Chapter 2

Anastasia stayed on her knees for as long as she could remember.

Her world tilted as her gaze locked on the engagement ring on her finger.

She couldn't understand.

Why would Dario not believe her?

He claims to love her but he doesn't believe her.

Anastasia clenched her shaky fists, she was furious.

Mad at the world, and mad at herself for hurting the man she loved the most in the world.

She turned and looked at Mikhail.

He wasn't staring at her, he was staring at a whiskey glass on the counter.

Anastasia sniffled, and his attention shifted to her.

His gaze landed on the dark marks on her neck, and she tried to cover herself.

Mikhail's face hardened.

He took a few steps forward and held her hand, he turned her hand like he was looking for something.

Anastasia frowned.

He still when he moved closer, and removed the hair on her neck.

Mikhail traced his fingers on her neck—not in a romantic way, but in a suspicious way.

“You were drugged”. He said, almost certainly.

Anastasia blinked the tears away.

“What?”

Mikhail picked the glass and picked up his phone from the nightstand.

“I don't believe in coincidences”.

He swallowed hard and looked at her.

“Last night, I remember leaving the gala, and taking a drink, after that I can't remember anything else, it's like there's a hole in my memory”.

He said and dialed a number.

“Fabio, my room now”. He ordered and hung up.

Anastasia swallowed hard.

“Did we?”....

He paused and looked at her.

“I don't know, as I said before I don't remember anything either”.

There was a short pause before he continued.

“How do you feel?” He asked.

Anastasia frowned.

She hadn’t let herself check until he asked. A dull burn across her lower back. A deeper, sharper ache between her legs. Neither proved anything. Both made her stomach turn.

“I feel sore”. She said—her voice barely above a whisper.

A knock was heard, and a middle aged blonde man walked in the room with his head down.

“Pakhan, the council has arrived”.

“They've heard”. The man reported with his head down.

“Of course they heard”.

Anastasia frowned.

“Heard what?”

“Heard that I slept with my nephew's fiancee”. Mikhail replied.

“But we were drugged, that does make a difference right?”

Mikhail shook his head.

“No, it doesn't”.

“The council doesn't care that we slept together, they care that I woke up in bed with my nephew's fiancee”.

“Who are these people?” Anastasia asked, cutting him off.

“The people who can decide whether I still rule this family”.

“They can remove you?”

Mikhail nodded.

“They can try”.

He looked up at his advisor.

“Prepare the conference room and welcome the council, I'll be down in a bit”.

Fabio bowed his head, and left.

Mikhail turned to Anastasia.

“I'll have someone send you home when you are ready to go”.

“The longer you stay here, the worse this situation gets”. He said and left.

Anastasia's shoulders dropped.

An hour later, Mikhail sat at the head of the table with thirteen men who looked over fifty.

They had similar expressions on their faces, Mikhail had none.

“May I know the reason for this impromptu visit?” He asked under their intense eyes.

One of the elders spoke first.

"Did you sleep with your nephew's fiancée?"

Mikhail met his gaze.

"Yes."

No excuses,no lies.

The room erupted.

“How dare you?” The eldest man in the room who was sitting across from Mikhail yelled.

Another elder slammed his cane against the floor.

"You've shamed this family!"

"You've endangered the Bratva!"

“You were thinking with your dick!”

"You've embarrassed your own blood!"

Mikhail listened.

Without reacting.

Finally...

He spoke.

"Someone drugged us."

The silence that followed was loud, then sarcastic laughter was heard.

“Really?”

“You were drugged?”

“How convenient Mikhail, very convenient”. The elder sitting closest to him by the left mocked.

“Mikhail Volkov, drugged in his own house”.

“Isn't that a tale that is worth telling?” Another mocked.

Mikhail watched the men as they whined and mocked.

The silence died down, and their eyes turned to him again.

“Since you think this is a joke, then let me make one thing clear”.

“I am going to get to the bottom of this, I will”.

“And when I do, the people responsible will suffer a fate worse than death”.

“And I just hope none of you in this room have no connections to last night's incident, because this laughter will be coming from me by then”.

A short pause followed.

His change in demeanor affected everyone in the room, and they couldn't hide the fear on their faces.

When he was sure that the words hit their target, Mikhail stood up and buttoned his grey suit.

“This meeting is over”. He said and left while murmurs continued behind him.

Anastasia rolled down the window of the car that was going to take her home.

A soft sigh escaped her lips.

Everything still didn't make sense to her.

The driver waited for a nod from her before starting the car.

It drove through Mikhail's mansion, and the gates opened.

The second the gates closed behind them, reporters stormed out from nowhere.

“Miss Rhodes, we just received news that you were caught in bed with Mikhail Volkov, how true is this?”

“How long has this been going on?”

“Did you accept Mr Dario just to get close to Mikhail Volkov?”

The window was rolled down, while Anastasia seemed so out of it.

The air in the car tightened, as flashlights marked her face.

“Are you okay Miss?” The driver asked while looking at her from the review mirror.

Anastasia didn't reply.

She couldn't.

She didn't even know when the car pulled over at her house.

The driver waited for her to collect herself, before she stepped out of the car.

The gates opened, and Anastasia stepped in without acknowledging anyone.

She heard a familiar voice in the living room, and her heart raced.

Standing across the room was a redhead in her forties.

Anastasia cried, and threw herself in her mother's arms.

She let the sobs break free as she wrapped her hands around her mother.

A frown settled on her face, when she was pushed backwards.

“Really?”

“Really Ana?”

“You expect me to console you after what you did?”

She stumbled backwards.

“I am being labelled a mother of a slut by the public because of you!” She yelled.

Anastasia flinched and reared back like she was slapped physically.

Her mother didn't notice this, or she didn't care, so she continued.

“And Dario?”

“How dare you do this to Dario, you were two months away”.

“Just two months!”

“But you chose to be a whore, and you couldn't keep your legs closed”.

Anastasia opened her mouth to talk, but she couldn't form words.

Her lips quivered.

Without sparing her mother a glance, she went to her room, picked up a bag and left.

***

“Come in”.

Mikhail ordered from behind his desk.

Fabio came in and bowed.

“Miss Rhodes was dropped at the location she gave us”.

He paused and swallowed hard.

“However, she faced a small problem after crossing the gate”.

“Go on”.

Fabio nodded.

“She was swarmed by reporters”.

Mikhail tapped his fingers on the table.

“I want all the glasses and drinks from last

night to be taken to the lab and examined”.

“I want all the security footage from last night to be checked thoroughly”.

He paused for a second.

“And I want to deal with the reporters.

Fabio bowed and turned to leave, before reaching the door, he turned back.

“One more thing”.

“Miss Rhodes left her house thirty minutes ago, and her mother just threw out a suitcase that seems like hers”.