Clorinde

Ivan halted, turning around to face her.

"Consummate our marriage, Everly," he repeated.

Everly frowned at him. "What in the world do you mean by that?"

Ivan sucked his teeth, shutting his eyes to draw a deep breath. "Fuck, Everly, I'm going to fuck you, that's what I mean."

Everly rapidly batted her lashes, her eyes growing wide in shock. "W-wha…" Her mouth dropped open, and she peered at him as if looking at a ghost.

"Wait, did you think we weren't going to fuck in this marriage?" Ivan asked, seeming amused and baffled.

"Obviously!" Everly glared at him, arms expressively spread out. "That was not at all in the contract!" she was serious,

"Maybe because it's common sense." Ivan chuckled, utterly humored. He began to take steps towards her, and Everly, who still held a frown, started to back away from him.

She did until her back finally hit the wall, and Ivan trapped her between him and the wall.

"We are married, little wife. Of course, I'm not going to see any other woman except you," Ivan smirked, brushing his knuckles against her cheek.

Everly swallowed, her gaze following his fingers as they brushed down to her shoulders before gripping hard.

"I have somewhere to be now. I'll see you when I return." He smiled, turning around and leaving for the door. Everly could only stand watching him, utterly at a loss for words. A surprised glint flashed in her eyes the second Ivan came to a stop, throwing her a look over his shoulder.

"I'll take good care of you, don't worry." With that, he left.

Everly stood, gazing at the door with his mouth dropped open. "You've got to be kidding me."

She walked to the bed, swinging into it with folded arms.

"What does he mean he's going to take care of me? He couldn't actually mean it, could he?" she was in deep thought, and when it seemed like she couldn't make sense of anything, she clutched onto her hair, falling into the bed and burying her face in the pillow.

"Ivan! Ivan! Ivan!" a groan fled her throat as she grumbled into the pillow. She exhaled a soft breath and turned to face the ceiling, her eyes shut.

______

Ivan reclined in his office chair, looking at the papers spread across his desk. A pair of glasses rested on top, and every now and then, he would flip through the documents.

The sudden sounds of heels against the marble floor drew his attention, and he watched as the door swung open, a woman with her arms akimbo storming in.

She was a blondie whose hair was in a bob. Her blonde-colored lashes very well complimented her blue eyes, which fell on Ivan, who had met her gaze.

They stood, staring at each other as if trying to search each other's faces.

"Clorinde?" Ivan arched his brow. "What are you doing here?" he took his glasses off, frowning.

Clorinde puffed out whiffs of breath and took a step forward to slam her hands on the table. "Ivan, what is this that I'm hearing?"

"Meaning?" Ivan asked without sparing her a glance. He'd returned his attention to the documents he was signing.

Irritated by this, Clorinde took to his phone and snatched his hand, making him look at her. "What is this?"

Ivan's expression fell, and he slapped her hand off. "Are you out of your mind?" he glanced at his wrist as if it were littered with dirt and dusted it off, grimacing. "What is the meaning of that?" He was referring to the phone in her grip.

Clorinde seethed, her fists clenched at her sides. "Don't play dumb, Ivan! Explain these pictures!" her anger flared as she pulled out her phone, showing him a picture of him and Everly leaving the marriage office. "Who is this woman? Ivan, what is going on?"

Ivan stood up from the office chair, closing the documents.

"That woman... is my wife," he said with a smirk, unbothered. "Do you have a problem, Clorinde?"

Clorinde's voice dripped with confusion as she spoke. "Wife? What do you mean, wife? I'm supposed to be your wife!"

"Did I stutter? I said she's my wife, and I'm not even going to ask how you got that picture" he said, looking back at the documents on the table.

Clorinde spoke with a teary voice, sounding broken. "I'll make sure your father knows about this, Ivan. I'll make sure he knows you married a human.".

In an instant, Ivan's expression changed. Without a word, he rose from his chair, crossing the distance between them in a few swift strides.

Before Clorinde could react, Ivan's hand shot out, gripping her by the throat with an iron grip.

His voice was low but laced with a deadly warning. "Clorinde, listen to me carefully. If you dare to say a word of this to my father, I will find you. And believe me, you won't like what happens next. You better remember who you're in the presence of and know your place."

Clorinde's eyes widened in terror as she struggled against his grasp, and with a silent nod of understanding, she stumbled out of the office, her threat extinguished by Ivan's threat.

Alone once more, Ivan stood in the silence of his office, his chest heaving with pent-up rage.

"How infuriating" Ivan sighed before getting back to his work.

Meanwhile, Everly, who was at home, walked around the house, amazed by how fancy it looked.

She walked through the large hallway and saw maids walking up and down, cleaning the mansion. Everly opened one of the doors and entered it. It was the dining room.

"Goddamn, this place is huge!. What does he need this massive dining table for when he lives alone, anyways?" Everly shrugged before making her way to her room.

Hours passed before Everly heard the sound of the door to their room clicking. Ivan had returned home.

"Everly, are you-?" He froze as he saw Everly, who was in a dress and sat facing the mirror as she brushed her hair.

She turned around to look at Ivan, who was still frozen, stunned by her beauty. "What's wrong? Your eyes are like saucers," she raised one of her brows as she asked as a small chuckle escaped her mouth.

Snapping back to reality, Ivan cleared his throat. "I was just making sure you had run away."

Everly rolled her eyes before turning back to the mirror and continuing to brush her hair. "As if I did, you wouldn't find me, and besides, where would I even run?"

"I guess you do make a point," he said, taking off his coat and loosening his tie. "So how was your day? Seeing you in this dress, I assume the clothes I ordered for you were delivered, yeah?"

"Yes, they were. Apart from trying to navigate through this insanely massive house, getting lost so many times, and looking like a complete idiot as I tried to find the living room, I'd say my day was pretty decent," she turned to Ivan and gave him a sarcastic smile.

"Right. Well, you'll get used to it in no time." He gave Everly a soft smile.

"I don't know why you need a house this big but again, you're a Billionaire," she said, finishing brushing her hair and tying it into a cute bun.

"Well, I'll go shower, and I'll show you the way to the living room if you still want to go there," he said, looking at Everly, expecting an answer.

"All right," she said as she walked towards the sitting area in their room. "I'll get some fresh air while I wait.

Ivan nodded and walked into the bathroom.