Her Husband

Chapter One

| Two Years Ago |

"Do you Cassandra Juliana West take Dimitri Alessandro as you lawfully wedded husband to have and to hold till death do you apart?" The priest recites orally.

"I do." My voice a mere meek whisper as avoidable as possible. I was being blackmailed into marrying him and the monster in the skin of human was smiling smugly at me the expression of victory clear in his eyes.

"Do you Dimitri Alessandro take Cassandra Juliana West as you lawfully wedded wife to have and to hold till death do you apart?"

"I do." He says and all the remnants of his previous expressions vanish as a mysterious expression enters his eyes mixed with determination. Cold, hard determination. I know how he gets when he is determined. I am living it.

"I now pronounce you Mr. & Mrs. Alessandro. You may kiss the bride." The priest declares with a smile on his face when everybody at the ceremony, including my parents stand up applauding. He grabs me by my waist and I see the priest step back in my peripheral. I am crushed into his chest, his arm trapping me against him when his lips come hot and branding attaching themselves onto mine. His warm mouth and full lips ignite butterflies into my stomach. I raise my hand to push him slightly off but they instead settle onto his shoulders. The bouquet in my other hand is snatched off when his other arm catches my wrist in his pulling me into him further. I battle with his tongue rebelling the invasion of his mouth but that only engages him further. When I am about to gasp for breath, he pulls away leaving me breathless. "No running away now. You're mine." He whispers harshly into my ear, his hold on my wrist tightening. He comes back for a peck on the lips and leaves my wrist where the bouquet is handed me back and he leads me down the aisle amidst all the hoots and the cheering and the glee faces and falling blue delphiniums. He leads me directly into the back room instead of the dinner table where everyone one else is seen headed.

Once we are inside he closes the door behind him and walks up to me. Close enough that our chests are touching but far enough that I can see every crinkle and every ageing line on his face.

Dimitri Alessandro was thirty- one years of age. To call him old would be a sin because aging did him justice. The older he got the more irresistible he became. He got that Alpha Adonis look all rolled into one sinfully delicious package. He was a King. He saw and he conquered. He was the leader of the entire Mafia ring in Australia. All gangs, groups, cartels fell under his jurisdiction. He owned the outlawed world of Australia. He got what he wanted, all the time. He was used to getting his way. Being the voice of command in everything. I could see him struggling with his nature sometimes when he had to do things my way when we were dating  before I found out the truth about him.

Goosebumps race my arms as he shoves me against a wall trapping me effectively against his body. "I know the circumstances weren't ideal, baby, but trust me, I will spend the rest of my life making it up to you. Every single day I will give you a reason to trust me. Every Single Day I vow to treat you like the queen you are. I know you think I'm a monster and I am! I will not deny that because that is as much a part of me as you are now. But trust me, baby, when I say I promise to love you every single day of forever and I will spend every waking moment trying to make you love me back. Just promise me you will give this a genuine real chance." Oh, Dimitri! if you only knew how much I loved you.

"I promise." I mutter.

| Six Months Ago |

"Boss, Mrs.Alessandro was seen entering the Ecstasy Night Club at 3:00pm. She has been inside for over two hours now. Should we go in?" Marco informs me. My head of security who has been instructed to inform me of Cassandra's whereabouts from time to time informs me.

"No. I am just around the corner. Send some men and ask to wait outside for my signal." I sigh and lean back. Again, Cassandra? "Ecstasy Night Club." I inform my driver and he nods silently.

As he pulls around the corner I see Cassandra's BMW parked in the street and her two bodyguards standing beside it. Blood boils in my veins. I pay these fucking idiots to keep my wife safe. And they are standing outside laughing with each other instead of doing their job. Even though this isn't the first time that this has happened, my heart always skips a beat wherever Cassandra's safety is involved. That's it. I am going to fire them. Cassandra's been holding me back every time I want to lash out at them and now they've gotten smug enough to mess with the staff too.

After the car is parked I get out and walk up to them. I take out my gun and shoot them both in their feet. Less than what they deserve, but I have a pressing matter. "You're fired" I say simply before walking right inside like I own it. Ecstasy is a night club infamous in the underworld for its business of women. It's a night club for the rest of the world and a brothel for criminals. Specially made for outlaws and murderers with narcotics served from the menu. And the one and only ring leader of this circus lived in Dubai. A guy hailing from the streets of Bulgaria- just like me. He was unforgiving and an arrogant fool. He killed people without thinking of the repercussions and he just happened to be in town.

"Ah... Dimitri. My old friend. My staff tells me you don't visit us anymore... Is it true? Did you get married?" Paolo greets me from his chair as soon as I enter his office. I see Cassandra standing in the corner beside him, hands tied and a blue eye with tears running down her face as the man holding her captive shakes her to and fro. I whisk my gun and shoot him dead center in the head. A dubious silence ensues when I put it away. It is then I notice one other man in the room with his back to us facing the window. He turns at the sound of the shot and looks at me incredulously but aloof. He walks up to Cassandra and unties her hands and legs. She immediately sprints into my arms as I hold onto her for dear life. My precious Angel. She shivers in my arms when I look at Paolo dead in the eye.

"I thought you were in Dubai, Paolo." I say non- committed. He doesn't need to know I've been keeping tracks on him. I size up the other man when he stands there completely relaxed and civilised. Whoever this is.. doesn't work for Paolo.

"I was. But duty calls. Is this... your wife?"

"Yes."

He sighs, "You know how it goes, Dimitri. She knows too much. I have to kill her." He says trying to sound regretful. Before I could threaten him another shot resonates painting Paolo's brains all over the next wall. "He talks so much." The man says lowering his gun and putting it away. I point mine at him. If he is a threat, he needs to be eliminated. Immediately. "I.. mean no harm." He says. When I merely raise an eyebrow at him he continues, "In about one minute this room is going to be filled with my men. They're not going to take lightly to you pointing a gun at me. And you wife's here too. Think about her. Put it down and we can talk." He was Spanish but also American. I lower my gun keeping a strong hold on Cassandra.

"My name is Nikolai Leon. I mean you no harm. The purpose I came here for is fulfilled. It is in both of our best interests if we walk away right now, before the Australian police shows up."

| One Month Ago |

"Oh my God! Oh my God! Elena, are you okay?" Cassandra gushes as she rushes towards Miss. Brenan lying on the hospital bed as I come to rest beside Nikolai. He looked worn. He must've aged at least a decade after the day we've had.