Appearances

The days passed with Dimitri doing his utmost to avoid Yulia's romantic overtures; she chased him incessantly even though he always treated her coldly. That afternoon, Dimitri was in his study, immersed in his thoughts, when Yulia burst in unexpectedly.

"Dimitri, my love! I have a surprise for you," exclaimed Yulia, approaching him with a seductive smile.

"Not now, Yulia. I'm busy," Dimitri replied, without looking up from the documents on his desk.

"But darling, I've prepared a romantic dinner for us. With candles, champagne, and your favorite food," Yulia insisted, trying to catch his attention.

"I told you no, Yulia. Can't you understand a simple no?" Dimitri burst out, abruptly standing up from his chair.

Yulia stepped back, surprised by his outburst. "I... I just wanted to spend time with you, Dimitri. Since we got married, you barely even look at me."

"You know very well why I married you, Yulia. Don't expect from me something I can't give you," Dimitri responded coldly.

With tears in her eyes, Yulia ran out. Dimitri sighed, massaging his temples. These months with Yulia had been hell, and their parents had only made everything worse.

Speaking of Yulia's parents, at the city's exclusive social club...

"Look, dear! That's Mr. Petrov, the father of our son-in-law," whispered Yulia's mother, nudging her husband.

"You're right, darling. Let's go greet him, so everyone will see that we are part of his inner circle," replied Yulia's father, with an arrogant smile.

They approached Boris Petrov, who was talking with some associates.

"Mr. Petrov! What a coincidence to find you here!" exclaimed Yulia's father, extending his hand.

Boris looked at them, confused. "I'm sorry, do we know each other?" His confusion was genuine, as he had only seen them a couple of times over the years and hadn't paid them much attention at the wedding.

"But of course! We are Yulia's parents, your daughter-in-law!" Yulia's mother replied with a shrill laugh.

"Ah, yes. Of course," Boris said uncomfortably. "If you'll excuse me, I have business to attend to."

Boris quickly walked away, leaving Yulia's parents puzzled.

"Well, what a busy man," commented Yulia's father.

"Yes, but you'll see how he'll treat us when my daughter gives birth to the long-awaited Petrov heir," Yulia's mother confidently responded.

Later, they approached a group of elegant women.

"Hello, ladies! Have you heard the latest news? Our daughter married Dimitri Petrov!" Yulia's mother exclaimed, strutting.

The women looked at each other, raising their eyebrows.

"Really? How... interesting," one of them replied in a condescending tone.

"Yes, we are now part of the Petrov family. Isn't it exciting?" continued Yulia's mother, oblivious to the mocking glances.

The women excused themselves and walked away, laughing discreetly.

"Did you see that, dear? They are jealous of our new status," said Yulia's mother, satisfied.

They moved to another corner of the club, where Yulia's father approached a waiter.

"You, boy. Bring me a whiskey, and make it quick. Don't you know who I am?" he ordered, snapping his fingers.

"I'm sorry, sir, but I need to attend to the other customers first," the waiter replied, trying to stay calm.

"How dare you? I am Dimitri Petrov's father-in-law! I demand preferential treatment!" Yulia's father shouted, drawing the attention of those around.

The waiter, embarrassed, quickly walked away.

These incidents did not go unnoticed. Soon, rumors about the shameful behavior of Yulia's parents reached Dimitri.

Furious, Dimitri burst into his in-laws' mansion.

"What is this? How dare you use my name for your benefit?" Dimitri roared, confronting Yulia's parents.

"But, Dimitri, dear, we were just..." said Yulia's mother, but Dimitri cut her off.

"Silence! I don't want to hear excuses. You are nobodies, do you understand? Just social climbers who were lucky enough that I married your daughter," he was fed up with their nonsense.

Yulia, hearing the shouting, ran into the room.

"Dimitri! What's happening? Why are you yelling at my parents?" she asked, tears in her eyes.

"Your parents, Yulia, are embarrassing me in public. Using my name to get favors and humiliate others," Dimitri explained, clenching his teeth.

"But, my love, I'm sure they didn't mean any harm," Yulia pleaded, trying to calm Dimitri.

"Don't defend them, Yulia! This is unacceptable. If I hear one more rumor about their behavior, they will regret it," Dimitri threatened.

Yulia's parents, pale and trembling, nodded silently.

"And you, Yulia, you better keep your parents in check. Otherwise, our marriage will end as quickly as it started," Dimitri warned before storming out of the house.

Yulia collapsed on the floor, crying inconsolably, as her parents tried to comfort her.

"Don't cry, daughter. You'll see, Dimitri will calm down and everything will go back to normal," her mother said, stroking her hair.

But Yulia knew nothing would be the same again. Her marriage was hanging by a thread, all because of her parents' ambition and recklessness.

Meanwhile, Dimitri, back in his study, poured himself a drink of whiskey.

"Laura... where are you? Why are you doing this to me?" he murmured, looking at an old photo of them together.

The alcohol burned his throat, but not as much as the pain of betrayal he still felt in his heart. He would not rest until he found Laura and made her pay for all the suffering she had caused him.

At the Cassini mansion, Sarah strutted through the halls, enjoying her new status as the supposed heiress.

"Lidia! Come here right now!" Sarah shouted, calling the housekeeper.

"Yes, Miss Sarah. How may I serve you?" Lidia asked, quickly approaching.

"I want you to change all the curtains in the mansion. I can't stand them anymore; they're hideous," Sarah ordered, with a look of disgust.

"But, Miss, those curtains are your grandmother's favorite. She chose them herself years ago," Lidia replied, distressed.

"I don't care! I'm the owner now, and I say they change. And while you're at it, I want you to find someone to remodel the entire house. It's time for it to have a more modern look," said Sarah, with a malicious glint in her eyes.

"As you command, miss," Lidia nodded resignedly.

Sarah smiled, satisfied. She was willing to spend every last penny of her grandparents' fortune to satisfy all her whims.

Later, Sarah showed up at the family business, where the employees looked at her in surprise.

"Good morning, everyone. As you may know, I am the new owner of this company," announced Sarah, with an air of superiority.

The employees looked at each other, confused.

"Starting today, things are going to change around here. First, I want everyone to call me 'Miss Cassini.' No more Sarah or Sarita, understood?" she ordered, pacing around the office.

"Second, there will be a new dress code. Women must wear high heels and short skirts. Men, suits and ties at all times."

The employees murmured uncomfortably with the new rules.

"And third, I want you to bring me coffee every hour. But not just any coffee, it must be a double espresso with almond milk and a pinch of cinnamon. If it's not perfect, you'll know," concluded Sarah, with a threatening look.

The employees nodded, fearful of contradicting her.

Despite her apparent confidence, Sarah couldn't get Dimitri out of her mind. She knew he had married Yulia, but that only increased her desire for him.

Determined to conquer him, Sarah dressed in a trench coat and high heels. Beneath, she wore only black lace lingerie. She applied heavy makeup, with red lips and smoky eyes.

"Today you will be mine, Dimitri Petrov," she murmured to herself, as she headed to the Petrov corporate office.

Upon arriving at Dimitri's office, Sarah entered without knocking.

"Hello, Dimitri. Did you miss me?" she purred, approaching him.

Dimitri looked up from his papers, surprised.

"Sarah, what are you doing here? And why are you dressed like this?" he asked, frowning.

"I came to see you, my love. To remind you of what you're missing," replied Sarah, slowly unbuttoning her trench coat and letting it fall to the floor.

Dimitri stood up abruptly from his chair, grabbing Sarah by the arm.

"What do you think you're doing?" he exclaimed.

Sarah smiled, convinced that Dimitri was falling into her trap.

But just as Dimitri was about to escort Sarah out of his office, Yulia burst in unexpectedly.

"Dimitri! What does this mean?" Yulia shouted, seeing Sarah in lingerie and her husband holding her by the arm.