouldn”t help my mission at all, and besides, now that I”ve met her, I find myself wanting to know more about her before she disappears to some island in the middle of nowhere.

“You know, sometimes, the things we”re thrown into against our will turn out a lot better for us than we could have imagined.”

“How so?” she asks, skeptically.

“Well, what if your fiancé is the man of your dreams?” I shrug.

“Pfft.” She shakes her head. “I doubt it. If it is one of Dad’s business partners, he”s probably an arrogant douchebag.”

“Just give it a chance. You can always run away later on, after you”ve played the role of dutiful daughter and at least given it a try.”

I grin, trying to reassure her and get her to stay.

The truth is that the sooner we get this marriage over with, the sooner I can find out whatever it is I need to find out, and then both of us can get on with our lives. She doesn’t have to stay married to me. She can suffer through this weirdness and awkwardness, the same way I have to, and once it”s all over, we can both make our own escapes.

I can get back to my own peaceful life, away from all of the drama, and one day, I can meet a soft, gentle woman, and get married for love.

She shrugs her slender shoulders, and my eyes graze down her neck, down the open back of her dress, over the curve of her hips. She turns to look at me, catching me admiring her.

The grin on her face is cheeky, and the cute little dimples in her cheeks immediately catch my attention.

For a moment, we just stare at each other. Her dark chocolate eyes pull me in and cause me to forget everything else for the moment. I didn’t expect her to have this type of effect on me. Regardless, this is a marriage for a purpose, and that is what I need to focus on—nothing else.

I lift my hand, as though my body subconsciously wants to reach out and touch her, but I quickly pull it back. She is alluring and enticing in her beauty, but I need to be careful with how I handle everything.

“I guess I”d better get back to the party. My father will probably be looking for me, wondering where I”ve run off to. And he most likely still wants to parade me around the party like some ridiculous trophy in his business plan,” Chiara sighs, rolling her eyes dramatically, and I chuckle. She grins. “It was nice to meet you, though. Pity it was under these circumstances.”

She spins around and walks away, leaving me dazed for a second. Then I quickly walk after her. I should probably tell her who I am before we get back into the party.

“Chiara?” I say, loudly, trying to get her attention as she nears the crowd of people. Several people turn around, including her. She tilts her head toward me. “Yes?”

Behind her, coming out of the crowd, I spot her father. Angelo rushes over to her, wrapping his arm around her shoulder. “There you are sweetheart, I’ve been looking all over the place for you, where did you wander off?”

“Just to get a little air in the garden for a second.” She smiles politely, and I see a whole different side to her. Subdued, obedient, almost businesslike in front of Angelo.

He looks up at me. “And you, young man, I wanted to find you, too. I haven’t had the chance yet to congratulate you as well, but now I have you both together. The engaged couple. Your children will be beautiful.” He smiles broadly, leaning over to clap his hand on my shoulder. “Welcome to the family, son. We will throw the most magnificent wedding this city has ever seen.”

Chiara’s eyes shoot wide, her mouth dropping open, the subdued aspect flashing off her face. She stares at me in horror. She is looking at me as though I betrayed her, and her disbelief is painted so brightly in her expression that I freeze, my entire body hesitant to even move.

“How are you feeling, Maxim? Are you enjoying the celebration?” Angelo asks, oblivious to the tension in the air.

I drag my eyes away from Chiara and toward her father. “Yes, thank you, Angelo. It”s wonderful.”

When I look back at Chiara her expression has changed completely. Her face is stern, her mouth is tight. She has an emotionless yet defiant look in her eyes. She has managed to hide everything she”s feeling behind a very carefully constructed mask.

“Maxim Dubrov,” she says politely. “How lovely.” Her voice holds a slight trace of sarcasm. I clench my jaw tightly, needing to tell her that I was about to introduce myself to her, because she looks furious beneath that calm exterior, like an empty stretch of beach before a tidal wave crashes over it.

“Chiara, shall we get a drink and talk for a bit?” I suggest, wanting to get her away from her father so that we can have a word in private.

“Let’s all go get a drink together. Tonight is about family and celebration,” Angelo pronounces loudly, pulling his daughter toward the bar.

Shit.

She looks so angry with me. Why would she feel like I betrayed her? I didn”t introduce myself right away because she seemed like she just needed to vent, and I let her, I didn’t interrupt. And once we were talking, I guess I just let the conversation flow.

I walk behind them, feeling my shoulders grow tense. We weave through the noise, the bubbling crowds, and people congratulate me along the way. I nod politely, saying thank you, telling them I”m happy about all of this, smiling, fulfilling my duty to my family. But all the while, I am looking toward Chiara, wanting to apologize for how our first meeting went. I watch her interacting with the other guests and her father’s business associates. She is almost regal, very graceful—the complete opposite of the feisty, angry girl I met in the garden who had a lot to say about what a terrible idea this all is.