Arranged Mafia Daddy

Chapter 9Viktor

9

Viktor

I t’s obvious that Sage is worried about what we’ve become. It was only supposed to be a marriage, but I’ve uncovered something that neither of us really expected. One night of passion, and the shackles that could tie me to her for life have been revealed.

The sex was too good. I’d go so far as to call it the best I’ve ever had, and that worries me more than it worries her. She was always the one on the rollercoaster, but now it feels like I’ve gotten on with her, and there’s no way to get off until it’s over.

I feel things. Things I wouldn’t ever expect to feel. It’s like the iron box around my heart has been unlocked, and my emotions are starting to seep out. I tried to stop myself from comforting her after we had sex, but I couldn’t stand to see the look in her eyes. The fear of not knowing if what we did was right. The guilt that comes with enjoying something you want to hate.

I’ve felt it too, though I could never tell her why. That guilt that creeps up in the back of your throat like acid reflux, impossible to ignore, but not nearly as powerful as the pleasure you’ve gained from doing something you know to be wrong.

It’s like the first time I pulled the trigger on another person. I remember it clearly, like it was yesterday. Pulling that trigger didn’t bring my family back, but it made me feel like I had some control again, a way of being stronger than the people who made me feel weak.

My mother, my sister, and my father will never return, but neither will the man who killed them in front of me. As to why he left me alive, I still don’t know, but it was a mistake he wasn’t able to make twice.

Sometimes, I feel like I should thank him for putting me on this path, but mostly I don’t even think about it. The past can’t be changed. The future is the only thing I have, and up until now, it’s been quite bleak.

But Sage… she’s going to change all that. She’s already unlocked doors inside of me that probably should remain closed, but I like it.

Just like she enjoyed the way I pounded her in the dark, dragging her down to my level with every beautiful wave of pleasure that rolled through her delicate body. I, too, enjoy to blissful suffering that has befallen me.

When I kiss her again, I’m going to make sure she knows that it means we’re unified forever. My perfect obsession. My lovely mistake. The mother to the heir of the Bratva. Sage is everything to me, and I’ll never let her go.

I can hardly keep a straight face as I straighten my tie in the mirror and slick back my hair. My lip keeps twitching, and I’m pretty sure one of the blood vessels in my eye has popped.

Ivan is standing just a few feet away, watching me prepare for the wedding ceremony. It was supposed to be small, but things quickly got out of hand when Ivan started inviting guests, and now it seems we’re going to have the entire city at the venue. He’s my bodyguard just as much as he is my assistant today.

I turn to him, adjusting my pear cufflinks, feeling the weight of the moment pressing down on my shoulders like a thousand pounds of steel. “Is everything ready?” I ask, my voice steady, masking the nervousness I feel inside.

Ivan nods once, his face emotionless. “Everything is set, sir. The guests are arriving, and Sage is preparing in her room.”

I take a deep breath, letting it out slowly. “Good. Make sure there are no surprises.”

He grunts in acknowledgment, his eyes sweeping over me in the mirror. I know I can trust Ivan to handle the logistics, but the thought of Sage walking down the aisle, looking uncertain and possibly resentful, makes my chest tighten.

I haven’t seen her much since last night. I haven’t been able to tell her what this means for us, only that we’re getting married and that’s the end of it. Part of me wants her father to show up so I can have a distraction.

I need to let out this awful feeling inside of me. This guilt. I want to turn it into anger and beat the living hell out of Mr. Thompson. I want him to try to play the hero and get put down once and for all, even in front of Sage.

But all of this is just a silly fantasy. He doesn’t know when or where the wedding will occur, and even if he did, he’s too much of a coward to show his face. He betrayed Sage, and there’s no coming back from that. I think she might even hate him more than she hates me.

“I’ll be done in a moment,” I say, studying myself a little more closely in the mirror. I can see the wrinkles that have started to appear on my face, deep ones that took a lot of stress to get there.

They’re not going anywhere now, but I do find myself wishing I was a few years younger. Maybe Sage would be more interested in me, but who’s to say she doesn’t like older men? She was obviously turned on by me last night. That was obvious by the sounds she was making in the dark.

I’m overthinking now, but that’s because I have too much time. I’m not used to take this long off work, and I believe it’s driving me insane. It’s been years since I even took a weekend off.

I look over at Ivan, who is still standing like a block of cement behind me. “Can you go check on Sage? Make sure she has everything she needs.”

Ivan nods again and exits the room silently. I take a moment to compose myself, to push down the emotions threatening to surface. This is a business transaction as much as it is anything else, and I can’t afford to let my feelings complicate things.

It’s time to be the man I know I am, and marry Sage. It’s for the better. It’s for the Bratva. I know this is the right thing to do.

But even though it’s right, I feel an odd swirling sensation in my stomach as I step out of the room. It could be nerves, but it’s more like butterflies. My palms are sweaty too, which is unusual. I’m not normally this… off.

We ended up hosting the wedding at a very nice mansion just a few dozen miles from the one I own. It’s not quite as large, but it fits as many people as one could dream of having at their special day.

The reason I didn’t want to have it at home was because I prefer not to reveal my address to everyone. Many people close to me know it, but it’s far from public information. The house isn’t even in my name. It’s in my company’s name, and it’s technically a business asset.

This one is also a business asset, a rental for only the richest people. I’ve heard that it’s mostly used for expensive photoshoots and music videos, but the occasional wedding gets hosted here when the elites are ready to say their vows.

I didn’t think I’d ever be one of them. I mean, I knew that eventually, I was supposed to get a woman pregnant to pass on the role of Bratva boss, but I’m not like most other men. I’m not dying to stick my dick in anything with long legs and red lips. I’m particular about my women, which is why I chose Sage.

It wasn’t about her father, so much as it was about the connection I felt when I first saw her. I knew that I had to get my hands on her, no matter the cost. Threatening Mr. Thompson’s life was just another elaborate tactic to get her into my hands.

It was planned. Rigged. Just like everything else in my life and business. The money, the debt, the roll of the dice. They’re all rigged. Even the roulette wheel spin that finally got Sage out of her panties…

Rigged. I like it better that way. I’m not a loser. I make sure I’m always holding the winning hand or a smoking pistol. That’s the way I play, and it’s why I’m so filthy rich.

I suppose that Sage will eventually discover this, if she hasn’t already. She knows I’m crooked, but I think that’s what intrigues her the most about me. If I was such a terrible person, I doubt she’d even give me the time of day.

Regular guys always get passed up by beautiful women. They’re not the ones tearing off their panties and marrying them the next day on a whim. It’s too brash for the regular Joe, but I’m far from regular.

That’s my talent. I’m screwed up in all the right ways.

The mansion is buzzing with activity, the guests mingling and chatting, their voices a soft hum that grows louder as I approach the main hall. As I enter the main hall, all eyes turn to me, and for the first time since I was young, I feel small.

I swallow hard, puffing out my chest and holding my head high as I walk to the altar. I want to have a few words with my security up there before the ceremony actually begins.

The room is beautifully decorated with roses and lilies, their scent filling the air and relaxing me a bit as I make me way down the aisle. A string quartet plays softly in the corner, setting a serene, almost surreal atmosphere.

It doesn’t feel real. I realize I’ve never even been to a marriage before. I had Ivan set everything up because I have no clue where to begin.

Suddenly, the panic sets in. Should I even be doing this? I was so certain a moment ago, so set in my ways that I didn’t even think to prepare for it. What if Sage hates me forever? What if she’s not even able to have my children? What if I’m infertile?

The thoughts comes faster than I can get rid of them, making my head spin as I step up on the altar and place my hand on one of the security guards. I lean in, trying to steady my voice as I speak to him. “Is everything good?” I ask. It feels like I’m asking myself more than him.

“Everything is ass it should be. Guest 1-3-6-2 is drunk, but he will be escorted out if he causes a scene. We have someone on him already.”

I frown. Did Ivan manage to find over a thousand people to invite to my wedding? Sure, the venue can accommodate them, but I hardly want that many eyes on me at once. I’m an introvert, as much as I try not to be.

Ivan, on the other hand, doesn’t seem to be one, which is odd, considering how little he speaks.

I shift my weight to the other foot, scanning the expectant faces in the crowd as the tension in the room grows. Something is going to happen, but it’ll be another five minutes before the ceremony actually starts.

As I take my place at the altar, I can’t help but glance towards the door, waiting for Sage to appear. The anticipation is almost unbearable, each second stretching out into an eternity. I know we still have more time to wait, but I feel like she’s going to come through any second.

My heart beats so hard that it eclipses the noise of the string quartet. I don’t even know what they’re playing anymore. All I know is that I’m about to see Sage, and she’s going to stun me with her beauty like she always does.

How will she look in a wedding dress? Will she be smiling? Will she glare at me, hating every second of this until it’s over?

Finally, the doors open, and she steps in, looking radiant in a flowing white gown. Her eyes meet mine, and for a moment, everything else fades away. It’s just the two of us, standing on the edge of something neither of us fully understands.

The music changes, and all heads turn to her. She’s the center of attention, the star of the show. I’m so used to be that person, the one everyone looks to when things get intense, but she’s taken it from me. She’s the most special one, even if she doesn’t realize it.

She walks down the aisle slowly, her movements graceful yet hesitant. Each step she takes brings her closer to me, to our future together. I can see the conflict in her eyes, the mixture of awe and determination, and it only makes me more certain of my decision.

When she finally reaches me, I take her hand, feeling the tremor in her fingers. The officiant begins to speak, but his words are a blur. All I can focus on is Sage, standing before me, a symbol of everything I’ve fought for and everything I still have to conquer.

As the ceremony progresses, I can see the tension slowly leaving her body. Her hand in mine becomes steadier, her gaze more intense when she looks in my eyes. Her expression is subtle, but I see that there’s a smile starting to form on her lips.

When it’s time for the vows, I don’t have any prepared. I was a fool not to at least come up with some small thing to say, so I’m forced to speak my heart on the spot.

I clear my throat, looking down at her glowing eyes. She has her makeup done in such a beautiful way that it doesn’t take away from her natural beauty. It’s accents it, lifting it up to new heights.

I feel myself fall for her, and I question whether this could be love.

Infatuation? Certainly, but there’s something else there, those butterflies again that I can’t get rid of. I hate it. I want to punish her for it, to bend her over and spank her in front of everyone. I want to embarrass her and ruin the moment, but that’s just the self-sabotaging boy in me throwing a tantrum.

The one who felt weak as he watched his family get slaughtered in front of him. The boy who only knew strength through brutal violence.

I wouldn’t wish that kind of violence on poor, innocent Sage. Maybe her father deserves it for betraying his daughter, but that’s all to my advantage. Other people’s weakness becomes my strength, and there’s plenty of that in the world right now.

Enough to become filthy rich and claim the most beautiful woman I’ve ever laid eyes on.

“Sage,” I begin after an awkward silence. Everyone in the crowd seems to be holding their breath, and even the music has stopped. I have to come up with something good, but all I can do is speak from my heart.

I didn’t even know I had one until I met Sage.

“You are… an incredible woman,” I begin, taking her hands in mine and squeezing them lightly.

She smiles, and it seems genuine.

“I never thought I’d be here today, but now that I am, I know it’s the right thing,” I say. “Just… looking at you makes me feel like a new man. I know that our future together is going to be something incredible.”

My words feel lame, but Sage’s smile widens. Either she’s enjoying the fact that I’m nervous, or she actually likes what I have to say.

I decide to have a little fun with my vows, switching them up to keep her from thinking I’m taking this too seriously. “I remember when we first met. It was the epitome of romance.”

She gives me a look like she wants to roll her eyes, but the smile is still on her pretty mouth.

“I remember asking your father permission to marry you, and how happy he was to agree,” I say. That part is true, but the reality is far from the cheerful implication.

Sage shakes her head at me, a sparkle in her eyes. “You need to stop,” she mutters so that only I can hear it.

I laugh. “I will never stop expressing my love to you.”

She turns her head from me, trying to hide the pinkness in her cheeks as she blushes. Inside, I feel triumph. I don’t know why it means so much to me to see her like this, but I need it. The greatest validation isn’t having money or women at your feet. It’s impressing the woman you’re chasing, the one who you feel like you can’t really have.

But it does seem like I can have her now, like she doesn’t hate me anymore. Maybe it’s just an illusion, a mask she’s put on to be able to endure this wedding, but if it is, it’s a damn good one.

With my vows finished, I hold my head high, and the officiant turns to Sage, expecting her vows.

To my surprise, she pulls a little crumpled paper from a hidden pocket in her dress, unraveling with shaking hands as everyone waits in silence. She wrote something for me? I feel even more guilty now for not having written something for her. Why is she so much better to me than I am to her, even when she has no reason to be?