Defiant. Sweet. Alluring.
A business deal gone wrong brought me to her doorstep.
She's everything I shouldn't want; everything I was against after watching my mother's obsession destroy her.
Still, I can't stop myself from craving her.
I should know...
Oops! This image does not follow our content guidelines. To continue publishing, please remove it or upload a different image.
FIVE DAYS.
I was getting married to Aleksei fucking Tarasov in five days.
In just a few days, I'd be bearing his last name.
The bastard didn't think to inform me when he paid a visit to me yesterday. No, he thought it was convenient to just send a note containing his wishes to my home.
"I thought we still had a month or so. This is hardly enough time to prepare. We're yet to do anything. We don't even have the invitations ready," Mamà shrieked in full-on panic mode. She loved planning parties, but not on such short notice. "Did I mention that five days is hardly enough time?"
She walked out of the living room mumbling to herself as she listed off things that had to be done. "I need to call Maria..."
I grabbed the discarded note Aleksei sent to us, scanning my eyes over the typewritten content for the third time.
Dear Ariana,
I decided it would be best if we could get married soonest. I take it you don't care about the date, so I decided to pick one-Saturday. I'll cover all the costs for the preparations. Just send the bill over.
-Aleksei.
Cocky bastard.
I didn't know what was more annoying; his assumption or his entitlement. We were supposed to bend our schedule to fit his needs while he just showed up to the venue in his stupid tuxedo looking like he just stepped out of GQ.
It was that effortless for him, but I had to go through fittings and the likes just so I didn't look like a nightmare at the altar.
I balled the note in my palm, pulling out my phone to text the son of a bitch.
Me:Aleksei.
Less than a minute later, my phone rang, and his name flashed across the screen.
I scowled at the screen. Of course, he also forgot that I couldn't speak. Just as quickly as my phone rang, the call ended.
Aleksei:I didn't mean to do that. Believe me, I forgot. Stupid mistake on my part. Forgive my tiny blunder.
I rolled my eyes at his apology. That was the last thing I cared about right now.
Me:Who the hell do you think you are?
Aleksei:Your husband-to-be?
Me:Five days!!! How the hell are we supposed to get anything done?
Aleksei:I can send a stylist your way. She's the best of the best. You don't have to worry about anything else. I have several event planners on my payroll. They'll run things through your mother first.
