𝑻𝒊𝒆𝒔 𝑻𝒉𝒂𝒕 𝑩𝒊𝒏𝒅 ~ 𝑹𝒐𝒎𝒂𝒏 𝑹𝒆𝒊𝒈𝒏𝒔

ONE

⋆༺𓆩☠︎︎𓆪༻⋆

"Nate, are you almost ready?"

Natalka stood in front of the bathroom mirror, staring at her own reflection as she attempted to adjust the straps on her dress. She hated when they weren't tight; she loved when her chest was given that extra bit of support. Besides, it wasn't like the view was displeasing.

"Just a minute, Kat," Nate replied steadily. She took a deep breath and smoothed down the fabric of her crimson dress. A sort of soothing gesture to ease her mind. There were so many things she would rather be doing tonight, but alas, she was a Volkov. She must adhere. She must... do whatever her fucking father asks of her.

The dress was stunning, she had to admit. Not that it was her choice to wear it. No, this was a forced event. And in a futile attempt to convince her father that she should wear black, or literally any other colour, she pleaded the case of the red clashing with the green of her eyes. Too Christmassy. But nope. Dimitri Volkov had spoken. Thus, Nate was to wear this tight, restrictive mess of a dress.

Meh, it could be worse. She could be blonde and risk looking like one of the obnoxious contestants on Love Island or some shit like that.

Behind her, Katya slipped through the crack in the door, eyes wide and blue with concern. At 20, she was a picture of youthful naivety. The ashy blonde of her hair was pulled back into a simple ponytail, but a few strands flew loose. She must have been studying again.

Unlike Nate, Katya had been sheltered from the darker aspects of their family's dealings and the older sister had done everything in her power to keep it that way.

"You look beautiful," Katya said with a soft smile, though it failed to reach her eyes. A few seconds of sustained eye contact told her everything. "You're not happy about tonight, are you?"

Nate turned to face her sister head on, forcing a smile with tight lips. "It's just another event, Kat. Nothing we haven't been through before."

"But this one feels weird," she sighed, leaning back against the wall. "Boris is... weird," Katya murmured with an exaggerated shudder.

Nate stifled a small chuckle at her sister's clear disdain for the man in question, but she couldn't ignore the tightening in her stomach at the mere thought of him.

"I can handle Boris," Nate said firmly, running a hand through her dark hair. "I promise you right now, I won't let him or any other arsehole dictate my life."

Their moment was interrupted by a knock on the door, followed by the imposing figure of Dimitri Volkov entering the room. His presence commanded attention, even the attention of his own daughters; 6ft 1", broad-shouldered, with an aura of ruthless authority. His greying hair and eyes that pierced sharper than the blue in Katya's gave him an air of cold calculation. Nate wasn't necessarily scared of him, she just... knew it was wiser to go along with his plans. Easier, even. Whatever got her into the least amount of trouble, though even that was a struggle. The same couldn't be said for the youngest Volkov.

"Natalka, you look... acceptable," Dimitri remarked, his tone characteristically devoid of warmth. "Boris will be here shortly. I expect you to be on your best behaviour, dorogoy."

Nate bristled at his words but maintained a neutral expression. "Of course, Papa. I know what's expected..."

Dimitri's gaze shifted to Katya, who shrank back slightly under his scrutiny. "You should join us tonight. It's time you start understanding the family business."

Nate's eyes flashed with protective anger. "Um, Katya is not involved in this. She's still in college!"

"You were 16."