ZARYA ROGOV
My heart thudded loudly in my chest as I stared at the door, not knowing what to do.
My heartbeat matched the intensity of the knocking.
I looked down at the broken phone and then back at the door.
Not thinking much of it, I got up and limped towards the phone.
Gripping the layered phone, I limped back on the bed, opened the drawer, and shoved the phone inside before closing it.
I immediately lay back down on the bed, right on my stomach.
I would pretend to be unconscious if that door opened on my unfortunate ass.
And it did, the door slowly creaked open, followed by slow, deliberate steps that sounded like my doom.
I tensed up.
I was pretending to be unconscious, but my body was as stiff as a board.
I felt him moving towards my bed, and I knew it was him the moment his strong scent invaded my senses.
I tried my best to remain still.
I heard a few more footsteps behind him.
He wasn’t alone.
The room wasn’t completely engulfed in darkness because I kept the restroom door open with the lights on, since it gets scary at night here.
“She hasn’t eaten anything ever since she came here.” It was Alek who said that.
That old man, I’d see what his deal is.
“You can leave.” Sergei’s voice came out rough.
The authority in his tone was natural and couldn’t be talked against.
“Yes, sir,” Alek said, his footsteps retreated, and the sound of the door shutting was almost haunting to me.
I was left alone in the room with him.
I could feel him standing right above me, staring down at me with his usual cold and unwavering stare.
Don’t react.
I felt the bed sinking beside me.
No, he was sitting right next to me.
Agh!
The bed would break due to your weight.
Get off, giant.
I continued to yap in my mind, the panic getting the worst of me.
And then I felt his hand caressing my back, slowly traveling downward.
What…was he doing?
I knew the only reason why I wasn’t shoved against the wall yet was because of my tremendous acting of being unconscious.
It seemed like he had fallen for my act.
But this…this was worse.
I couldn’t stop him from touching me.
My fingers twitched slightly, and I almost hissed when I felt his hand right on my hip where he spanked me to almost unconsciousness.
He caressed that area like he owned it.
What scared me was not only his touch but the way it felt. This chapter was taken from g.com without permission.
Possessive.
It felt like he was claiming me from that single touch.
I felt him hold my right hand, where the ring was.
He was strangely obsessed with the idea of me wearing his ring, and not only that, he wore it himself like a ritual.
Why?
He rolled the finger on my ring and brought my hand up to his lips.
My breath almost hitched when I felt his soft lips pressing against his ring on my finger.
Why…such softness.
I couldn’t think properly.
He put my hand back on the mattress, his left hand still on my hip.
But the soft moment that felt like a fever dream was short-lived when I heard him open the bedside drawer.
I gulped, wanting the mattress to absorb me.
I felt his grip tightening on my hip, and I yelped.
Oh no, no, no.
He loosened his grip on my hip, caressing the area before moving his hand away.
The bed creaked when he stood up, and I slowly relaxed.
He must have thought I felt the pain even when ‘sleeping’, according to him.
He was leaving.
Yes, yes, finally, I used my expired brain and got out of this.
Or maybe, he was just being lenient because if he wanted, he would have forced me up on my feet in an instant.
I heard the door closing and still didn’t open my eyes because what if he was still standing there, waiting for me to open my eyes so he could catch my act.
I fall asleep just like that.
******
Next day*
The pain was worse; it was so bad that I doubted if I could even sit throughout the day.
I freshened up for the day, but still had that maroon dress on, thanks to his generosity.
When I left the room, I was met by Alek.
I yelped, getting startled by him.
“Follow me.” He said monotonously and turned around, walking away.
I first hesitated but followed him anyway.
My stance was a little disturbed because the pain was just that bad.
While following him out of the servant quarters and into the mansion, I decreased the distance between us.
“Why did you lie yesterday?” I asked seriously.
He didn’t answer.
He ignored me like I didn’t exist.
“Remember, I’ll expose your lie.” I fall behind him after saying those words, making sure he knows I wouldn’t let him go just like that.
He led me upstairs and towards a room.
As I was busy looking around the room, my eyes fell on Alek, who was staring at me.
“This is your room.” He said and quickly left the room.
I stood there for a while, trying to make sense out of his actions, words, and gaze.
Alek seemed offended by my presence, even more than Alisa.
Why?
I had so many questions, but I pushed them aside and looked around my new room.
The bed looked so comfy.
Everything was clean and luxurious.
I moved towards the closet and I felt I could breathe again when I found clothes in it.
Not only that…
undergarments and pads too.
I almost teared up.
Did Sergei finally have pity on me?
I immediately got into the shower.
I chose a brown dress to change into, which was similar to the one I was wearing, just the color was different.
I realized all of these clothes were very much what a married woman would wear.
I felt a little relaxed after showering and changing into new clothes, but the tension returned when I left the room.
I went straight to the kitchen, where Natasha and others were preparing breakfast.
Would I be making dinner tonight?
I didn’t want to.
Natasha passed me a smile and placed a plate of breakfast on the counter along with an orange juice.
“Your breakfast.”
I didn’t say anything further and immediately began to devour the food.
I avoided sitting because of the pain.
Everyone around stared at me.
I immediately straightened up, eating with the etiquette I was taught.
No matter how hungry I was, I needed to live up to where I came from and what my position was here; otherwise, the mere respect I was holding onto would be gone too.
After my own breakfast, I went to the dining hall to serve His Majesty, but a maid immediately stopped me.
“Please go to the living room, the Pakhan seeks you there.” She said, looking slightly agitated.
Before I could ask if everything was alright, she strode away.
Why was he calling me there?
I sighed and took a deep breath.
Suddenly, my nerves were getting the best of me as I made my way towards the living room, and when I entered, the sight was the least expected.
My family…the Rogov’s sat right on the couch, and under the roof that belonged to Morozov’s.
This was a nightmare, and I wanted to wake up.