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3RD POV
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“This is unacceptable!" Yelled Milan, Ilay's older brother, his eyes fixed on their father. "How can he marry a foreigner when he is aware of his fiancee?"

The awkwardness in the room as they glanced and sighed at each other was growing thicker and heavier.
Irina who sat next to her sister, her eyes red and puffy from crying sniffed, resting her head on her sister's shoulder.
"How can he...marry an...outside who, who knows nothing about our ways?" She cried, and everyone poured their sorries on her.

"Don't worry Irina, you're the only woman we'll recognize as the Czarina. I'm certain that the council will demand answers and give you justice once they know of this taboo," Milan promised firmly.

Their father sighed tiredly before getting up from the couch. He looked down at his wife and gave a sad smile while stretching his open palm to her. "He's still bitter about us. But our decision was only made to quell the rumors from the west."

Faina reciprocated the smile but with warmth as she slid her hand in his, allowing his to gently bring her to her feet. Irina sat up straight, her gaze at their hands.
"As well as the love we share," Faina added. "He's acting like an immature little boy. But then again, he is still young and strong-willed, just like you."

"Ahem!" One of the sisters cleared her throat at the excess PDA their parents were offering. "You were like the older sister we never had. Maybe that was why he grew deeply attached to you back then. It wasn't real love."

Faina giggled moving to stand beside her husband in a swift and gracious swirl as if dancing. "So let us all overlook his cruel words and attitude. Now that he is back in the house, making him feel welcomed will lower the wall he built against all of us years ago."

"What about the so-called wife?" Asked one of the teenagers, her tone bleeding with curiosity and a tinge of resentment. "We all agree that she doesn't suit our uncle. Only Irina can fill those shoes."

Ilay's younger brother, Luka, held his silence...just watched and listened as his family discussed Ilay's marriage. From the position he was sitting, he had a clear view of the door leading to the stairs and could see... Kally.
They had first made eye contact about ten minutes ago and she had pressed a finger on her smiling lips. All that time, she just stood there, hidden by the open wooden frame while listening to their unpleasant views about her and her origins.

Luka tried avoiding Kally's eyes, a familiar kind of fear creeping all over him. She wore a psychotic expression just like his brother and her mannerisms were somehow similar to Ilay's. She was nothing like the sweet, timid, and naive Irina. And that was what was scaring Luka.

From a young age, he had grown up avoiding his older brothers who were the heirs to their family's empires. Milan had taken over the Blaze Corporation empire which their father had been running for decades. While as Ilay was about to ascend to the throne in Drakon, a more powerful empire than Blaze Corporation. In every generation, two heirs were chosen within the Volkov family to run the empires separately. The previous Drakon Czar had been their uncle. But due to his failure to produce a male child, Ilay became the heir when their grandfather chose him before his death.

Now the entire family was wary of Ilay as his ascension neared.
They were all aware of his greatest flaw, which was also his greatest strength...his inhumane nature. He had long acquired a title that brought with it the horrors of death, the Mad Dog. A title he had gotten after brutally slaughtering an entire rebellious group, all while in his nude state. Whoever laid eyes on him that night shook with terror, saying he had looked like the reincarnation of Lucifer being born from the blood of his enemies. He was only seventeen at that time.

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KALLY'S POV
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I took a bite of the medium rare steak I had the chef make me and most pairs of eyes fell on me. Vegetarians. Ilay's family was as bunch of vegetarians. Yet here I was, enjoying my steak without a care in the world. If I was going to face off so many opponents, I had to at least make the most of my stay here.

To marry Ilay, I had to defer for a semester, or maybe two depending on when this deal would be over.
I had made such serious decisions in a few hours and flew all the way to Moscow to live with a family that didn't like me one bit.
A foreigner. An intruder. A seductress.
They had called me many names during their family 'gossip time'.

But I wasn't bothered.
This wasn't real.
I was here for the money and the power.
By the end of the deal, my bank account would be too heavy to hold any more money.
I was secretly growing excited by the kind of drama that would occur during my stay here. And all these women were looked like drama queens, especially the sisters.

"How...how was your stay in America?" Milan asked looking at Ilay who was relaxed back, quietly drinking some wine. "You never agreed to meet any of us when we visited the company there."

"Hmm... let's see." Ilay began, his carrying and underlying taint of sarcasm. "I had all the fun in the world. The women there are hot and fuckable. I never ran out of-"

"Nobody asked about your promiscuity!" Milan roared slamming his palm on the table. "Don't you ever have anything else to talk about except women?!"

Ilay laughed setting his glass down to lean forward.
'Oh boy, more drama.'

"How can I think of anything else? If I remember correctly, I was forced to sleep with a twenty year old woman when I was barely twelve. Or have you forgotten, brother?"

Hold up, what?!
I almost choked on my food from the layers of shock enveloping my body and senses. I snapped my head in his direction and stared wide-eyed at him.
Ilay caught my stare and grinned. "What? Do you feel sorry for your poor husband after hearing his sad past?"

My brow raised. He wasn't saying that to seek sympathy, quite the opposite. The proud smug look on his face didn't speak of any trauma. But what the fuck had I just heard? A twelve year old boy fucking an adult?
Could this be where his sexual life was screwed up? All the times he had made me watch fuck his partners. Could they have been a result of the trauma he just spoke of?

"That...that was-"

"What? Drakon's traditions?" Ilay's eyes left mine to meet his brother's. "Not that anything you say matters, but I've always been meaning to ask you, has my dear Maxim gone through that rite of passage? I've been gone for so long. And look at him, all grown up."

Tensed faces emerged on every person at the dining table after Ilay's inquisition. The Maxim they spoke of was the teen boy who had been on phone since we arrived at this house.
"Ilay!" Milan and their father snapped simultaneously casting rough glares at my 'beloved' husband.

The atmosphere had just transitioned from awkward to murderous in a blink.

Wow! First night at the Volkov mansion and I was already been served endless servings of chaos and situationships.
I grinned like a fool in the inside while continued my munching while my eyes raked over my new temporary family. Two brothers; Milan and Luka, three sisters; Katerina, Anastasia, and their last born, Sasha.

The two twin teens; Maxim and Mariam were Milan's kids. Their mom was out for business. As for the little brat from the hallway, Sergey was Anna's.

Faina, the stepmom, and her sister Irina were just extras with no blood relations with the Volkovs, yet.