CHAPTER 46: WE FINALLY MEET IN PERSON


    LILY’S POV:


    I steered in my sleep because it felt as if someone was looking at me. I slowly opened my eyes to see Niki was standing right in front of me.


    “Oh my God!”, I eximed and quickly sat up straight, the sleep disappeared from my eyes. Niki just stood there, looking at me with hands in his pocket.N?vel(D)rama.Org''s content.


    “Sit, I need to brief you on something”, He said and sat on the sofa. I moved closer to the edge of the bed and sat down properly.


    “It is already pass lunch so you can’t meet the family till dinner time…”, I looked over to the wall clock beautifully ced on the wall and it was 12 minutes pass 3 pm and my eyes grew wide.


    ‘Did I seriously sleep for so long?!’, I asked myself.


    “… Keep in mind that you are here as my girlfriend–“.


    “WHAT?!!”, I didn’t let him finish before I blurted out my shock, he didn’t react and looked at me like it was normal.


    “Why?”, He feigned ignorance.


    “Maybe, I don’t know – tell them the truth? I’m not your friend and definitely not your girlfriend”, I said, feeling offended. Niki just bent his head a little and looked at me like I was going crazy


    “Do you really think I should tell my family that I bought you? That you are my supposed ve?”, He asked and I nodded.


    ‘What was to hard to say there? I could tell them if he wants’, I said in my head.


    “If I was to say you are my ve, they would have you treated like they treat our maids, you would be sleeping in the maid’s quarter, no princess treatment, no nice bed toy on, no nice food on the dining table. For the time we have to stay here, you will be regarded as a nobody… are you sure you want that?”, Niki slowly exined and I have to admit, he was right.


    These people are freakishly rich! If they know I wasn’t in their ss, they won’t bat an eye on me, Galina will never speak to me like one of her friends.


    “Bu-but can’t we u-use the term… the term friends?”, I tried to find another excuse. Niki just sighed and stood up, he came to sit close to me making me move back from his manner of closeness. He looked me in the eyes and this time I didn’t look away.


    “You will go as my girlfriend, there are things I need not to happen… have I made myself clear?”, Niki asked and just as if he was using magic on me, I nodded and he gave me a smile and a pat on the head before standing up.


    “Before going to meet them, I need to let you know why we are here first, at least I owe you that much…”, Niki said and whispered thatst part, then he continued, “… I am here in Russia because my father slumped and he is presently in the hospital, unconscious”.


    “Oh my goodness! Is he okay?!”, I eximed, worrys written all over my face. Even though Niki is a psychopath, he is still human and maybe he is hurting.


    “He is a tough man, he will pull through so he’s the only one that will be unavable at the dinner… The ones we are going to have dinner with are My mother, Galina, Ivan, Lev, Ivan’s mom, my aunt Maria who is my mother’s younger sister, my cousin Anastasia and thest person is Roman… my older brother”, I watched as Niki’s face turned from fond, when he mentioned the people he cared about, to malice when he mentioned his brother.


    “Okay”, I only said.


    “You are not to engage in any conversation with them, especially Roman, stay away from him as clear as possible”, Niki instructed.


    “Why?”, Even though I had an idea why, I still wanted to know.


    “Do not ask, just do whatever I tell you to, understood?”, Niki warned and I heard the pinch of anger in his voice.


    “I understand”, I said and looked at my fingers.


    “If my mother asks anything about your family, just smile and do not answer, I will do the talking. Keep your head down and don’t make eye contact with anyone, also avoid Anastasia, she can be bratty…   The people you should be wary the most about are Roman and Anastasia, okay?”, He concluded and I nodded.


    “Get more sleep, I will wake you up for dinner”, I heard him sigh and then he left the room.


    He looks very tired, dark circles under his eyes and it looked like he didn’t even get any rest. I didn’t want to trigger or worry him the more, I would obey him.


    I got back on the sweet and inviting bed and it hugged me like it missed me and off, I slept again.


    ***


    I woke up to themotion that was happening outside the room, it was so loud I thought they brought the market to the dimir’s mansion.


    It was almost 7pm so I tiredly dragged myself off the bed to see what was going on. I walked to the door and opened it, themotion wasn’t going on here, I followed the noise and as I got closer I noticed it wasn’t English they were talking.


    I stood frozen, my eyes fixed on the scene unfolding before me. Niki’s face was contorted in a snarl, his eyes shing with a fierce intensity that made my heart race. His voice was a low, menacing rumble, each word dripping with venom as he shed with his brother. The air around him seemed to darken, like a shadow had fallen over the room, and I could feel the weight of his anger bearing down on me. I had never seen Niki like this, even though I know him to be hot tempered and heartless, that was reced by a terrifying ferocity that left me breathless. I felt like I was gazing at a stranger, a man I didn’t know, and it sent a shiver down my spine.


    ‘He must really hate his brother’, I thought as I got closer towards them, they were also people around them. I could only recognize Galina who looked like she was on the brink of tears.


    An woman probably in her fifty’s was holding unto Niki’s waist, begging him, ‘Must be his mother’, I said to myself.


    They were guard standing in between Niki and his brother. Though I haven’t seen Roman before, since I came out from the room to see what the noise was about, I kept hearing Galina shouting Roman.


    “Well, my always scared little brother has be tough now huh?”, Roman said with a mischievous smirk on his face, I shivered on how scary he looked.


    “Don’t fuck with me Roman, stay away from her!”, Niki growled the more, he looked like he could bit Roman’s head off if given the chance.


    “What? Are you scared she might fall for me if she sees me? Scared to loose to me… again?”, Roman said, he was enjoying every second he tormented Niki.


    ‘Who are they referring to? Who is this girl Niki is protecting’, I wondered because I haven’t seen him this way with anyone. Makes me wonder her deep is their hatred towards each other.


    “Lily!”, Galina called out to me, making all of them turn towards my direction and she ran to my side, I furrowed my brows in confusion.


    “How long have you been standing there?”, Niki asked and just like magic, his terrifying gaze was gone and reced with what looked like concern?


    I couldn’t tell him I was eavesdropping on their family problems.


    “Uh I-I just arrived”, I said awkwardly, looking between Galina, their mom and finally settling on Niki.


    Roman walked to me and stretched his right hand towards me for handshake.


    “We finally meet in person Lily, I told you we will meet soon, didn’t I?”, Roman said and I just looked at him.


    He had a striking resemnce to Niki but where Niki had a handsome yet emotionless face, Roman’s face said alot of things and he didn’t hide his emotions.


    Before I could blink twice, Niki pushed Roman and snatched my hand that was frozen by my side, he dragged me out and away from there, back to his room. We got into the room and he locked it with the key, he was breathing too fast and his hands were shaking, it was like he was a ticking time bomb.


    ‘Did he find out about the phone call back in his mansion in the US? Is that why they fought?’, I pondered. I mean it did sound logical, Roman just mentioned about how he promised we were going to see in real life, I’m sure he told Niki and now he’s mad… mad at me.


    ‘Oh no, he’s going to take his anger on me’, I said to myself.