KIRILL'S POINT OF VIEW.

Her green eyes flashed with shock as she jerked against the leather seats. I'd planned on marrying her from the moment the car she reportedly drove crashed into the homeless man who was my brother. I still remember how raw my throat felt from how much I'd screamed when I saw his lifeless body strewn across the floor, police 'do not cross' tapes preventing me from touching him.

Summer, and her entire family didn't know it yet, but I'd been watching them ever since that day. So when Sophia tried like a desperate slut to get my attention the other day, I launched in like a bee sting onto her. I didn't care who I married in that family at first; as long as I avenged my bratok [older brother]

"You were going to marry me from the onset?" She said, drawing my mind out of the haze I'd pulled myself into. "What do you mean?"

I flashed her a smirk and said, "You...intrigue me." It wasn't a lie. The moment she took her sister's place at the dinner, I knew I didn't want Sophia anymore. Revenge be damned for a moment, but I wanted to see more of the absolute wonder of a woman beside me.

"What does that even mean?"

"I saw the rage in your eyes when you looked at your sister, and for some odd reason." I drawled into a whisper, my hands catching the hem of her lacy wedding dress. "I wanted to see the reason behind it."

Her lips twitched as she blinked rapidly. "So you used me?"

I smirked faintly. "You used me first, sweetheart."

She flinched, her hands gripping the hem of her dress so I would let it go. And with a smirk, I pulled away slowly. "You could've exposed me right there in front of everyone before the priest even got to our vows."

"I could have," I murmured, leaning slightly toward her. "But I didn't. And do you know why?"

Her head turned, slowly, her breath catching. "Why?"

I smiled, though there was no warmth in it. "Because I want to know why you hate your sister so much."

She hissed like I burned her, her jaw clenching as the same hatred I'd seen in her eyes the other day flashed in her pupils. I hated that I noticed that....because this was supposed to be revenge. My sister and I planned it so it would be quick and easy....but for some odd reason, I wanted to touch the delicate swell of her breasts, touch the outline of her long neck.

I wanted to bite the soft swell of her cleavage while it was covered in the soft, lacy wedding material. But I held myself and forced restraint down my throat.

"Sophia killed a man and framed me for it." She said dismissively, not knowing she'd uttered the very words that'd been driving me for the last five years.

"Care to elaborate?" I asked nonchalantly, as if I wasn't fighting the urge to fire questions at her rapidly.

"Why the hell do you even want to know about this?" She jerked, her eyes flashing with hurt as she hissed at me.

"You're unpredictable. You lied to an entire church, to your family, to the press... hell, to the entire world, and the high society of London, all while glaring at me through your veil as though you dared me to catch you. Because the thrill excites you." I shook my head in wonder as I mused over the things she'd done in the past hour.

"I wasn't-"

"You were." I cut her off, my hand reaching out before I could stop it. My fingers brushed against her chin, and I had to stop myself from hissing at how soft she felt. All of a sudden, the same urge from earlier coursed through me....the very one the doctor swore I could never feel again. Instead of acting on my dirtiest fantasies, I lifted her chin, forcing her to face me. Her pulse fluttered under my thumb, causing me to swallow internally and stifle another urge. For some reason, I wanted to kiss her jaw while burying my fingers into her pussy, relishing every dirty gasp and moan I would pull from her.

What the hell is wrong with me?

"And now that I have you," I said quietly, trying to hide the strain in my pants as my cock hardened. I wasn't supposed to feel... five years ago, I'd been diagnosed with one of many mental conditions; and it was the inability to feel anything sexual...but ever since I'd seen her, I'd had a raging boner, "I'm not sure I want to let go."

It was the truth. Knowing she might not be responsible for Bratok's death worsened the break in my resolve. If she somehow made me feel again.....I wanted to see just how much she could awaken in me. Perhaps she could be the very cure I'd sought for the past five years.

She froze, eyes widening. "You can't just-"

"I can do whatever the hell I want," I said, voice turning sharp partly because I was annoyed at the fact that I couldn't do anything about the raging hard on I had, and secondly because no one in their right mind defied me.

But she wasn't in her right mind......she was a crazy woman, and I was starting to like it. The words came out rougher than I intended. "You walked into my world, Mrs Volkov. And in my world, there's no such thing as coincidence."

She swallowed hard, gaze flickering to my hand on her chin, then back to my eyes. "You don't even know me."

I laughed under my breath. "On the contrary, I know exactly what you are."

Her brows knit together. "And what am I?"

"Dangerous," I said simply, a hiss almost escaping me as my cock grazed against my zipper. "Because you make me forget things I shouldn't, and feel things I couldn't."

The car slowed as we reached the courtyard, and I smiled at the thought of bringing a wife home, because even though this act was borne out of a desire for revenge, I wanted to see if I could explore this... raging desire. I didn't look away from her, nor did I blink. I wanted to see what she'd do under the weight of my silence.

She broke first, a scoff pulling from her lips as she folded her arms under her breasts. My eye caught the jiggle of her large tits, causing me to swallow physically this time around, my cock turning to stone and granite instantly. "So this was your plan all along? Trap me in a marriage?" Her voice brought my eyes back to hers.

"Trap you?" I tilted my head, wondering how the hell I heard that when all I could do was ogle her tits. "You trapped yourself when you said 'I do'."

Her breathing hitched as anger crossed her vision. Somehow, that made me even more excited "You're insane."

"Maybe." I leaned closer. The space between us shrank until her perfume filled the air; the faint, floral, intoxicating, and capable of rendering me mad. "But you're married to me now, which makes you mine. At least on paper, and in front of the priest."

I chucked, my breathing fanning the soft skin atop her breasts. In my mind, I'd had a taste already, my tongue had lapped the shimmery glow, and I'd bitten onto it while relishing the sound of her gasp while she ground on me with her head thrown back.

She stiffened, her gaze flicking to the door handle as if she was considering bolting, but there was nowhere she would run to that I wouldn't find her. "You don't own me."

"Don't I?" I murmured. My hand slid from her chin to the side of her chest, resting lightly space where the necklace dipped between her tits. The sight of the diamonds between her perfect milky tits drove me up the wall and added to my arousal. Her pulse thrummed beneath my fingers, and she sucked in a sharp breath with each slow caress of my fingers. "Your sister's name might be on the invitation, but the ring on your finger says otherwise.

You're mine now."

I said, and took a risk. I bit onto the spot where her neck met her shoulder, relishing in the shudder that escaped her lips as my teeth grazed her skin. "Oh, and Summer. The man you or your sister ran over?

He was my brother."

SUMMER'S POINT OF VIEW.

Sophia didn't waste a moment.

I'd woken up that morning after a long night of tossing and turning before I'd finally fallen asleep. But before I could let the information I'd gotten yesterday dwell in my mind, my phone practically blew up with different notifications. For a moment, I'd forgotten what happened until I saw him.

Kirill Volkov.

Sitting in the armchair beside the window, dressed in a dark suit without the jacket, his top buttons popped open to reveal his broad chest, the white shirt rolled to his elbows, so his veins lining his forearms were on display. I'd swallowed hard, as my pussy tingled with desire. He looked like the object of any straight woman's desire.

My husband.

God help me.

He didn't glance my way, even as my bare legs brushed against the silk sheets. All he stared at was the tablet, which glowed in his hand as he scrolled away at it. I could tell something was wrong before he even spoke.

"Don't check your phone," he said, voice low, cold, too calm. He didn't even bother looking up at me as he commanded. My mouth hung open in shock as I looked at the phone, which still vibrated with notifications on the side table, instinctively.

My heart tightened as I clutched the silk sheets to myself. I wasn't naked, but the silk robes he had me dress in might as well render me naked before him. "What-"

"Summer." His tone sharpened like a blade, cutting me off before I could utter another word; his tone left no room for objections as he narrowed his eyes at me. "Don't."

I rolled my eyes hard and grabbed my phone. With a glare, I stared at the notification, interest and curiosity gnawing at me with each second that ticked by.

My eyes widened at the headline on the front page news, and I wished to god i'd done as he commanded me- not touch my fucking phone.

Three headlines were blaring against my vision even as I tried to look away;

MURDERESS MARRIES TRILLIONAIRE HEIR - EX-CONVICT BRIDE OF KIRILL VOLKOV EXPOSED.

SUMMER RODRIGUEZ: THE WOMAN WHO KILLED A HOMELESS MAN.

SOCIAL ELITE OUTRAGE: MONSTER IN A WEDDING DRESS.

'What the hell?" Those were the only words I could muster for a while as I scrolled. It felt like five years ago all over again, as the comments and hashtags calling for me to kill myself glared back at me. Tears welled in my eyes as the truth of one matter stung me. I knew exactly who would do such a thing.

My twin sister, Sophia. With the aid of the woman who gave me life.

My pulse roared in my ears as I looked through every feed, every headline, every account flooded with my name, my face, my mugshot. A video popped up, and even though my mind screamed at me not to play it, I did.

And to add insult to injury, it was the video Sophia had sworn she'd deleted on the day she and my mother visited me in jail, just before my sentencing; the last time I ever saw them offer me a shred of dignity; the one of me being dragged into the police car years ago while I screamed and begged that it wasn't me had been plastered across every news site in the city.

"No," I whispered. "No, no, no-she wouldn't-" I shook my head in denial, wishing desperately that the video would disappear from the internet with a wave of my hand, but if wishes were fucking horses, right?

"She did."

Kirill's voice was hit like a fucking sledgehammer, confirming that this wasn't a nightmare I could simply awake from. "Your sister leaked everything."

The room spun. "She-she can't. That video was sealed-" or rather, it was supposed to be. The only people with a copy of it were the police, and from what I knew, it wouldn't be released unless I approved it; that was my legal right, for fucks sake.

He approached the bed slowly and dropped the tablet on the chair before slipping his hands into his pockets. All of a sudden, he stopped in front of me, his hand darting out to brush against my cheek softly. He stared at me as though I were something he longed to unravel, his eyes shining with dark interest, but all I could think of was the sound I heard coming from outside the gates of the mansion. "Your sister didn't just out you. She declared war." He swore, and I turned to stare out the window, but before I could move to actually check, he held me back.

"I want to see what the noise is," I whispered, tears streaming down my cheeks as I tried not to bawl at the pain of my mother choosing my sister yet again over me.

I buried my face in my hands, choking on the weight of humiliation before my husband. He lifted my chin suddenly, and for a moment, not a word passed between us. All I felt was his fingers gently, yet calmly wiping my tears away, even as the muscles in his jaw ticked.

"I'll take care of it." He whispered, and I stared at him in shock.

Why....from what he revealed yesterday, his brother was the homeless man Sophia ran over.

Why..." My voice cracked as I sniffled. "Why are you helping me?"

He looked at me for what felt like aeons, but it wasn't out of pity. It wasn't kindness either; rather, it was something darker. Something torn between hate and hunger as his eyes shone with something predatory.

"I haven't decided if I am," he said.

My breath caught in my throat, but I swallowed and asked, secretly hoping he would help. Because I had no way of helping myself. "Then why are you still here holding me?" All of a sudden, his hold on my chin dropped fast, as if it burned him

His jaw flexed for the fourth time today, his blue eyes flashing with unreadable, but to me, it looked like conflict "Because the world wants blood. And I'd rather it not be yours... not yet."

"What does that mean?"

"Stay here." He commanded, dropping his hands from my chin, rendering me cold instantly, so I pulled the sheets closer as I shivered. "The reporters have gathered outside the gates, along with the mob. They might get violent."

"I can't hide forever."

"You can and you will, but not forever, just until I clear the way." He said, sounding ominous even as he commanded. "Do you know what happens to women like you when the public wants a throat to slit?"

My lip trembled, but I didn't answer, because I knew what had happened. I'd faced it as an ordinary woman; I couldn't imagine how hard it would be as the wife of a trillionaire like Kirill when I could barely stomach it as a common prisoner.

He took a step closer. "They ruin you. They strip you. They make sure you can never breathe without feeling some ounce of shame again. You might think you know what it feels like, but as my wife, I can guarantee it would be much harder than five years ago." His voice lowered all of a sudden, his tone much darker now....as were his eyes. "And I don't like sharing what's mine with the world."

"Yours?" I laughed and scoffed bitterly. "This marriage isn't real."

His eyes narrowed slightly, his head tilting to the side as he smirked at me. "It's real enough to make them want to burn you for it."

Something in his tone.... that cold, possessive edge made my pulse skip. I hated it. I hated that a part of me felt safer under his danger than I ever did in my sister's shadow.

The phone buzzed again, drawing our attention to it. It was another headline flashing across the screen.

'Summer Rodriguez: The Woman Who Fooled the World.'

Sophia's voice filled the speakers, and even though I didn't want to, I flinched before I could control myself. "I pity my sister," she said in a live interview. "Prison changes a person. You can take the girl out of the cell, but you can't take the criminal out of her. She killed a man, and now she thinks she can be the wife of such an innocent trillionaire. I truly hope Kirill comes to his senses and abandons such a dangerous woman.'

I went still immediately.

Kirill turned the volume down and flipped the phone on its front, but it was too late. The words already sank deep; each one felt like a knife twisted slowly as she uttered the words I'd tried to outrun every day in prison.

Criminal.

Murderer.

Killer... everything made me want to scream.

My chest ached, and I whispered, "She'll destroy me."

He didn't deny it.

Instead, he stepped closer, his tall form towering over my small one. "Then destroy her first."

I blinked up at him. "What?"

He reached out, his fingers grazing my jaw, forcing me to look at him. "You've spent years running, hiding, apologising for things you said you didn't do.

Stop."

His voice lowered again, "You want to survive this? Learn to fight like a Volkov. That's who you are now"

"Where are you going?" I squeaked.

"My sister-in-law thinks she can wage a war against my wife on our honeymoon, darling." I flinched at the words 'wife' and 'honeymoon' "I think I should go to battle as well."

And with that, he was out of the room without looking back, leaving me all alone in the large mansion.