Chapter 4 - Vivian

I had no words to describe the compounding shock and disbelief I was feeling.

My body was completely numb as the realization sank into my skin, and the scene continued to repeat in my mind over and over again. Haunting me, I couldn't escape the memory of that ceremony.

More so, I couldn't forget that smug smirk and just how brutal his ruthlessness had been in that moment.

I was so out of it that I wanted to believe it never happened at all, and that I had just imagined it. But a panicked voice seemed to be screaming in the back of my head like a cold reminder of what it all meant.

I had been married. I was married.

My last name was no longer mine, and I was married to a man I didn't know completely against my will.

It didn't make any sense. None of it did.

In the beginning, I'd enjoyed watching as my brothers were brought down a peg and forced to listen to someone of higher authority for once, but they weren't the ones forced into a ceremony against their will.

Even if they were embarrassed by the ambush after the fact, they didn't face the same consequence I did, despite not doing anything to deserve it.

I had been begging for a way out of my dad's house, for the chance to start a life of my own, but that wasn't what I had in mind. I was essentially changing hands, going from one prison to another.

A part of me had found his directness and domineering attitude alluring, especially how easily he could command an entire room, and it didn't hurt that he was easy on the eyes, but I didn't know him.

Given how Dad never shared much of anything about his business with us, I didn't know what a Levov was, or why that name was significant. But apparently, given the papers we both signed, I was legally one of them.

I was Aristarkh's wife, and I didn't know the first thing about him.

Walking stiffly out of the house, I couldn't understand how it happened.

I went from sitting through a painful family dinner to being whisked into a sudden wedding ceremony and swept out of the only house I had ever known. Before I could blink or do anything, it was already said and done. My whole life had been turned upside down, and I couldn't help but feel like a bystander in all of it.

Without another word, my family was behind me, and I couldn't see a way out or any kind of silver lining.

I was on my own and left to fend for myself, unable to do anything against the lumbering giant I was supposed to call my husband.

Chilled to the bone, that thought made my whole body tense.

How could I ever feel even slightly connected to the man who took me from my home unprompted and decided to start calling me his wife? How could I live with knowing I had no choice in the matter, and my input didn't matter?

As attractive as he was, Aristarkh was a terrifying man built of steel. He could overpower me in a second, capable of ridiculous strength, even to the point of striking fear into my entire family.

He had shown unmistakable evil in our house, and I wasn't sure I'd ever be able to look past that.

I couldn't fathom his power and influence, and how easily he could enter our home and immediately make demands without any pushback. Of course, his guns far outnumbered us, and we weren't willing to find out how readily any of them would pull the trigger, but he did it all with such ease.

His men took out the guards Dad had posted around the place, he strode in like it was a simple thing to do, and he didn't give anyone the chance to force them out again.

Aristarkh stunned me with his looks, then paralyzed me with the most ridiculous demand he could make.

Feeling his hand against the small of my back made me shiver, alarmed by the fact that I was so close to someone capable of ending me on a whim.

Unable to even squeak out a word of protest or at the very least a question, the pressure of his hand deepened as the rear door to an SUV opened, and he prompted me to climb inside.

"Get in," Aristarkh said, voice clear and triumphant. "And just cooperate with me for your own sake."

Even if I wanted to fight back, I couldn't. I was still too confused and alarmed by everything that transpired.

Swallowing back the dryness in my throat, I did what I was told and got inside, boosted by his hand. Before I could even sit down, the door closed behind me, and I watched as he went around to the driver's side. He climbed in, and the vehicle locked completely.

Blinking through the haze of it all, I tried to understand how any of it could be real, and why it happened to me.

I couldn't accept the harsh reality of it, and I had no idea what was going to happen to me.

Did he marry me just to drop me off to be abandoned somewhere? Or did he really mean to keep me in his place like a doll to be placed on a shelf somewhere?

There were too many flustered thoughts moving through my head at once, fighting for my attention. But I couldn't dwell on any of them, not while it felt like my life was on the line.

The engine roared to life, and before I knew it, he was pulling out of the driveway.

He put his arm against the back of the passenger seat, letting me see how his muscled biceps flexed while he reversed. His strong hand was gloved, making my mind wander. There was no doubting how well he took care of his physique, and how clearly experienced he was in all aspects.

But embarrassment cloaked me the moment our eyes met, giving me a brief chance to take in his strong features before I couldn't handle looking at him any longer.

I managed to catch that amused grin of his as he chuckled to himself before he popped the SUV into drive and pulled onto the highway.

My face felt like it was on fire, stretching up to the tips of my ears.

The man forced me into marrying him, kidnapped me from my home, and he found it in himself to be amused.

Better yet, I was flustered because of how beautiful he was, even after everything he had just done to me and my family.

He was certainly one of the best-looking men I had ever seen, but he had been nothing but a beast for using me to humiliate my dad. For forcing my hand despite us having no prior connections.

I didn't know who he was until he introduced himself, but somehow he knew me. He mentioned something about having a database and information on us, but I didn't understand how he could possibly get ahold of that kind of thing.

But the more I thought about it, the more tense I became. If he had access to crucial information on me and my family, then that likely meant he had more power than I could ever comprehend.

I had the feeling there was so much more to it all that would only make me fear him more.

As Aristarkh drove us somewhere, I sat in the back of the SUV and fumed over it all.

I didn't know him, but I hated him.

I hated how he could just swoop in and ruin my life even more than my brothers did. How he dared to make a life-altering change on my behalf and demand that I simply go along with it.

Beyond that, I hated the idea of moving from one cage to another even more. Especially when I didn't have a say in it.

All my life, I had only wanted to make my own choices. I took advantage of whatever freedom I had in high school, despite going to a private school. I tried to let myself think I was free despite knowing I wouldn't be going to post-secondary. After that, I was supposed to wait to be married to whoever my dad eventually picked.

But it seemed Aristarkh had taken that decision from both of us, even if it had never really been mine to make in the first place.

Some feral part of me wanted him to suffer. I wanted him to face immediate repercussions or karma of some kind. Whatever he deserved, I wanted it to happen, even if it meant getting hurt in the process. I didn't care at that moment. I wasn't thinking straight, not while my mind was racing with panic and fear.

But regardless of my silent praying, nothing happened.

Instead, he drove without issue, listening to the radio quietly. When he pulled up to a red light, he even drummed his fingers against the steering wheel.

Looking out the window, I had the fleeting thought that someone might be able to see me if I caught their attention. But there was no missing how dark the tint was. Nobody would be able to see me, no matter how hard I tried to flag someone down.

I glanced at Aristarkh in the rear-view mirror from time to time, plagued with combative thoughts of how much I hated him, yet how painfully beautiful he was to look at.

It felt like self-sabotage to admit how appealing he was, deceived by my own mind while in a moment of crisis. That fact alone made me realize how doomed I really was.

Eventually, he flipped on the left signal and pulled into a driveway, sliding into a massive garage. The heavy doors closed once we were inside, and he turned the engine off.

Wordlessly, Aristarkh got out and closed the door behind him. The sound rattled my distressed brain, forcing me to realize what was coming next.

My door popped open, and he threw me an expectant look. But I didn't move.

"We're here, let's go," he said, gesturing for me to get out.

When I didn't, he sighed.

"I told you to cooperate."

"No," I muttered, finally finding my voice as that pure anger coursed through my body.

I had been forced to cooperate all my life, regardless of my own thoughts or desires. I was tired of being pushed around and being exploited for my more passive demeanor. My gentle nature had been taken advantage of since before I could remember, and I was sick of it.

"Vivian," he said with more demand in his voice. "Don't make me do this."

"Leave me alone," I forced through gritted teeth, moving to the other side to put more space between us.

Forcing out a huff, Aristarkh shrugged. "Don't say I didn't warn you."

Furrowing my brows, I didn't know what he was getting at.

Before I could blink, his massive, muscular body was pushing his way inside the back of the SUV as he reached for me. His fingers wrapped around my ankle, and in one heave, he pulled me out.

I would've fallen right out if it weren't for his waiting arms. I sucked in a surprised breath as he used my shock to his advantage and put a hand against my back. With ease, he hoisted me onto his shoulder, leaving me completely disoriented and off-balance.

"Let go of me!" I shouted, letting out every combative nerve I possessed as I tried to hit his back and kick my legs.

But it was no use. He was stronger than me, and my attempt to free myself did virtually nothing.

"Shut up," Aristarkh muttered as he closed the door behind him and carried me toward the interior entrance to the nice house. "The sooner you give up, the better we'll both feel."

Regardless of what he said or how compromised I was in his grasp, I didn't want to give up.

I wanted to fight for myself, and for my freedom, even if my abilities paled in comparison to his monstrous strength.