On the way there, Salina was silent. Considering when she asked her last question, she didn't even get an answer.

She hated not knowing.

Salina felt as if she'd gone into shock. Her emotions were all over the place as Dominik drove beside her. He would glance to probably assess where she was at but if he asked her right now she wouldn't have an answer.

She sat next to a complete stranger. A deadly stranger, that was all she knew about him for a fact. She was sitting next to her fiancé. Apparently.

Honestly, besides that she was busy thinking about Gabriel and Fern. They'd been working for him this entire time, they'd been with her for longer than she'd known about the arrangement.

How long has he been planning this? More importantly, how long has he been watching her?

That's when she looked at his profile, his handsome face eerily calm as he pulled up to her fathers home as if he owned the place.

To be honest, Salina wouldn't be surprised to find out he did.

"Don't open the door-"

Her mouth opened to protest but he'd already walked out.

Her fathers security had run up at the foreign car that'd been able to miraculously open their gate and bypass their security system- but the guns they aimed lowered immediately.

Dominik openly sneered at them, turning his back as Gabriel and Fern pulled up behind them.

The sneer on his face fell away as he opened Salina's door and helped her out.

"Here's what's going to happen," he murmured to her as he pulled her in close by her waist. Their warmth collided, her hands instinctively pressing to his chest.

"Hey-" she gasped but he only continued talking over her while pressing their chests together. His calloused hands slid up her upper arms and one smoothed down to the small of her back. The other toyed with the thin strap of her delicate dress.

"I'm going to walk in there and point my gun at your father. None of the security is going to do anything because they're perfectly aware of who is actually in charge here, hm?" He walked her through what was about to happen. All the while, caressing his thumb over her hip and trailing his fingers up to her jaw. A slight, arrogant quirk of his lips went unnoticed by her as everyone watched them.

"I need you to stay calm, yeah?" Dominik brushed his nose over the shell of her ear almost lovingly. It was intimate, her face heated up. Instinctively, she flinched away a bit. But she barely got away as he held her in place.

His hand came up to cup the side of her face, brushing high over her cheekbone. Salina wondered if this was a show for the guards around them, an outsider looking in would say the two were in love with how delicately he held her.

"I won't kill him unless I have to. If you give me a hard time- I'll be more inclined to." He pulled away to nod down at her. Thumbing at her chin, he nodded her head along with him as he looked amused.

Salina closed her eyes to steady her heart rate, nodding back at him. There was no avoiding this, either way Dominik got what he wanted.

Grinning down at her, he guided her inside the house as if it was his own with a possessive arm around her slender shoulders.

Her fathers men opened the door for him.

Dangerous chuckled rumbled from Dominik's chest.

"What the hell is all the ruckus-?!" Laurent's thick voice called as he stormed down the steps. He had stopped himself from speaking or even moving at the sight of the devil on his own. With Salina in his grasp.

"Just the man I was looking for," Dominik announced haughtily. The large house made his voice boom with the particular dominance he carried.

"D-Don-"

Dominik lifted the gun out of the back of his pants and pointed it at Salina's father.

Nobody did anything to stop him either.

Fern and Gabriel stood on either side of him as well, reinforcing his presence. Salina was completely dwarfed in their space.

"Aren't you going to congratulate us?" Dominik sneered as he linked hands with Salina. He held their entwined fingers up brazenly, raising a brow demandingly.

Laurent looked at a loss for words. When he made eye contact with his daughter, she narrowed her gaze at him before staring at the ground in front of her.

"Congratulate us on our engagement you old fuck." Dominik suddenly yelled while dropping the hammer on his gun. The same arm holding her hand looped over her shoulder almost too casually for the situation.

Laurent held up his hands in surrender, "Congratulations!"

Dominik nodded with a scowl on his face, "Is there a reason you've been keeping her from me?"

Laurent shook his head, "I-I would never. I simply... simply wanted to make sure I benefited as much as I could from the engagement. I wanted to give you time to think it over as well... Salina is not Donna material."

All of the men heard the woman in question scoff at her father. She sneered openly at him. Whether it was because she didn't like his doubt or that he was trying to dangle her over the Don like a prize to milk him for all he's worth she wasn't sure. Maybe it was both.

Dominik saw the disgust on her face for her father at the moment. His arm around her neck tightened, "Make her upset again. I dare you," his grip on his handgun tightened. He squeezed her tight against him so she was trapped.

Salina's eyes widened as she whipped her head up to him.

"I've come here to collect what's mine. That includes all her shit in here. I've got a group coming in ten, they're taking her shit and moving it out. I see anything I don't like Beaumont and I swear to god I'll kill every motherfucker in here, understand me?"

Dominik's threat- no, his promise- was daunting. His words held so much weight to them, she doesn't know how he does it. The entire room was captivated and terrified by him.

"Understood," Laurent choked out. Dominik glared at him, his gaze piercing as the older man squirmed underneath it.

Her hand came up to his front of his shirt, as much as she disliked her dad especially at the moment, the gun trained on her father made her uncomfortable.

Tugging on the fabric, Salina nodded her head towards the direction of her room. "This way," she murmured gently.

Lowering his weapon, Dominik nodded for her to lead the way.

"I can pack on my own," she offered in her sweet sultry voice.

He strode beside her, his eyes sliding to the side to glance at her.

He didn't entertain her with a response.

Her face turned pink as they got to her bedroom. Slowly, she pushed the door open and stepped into her precisely decorated room.

She was sad to be leaving it.

It was white and pink, subtle accents and plants hanging from her large window seat.

A soft mewl sounded and Salina sighed in relief, crouching to see her cat.

"Hi Dulce," she smiled. Lifting her up, Salina cuddled Dulce as the purrs she made calmed her down from the stressful day.

Dominik stared at her unashamedly.

"She's coming with you?" he asked slowly.

"I wouldn't be leaving without her," Salina murmured boldly.

Dominik grunted with a nod.

"Pick the furniture you prefer to keep. We can rearrange our bedroom and buy new things if necessary."

Salina's busy hands slowed momentarily. She looked up at him past her lashes, "We'll be sharing a bedroom?"

Dominik hummed as he stalled, looking at all the pictures of her around the room. Some from when she was younger, some from her teens with academic accomplishments scattered around, and very little photographs that seemed recent.

In the middle was a picture of Salina as a child, and a woman who appeared to be her mother holding her tight. It was a cute picture, he picked another more recent one and brushed his thumb over her smile that got smaller and smaller as she got older in the pictures.

When he realized the silence had gotten too loud, he glanced up. Salina's head poked out of the closet momentarily as if to check he hadn't left her. Placing the picture down with more care than he would like to admit, he glanced back at her with that same cocky face as before.

"We will. We're engaged after all," he smirked a bit as he began taking her drawers out of her dresser completely instead of simply grabbing them.

Salina huffed as he began tossing the clothes out and onto her bed.

"You're mixing everything up," she fussed.

"Then stop giving the cat all of your attention and get a suitcase," he taunted. His daring eyes met her own, raising a brow at her.

Salina huffed and went to her large closet, Dominik looked around her clothes discreetly. When she came back with three suitcases, she saw him dump out her underwear drawer.

Her brown cheeks felt flushed at all the lace garments on display, "Maybe I go through them?" She came up to his side. His warmth brushed her own, her body already growing familiar with it as her stomach tightened nervously.

Dominik grunted, hooking a particularly skimpy silk white pair onto his finger.

"Why is that?"

She blew out her lips, narrowing her eyes up at him.

"They're mine."

"Everything yours is most definitely mine. You, your clothes, these cute little panties you're gonna show off to me. are. mine."

She snatched them away, her chocolate skin feeling completely hot.

"Y-You're being ridiculous Ivanov," she tried to throw them back on the bed. Her voice was still passive as she didn't want to make him angry.

But unsurprisingly, he was persistent. Catching them before they fell on her duvet, she watched him slide them in his pocket.

"Don't be so cruel, жена." Dominik smirked

wife

Relenting, Salina shook her head at him while grabbing her pajamas.

"The last thing I need is another panty thief," she grumbled to herself.

Dominik, who once looked amused, did not anymore.

Salina's hands faltered for a second, realizing her error.

'Another' implies that there was a first.

"And who the fuck else has been interested in taking what's ours?" he grit in a deceptively calm voice. His fists clenched, she could see underneath his tattooed skin that his veins were beginning to bulge.

"U-Um," she nibbled on her bottom lip. Salina could not want to shoot herself
more at this exact moment. How stupid of her, normally when she ran her mouth it was in fits of anger. This- this was just messy of her.

"Ivanov," she swallowed while glancing over at him.

She went to say something else, but his large hand once again found itself collared around her throat.

For a second, she felt peril deep into her stomach.

He was going to hit her, this would be an ongoing theme of her marriage. That's the only thing she could assume.

Salina braced herself.

But he only tilted her face up demandingly, pulling her in close so she stumbled into his chest. She reached and gripped his buttoned up shirt to steady herself. His heated body warmed her trembling fingertips.

He saw the fear in her eyes, he felt her pulse fluttering underneath his thumb.

"Don't be scared, солнышко. I just need to know who the fuck was going through your underwear yeah? Shouldn't be too hard, hm?" he cooed condescendingly down at her. But despite his soft grumbly tone his eyes were dark and his lips curled around his teeth angrily.

little sun

"It's not a big deal," she rasped while gripping his wrist when he gave her throat a rogue squeeze. She panted softly as she could see the possessiveness in his face. She knew that look well on a man but never had it made her feel like this before. He was enthralled by the sight of his tattooed hand on her throat.

"Salina," he growled heatedly.

While she would rather not deal with this right now. Salina did not care either way if Alejandro lived or died, that risk was a part of the job. So, for the sake of her own self preservation she spilled.

Maybe he shouldn't steal women's underwear. They might be betrothed to the deadliest man on the planet.

Or maybe he could just start by not stealing women's underwear period.

"He's a guard?" Dominik asked slowly after she relayed to him what she knew.

"Mhm," she licked her lips while staring up at him.

"And you confronted him?"

"He knows I know," Salina tightened her fist around his shirt- wrinkling the fabric.

"Come- let one of the staff begin to pack."

"Ivanov- please I don't want-"

He cut her off, "You don't get a choice. You're the Donna, you must understand what happens." His accent thickened as his words grew choppier in his anger.

"I promise I understand what happens. It's not that hard to figure out," she scowled a bit as he began pulling her. Dominik ran his tongue over his teeth, side glancing at her in annoyance.

"This isn't up for debate. You think you know what happens in this business but you don't."

Salina tried to keep up with him, her cheeks puffed out in frustration. "That's not fair- I grew up around all of this just like anyone else."

But Dominik didn't care to hear it, this was some kind of fucked up test- she could tell. He was seeing if she could truly fit in like he thought she could. If Salina rioted at the sight of a dead body, realistically how could she marry the infamously lethal Russian Devil?

Salina couldn't give a damn about the violence itself. In fact, it intrigued her a bit. A lot. You wouldn't catch her dead admitting that though. But right now? The last thing she wanted to delve into was the murder of another man as her life was currently being turned upside down.

She just didn't have the time for it today.

Dominik snagged her hand again, pulling her faster than she could realistically walk.

They stormed into the main living room, where Laurent sat with his hands tightly clasped together. He had a glass of tequila beside him.

"Did you know about this?" Dominik barked at him. Laurent stood abruptly, caught off guard as his thoughts were clouded with today's change of plans.

"Don I really must speak with you before you take my daughter-"

"Did you know that one of your fuckin' men were going through her underwear?"

Alejandro, in the back of the room paled significantly.

Salina simultaneously felt her entire body flush.

Laurent stumbled over his words, only looking confused. "Well what does she expect with how she dresses? I can't control how men will be men. This is what I'm saying you really must reconsid-"

Salina had stomped her foot at her fathers words, eyes going bleary at his blatant insults.

"Papa, pourquoi es-tu comme ça?" she sniffled while wiping at her cheeks. He was humiliating her in front of all of these men.

dad why are you being like this?

Dominik's eyes had the devil in them, reaching to the back of his pants. If you looked close enough into the dark orbs you could see hell itself.

He looked at Salina who threaded her fingers with his tighter on her own. He caught how she used her other hand to wipe at her tears of embarrassment quickly.

"Which?" he grunted to her.

Salina's eyes met Alejandro's wide ones, Dominik didn't even wait for a verbal answer.

"Bring him to me," Dominik commanded. Laurent's men, who inadvertently were Dominik's men, listened immediately.

Laurent sucked in a breath, making a motion to stop them but he froze. He finally realized the severity of this situation.

Laurent was not in charge.

Two other soldiers gripped Alejandro roughly, dragging him as he fought for his life.

"Please!" he begged.

"Laurent, it will do you well to understand that Salina is not yours anymore. She is mine. These insults you throw her way, they affect me. These," he gripped Salina's face a bit roughly.

Squeezing her cheeks and tilting her chin to show the tear stains on them, glistening in the light. "These tears, they are mine. Choose your next words carefully in reference to my woman."

Laurent swallowed hard as his entire body was frozen. Everyone froze as a matter of fact.

Dominik turned to Alejandro who was crying on his knees.

"What hand did you use to get off to her?" Dominik rasped bluntly.

Salina cringed at his terminology, wanting to take a hot shower at the idea. Her eyes glared at the security all staring at her. Their eyes roving over her, all trying to get a good look at what the Don was killing over. Shifting, she hugged Dominik's muscular arm to his chest.

His other arm held the gun up, Salina was unbothered by this as she finally looked back at Alejandro.

After reluctance, Alejandro's left hand was forced out onto the ground.

Dominik looked at it in disgust, lifting his other hand he shot through Alejandro's palm.

Salina didn't flinch at the gunshot, she did sneer and tilt her chin up as his blood splattered over her dress and up her neck. The warm, viscous liquid slid down her perfectly supple skin.

Her teeth grit and her eyes slid to Dominik.

"Look at him, жена."

Salina narrowed her eyes at Dominik but obeyed.

Just then, Dominik shot Alejandro in the crotch. The man who was already holding his hand and crying began to wail louder.

He collapsed onto his side, holding himself.

"Should we make him beg, pretty girl?" He dragged Salina in front of him. The gun aimed over her shoulder, "What do you think baby?" Dominik goaded her with a low raspy voice.

Salina grit her teeth, frowning tightly and tilting her chin up and away from him.

Dominik snorted quietly, grinning as he looked down at her stubborn face. Then he glanced around at the other guards, Alejandro, and of course Laurent.

"My woman is impatient to get home! What is the English saying... happy wife happy life? Yes that sounds about right. You should thank her Alejandro for ending it quickly. I was half tempted to have you recreate those lonely nights with Salina's pretty fucking panties. Except this time it's even more pathetic with your dick fucking blow off."

"Ivanov," Salina whispered as she finally turned her face towards him. His dark eyes focused on only her, ignoring everyone else in the room as he turned to have her chest against his own. He hummed as he flickered his gaze over her features. There wasn't a hint of fear on her, just hesitance.

She peaked at him through her long lashes, "I want to leave," she couldn't bring herself to acknowledge her fathers shocked reaction. The Russian man before her nodded once, immediately addressing everyone else.

"Does everyone understand the message I'm trying to give?" Dominik held out his hand with the gun in it and raised his brow.

His eyes flickered around, the room reeked of fear. Everything was tense and everyone avoided eye contact.

"Laurent," Dominik barked.

"Do. You. Understand?" The Don seethed to the older man as he tapped his own temple with the barrel of his gun.

"I-I understand, Don."

Salina watched her father submit. There would be no more questioning his decision.

Dominik nodded once, "We'll be leaving once she's done packing."

His tone was now blasé and dismissive as he scratched the side of his head with the barrel of his gun before holstering it. They left the room with heavy silence besides the whimpering and crying of a butchered Alejandro.

He tugged on Salina's hand, glancing down to see she was wiping her face of blood splatters and frowning at her stained dress. He knew he also had blood smearing his brow.

Guiding her back to her room, leaving the room with a rather large mess to clean up as Alejandro bled out, he grabbed a tissue.

"Sit," he gestured to her vanity.

She huffed, sitting down while still fiddling with her dress.

"I'll buy a new one," he grunted. This was why he wore black more often than not. But Salina would not need to follow the same habits he did, he didn't plan to expose her to too much violence.

First he needed to see how she responded to his first trial by fire.

"I didn't want a new one, I liked this one," she huffed a bit. "Listen.. About my dad..."

"Don't worry about him, I won't allow him to talk you like that anymore."

Salina opened her mouth for a moment before she shut it slowly.

"Alejandro...You didn't even kill him. You know he was creepy but doesn't mean you do what you did." She didn't say it in an accusatory tone but more so one of casual annoyance at the entire display if not for the ultimate punishment at the end.

Dominik didn't believe in a merciful death to perverts however, especially ones perving on his wife.

"He deserved it."

Dominik roughly rubbed at her face, his brow was furrowed as he held her jaw. He had never had to do this for anyone else.

Licking his thumb, he scrubbed it against her high cheek bone as she looked at him wide eyed.

"You can't control if people think about me while they..." she gestured to his groin area bashfully.

"Watch me." Dominik grit, "Finish packing. We'll leave."