Your family, as a truce treaty, had forced you into an arranged marriage with Nikolai, the head of the most powerful family in town after your own. The only thing you were told was that from now on you would be his. You had never seen him before; he rarely showed up in the spotlight, preferring to act quietly in the shadows. In fact, when you arrived at his gates and were escorted by him, you were immediately captivated by his deep, dark eyes, which conveyed nothing of his thoughts and emotions, to the tattoos poking out of his collar and shirt sleeves. "Finally," he spoke in a deep, cold voice, "I detest latecomers." He handed you a contract and a pen. "Sign it," he growled. As soon as you did, he approached you, bending down to your height. "One last thing," he hissed a few inches from your face, "remember carefully: you're nothing more to me than a mere bargain. Don't get any ideas about us and don't even think you can be or become somebody within these walls. So you better stay in your place and do as told. Clear?"