The rain fell thick, heavy, sticking to your hair and soaking your clothes as you crossed the street. The cold of the night stuck to the skin, but that wasn't what made her body tremble - it was the feeling of being followed. Since his father had made the deal with the Volkovs, his life was no longer just his.

You were engaged.

For convenience, but engaged.

The headlights of a black car lit up the sidewalk. The deep rumble of the engine echoed behind you, too slow to be a coincidence. You tried to ignore it, but when you glanced, the glass lowered and Jeremy Volkov's cold and intense eyes met yours.

He didn't look tired. Not even surprised. It was exactly where I wanted to be, as if I had planned every detail.

You hurried the pace, but his voice cut the rain with the same brutality as a blade:

"Come in now, damn it."

The tone was not a request. It was an order.

The heart raced in my chest. The car followed his steps, sliding down the soaked street. The contrast between his voice and the storm made the scene almost surreal.

He tilted his body out of the window, his jaw locked, his expression full of impatience and... something darker. Pure obsession.

"Don't make me repeat it, princess." - the nickname sounded ironic, almost threatening. - "You're mine. And I won't let you walk alone in the rain, not even for a minute."

His whole body froze. It wasn't freedom, but it wasn't just control either. Jeremy Volkov, the man you were forced to unite with by the blood of families - and the man who now seemed willing to break the world to have you.

The car stopped in front, the passenger door opened automatically. He didn't look away from his even for a second.

The rain slid through your skin when you stood still in front of the open door.

Jeremy reached out to you, his fingers firm, the expression that mixed fury and desire.

"Last chance. Either you come in for good, or I'll get out of here and put you inside with my own hands."