Viktor
I didn't start the feud with my brother ten years ago. As a child, I idolized Andrei. I was proud of him, my loving family, and my home.Our great-grandfather was one of the last great princes of Russia before he died fighting for the white army in Siberia. But he sent his wife and son to safety in Alaskan exile. Since then, my generation has lived in self-sufficient poverty on an Alaskan homestead far from civilization. To me, it had been an enchanted winter kingdom, and I loved it.But Andrei despised the isolation and the wildlife. He hated the lack of electricity and indoor plumbing. As I played, running around with sticks and toys, he buried his nose into business books. He wanted to be rich and leave the homestead."Someday, I'll have a better life." He told me one day. "I'll buy clothes instead of making them. I will buy a private jet and travel around the world. I would eat at fine restaurants and leave this life behind."I listened to him breathlessly. "Really, Andrei? Would you do all that?" I would often ask. At that time, I believed he was the most sophisticated person I knew. Although I idolized him, I couldn't understand his need to leave our home at that time. To me, our home wasn't a burden. It was freeing, and I could do the things I wanted. Home. Family. Loyalty. These are the things that mattered to me.Right after our father died, Andrei began to initiate his plans to own a business. He worked in a mine to save money for his goals, but I continued to enjoy our homestead.Two years later, I began to have an interest in business as well. But I was interested in a different type of business. I discussed my plans with Andrei, and we spent time talking about running the biggest cartel. But at that time, it only seemed like a dream because we had no money. Also, Alaska was no place to play a dangerous game.Therefore, I was surprised when money to leave Alaska was suddenly found. It was only later that I discovered that Andrei had managed to convince my mother to sell the six hundred and eighty acres that had been in our family for four generations. I felt betrayed, but I tried to forgive him. I told myself that he had only done it for our good.Three years later, I wanted to return from Puebla to care for our mother, who'd become ill. Andrei convinced me that we needed to work on our cartel instead. "It's the only way we can make money to save her." He told me, and I listened like I always did. When news reached me that she was almost dying, I decided to throw away everything and go back for her. Andrei tried to stop me as usual, but I was tired of his manipulation. Our mother died in the cold Alaskan homestead, and I was right by her side. I had also made a fervent deathbed promise to get back the land.When I returned to Puebla, I was furious. For the first time, I yelled at Andrei. How could he be so insensitive?"Don't be selfish." He had told me coldly. "Did you really think mum could do all the work in the homestead without us?"I would have cut off all ties with him then. But instead, after our mother died, I felt more bound than ever to him. He was my only family and we worked hard for a year to build our first cartel. We lived a dangerous life and needed each other."Don't worry, when we make enough money, you can buy the land back." He would always say to me. Working eighteen hours in harsh conditions, I was confident we would earn our first big payout and buy our land back again.But, they were flaws in my plan that I had not seen coming. I hadn't known that Bennet Russel, the land buyer, had put the land in an irrevocable trust for his child. Or that, as recompense for my loyalty and hard work, Andrei would gang up with the family and cut me off before we made billions of dollars. The family made him boss, and he left me to die.Now, even though that I had long started my own cartel and acquired wealth and power, my body still felt stiff anytime I remembered that my brother, who I trusted so much, had betrayed me. Even if I regained the land, it would never feel like home again because I would never be that same loyal, idealistic and stupid boy again.No. I hadn't started the feud with Andrei.But I would end it."I'm the answer to your prayer?" A sweet feminine voice asked me, snapping me out of my thoughts. My eyes focused on Lyra standing in front of me.Her brown eyes were large and luminous. Her skin was smooth and creamy. As she blinked, I caught the weary gray shadows beneath her eyes. Her lips were full and pink, but the lower lip was chapped as if she had spent the last few hours chewing on it in worry. Her brown hair, which looked thick, tumbled down her shoulders.She was beautiful in her way—innocent, full of energy, and with overblown curves. I cut off my thoughts, stopping myself from exploring further."I wanted the land back for a long time," I answered. "I'll make the arrangements for our wedding."Her eyes widened, and she tried to hide a blush. "What kind of arrangement? You don't mean a honey......moon.""No, I don't mean a honeymoon." Why did we need a honeymoon?"Great." Her cheeks reddened. "I know this wedding is just for us to get what we want. That's the only reason I agreed in the..."Her voice trailed off, and her eyes landed on my lips. She was so unguarded and innocent. Unbroken, pretty, virginal. It would be easy to seduce her.Fortunately, she wasn't my type. My typical mistresses were sophisticated and fierce. Women who lavished hours in saloons and gyms, trying to look good. Exotic women who knew how to seduce a man and make him play their games. Women who kept their lips red and their hearts black. Who would greet me in silk lingerie and always had my favorite vodka chilled in the freezer. They welcomed me to bed and spoke little, allowing me to exert my dominance.Lyra Bennet, on the other hand, expressed every thought in her head. And if she forgot to say something, her expression would give it away. She clearly saw makeup as a chore and going to the gym as a death sentence. In her oversized t-shirts and shorts, she made no effort to show off her curves.But I was glad she wasn't trying to seduce me. It would only complicate things that didn't need to be complicated. And it would hurt a fragile young girl I did not intend to hurt. At least more than I already planned."So....I wanted to ask a question." She said, biting on her lower lips. "Can I?"I nodded. "Let's hear it.""How did you find me at the hotel?"I closed my eyes to think for some seconds. I had prepared for the question, but I didn't know it would come this early. How did I find Lyra Bennet?I had long despised Illyra Bennet, the con artist that caused a rift between me and Andrei years ago. The girl who made my brother weak and vulnerable. All this time, I had kept track of her, waiting for her to go back to her old ways, but she didn't. It came as a shock to me when I realized that she might have changed after all these years. I knew her failed engagement with Andrei had everything to do with it. I had sent several private investigators to watch when she would start gambling again, but she didn't. She had also blatantly refused to let Lyra marry me to get the land, and she could go to hell for that. When I realized none of my plans were working, I decided to try another way. Lyra herself. Until we had met at the restaurant a few days ago, all I knew about her were from a private investigator with a grainy photograph. Illyra had always made a great effort to keep her away from me. They moved to different cities once they suspected they were being watched. It was a s
But Lyra was quite different. I could hardly believe they were sisters. In her, I saw innocence and her heart was warm. "But.." "I will be happy to get you a cake," I said fervently. "And a designer wedding gown and a ten-carat diamond ring." Reaching for her hand, I kissed it, then looked into her eyes. "Just tell me what you want, and it's yours."I felt her hands tremble in my own before she yanked it away. "Just bring my sister home. Safely from your brother. The more time she spends with him, the more her life is in danger. We have never been apart for years and it's driving me crazy." "You have my word. I will bring her back to you soon." I rose to my feet. "I must call my lawyer to discuss some important things. In the meantime, you should rest." I gestured to the bookshelves of first-edition books. "Read if you like. I have great books that may interest you. Your breakfast will be here at any moment. Excuse me.""Thank you for saving my sister," she whispered. She took a de
Illyra's POV“Illyra, wake up! Wake up, please!”A hand roughly shook me awake. Startled, I sat up with a gasp, blinking in the darkness. Were we under attack?My younger sister, Lyra, was sitting on the edge of the bed. Tears sparkled on her pale cheeks in the moonlight, and I immediately knew something wrong had happened. “What’s happened? Talk to me, Lyra. What happened?” I dropped my bare feet to the tile floor, ready to run, ready to fight anyone who had made my baby sister cry. “What’s wrong? Did anyone hurt you?”Lyra took a deep breath and exhaled. “I really messed up this time.” She wiped her eyes. “But before you freak out, I want you to know it will be fine. I know how to fix it.”Rather than be comforted by this statement, I felt deepening fear. There was nothing scarier than the words she said to me. My twenty-one-year-old sister, five years younger than me, had a knack for getting into trouble. Everything she did somehow always got her into a mess. And she was wearin
For a second, I couldn’t understand the words that Lyra said. Or maybe I didn't want to understand them.The lingering tears of relief burned my eyes like acid as I stared at my sister. How on earth could she do something so stupid? A hundred thousand dollars. How would we pay back a hundred thousand dollars? We were running from men already because of our debts, and the least she could do was lay low. Instead, she decided what we owed was not enough and had to add to the number. Turning away, I started to pace, compulsively twisting a long tendril of blond hair into a tight ringlet around my finger as I struggled to make sense of all my worst fears coming true. I had feared something like this would happen at the resort. I had dreaded the day we would be stuck in a terrible situation and flee our job. I tried to control my shaking hands, but I couldn't. I tried desperately to think of a way out, and my mind was blank. There was only one way out in situations like this. “But I to
“No! It’s my fault, Illyra, and I can fix it. Listen. On Christmas Eve, I met a man who told me how...”But I didn’t wait to hear whatever cockamamy sob story someone might have fed my softhearted sister this time. No one was coming to save her, and I had to do it. I grabbed my black leather motorcycle jacket and headed for the door.“Illyra, wait! Don't do it! You don't have to do this for me. I could get you into trouble.” She cried but I ignored her. I didn’t look back. I walked out of our tiny apartment and went down the open-air hallway to the moss-covered, crumbling concrete steps of the aging building where all the Hale Ka’nani Resort’s staff lived."It’s just like riding a bike. It will be easier than you think." I told myself fiercely as I raced down the steps. It was just as easy as dozing off after a long workday. Even after ten years away from the game, I could win at poker. I could. I didn't have a choice, or my sister would be indebted. And I knew just the way Aldric w
“This is my outfit for the night.” My voice was cool as I stared him down. “For poker.”"Are you going in to play?" He asked me, looking shocked. "Yes, my sister started a game and I am here to end it." I replied. “Oh.” His round, friendly face looked confused. “Well. Okay. Go in, then.”“Thanks.” Forcing the ice in my voice to fully infuse my heart, I pushed open the door. There was no going back, and I knew it. I walked into the room and exhaled. The private room for the villa residents had a cavernous ceiling and no windows. Everything was built with security and privacy in mind. The walls were soundproofed with thick red fabric that swooped from a center point on the ceiling. The effect made the room glamorous and cozy, and claustrophobic all at once. It felt all too dark and unhealthy for me. I wondered how Lyra was brought to a place like this and didn't freak out. To me, it felt like entering the tent of a sheik’s harem. But as I approached the wealthy men who were playing
Andrei Andreevich's eyes narrowed with recognition, and then I felt the rush of his sudden searing hatred like fire. I could feel the heat of his intense eyes all over my body. “Have you met Prince Andrei?” Aldric asked, looking between us. Everyone at the table was staring as well. Maybe it was the way I looked like I had seen a ghost or the way he was gritting his teeth. Either way, we both looked vicious. “Prince?” I choked out. The last time I remembered, he didn't use his worthless title. I could not look away from his face, the face of the man I’d dreamed about unwillingly for the past ten years.His cruel, sensual lips curved as he leaned back in his chair. My heart tried to pump blood aggressively, but I resisted. I wasn't going to let my guard down for him. “Miss Bennet,” he drawled. “I didn’t know you were in Hawaii. And gambling. What a pleasant surprise.”Miss Bennet? He would never call me that ten years ago. He loved to call me Illyra all the time. His tone also carri
Fine. I felt the same about him. Let him hate me. I hate him as well. He could glare at me for hours, and I don't care. His hatred bounced off the thickening ice of my scorn for him. I’d thought he was so perfect and noble. I thought he was the right one who would love me unconditionally. I’d killed myself trying to be worthy. I gave away everything trying to fit into his life. But when he’d learned the truth about my past, he’d deserted me without giving her a chance to explain. He had abandoned me without thinking about all the promises he had made to me. So much for his honor. So much for his love.My lips twisted. Turning away, I gave the rest of the men a sensual smile. “Win this first hand, and you’ll have me at your mercy. You’ll get your revenge. Humiliate me completely. Take my body, and make your last memory of me one of your own pleasure.” I gave a soft sigh, allowing my lips to part. “My skills at cards are nothing compared to what I can do to you in bed. I’ve learned