Bound by lies, Trapped by Desire - Chapter 54: Chapter 54

Nikolai’s POV:
“You’re really worrying about that right now?”
My eyes snapped to Elena’s face, incredulity heavy in my voice. She lay beside me, her body wrapped in the soft linen sheets, hands still bandaged and resting uselessly at her sides. But her eyes sparkled with mischief as she looked up at me, completely unbothered.
“Well, I do have a contract to uphold,” she said, brow furrowing in mock seriousness.
I scoffed, turning away to stare at the ceiling. “Do you take me for an asshole or something? I wouldn’t force an injured person to have sex, Elena.” The words tasted bitter in my mouth, the thought alone disgusting. But then I heard her laugh.
A full, carefree laugh.
“Relax, dude,” she said, still grinning. “I was just teasing. I know you’re not that kind of person.”
I swallowed, forcing myself to breathe. My heart thudded louder than it should have. This wasn’t good. Not good at all.
But when I glanced back at her, she was already closing her eyes, a faint smile still on her lips as she settled back into the pillow. The moonlight cast a silver glow over her face, softening her features.
And as I watched her fall asleep, the knot in my gut only tightened. I shifted, rolling onto my back, staring up at the ceiling while her breathing evened out.
The room felt colder than usual. Or maybe that was just the chill that had settled inside me.
This was bad. Really fucking bad.
—-
The next morning came too quickly.
By the time I’d showered and dressed, Elena was still asleep. I stood by the bed, adjusting my cufflinks, watching her. Her hair was a wild mess, spread over the pillow, and her bandaged hands twitched every so often, like she was still dreaming.
I exhaled slowly, fists clenching. I couldn’t let my guard down. Not now. Not when things inside me were already falling apart.
So I left her a note, reminding her to take her painkillers, and headed out.
The drive to the office was silent. Too silent. The kind of silence that makes your mind start to wander.
And mine wandered straight to Elena in her bed.
The moment I stepped out of the elevator and into my floor, I knew something was off.
Felix, was practically vibrating with anxiety, his face red as she struggled against two massive, burly men blocking the entrance to my office. Russian. Tattoos of wolves and serpents winding up their thick necks.
Fuck.
I recognized them instantly. Fucking Morozov’s men.
“Move aside,” I said, voice cold.
The guards stepped away without a word, and Felix shot me a helpless look. I shook my head, a silent order for him to stay out of it. Whatever was about to happen, he didn’t need to be involved.
Inside, the room reeked of cigar smoke. The scent hit me instantly as I stepped in, eyes landing on the man standing before the floor-to-ceiling windows, staring down at the city below.
Sergei Morozov.
His hair was a wild, tousled mess of blonde, his broad shoulders framed in a charcoal suit that. He was the kind of man who could look like a king in a throne room or a killer in an alleyway. And right now, he looked like both.
His green eyes caught mine, and he smiled. A slow, dangerous smile that didn’t reach his eyes.
“To what do I owe the pleasure?” I drawled, moving to the sofa and leaning back. I already knew why he was here. There was only one reason Sergei Morozov would show his face in Velhaven.
Sergei flicked the end of his cigar into the ashtray on my desk, grinding it out with the kind of force that spoke volumes. He crossed his arms over his chest, his gaze roving over me like he was sizing me up.
“You have some audacity, Nikolai Vetrov.”
“Says the man who barges into my office unannounced,” I shot back smoothly, crossing one leg over the other.
Sergei’s jaw twitched. “Like you didn’t do the same? Showing up at my house, unannounced?”
A muscle in my jaw ticked. “So? Why are you here now?” But I already knew.
“You know why,” Sergei said, reaching into his coat. “I’m here to accept your offer.”
He pulled out a photograph, the edges creased and worn. He tossed it onto the table between us, and it landed face up. I didn’t need to look at it to know who it was.
But I looked anyway.
My jaw clenched.
A girl. Five years of age. Short pixie cut hair and a plain white dress. Dull eyes and sunken cheeks.
Sergei leaned forward, his eyes boring into mine.
“Stop playing dumb, Vetrov,” he growled, voice low and dark.
I forced myself to breathe. To keep my face neutral. Even as my pulse roared in my ears.
“Too late,” I said, leaning back. “I already took back my offer.”
For a moment, there was silence.
Then Sergei laughed. A sharp, cold sound that echoed around the office.
“Oh, you think you’re funny?” he said, voice dropping to a lethal whisper. “You really think I’m going to let you do this?”
His hand moved too quickly for me to track. One second it was empty, the next it was holding a gun, aimed straight at my head.
I didn’t move. Didn’t flinch. Just stared back at him, my mind swirling. My chest a hollow, echoing cavern.
Because all I could think about was Elena.
She had stayed.
When the bomb had been ticking, when she could have jumped off, she had stayed. There was a better chance of survival if she had. Where every other person in my life would have left me to die, Elena had stayed.
This girl who was supposed to be disposable. Expendable.
But she wasn’t. Not anymore.
I had married her not just because I wanted to fuck her out of my system but because me marrying her would benefit me in ways she had no idea about.
And if I actually accepted Sergei’s offer now?
I’d be hurting her in ways she couldn’t even imagine.
Sergei cocked the gun, his eyes flashing. “You better rethink that decision, Vetrov. Because I swear to God, if you don’t—”
I held his gaze, my jaw clenched tight.
But the decision had already been made.