Chapter 29

Chapter

Twenty-Nine

"When people don't express themselves, they die one piece at a time."

― Laurie Halse Anderson

Alexsei

"What kind of party is this?" Caia asked as we pulled up to the mansion.

Dozens of cars were already parked, and people streamed into the grand building, decked out in extravagant dresses and suits.

I adjusted my black tie. "A gala for the orphans."

Caia scoffed, applying her lipstick. "Rich people don't care about orphans. It's all for show."

"I couldn't agree more." I stepped out and made my way around to open her door, offering a hand to help her out. "But I was invited, and what better way to introduce my wife than at a gala?"

She rolled her eyes and let go of my hand, smoothing down her long, corseted, shimmery gold dress. Her corset barely covered her chest, and she wore long black gloves, her hair straight and flowing down to her lower back.

Fuckin' hell.

I stared at her, already feeling my blood rush to my dick.

"Are you going to tell them you forced me to marry you, or is that top-secret information?"

I couldn't help but laugh. My little witch was still thoroughly annoyed with me.

"Let's keep that between us, huh?" I winked and offered her my arm, which she begrudgingly took as we headed toward the entrance.

The moment we passed through the immense wooden doors, attendants swinging them open, the sounds of an orchestra—violins, pianos—filled the air.

With Caia on my arm, we strolled inside. I nodded at a few acquaintances while she smiled politely at everyone, her cheeks flushing with every compliment thrown her way.

"Champagne, sir?" A waiter approached, offering glasses on a tray.

I accepted one and offered it to Caia, but she declined.

"Whose house is this?" she whispered after the waiter left.

"Denis Krosovar's."

Her eyes widened. "The politician?"

I nodded, taking a sip of the champagne.

"I thought he was imprisoned for battery and embezzlement," she muttered.

Denis Krosovar had been sentenced to ten years last summer for assaulting his secretary and her husband, plus embezzling 200k from one of his party colleagues. The lame fucker paid the judge double that to reduce his sentence to nothing. Now, here he was, a free man.

I smirked and leaned closer to her ear. "Baby, money buys everything. Always."

She hummed, her gaze wandering over the room filled with Renaissance paintings of battles and portraits of who-knows-whose distant relatives. Personally, I couldn't care less about any of it. The only art worth admiring was clinging to my arm.

"There are some things money can't buy."

I took another sip of champagne. "Like what?"

She stayed quiet, her eyes locking with mine, a flicker of sadness hidden beneath them. Before I could say anything, Slavoy Sadiek appeared, his mustache slightly damp from whatever alcohol he'd been guzzling, a smug grin smeared across his face.

I planted a quick kiss on Caia's temple and whispered, "Brace yourself. The biggest pain in Moscow is coming our way."

She chuckled softly, glancing up at me. "I thought you held that title."

I smirked, stealing a quick kiss. "Then I guess I'm a close second."

Her cheeks flushed a slight pink as her tongue slowly wet her lips, eyes fixed on mine. She exhaled softly. "You?—"

"Romaniev, what a pleasure!"

Fucking Sadiek.

I forced a smile, shaking his hand while resting the other on Caia's lower back. "Sadiek, how's it been? Caia, meet Slavoy Sadiek, head of the Moscow police department and Igor's little lapdog. Sadiek, this is my lovely wife, Caia."

I felt her freeze for a moment. Her face paled, and her bottom lip quivered slightly—only noticeable if you were staring, which I was. Sadiek took her hand with a slimy grin, kissing it like some gentleman, his eyes glued to hers.

"Lovely Miss Mankiev," he purred. "I believe we've met before, haven't we?"

"I doubt it," she said coolly, pulling her hand back. "Nice to meet you." Then, without missing a beat, she rose onto her toes, planting a kiss on my cheek. "Excuse me, dorogoy , I need to powder my nose."

Dorogoy?

I couldn't help but grin like an idiot. She called me honey.

"Of course, moya solnyshka ," I whispered back. "I'll wait for you by the bar."

She flashed a polite smile at Sadiek before gliding away, her shimmering dress catching the light, making every asshole in the room stare.

To call her beautiful was almost offensive. She was fucking flawless.

Sadiek lit a cigarette, offering one to me with a smirk. "Hope I didn't scare the girl."

I rolled my eyes, taking the cigarette but not lighting it. "Of course you did. I have no idea how you survive looking at that ugly mug of yours every morning."

He took a long drag, his eyes narrowing. "Ah, but this face? It's one the whores love, my friend. Trust me."

"Or one that makes them wish they were fucking blind."

He laughed, exhaling smoke. "Touché."

I scanned the room, half-expecting to see Volk skulking in a corner. He didn't usually show up to these things, but with him, you never knew.

"Can't believe Mankiev has such a pretty daughter," Sadiek sneered. "Poor thing must've suffered with him, and now... with you."

Fucking bastard .

Sadiek always played the hero, pretending he wanted to save people, but he was just a dirty cop like the rest. Money, power, women—it was all he ever wanted.

Everything was just for show, like Caia had said.

My smart little witch.

Where the hell was she? She should've been back by now.

"Maybe I'm the one who saved her from hell," I muttered, not giving a fuck about his opinion.

Sadiek scoffed, flicking ash from his cigarette. "Or maybe you dragged her deeper into it."

I took a step closer, towering over him. "I'm nothing like Mankiev. And I sure as hell ain't anything like you, Sadiek."

Without waiting for his response, I stalked off, following the path Caia had taken through the haze of cigar smoke, laughter, and the pretentious classical music filling the room.

Where the hell is she?

Fuck, what if she ran away? If she had, I'd lose my damn mind. I'd track her down, drag her back if it came to that, and cuff her to the bed so tight she'd never even think about leaving again. And believe me, I wasn't fucking bluffing.

"Where the fuck are you, Caia?" I muttered, slamming another door shut, frustration bubbling inside me. This mansion was a labyrinth of fucking archives, room after room, and not a single sign of her.

I've scoured every floor—each one either dead empty or packed with people too busy snorting coke, screwing, or spilling useless gossip.

Another goddamn useless room, this time with a jungle theme so revolting it made me grimace.

I found myself pacing to a massive ceiling window, pressing my palms hard against the glass. Outside, the neatly trimmed garden maze with its frozen fountain and stone bench caught my eye. And there, like a fucking dream, was Caia, sitting hunched over, her face buried in her hands.

Finally.

Without a second thought, I bolted from the room, practically flying down the stairs and weaving through the ballroom toward the back door. Just as my hand was about to grasp the handle, nails—long, sharp, and irritatingly familiar—latched onto my suit.

"Alexsei, darling, where's Volk? I was told he'd be here tonight, and you know I didn't travel all the way from Nura to Moscow just to be ignored!"

Rolling my eyes, I peeled her hand off my suit. "Marina, find a fucking hobby. You're obsessed with a guy who's made it clear he doesn't give a shit about you."

She crossed her arms, her sheer white dress doing little to cover her as she jutted out her chin. "Is he here or not?"

"I don't know. Now move, I've got somewhere to be."

"Wait! Just tell him to answer my text! Please!"

"Fine," I snapped. "Now move, my wife's waiting for me."

"Wife?" Her eyes widened like she'd just heard the apocalypse was coming. I didn't bother with an answer, leaving her standing there in shock.

The cold night air hit me the second I stepped outside, and I strode toward the maze. Snowflakes drifted lazily down as I entered the twisting path, relying on the moon's faint glow to guide me. Each step through the snow-covered maze made my chest tighter.

Fuckin' horrible snow.

I pushed deeper into the maze, winding left, then right, until I finally spotted her again. Her shimmery gold dress gleamed in the moonlight, but her body shook with sobs, her arms trembling as they held her knees. Fuck, she was crying.

I moved in without hesitation, my pulse racing as I closed the distance. "Caia, what's wrong?" I demanded, slipping off my suit blazer to cover her shivering body. But the moment it touched her, she flinched and threw her bag at me. I caught it mid-air, my brows furrowing.

"Get away from me!" she screamed, her voice breaking as her sobs shook her body.

What the hell?

"Caia—"

"How could you?" Her voice quivered with pain, her eyes brimming with hurt and... fear? "Why are you doing this to me? Forcing me into marriage wasn't enough? Now you want to humiliate even more?"

I blinked, utterly lost. "What are you talking about? Come on, you're freezing. Let me help?—"

"I c-can't," she stammered, her words barely audible as she wrapped her arms around herself, shrinking away from me like I was the devil himself. "Please, j-just leave me alone."

"I can't do that, baby," I said softly, stepping closer. But the second I moved, she spun around and ran.

Fuck.

I took off after her, impressed by how fast she was in those heels. Racing through the maze, left and right, I finally reached out, grabbing her arm and pulling her hard against my chest. Her body tensed, her heart pounding so violently against me I could feel it.

"Let me go, you monster!" she sobbed, her nails digging into my arms. She was trying so damn hard to break free, but I held her tighter.

"Calm down, Caia. What the hell's going on?"

She shook her head violently, her legs giving out. I caught her just before she collapsed, lifting her into my arms and holding her close. Her soft sobs vibrated against my neck as she clung to me, burying her face in the crook of my shoulder.

I carried her back to the bench, my mind racing with a thousand questions.

Why is she so fucking scared?

"How could you do this to me?" she whispered, her voice so small, so broken. "Why do you hate me so much?"

"I don't hate you, Caia."

"Yes, you do."

Her words pierced through me. I held her closer as we reached the bench, sitting down with her still cradled in my lap, refusing to let her go.

"Tell me what happened, baby," I whispered, stroking her back gently, my fingers brushing over the goosebumps rising on her skin.

She shook her head, her tears soaking into my shirt. I didn't push her, just held her, whispering soothing words, trying to calm her down.

Breathe, Caia. I've got you.

After a few minutes, her sobs quieted, but the pain in her voice was still raw.

"Why did you bring me here, Alexsei?" she asked, her face inching away from mine, her eyes hollow and full of betrayal.

"What do you mean?" I asked softly, brushing her tears away with my thumb before pressing a kiss to her trembling lips.

She broke away with another sob. "Why would you bring me to a party to introduce me to the man who raped me?"

I froze. "What?"