Chapter 1: Introduction

"Yes, Miss Hathaway?"

I stared at the 6'7" teacher who paused writing on the chalkboard. His eyes studied me, waiting for me to speak.

"Mr. Belikov," I said. "Did you get a new duster? It looks new."

His lips quirked ever so slightly.

"Matter of fact, Miss Hathaway, I did... Thank you for noticing. Do you have anything to comment on our chapter reading of Paradise Lost?"

"Not really…" I said, flipping through my untouched book.

He just shook his head and resumed writing key ideas on the board.

This was Dimitri Belikov, the most attractive teacher St Vladimir's academy has ever seen. Every girl wanted to be in his literature or philosophy class. In fact, rumor has it the academic counselor's office even received bribes from some students to be put in this class. Dimitri was a good teacher…if you were into the old dusty book thing which I wasn't. Besides who wanted to pay attention to John Milton if you could pay attention to this incredibly sexy man with the Russian accent.

"For homework, do the last page of the packet," Dimitri said. "Have a good day."

I packed up my things and went straight to my best friend's locker. The day was finally over and I felt rejuvenated with a smile on my face. A few minutes later, Lissa rounded the corner from her last period class.

"Hey Rose," Lissa said, holding her books to her chest. "Did you hear about the party at Aaron's this weekend?"

"Your ex...?" I asked, raising an eyebrow.

"I haven't decided," Lissa reminded me. "Don't judge. Aaron and I have our differences but we have great chemistry."

"Okay…" I said, crossing my arms. "But don't come crying to me when he turns back into an asshole.

Aaron Drozdov was Lissa's on and off boyfriend of approximately one year now. There were two sides to Aaron: Nice Aaron and Asshole Aaron. Lissa only dated him when he was nice Aaron and cried all the time when he turned into Asshole Aaron. I didn't think they had anything in common except they were both loaded but then again, in order to pay for this school's tuition, you kind of had to be loaded.

"So Saturday, I'll come pick you up," Lissa said, sliding the books she didn't need back in her locker.

"Yeah," I agreed. "Saturday then."

We walked out to the parking lot where everyone was getting into their expensive sports car…everyone besides me. I unlocked my average but sturdy Honda Accord while Lissa slid into the leather seats of her Volvo.

I lived only twenty minutes away from school. I turned up the radio and quietly sang along until I pulled up to the driveway of a modest but very nice home. There was another car already in the garage. I wasn't the first one home.

"I'm back!" I sang as I kicked off my shoes and threw my backpack on the floor.

"Welcome back," a deep voice with a Russian accent said.

"Hello, Mr. Belikov," I said in a deep sultry voice, sitting down at the counter. I dramatically tossed my hair and pursed my lips.

"Hello, Mrs. Belikov," he said, shaking his head trying not to laugh as he handed me a glass of juice.

Are you confused? Because I would be too. Let me explain, yes, theoretically I was Rose Belikov now, not Rose Hathaway and yes, I'm married to my teacher seven years my senior. How a seventeen year old and a twenty four year old got married? It's a long story. . .

We have to go back to my childhood hometown: New York City where I lived with my dad in a luxurious townhouse with a steel door and bulletproof windows. My dad, Abe Mazur, was a mobster but not just any mobster, the king of mobsters. There were five main mobster families in New York City back then and my dad unified them when the government tried to exterminate all five families and established himself king of organized crime in the entire city.

Everyone in the underground world knew Abe Mazur. Everyone who knew him also knew at the age of fifty he developed bone marrow cancer, lost his left leg and then promptly died a slow horrible death.

But my dad was a fighter. He still was King even with cancer. My dad was never frightening to me but apparently he made grown men quake in their boots even he was hobbling around on one peg leg. Everyone did as he said, even on his deathbed. My dad knew he was dying and wanted everyone to bear witness to his legacy. All the mobsters in NYC were coming in and out of our townhouse to pay their respects to the great Abe Mazur.

Now that you have some background, back to my marriage. One dark stormy night I was shaken out of bed by my nursemaid aka my mother figure. My mom, Janine Hathaway, had left Abe when I was a toddler, something about not wanting to spend the rest of her life as a criminal so I don't even remember her anymore. I had only seen a few photos. I was mainly raised by Lee, a beautiful young Chinese woman, who didn't speak English. She was always kind to me and sang to me at night but we never really talked. Her job was to make sure I was fed, bathed, dressed and not shot.

I didn't like being woken and was very upset that Lee was combing my hair. My hair was long and almost always tangled.

"What is happening?" I demanded.

Lee just shook her head and laid out a nice dress for me, something I hardly ever wore. Fourteen year old me did not like dresses and complained the entire time. Then, Lee walked me downstairs to my dad laying in a hospital bed with IVs taped to his wrist. Around him was Dimitri, his right hand man and half of NYC's criminals in our living room with candles in their hands.

"Daddy?" I had asked, rushing to his side. "Are you okay?"

Abe shook his head. "I'm dying," he informed me. "I fear tonight might be my last…"

I'd never been afraid even growing up with so much crime around me but suddenly I was afraid. "No," I said shaking my head. "Don't leave me."

"Don't worry, Rose," Abe said, squeezing my hand. It was a frail and cold squeeze. "I have everything prepared for you after I die."

"No-"

"Shh," Abe said. His eyes were so sunken in, the skin under them drooped. "Do not interrupt…the great…Abe Mazur…" he wheezed.

"Shut up!" I exclaimed. "I don't want you to die!"

Everyone around him stifled a laugh. Apparently only I ever told Abe Mazur to shut up or talked back to him.

Abe took a long gulp of air. "Trust me," he said. "Can you promise to do exactly as I say?"

I was hesitant but nodded.

Abe lifted his other hand and Dimitri stepped forward. He was so tall and handsome. I remembered hiding on the stairs when he was at our home just to look at him. Abe nodded at Dimitri and Dimitri took my hands into his so we were facing each other.

I blushed, suddenly feeling very awkward in my fourteen year old body. His eyes were so serious.

Another man stepped forward. "Do you Dimitri Belikov take Rose Mazur to be your lawfully wedded wife?" he asked Dimitri.

"WAIT!" I exclaimed, retracting my hand.

Marriage vows? I had to have been dreaming.

"Rose…" Abe wheezed from his deathbed. "Obey. Please."

Abe didn't say please so I quieted but my entire body was shaking as Dimitri said "I do."

So, without warning or discussion, an ordained mobster married Dimitri and me with my father's consent.

"Do you promise to honor and protect my daughter?" Abe asked. "If you ever hurt her. I will destroy you even from the grave."

"I promise," Dimitri replied. "With my dying breath."

Dimitri was very loyal to my dad. His parents had been shot in a territory dispute between the families and when the winning family wanted to kill him too, my dad stepped in and took Dimitri in like a son. He never lived with us but he was the only person ever frequently invited to our house. Dimitri always said his life belonged to Abe and when Abe said ridiculous things like marry my fourteen year old daughter, he did without question.

My dad died that night, right before the sun rose and his death rocked the city. There was immediate power dispute on who would lead the families and bloodshed followed close after.

Many loyal to my dad flocked to Dimitri and rallied him to take up the job but he did something that shocked the city even more. Instead of fighting to be King of the Mobsters, he packed up my things, Lee's things and his own and we left New York City. He changed my last name to my mom's maiden name Hathaway and moved us to Montana state, on the opposite side of the country.

He said he couldn't risk keeping me in the city. I was Abe Mazur's flesh and blood and when I got older, I would be a threat to the families. I was so lost by my dad's death that I just followed. Lee did as she was told as well.

Montana was nothing like NYC but it became home for us. We adjusted to life in there very well considering my dad left us a fortune, a million that could be accessed only by me and my now husband, Dimitri, as well as the two suitcases of cash that Lee checked at the airport. Lee, now Jessica Lee, went through the airport with an American passport she never had until that week and Dimitri bought a nice four bedroom house in Washington…with cash. That was our new life.

It was weird living in the suburbs with a backyard and friendly neighbors who didn't want to kill us. I felt as though I was suddenly thrust into a whole new world. Dimitri enrolled in college and enrolled me in St. Vladimir's Academy, recommended by Abe's oil tycoon friend Mr. Dragomir.

But boy, did I hate ninth grade. I was properly schooled at home by a tutor but I did not know how to interact with kids my age. I got into fights, skipped class and got bad grades, then I would come home and picked fights with Dimitri because I was so frustrated with myself.

"Why do I have to go to school?!" I would scream.

"Because it's what your dad wanted. He wanted you to be a normal teenager."

"I'm not fucking normal!" I would scream again. "My dad was a crime lord with a machine gun in the house. I don't know how to go to school and eat lunch in the cafeteria! I just want to stay home. All the girls make fun of me. I HAVE NO FRIENDS!"

"Well, you can't. I'm going to school too," he would remind me. "Because your dad's money isn't going to last and you're going to need a career in the future. You have to learn to sustain yourself."

"Maybe, we would have money if you didn't waste it on that expensive school."

"Your education is not a waste."

"God, you sound just like my dad!"

Dimitri could had just ignored my teenage angst but he didn't. One day after school, Lissa Dragomir was in our living room: the oil tycoon's daughter. I had seen her around school but she was always surrounded by a bunch of girls. They were always texting on their phones and reapplying each other's lip gloss. I had never seen lipgloss until I moved here.

Her dad was also there and we were honestly both humiliated by this "play date." It was so obvious they wanted us to get along.

"Do you want to go to my room…?" I asked, feeling my palms sweat in the living room.

Dimitri and Mr. Dragomir looked so hopeful.

"Yeah," Lissa said, also wanting to get out of that room.

Dimitri was practically beaming as we hurried upstairs.

"God, that was embarrassing," I said, slamming my door. "I'm Rose who apparently has no friends in school."

Lissa smiled. "It's okay," she said. "I'm Lissa and I hate all my friends at school."

"Why do you hate them?"

"Because they all like me for my money and they're all fake."

"Oh."

"So are you really the daughter of that famous mobster?"

I was surprised she knew.

"Yeah," I said, kicking a t-shirt under my desk.

"That's so cool."

And just like that, Lissa and I became best friends.

Fast forward to junior year in high school where I've learned to be a somewhat normal teenager. Lissa was my best friend but I'd also made some other friends at school like Mason and Eddie.

Dimitri and I are still married but only in name. He took really good care of me after Lee got married and left us. I no longer needed a nursemaid by sixteen so Dimitri let her go on her own. He took over all the duties of cleaning, shopping and cooking for us, occasionally making me do chores as well. It was very domestic of him.

"Glad you like the duster I bought you," I added, smiling innocently.

"With my credit card."

"It's the thought that counts," I reminded him. "I saw it in the store and knew you would like it."

"Yes Roza," he said. "It sure is."

Roza... I loved the way he said my name. Dimitri was a great guy, sometimes a little too great. Being into philosophy and stuff, he had a lot of morals but morals weren't exactly my strong point so we tended to argue sometimes. I remembered my dad always laughing at how Dimitri could shoot a man but returned extra change at the grocery store.

"Go do your homework," Dimitri said. "I know you have it..."

I sighed and got up. "Don't I get a kiss?" I teased.

Dimitri gave me a soft kiss on the cheek. "I'll call you down for dinner."

See? That's exactly what I meant about the morals. His self-control was not human. His "morals" insisted that I was too young for anything "physical." I, being a hormonal teenager, want to make out with him so badly. I was even okay with not having sex. I just wanted him to kiss me hard and wrap his strong arms around me so I could smell his aftershave.

But here I am, a married virgin. Deep down I think Dimitri still sees me as a kid. I am just that girl he swore to look after. I bet the idea of sleeping with me would probably have him weeping in apology at my dad's grave. Heaven forbid anyone deflower Abe's little angel.

I threw myself onto my bed in my "study." Technically, I had a study, Dimitri had a study and we had separate bedrooms.

Dimitri being Dimitri was very appropriate. He and I got along well throughout the years but I didn't think he loved me and I didn't think I loved him either. I just grew up with him beside me and that was that.