Claimed

ALEXIA GREEN. 

“You hired people to work with me?” 

A cheery Millie in my arms, I almost want to sink 

between the men beside me as we all stare at the 

four individuals conversing in my new clinic. 

“Technically the boss did but you need people to help you, Lexy. It’s a huge clinic you’ll be bringing Millie along to work, that’s a lot of work 

for one woman.” 

I swallow nervously. 

The clinic is huge just as Jagger says. 

Metallic fancy sinks everywhere I look, a few wards separated by spick blue curtains, white tiled. floors and an impeccable lighting system, to think that I own this feels a little bit overwhelming and 

exciting. 

“I guess.” 

Did Volkov do all this for me? 

Even the air in here feels fancy. 

I bet the air conditioners in here cost about a 

thousand dollars each. 

“You ready to meet your new servants?” 

This chapter is unlocked. Enjoy reading! 

“Don’t call them servants, Jett. They are associates, calling them servants makes me look like I’m some big boss. A disrespectful mean big boss.” 

“You are their boss“, Jagger affirms. 

I swaddle Millie, a vast pit of nervousness growing in my stomach. 

Of the four individuals, there’s one man and three women. 

One woman with a simple dress matched together with a cream cardigan. She seems. likable. 

The other woman is dressed in black clothes and goes for like an ‘emo‘ vibe with those boots that look like the ones on Vogue cover models. 

And the last woman, well apart from her healthy head of brown hair, there’s nothing wrong with her. 

Neither is anything wrong with the man sending me a small smile my way. 

“Ok fine, let’s meet my associates.” 

“Fucking finally,” Jett cusses. 

My hand is already slapping his hard stomach 

before we take the first step, 

“Don’t cuss at my baby.” 

“Sorry, ma’am. Ducking finally.” 

Two steps in and the fresh air that dusts the squeaky–clean floor turns ugly. 

Heavy boots sound behind is, tension flocks the air like a bad omen. 

Jett and Jagger turn around and I watch as they each take out their guns from behind their jeans. 

I don’t want to turn around, simply because I’m afraid whatever monsters standing behind me won’t only attack me but my baby. 

The baby sucking that’s sucking off her bottle of milk like a greedy cute monkey you want to hold forever and never let go. 

No. 

This can’t be happening. 

“Give us the woman and the baby and everything will go smoothly. No one gets hurt, no one dies.” 

The Russian accent is heavy in the man’s tone and 

my ears perk up. 

They want me and Millie? 

Why do Russian men want me and Millie? 

Are they with Demetri? No, he promised to leave me alone. He wouldn’t go back on his promise 

but how much do I know about the man? 

“Yeah? I would say the same to you, man. Walk 

away, don’t start anything you can’t finish“, Jagger threatens and from my periphery I see him. already raising his gun to aim. 

My associates are already terrified as they look at 

the mess ensuing right now. 

I glance at my baby. 

I do the math. 

If they decide to shoot, Millie and I are as good as dead. 

I turn around. 

The two men are Russian alright and their guns are already out too. 

“What do you want with me?” 

“Our boss wants a word with you.” 

“Who is your boss? Did he authorize you to shoot. 

at a bunch of people who’ve done absolutely nothing to you?” 

“We are not going to shoot if you cooperate.” 

“Who is your boss?” 

“Demetri. Demetri Sokolov.” 

That good for nothing liar! 

“Jett?” 

“Get behind me, Lexy. No one’s leaving, no one’s 

going anywhere with Demetri’s men.” 

“Tent Look at me Please, just look at ther 

The gun in his hand, jett side eyes me 

“Tm carrying Millie night now. There are from innocent people behind me if you engage someone is going to get hurt. I can’t lone my baby” 

“You are not going with them.” 

“He’s not going to hurt me. I have something on Demetri and I know he’s not going to hurt me.” 

“Jet, drop your gun“, Jagger’s resigned tome filters through the air. 

“Are you insane? Boss is gonna kill in if we give her to them without putting up a fight.” 

“We are going to die either way if we pull the trigger while trying to protect everyone here from getting shot. Drop your weapon.” 

Jett lowers his gun. 

Millie kicks her feet, slapping her bottle. 

Demetri’s men usher me out of my clinic. 

All I can think of? 

Will Volkov find me in time before Demetri does whatever horrendous thing he’s planning? 

“Can I hold her?” 

“Jett? Look at me. Please, jou kok a met 

The gun in his hand, Jett side eyes me. 

“I’m carrying Millie right now. There are four innocent people behind me if you enque someone is going to get hurt. I can’t lose my baby.” 

“You are not going with them.* 

“He’s not going to hurt me. I have something on Demetri and I know he’s not going to hurt me.” 

“Jett, drop your gun“, Jagger’s resigned tone filters through the air. 

“Are you insane? Boss is gonna kill us if we give her to them without putting up a fight.” 

“We are going to die either way if we pull the trigger while trying to protect everyone here from getting shot. Drop your weapon.” 

Jett lowers his gun. Contentt bel0ngs to N0ve/lDrâ/ma.O(r)g!

Millie kicks her feet, slapping her bottle. 

Demetri’s men usher me out of my clinic. 

All I can think of? 

Will Volkov find me in time before Demetri does 

whatever horrendous thing he’s planning? 

“Can I hold her?” 

“Jett? Look at me. Please, just look at me?” 

The gun in his hand, Jett side–eyes me. 

“I’m carrying Millic right now. There are four innocent people behind me, if you engage someone is going to get hurt. I can’t lose my baby.” 

“You are not going with them.” 

“He’s not going to hurt me. I have something on Demetri and I know he’s not going to hurt me.” 

“Jett, drop your gun“, Jagger’s resigned tone filters through the air. 

“Are you insane? Boss is gonna kill us if we give her to them without putting up a fight.” 

“We are going to die either way if we pull the trigger while trying to protect everyone here from getting shot. Drop your weapon.” 

Jett lowers his gun. 

Millie kicks her feet, slapping her bottle. 

Demetri’s men usher me out of my clinic. 

All I can think of? 

Will Volkov find me in time before Demetri does 

whatever horrendous thing he’s planning? 

“Can I hold her?” 

No, you cannot hold Millie. 

I resign back to the chair with my baby who’s almost done with the milk inside her bottle. 

Confusion mars every inch of my body as I blink at the sight in front of me. 

“Why are you in Chicago? Why are you 

summoning me with a bunch of men who have guns? We had a deal!” 

Demetri looms in the dark corners of the study leaning against the wall, legs crossed at the 

ankles. 

“I didn’t want this either, Mrs. Green. Frankly speaking, America as a country rattles my body in the wrong way.” 

“How old is she?” 

My eyes lapse back to the woman in front of me. 

The woman who hasn’t stopped asking whether 

she can hold Millie. 

“Why did you bring your boyfriend to Chicago, 

malyshka?” 

She chuckles lightly. My left brow lifts. 

“So sorry for everything but malyshka is something Dee calls me. That’s not my name and I think we got on, on the wrong foot.” 

“The wrong foot? I’m in a creepy study room 

where my daughter and I are captives, I think we are way past the wrong foot, miss.” 

Demetri snickers, “Told you, you would like this 

American woman.” 

“Don’t call her American woman, Dee. It’s disrespectful.” 

“Sorry“, Demetri apologizes and I feel like I’m in 

an alternate universe. / 

Demetri Sokolov apologizing? 

Who is this woman? 

“Can I tell you a story?” 

“Yeah?” 

I breathe out but the saliva I swallow tells me this story is going to be anything but a fairy tale. 

“There were two siblings. A boy born to continue. a legacy and a girl born to take the family to great heights by marrying into another powerful family that would solidify the power the family 

had. 

“The father of the family didn’t like the girl very much. He had always been an ambitious man who wanted boys to strengthen the family. 

One day the girl, out of curiosity like all kids are at the age of five, went into her father’s study and by accident broke her father’s watch. 

A watch that had been in the family for decades. Angry, the father seized this as an opportunity to take out his anger on the girl. 

“Their mother could only stand and watch because their society was a patriarchal one. Women had no say, men controlled everything. 

Before the father could hit her daughter, his only son begged for mercy. Only by begging for mercy, he looked weak in his father’s eyes…” 

“Wait, wait, why are you telling me all this?” I ask. 

She smiles sadly. “Because you have to understand everything from the beginning. The girl in the story is me, Alexia and this is the story of my life. Can I go on?” 

I nod. 

I don’t know what to say to her. 

“My brother, he offered himself for punishment. instead of me. He begged for mercy on my behalf and my father gave him the opposite. 

So for every little mistake I made, my father locked my brother in our basement for weeks. And every Wednesday of that week, my father. would go in there with his belt in hand, with his anger on his sleeve and beat my brother till he 

bled. 

“And every Wednesday I would cry myself to sleep as I listened to my brother’s shrieks. My 

L 

father said that was the only way of teaching my brother that women made him weak, that women would only lead to his death, that he had to give up his love for me because nothing was as useless as that. 

“When we reached eighteen, my brother got the courage to do what our mother failed to do. He got us out of that hellhole. With no money, no connections but two plane tickets to here, he raised me, Alezia. My brother raised me and sent me to college to have a better life than he ever had. College was college. And it wouldn’t have been more fun especially and most especially when I met my sister, Carissa.” 

“Your sister? You didn’t mention you had a sister.” 

And I’m a hundred percent sure I listened to her story keenly. 

Malyshka’s eyes go wide like she’s trying not to let the tears fall. Demetri is already off the wall coming to sit next to her and rubbing his callous hand on her thigh to calm her down. 

“I’m okay. I’m okay. I didn’t know I had a sister too. It was a huge campus; it was a huge city but what were the chances of meeting my twin sister? It was fate. Carissa thought so too. Her parents adopted her and when we did a little digging. I found out my mother gave her away during birth to protect her from my father’s wrath. My father 

father said that was the only way of teaching my brother that women made him weak, that women would only lead to his death, that he had to give up his love for me because nothing was as useless as that. 

“When we reached eighteen, my brother got the courage to do what our mother failed to do. He got us out of that hellhole. With no money, no connections but two plane tickets to here, he raised me, Alexia. My brother raised me and sent me to college to have a better life than he ever had. College was college. And it wouldn’t have been more fun especially and most especially when I met my sister, Carissa,” 

“Your sister? You didn’t mention you had a sister.” 

And I’m a hundred percent sure I listened to her story keenly. 

Malyshka’s eyes go wide like she’s trying not to let the tears fall. Demetri is already off the wall coming to sit next to her and rubbing his callous hand on her thigh to calm her down. 

“I’m okay, I’m okay. I didn’t know I had a sister too. It was a huge campus; it was a huge city but what were the chances of meeting my twin sister? It was fate, Carissa thought so too. Her parents. adopted her and when we did a little digging, I found out my mother gave her away during birth to protect her from my father’s wrath. My father 

hated me. If he had twin girls, not me or Carisa would survive. My brother didn’t know he had a sister too and I planned on telling him. 

“No, Carissa and I planned op telling him but on the day, we were supposed to meet just outside our college, her….her boyfriend sent his friends to take her. I would have looked for her, I loved my sister. I was going to tell my brother everything so that he would start looking for her but…but…” 

“I kidnapped her“, Demetri adds in, like it pains 

him to even admit it. 

I’m near tears but I try to act like this story isn’t affecting me at all. 

“Why? Why would you do that?” I ask. 

Malyshka entwines her hand with Demetri before 

she looks up to me, “He wanted to start a war with my brother.” 

“Of course he did“, I scoff. 

Demetri liked starting wars with everyone. Including my boss, Volkov. 

“He took me to Russia that night. A month later, 

he told me about Carissa’s death. But the 

surprising thing of all? My brother thought I was 

dead. I was alive, Carissa was the one who was 

dead but he didn’t know that. And I didn’t want 

him to find out I was alive because I fell in love a 

second time with Dee. With Demetri. If my 

brother found out I was alive and I was kidnapped by Demetri, he would go on a murder rampage and I wouldn’t want that. I love my brother but I also love this man with all my life.” 

My throat bobs with emotions as I struggle to speak up. 

“H–how do I fit into the story? I don’t know you, I don’t know your brother and I don’t know Carissa, sorry for her death by the way.” 

“Because….Rhett Kingston and his friends killed my sister. Your ex took my sister away from me.” 

The bomb she drops has me flinching back as I tighten my grip on my baby. 

Rhett was Carissa’s boyfriend? 

I knew he was a psycho, a rapist but killing an 

innocent woman? 

“I–I didn’t know. I had nothing to do 

“I know you don’t. He was seeing you and Carissa at the same time and I don’t blame you but Rhett for everything.” 

“Okay.” 

“But I am still going to ask for two favors from you, Alexia.” 

What the hell is going on today? 

I don’t think I can keep up with everything. 

My fear has elevated by a hundred, my hate for Rhett churns my skin and worry occupies every pore in my body. 

“I love Demetri so much but I also love a man who has been my shoulder to cry on for years while I was growing up. I can only hope he 

forgives me and wants to talk. As for my brother, he hasn’t let any woman near him since my ‘fake‘ death apart from our nanny. You are the only one he seems to listen to so I beg you of this, help him recover. Thaw that cold heart of his and 

teach him love is not weak. Teach him that violence is not the only thing he can have in his life. That is all I beg of you.” 

I might be crazy for asking her this. 

My mind tries to wrap around her words and I feel a headache coming in. 

“These men who are they?” 

“I need your help getting to my first love, Maximo DiMarco. And I need you to help my brother, Christian Volkov move on with his life. 

My name is Catelina Sofia Volkov, it’s a pleasure to meet you. Demetri has told me a lot about 

you.”