Chapter 5
Elena’s POV:
Nikolai buttoned his lapel with a smooth, practiced motion and strode toward the door. His movements were always so smooth, always composed. as if the world bent to his command without question.
I hurried to follow him, my heels clicking softly against the marble floor. “Where are you going?”
He barely glanced at me as he pressed the elevator button. You wanted to see your mother, didn’t you?”
1 blinked, nodding. “Yes, but- My brows furrowed. “You’re coming with me? Don’t you have work!”
I cast a glance back at his secretary, who immediately looked away as if pretending not to eavesdrop.
Nikolai smirked as the elevator doors slid open. “You know,” he mused, stepping inside and waiting for me to follow, “there’s something my late mother used to say. Family always comes first.
I hesitated before stepping in, standing a careful distance from him.
Family
That word sat uncomfortably in my chest.
Because everyone knew the story of the Vetrov family scandal–how Andrey Vetrov, one of the richest men in Alderidge, had cheated on his wife and brought home a pregnant mistress–Dmitri’s mother. Though that was decades ago.
I gave him a sideways glance, unsure how to respond.
As if sensing my thoughts, he continued, “Not that it helped her much. After all, her choice in men was just as bad as yours.”
My lips twitched. “Well, I’m marrying you now, aren’t tr
He turned his head and gave me a look. The kind that made me feel positively stupid.
“Who said 1 was a good choice?” he murmured.
I grinned. “Do you know how to cook?” I asked, remembering his remarks back at the birthday party.
He raised a brow, clearly surprised by the question. “Of course I do. I’m not incompetent”
“Do you manage your money well!”
He scoffed. “Would I be a billionaire if I didn’t?”
“That doesn’t make you a good man?”
A smirk tugged at the comer of his Lips. “No, it doesn’t”
I huffed, crossing my arms. Well, on the bright side, you’re only going to be my husband for one year, right? So it doesn’t really matter to me whether you’re a good man or not
From the corner of my eye, I saw him tilt his head slightly, his gaze lingering on me for a second longer than necessary
Then he exhaled a quiet, almost amused, “Right”
The Next Few Hours Felt Like a Storm.
Nikolai didn’t talk much. He only did.
His presence alope moved things faster than 1 could have ever imagined.
The medical fees? Paid immediately
The transfer to the most elite hospital in the city? Handled without a single complication.
The moment the new surgeon arrived, he greeted me with a professional nod and a calm reassurance, “Rest assured, Mrs. Vetrov, I will do my very best for your mother.”
Lexhaled slowly, my chest loosening for the first time in what felt like ages.
834PM
Chapter 5
The relief was overwhelming.
Then, as the surgeon disappeared behind the doors of the operating room, something inside
The view was so familiar. One that I had witnessed only a couple days ago,
cracked.
when Dad an
accident. But he never made it out alive.
George Anderson had been a foreigner, a tourist visiting Velhaven City when he met my mother thirteen years ago. And in just a year, they had married.
He was the best father I could have ever asked for.
I had been lucky–so incredibly lucky.
When I was six, I was adopted by Beatrix Kovalyova after years in an orphanage that I barely remembered. My memories of that place had become hazy over time, like a bad dream I had long since tried to forget
But Mom and Dad!
They were my reality. My safe haven.
And now-
Now I was alone.
For the first time in my
y life afte
after six, neither of them were beside me.
The reality of it hit me hard.
I was twenty–five. Not a child. Not young anymore. More than an adult.
But I didn’t feel like one.
I still felt small, still felt like a little girl reaching out for her mother’s hand.
Please be okay, Mom.
I didn’t think I’d survive if she didn’t
I tried to push the thought away, but it settled in my chest like a weight I couldn’t shake.
Then-
A deep voice cut through my spiraling thoughts.
“She’ll be okay. Don’t worry
I blinked, glanding to my side.
Nikolai was sitting next to me, his expression solemn for the first time ever,
I exhaled slowly, straightening my back. “Let’s sign the contract tonight. My voice was quieter than I intended. “We can hold an official wedding later if you want.” After all, I owed it to him after he just paid all the bills.
Not to mention that this surgeon would probably charge more than just fifty eight thousand,
He nodded, his gaze still fixed ahead. “Alright. That works for me.”
“You should leave, I murmured. “I’ll come to your office by the evening
He raised a brow. Trying to get rid of me?”
I sighed. “I just need time to ask for a few shifts tomorrow.”
Hh gaze darkened slightly at that
days of extra leave from college. I also need to call my manager and let her know I won’t be covering my
I hesitated before adding, “I should probably quit, but… I’m used to bring independent. Besides, I still have other debts to pay off
Nikolai leaned back slightly. “Tassumed those debts would be cleared once we’re married.”
“They will be,” 1 admitted. “But still.”
1:14 PM
Chapter 5
I trailed off, bidng my hip.
I didn’t mention the real reason I had been so obsessed with clearing those debts myself.
Because I knew.
I knew that the original loan–the principal amount–had been paid years ago,
But the interest kept increasing
And the stress that came with it!
That’s what killed George
A sixty–three–year–old man under that kind of pressure?
I clenched my fists.
Had I not been born with a heart condition…
Had I not needed that transplant…
Would he have to work so hard!
Wouldn’t he still be alive!
I swallowed the guilt lodged in my throat.
“Earth to Elena”
I snapped out of my daze as Nikolai snapped his fingers in front of me,
Iblinked, “What?”
He frowned TU send the driver to pick you up by seven in the evening
I nodded absentmindedly, watching as he got up.
But then-
He paused.
Turned around
And before I could react-
He reached for my hand.
I frowned, staring at him in confusion–until I felt it.
A light tug.
My breath caught in my throat.
He had taken my engagement ring.
Dmitri’s ring
Holding it between his fingers, Nikolai smirked.
Tll be taking this now
I stared at him, stunned.
“You don’t have any use for it, I’m sure, he murmured, eyes glinting with something dangerous.
And then-
He did something that made my heart nearly leap out of my chest.
He bent down and kissed the inside of my wrist.
8.34 PM
Chapter 5
Right over my pulse.
Right over the spot where my heart beat the loudest
I could faintly hear the whispers in the waiting room
I was still frozen in place, my mind struggling to process what had just |
“See you tonight, Malishka”
I swallowed hard, my face warm.
“A–alright,” I stammered, completely flustered
And just like that—
He turned and walked away.
Leaving me with a racing polse and an empty ring finger
I happened, when he lifted his head and smirked down at me.
AD
