Morozov

Chapter 4

Mallory
I woke up from someone walking around and opening and closing drawers. As I rubbed my eyes with the palms of my hands, trying to adjust to the light, I sat up and looked around a room I didn't recognize.

What I did recognize was Ace's voice. "There's breakfast in the dining room for you. I'm invited to an important meeting tonight and you will be by my side as my fiancé."

"I'll see what I can do." "I wasn't asking," the man demanded. "Sorry," I muttered as I pulled my head back and rolled my eyes. "Roll those eyes at me again and I'll glue them in place," he threatened before leaving. How did he even know I rolled my eyes? His back was turned to me the whole time.

I got up and made my way to the dining room, my mind swirling around what happened the previous day. I could remember everything, even though it was a bit blurred for some parts. What I did keep in mind was how Ace took care of me and that he didn't tell Benjamin who he was. So Ace definitely knew something. And he wanted to protect me of the shitstorm that I would have received at school, had he introduced himself as my fiancé.

Lucía was sitting in the dining room, chewing on some cornflakes, holding her phone in her other hand. She looked me up and down and gave me a disgusted look before leaving with her bowl. It was only then that I noticed I was wearing Ace's clothes.

I looked down at me with wide eyes and started to get little flashbacks from the night before. At least nothing happened between us. Though, I was nosey if we slept in the same bed.

"Just ignore her like all of us do. She's a 16 year old diva," an unfamiliar voice pulled me out of my thoughts. I turned around to a tall, muscular guy with brown hair. Probably around Ace's age.

"I'm Archie," he held out his hand for me to shake it. "Mallory," I did as he asked before taking a seat and giving him a confused look the whole time.

"I'm Ace's best friend but I also work with him." "Ohh that makes sense," I said and we both laughed.

"And who are you if I'm allowed to ask?"
I gave him a confused look at his question. Didn't Ace tell him about me? I mean he just introduced himself as his best friend. You'd think a best friend knew about a marriage and especially about the bride. "I'm just asking because his prostitutes normally don't wear his clothes and they for sure don't eat here."

"HIS PRO-" "Archie, I see you already met my fiancé Mallory," Ace suddenly interrupted me as he walked into the room swiftly. "Your- Oh- I'm so sorry," Archie looked baffled at the news he seemed not to have heard of yet. That poor guy probably thought he was going to get murdered any second. I gave him a forgiving smile before Ace changed the subject.

"I laid an outfit for tonight on your bed and there will be a stylist to do your make up and hair. Your father told me you're already capable of fighting and using weapons?"

"Uhmm- yes why?" I asked surprised. "You're gonna come to work with me tomorrow. I want to see how good you really are. It's dangerous to belong to this Mafia and marrying me makes you the number one target of- certain people," he stopped his rambling before he could say something he was obviously not supposed to say. Wow, he saved me from an abusive household only to put me into the next danger.

"Yeaahh anyway I'm gonna go work out if you don't mind," I pulled myself out of the weird conversation. I was uncomfortable with the whole situation and even more uncomfortable was I with the fact that Archie thought I was a prostitute. Do they really just walk around in here? And are there really thus much?

I went to the home gym and worked out for three hours to try and clear my head. What the fuck was wrong with Benjamin yesterday? And why did Ace let me sleep in his room? Does he really bring prostitutes over or was Archie just trying to mock me? And what is waiting for me at school on Monday?

After my work out I took a long shower and went to my room with just my bathrobe on where the stylist, Jaqueline, was already waiting for me.

She did a pretty decent make-up look on me which surprised me. My old stylists used to go full coverage with the focus on my eyes and lips but the new one just did some contour with a nude glossy lip. My eyebrows were neutral and all she did to my lashes was put on some mascara.

I looked at myself surprised. "Is everything okay?" "Oh yes I'm just- it's so neutral," I said baffled. "Mr. Rodrigues requested it specifically like that. Do you not like it?" "No it's really pretty I'm just not used to it," I said with a smile making her return one.

She curled my hair and then it was time for me to put on my outfit.
It was a nude-pinkish mini dress with pearls as jewelry. Along with that I had to wear some nude high heels and a fur coat.

"Uhm, Jaqueline, who chose that outfit for me?" I asked confused because I normally didn't wear dresses like this. "Mr. Rodrigues did." "Right, who else would've," I muttered quietly.

As I walked down the stairs both Ace's and Archie's eyes were glued to my body. "How do I look?" I asked standing in front of Ace. "Stunning," Archie answered in a breath instead and he earned a deadly look from Ace for that comment. Was he really being jealous?

The chauffeur drove us to a big mansion; not as big as Ace's though and we went inside. "Mallory," Ace held out his arm for me to hook in which I did. "It's Mal," I mumbled but he ignored me.

"Mr. Rodrigues, Mr Devlin," the butler greeted Ace and turned his gaze to Archie for a split second. Then he turned his gaze to me. "Ms." he stopped and gave me a questioning look. Right as I wanted to tell him my last name, Ace forestalled me,"Rodrigues." My gaze shot up to him confused and so did the butler's and Archie's but he didn't look back.

"Please follow me," the butler finished his greets and lead us to a big dining room with a round desk. He took our jackets and left.

There were a lot of people talking of whom I knew some. They were all some type of Mafia bosses or members with their wifes or prostitutes.

"Aahhh Ace, take a seat," a man in his thirties greeted us with open arms and showed us where to sit.

"Who's that beautiful lady you brought me?" he asked while stroking my cheek. I pulled away with a disgusted look on my face which he did not seem to have liked. His face scrunched with an expression I couldn't quite define. He obviously wasn't used to rejection.

"She's my fiancé," Ace stated causing the whole desk to go silent and look at us. The men looked jealous of Ace, the wives and prostitutes jealous of me.

"Your fiancé?" "Mallory Morozov? How'd you do that?" I heard some men say when all of a sudden the door burst open and someone else came in. His black, thick hair and suit matched his vibe. He looked dangerous. Not Ace-like dangerous but devilishly dangerous.

"How does the literal devil get to marry a girl that is the complete opposite?"

He, literally, made himself at home and took a seat opposite to me without even waiting for an invitation to do so. Either, this wasn't his first time at the place or he was just very stupid.

Up close, I could see just how beautiful he was. His jawline was sharp, defining his masculine features. The rough skin on his hands was covered with tattoos, the pattern probably continuing up his arms and along his chest.
One of said tattoos caught my interest. It was located on his left hand, right between his thumb and index finger.
The little dagger was pointed toward the teared and bruised knuckle of the index finger, the grip pointed toward the other knuckle. Dripping from the point of the blade was a drop of blood.
It looked so familiar. I could have sworn I've seen that before, I just didn't know where.

My gaze was somehow pulled up toward his eyes. He was already staring at me with a smug smile on his face, throwing me a wink. He probably found it very amusing how flustered I was. He full on caught me staring and all I hoped for in this moment was that Ace didn't notice neither of our interactions. Otherwise, I think someone would've been dead by dawn.

"Jack," Ace greeted with nothing but hatred in his voice, interrupting my inspection. So they know each other?