Chapter 165

Elena:

“I wonder what he would do if he found out about you dancing.” Konstantin said, walking to the garden. Vladimir was out of the Estate, tending to a few things that Konstantin had assigned for him to do. And though a part of me did tell me against going out of the room when he wasn’t around, though he didn’t tell me otherwise, a feeling inside me told me that it was best not to. However, at this point, I didn’t want to feel like I was a prisoner who was afraid of the man. “You seem to have done a good job in keeping your mouth shut. Though I am curious about the reason that had you staying quiet. You know, you could have told him and things would have been a lot easier for you.”

I had to force myself to remember the fact that I didn’t want him to know that I was Vladimir’s mate. The two of us didn’t want to give the man a weakness over Vladimir, and knowing him, I knew that he was already trying to find his way to that. And I knew better than to give him that advantage.

“I didn’t want to cause trouble when he just came home. It was a long trip for him and it seems to have been busy. Plus, the last thing that I would do is be the reason for conflict within a family. You know that more than anyone.” I said, and he smirked, shaking his head at me.

“Because you lost your own, isn’t it?” He asked, and I frowned, my eyes losing the light that was in them. “You are a smart woman, and it seems to me that you know what you want. But let me ask you, how long would it be before he’s gotten tired of you? And when that happens, what are you going to do?” 

“That is not something that I would like to think about. A man like Vladimir is not the type…”

“You think that you know a man who tried to sleep with his boss’s wife?” He asked, and I looked down at my feet as he stopped me, knowing that he was aiming to trigger me. I stayed quiet for a few seconds before shaking my head. 

“I was considered your wife, was I not? I doubt that this should change a fact…” he grabbed me by my chin, stopping me from completing my sentence, forcing me to blink twice as I was reminded of who stood in front of me. The man’s eyes darkened with anger, and for a second, I found myself fighting the urge to beg for his forgiveness, not wanting things to go too far. I didn’t know how Vladimir would react to it, and I had no will in me to go ahead and suffer what I used to before.

“Why did you stop? Did a cat bite your fucking tongue?” He asked, tightening his grip enough to dig his fingers in my jawline. I closed my eyes as I fought back the whimper of pain that almost escaped my lips, and seeming unsatisfied, the man dug his fingers deeper into my skin, cutting it. “Did you think that I was going to keep allowing you to cross your limits with me? Or did you depend on Vladimir a little too much to forget who the fucking hell you really belonged to?”

I stayed quiet, knowing not to respond when he believed that I was challenging him. It ended a lot faster when I didn’t. He scoffed, pushing me back. The force sent me to the ground, and I let out a cry of pain as my wrist cracked under my weight. The man didn’t bother though as he pulled my hair, forcing me to look him in the eye as he raised me a bit while he kneeled to my face. 

“Challenge me again, and I will be sure that it is the last time that you have a tongue. And if you think that your beloved is going to stop me, then I will be sure to remind of who I am, do you fucking understand me, Elena?” He asked, spitting on my face as he spoke. I gulped and he shook his head at me, knowing that he was getting what he wanted in the end. “That is, unless you want to hear of your family’s death.”

“No,” I said, and he chuckled, shaking his head at me. “I have suffered enough for them and they have paid their debt with my life being in your hand. Please do not involve them in this.”

“Then be careful of the grave that you’re digging.” He said, pushing me back on the ground. He looked at me as I held my hand to my chest, already feeling it swell as I looked at my feet, avoiding his eyes. “Because it will not only be your own. As you just said, they paid with YOUR life, one that I find myself not making use of right now. And believe me, I might not be kind enough to allow you to join them, not yet anyway, and I think that you of all people should know how much I hate those who think that they can cross me. Therefore, I suggest that you start thinking wisely about your actions and not repeating the same mistake that your own father did.”

He walked past me, not bothering to wait for a response from me as he reminded me of my parents underestimating him, costing me in return. A cry of pain and anger escaped my lips before I could stop it. And wrapping an arm around myself, I was forced to wipe my tears and get up, knowing not to weaken. It was only going to give him a shard of what he wanted, and I did not fight all this time to let myself go out of a threat from a man like himself. He knew what he was doing, and if anyone mastered the art of torment, it was him. And I surely didn’t want to find myself getting into more than I could fight against.

I just didn’t know how things were going to be when Vladimir came. And I knew at this point that stopping him would not be a good idea. But even allowing him to go against the man was going to put me through hell. 

“Why am I going through this?” I whispered to myself as I dusted my clothes. “Why am I the one to pay for the sins of my parents…?”