Chapter Three

“Fake boyfriend service?”

The words curled off Mikhail’s lips as he spun the phone between his fingers, a smirk tugging at the corners of his mouth.

Do people actually offer such services? he wondered. They pretended to be the boyfriend of some desperate young lady at parties or family gatherings just to avoid backlash? He thought things like that only happened in movies. And now, some random girl had called him, him, of all people, to be at her mercy.

Her desperation had called to him. He loved the sound of it, and so, he had answered a call he would have normally ended the second it came through.

The lady fascinated him. She had instantly sent the location. For a hotel like that, she must be the rich, spoiled type. So, he had Daniel, his assistant, check her out. He needed to know if she was one of Viktor’s instruments sent to ruin him.

If she was, then Viktor had to be a genius, to think of something as absurd as this to lure him in. It was obvious she might have misdialed, but her desperation had an effect on him. He just wanted to see the woman who was able to make him stay on the phone long enough to listen to such ridiculousness.

“I swear to you, I didn’t share the encrypted data with Viktor.”

Mikhail pulled his attention from the phone rolling in his hand and raised his head to meet the gaze of the traitor, caught red-handed, yet still with the guts to lie to his face.

That was the reason he was in Chicago. He had come because of this idiotic, two-faced man watching him with pleading eyes, kneeling and trembling violently.

He had been kind enough not to have him tied to a chair, as most would have expected, or beaten to a point of no recognition. He had given him every chance to tell the truth and face the beautiful side of his mercy. But men like him remained stubborn until the very end, until Mikhail ripped everything they loved away from them.

“I believe you,” Mikhail said, lips curling into a smile that didn’t reach his eyes. Daniel walked over and handed him the tablet containing information on the distressed caller.

“You’re too kind, Boss,” the man stammered. “I swear, I’d never betray you.”

Eric’s voice was filled with relief, still shocked that Mikhail had believed his lie so easily. He smiled inwardly, promising to be more careful next time.

Viktor had promised him many things, including help expanding his little drug business, something Mikhail would have ended him for if he ever found out. He hadn’t expected things to go this smoothly.

“Thank you for believing me,” he said again, bowing his head.

Mikhail nodded. “Of course,” he said, standing and scrolling through the tablet. Interesting.

“She’s William’s daughter?”

That old, good-for-nothing, selfish shark had a daughter? Well, he wouldn’t have known, he had only met the man once, alongside his clueless son.

“Yes. She must have dialed your number wrongly,” Daniel explained.

“You think so?” Mikhail asked, standing up. “You don’t think Williams is playing some kind of game here? It can’t be a coincidence that William’s daughter called, asking me for such a ridiculous service.”

Daniel nodded, reflecting on that possibility. They all knew how cunning Silver Williams was. To the world, he was a perfect, clean-slate billionaire. But Mikhail knew the man like the back of his hand.

Daniel nodded again slightly, already pitying Williams. He had just invited the devil, who had only postponed his wrath, to come feast in his home. What baffled Daniel more was the logic Williams had used. He was going to be ruined for attempting such a play on Mikhail.

“Should I send men to teach him a lesson or cause wreckage in his business?” Daniel asked, awaiting orders.

Mikhail adjusted his collar and handed the tablet back to him.

“No,” Mikhail replied, making Daniel pause. Maybe the Brevta Lord would have him killed instead. “Since Williams invited me, I should pay him a visit, and also save the day. Perfect, right?”

There’s no way Daniel had heard that right. What was Mikhail planning? To have Williams killed while his daughter watched?

“You’re going, sir?” Daniel asked, baffled, but quickly softened his tone. “What about Eric?”

“Eric?” Mikhail asked, turning slowly toward him. Eric’s face turned pale instantly at the smirk on Mikhail’s lips. He knew he was doomed. Mikhail had only been toying with him.

“Have his tongue cut off and fed to Jay. I don’t want to hear him speak again.”

---

Being pissed wasn’t the right word, fuming would do.

Mikhail walked in to find Williams hand raised mid-air, just inches from the beautiful, brown-haired girl who stood boldly, even while trembling in fear.

On the way, Daniel had briefed him. Her father was actually arranging a marriage for her. Williams had no idea. The young lady had misdialed. She’d wanted a stand-in boyfriend to either piss off her father or get herself kicked out of the family fortune.

He had chuckled lightly at her attempt—one that baffled Daniel, who had assumed that revelation would end the trip to the Lancaster’s five-star hotel.

But Mikhail didn’t order the car turned around. She must have been a lover of fiction to believe that little stunt would work in real life. He had only gone out of curiosity to see William’s feisty daughter. It was rare to meet someone like her these days. But witnessing the old, soon-to-be-dead man raise his hand to hit her made him want nothing more than to have that hand cut off.

“Who are you?” Williams' annoying voice echoed just as Mikhail gently pulled away from the little woman who had captivated him in just a few minutes. Her bright grey eyes stared into his soul, lips parted, her face flushed in shock. She was a beauty, the kind of beauty fit for goddesses. She looked unreal, delicate.

Her lips were swollen, even though he had only kissed them lightly. God, everything about her made him want to abduct her right then and there. What the fuck was this little woman doing to him with just one kiss? He could already feel his dick hardening from her intoxicating scent.

He tore his eyes away and lifted his left hand to her cheek, gently touching the spot her father would have struck.

“I’m sorry, my little minx. I hope you didn’t wait too long for me.”

Amy blinked rapidly, trying to regain her senses. She parted her lips to say something, anything, but the kiss had completely thrown her off.

She hadn’t expected it. Maybe not the kiss itself, but definitely not her body’s reaction to it.

Her lips, her face, her whole body was on fire. She had never been kissed so wantonly before. Never felt so weightless from a man’s touch. She lost herself in the pull of his blue eyes.

His scent clouded her senses, everything about the man towering over her stole her sanity. She coughed lightly, forcing a smile.

“N-no,” she coughed again at how weak her voice sounded, then tried again. “No. I—I, um… just came.”

That wasn’t much better. The mystery boyfriend smiled. Was he amused at her stuttering?

“And I also asked who the hell are you?!” Williams yelled again, reaching toward Mikhail.

Mikhail turned smoothly to face Silver, nodding slightly at the beauty before him. Silver paused mid-action. Mikhail scanned the room, two older women, one full of disgust, the other dread. A bald man he instantly recognized as the gigolo about to “buy” Amy for his useless son, who stood dumbly watching it all unfold.

He scoffed. Williams should’ve done better.

“I’ll overlook the fact that if I hadn’t shown up when I did, you would’ve laid your filthy hands on my woman, Mr. Williams,” Mikhail said, barely holding back the urge to toss him across the room.

But the old man instantly regretted his actions the moment Mikhail's presence settled into the room.

Silver looked up in anger at the man who dared kiss his daughter in front of him, but the words caught in his throat as the familiar face came into focus. He shuddered.

“Mr… Mr. Volkov?” he stammered, disbelief etched on his face. “Oh my days… Mr. Mikhail Volkov… I’m so sorry. I’m sorry. What are you doing here?”

Everyone gasped.

Had he just called this man Mikhail Volkov?

Amy’s face, along with the Lancasters’, twisted in confusion. Her father must be mistaken. This man was the one she hired. How could he possibly be the outrageously wealthy, ruthless Mafia Lord of the Russian Brevta syndicate, with businesses scattered around Chicago? No one even knew what he looked like, so why would her father call him that? Or… had he actually met him?

“I won’t answer that, since it’s obvious you already know,” Mikhail replied, pulling Amy to his side. Her gaze shot up to him, full of questions, but he only smiled.

“I… I’m sorry, but I have to ask, did my daughter really catch your fancy?” Silver asked cautiously.

“Would I have kissed her if she hadn’t?” he replied, making Amy smile.

Whoever this man was, he was playing the role perfectly. No one ever made her father stutter like that. He did it effortlessly. In fact, David Lancaster, his wife, and their son all stood silent, trying to make themselves as invisible as possible.

“Pardon—”

Mikhail raised his hand. “I don’t have all day. Amy and I have plans. I’ll make this quick, I’ll be marrying her. But I don’t think it’s something we need to discuss here, especially not in front of the people you almost sold her to.”

Amy frowned. Wasn’t he playing this role too perfectly? She hadn’t told him anything about her father or his intent to sell her off. She hadn’t mentioned marriage, let alone proposed it. How did he know? Had he called Ellie?

Her father swallowed, his dominance completely drained.

“I’m sorry, sir. I had no idea you were the boyfriend she was talking about.”

Mr. Lancaster cleared his throat, his deal with Williams was done. There was no competing with the Brevta king.

“Now that you know,” Mikhail said, “I hope you can give me a date for the wedding arrangements.”

Whatever Mikhail thought he was doing, he knew he had to do it if he wanted this fascinating woman to be his, completely.

He had never been captivated by a woman before, let alone wanted to marry her on the spot.

To her, he was playing a role. But to him, he meant every word. He wanted her.

“Tomorrow. If you don’t mind,” Silver Williams replied, tone eager. For once, his daughter had made the right decision. The Lancasters could go to hell. Who would say no to Mikhail? He had been chasing a partnership with the man, and now it had landed in his lap.

“Tomorrow it is then,” Mikhail replied, leading the stunned Amy out.