The Agreement (Darkest Lies Trilogy Book 1) by Bethany-Kris (motivational books for men .TXT) 📕

kitchen, clueless about how he wanted her to act while he proceeded to ignore her at the same time. Although, it wasn’t anything new for the two.

“Here, eat something, you’ll feel better.”

Masha to the rescue.

As per usual.

She had a plate with a cream cheese bagel ready, holding it out for Karine to take whether she wanted it or not. Karine had to do everything in her power not to go running out of the room—even the growling of her stomach that belied her disinterest in the food wasn’t enough to quell the urge.

To be anywhere but there ...

Away from the man she was supposed to marry.

Yeah.

Dima Kuznetsov was her fiancé. A decision delivered upon Karine with little fanfare, and a total expectation of compliance.

“Well, get the motherfucker on the phone, then, yeah? Let me hear him say it,” Dima growled into the phone, making Karine’s skin crawl. It was his voice, and the way he spoke that did it, but most importantly—the words he used. He enjoyed the vicious way his words could terrify people, including her sometimes. Then, he let out a dark laugh that sent shivers racing down her spine when he muttered, “He won’t, though. He knows I’ll have his balls cut off, and shoved down his throat first.”

At least, one good thing was coming from Dima’s distraction with his phone call. Two things, actually. He didn’t care to pay attention to her, for one. And for two, the passing seconds gave her cloudy mind the chance to remember what she was doing here, and why Masha had been asked to deliver her on time.

Dima hated being made to wait on her, and they were supposed to be making wedding plans. As if they planned for her to actually take part.

Unlikely.

Karine took one small bite of the bagel, giving in to her need for some sustenance, and immediately regretted the choice. Her gag reflex was still as strong as ever, but at least she managed to avoid Dima seeing her hold back the bagel by turning away. It wasn’t her stomach that refused the bagel, but the strange taste that accompanied it. It took her more than a few chews to decide whether or not it was the bagel, or just her own body refusing the food.

She kept eating, though.

It did make her feel better.

After handing her the bagel, Masha had merged into the background of the kitchen to remain out of the couple’s way. It was a part of her role—to be present without being seen, to predict what her mistress's needs were without being commanded. She was certainly not permitted to make her presence known when Dima was around. He didn’t care to deal with the likes of people he considered lesser than him.

Like a slave.

Karine was envious of Masha—she would give anything to be truly invisible. Especially now when, more often than not, she wondered if she might prefer a slave’s life to one where she was going to be bound to Dima forever.

That was a horrifying reality.

It stared her right in the face.

As she watched Dima continue his abusive phone call, a silly little thought fluttered through the back of her mind. It dared to be hopeful, which only made it all the more painful.

What if she told her father how she truly felt, her mind whispered, would he even be willing to listen?

Maybe she could try—just one time. Maybe she was wrong about him all along. As soon as the ridiculous thoughts filled her mind, she knew they were nothing more than idiotic notions to have, considering. Her father despised her, without ever having explained why or explicitly said it, she knew it; felt it deep in her heart whenever she gained the courage to look the man in his face.

She was well aware of the fact that he shunned her to a separate wing of the mansion because he couldn’t bear to have her around more than he requested. It suited him best that she existed in the periphery of his life where he didn’t have to look at her, or speak to her. But this had been her entire life with the man, too.

A shame he wouldn’t explain.

She was more than a burden.

Karine didn’t understand it because she couldn’t recall what she had ever done to defy or upset him. When had she ever been a bad daughter? Nothing she tried pleased him enough to earn his attention or affection.

Not that she suspected her father’s attachment to her would make a difference to whether or not she had a choice of refusal when Dima declared that he had chosen her to be his wife. If anything, that created a solution for Maxim. He had a viable excuse to finally wipe his hands of his problematic daughter.

Nonetheless, a part of Karine had hoped the news might please her father. Dima and Maxim were close associates—he was someone who was trusted by the family, and respected by the bratva. Everyone else congratulated Karine on an excellent match, like she had really been given a choice, and some even sounded envious.

When Dima delivered the news to Maxim, it was the first time Karine noticed something akin to a smile on her father’s face when he turned to her. She had thought he would be proud—for a moment, she allowed herself the vulnerability of expecting something rare from her father.

Kindness.

She shouldn't have bothered.

“It’s the best thing you can do for yourself.”

That was his only comment.

What else had she been hoping for?

“You’re late,” Dima snapped.

Karine’s mind was elsewhere—her constant distractions from her thoughts and the world around her never left—but he brought her rudely back to the room. He never hesitated to remind her that she needed to be on her best behavior when he was within earshot of her very presence.

The man demanded a lot.

But he gave very little.

“Sorry, I slept in,” Karine said dimly, barely managing to look up and meet his eyes.

A cold anger stared back.

“You were supposed to