Contract Marriage: Married to My Ex-Husband's Alpha Stepfather [BL] Chapter 36: I’ll Do... Be Better

[KATYA]

Katya woke up to voices around him.

He didn’t know what had happened, but he knew he was in deep shit.

So, when he opened his eyes and found himself on so bed with Anya staring at him with disappointnt on her face while Volkov looked at him like he was waiting for the signal to snuff the life out of him, Katya sat up imdiately.

He knew he had to have ssed up their plans. He didn’t even focus on the doctor who was clearly staring at him, talking to the others.

He didn’t want to hear anything about what had triggered him.

Hurriedly, he got off the bed, straightened his hair, fixed himself, and when he was sure he looked a bit better, he stood stiff there, while the trio looked at him with shocked looks on their faces.

"What are you doing?" the doctor asked when he noticed that no one was going to ask any questions.

"I’m sorry," Katya whimpered frantically, his lips trembling as he looked everywhere but at the trio before him. He could feel his head spinning, and his mouth tasted bitter with panic.

’Was I poisoned?’ Katya wondered in defeat.

He wouldn’t put it past them, because clearly, Katya had ssed up their plans. This wasn’t supposed to happen. And he didn’t even know what to do.

So, Katya did the only thing he could do at the mont.

The oga went on his knees right before Anya, hands held together in front of his chest, like a man pleading for life.

His eyes were soft with grief and raw, unfiltered fear.

His heart was hamring in his chest so much that it was almost impossible to tell if he was okay or not.

Maybe he was.

Maybe he wasn’t.

But the stench of the oga’s fear instantly filled the room, making Anya stare at him like this was not what she had signed up for.

"What the hell do you think you’re doing?" Anya asked, her voice still cold.

She even stepped back a few tis, like Katya’s presence had her feeling dirty.

And Katya...

Defeated, lost Katya...

He dragged his knees on the floor tiles, not caring that this was probably not necessary because clearly, they had decided his fate.

But he had to try.

For his mother.

For his family.

He had to try.

"I’m sorry," Katya pleaded in defeat, his soft whimpers filling the room.

And Anya...

She stepped out instantly.

"Fix him, we don’t have ti for this," she said to Volkov, who instantly looked at Katya, his eyes screaming danger to the oga who was trapped here with them.

He looked like he had way better things to do than be stuck with an oga who had proven to be worth nothing to them.

Katya was not sure how the hell his fate had been flipped, but everything that got him close to Volkov had his heart beating way too fast.

And he had to think fast.

The doctor, on the other hand, didn’t say another word.

He just stared, pity in his eyes as the oga begged as his life depended on it. He watched as Katya didn’t even ask questions about what had happened to him, or even what he was doing here.

The oga had instantly decided on an apology, and that was horrific.

The doctor excused himself monts later, leaving a shaking Katya with Volkov in the room.

"Get up," Volkov said flatly.

There was no bite in his voice.

Katya wondered if this was the end of everything he had tried to live through.

He should have run when Sergei had forced him, but desperation had forced him into a whole different evening.

Hell, even Yaroslav had left.

Fuck.

"I... I don’t know what happened. I didn’t an to ruin anything... I’ll be good. I’ll be perfect. I swear, I will. Just... please," Katya pleaded weakly, still not getting up.

Volkov helped him up carefully, his grip so gentle and his eyes soft.

Katya distrusted his kindness even more, especially given where they were and how he had gotten here.

Even when Volkov gently dusted him up and gently wiped his knees, Katya still believed that he was only being kind because they needed to sell Katya as a confident person.

"We have to go," Volkov said, before he took his handkerchief and wiped the tears on Katya’s face.

He was gentle, like this was not how he had imagined things would go.

And Katya didn’t lean into that false sense of safety.

Because this man and the mad woman out there had the power to fuck him up.

Still, he didn’t say anything.

Didn’t try to swat Volkov’s hands.

He let the man wipe his face gently, a kind of tenderness that was awfully suspicious.

’At least they take care of their rchandise,’ Katya thought to himself defeatedly.

He was still scared, still horrified at the possibility that he was about to lose everything and never see his family again.

All Katya wanted was love, yet love had bargained him off to the devil of Frolo.

This... hurt.

In the kind of way that Katya had never thought possible.

Yet even then, he stayed silent, waiting.

"Don’t look scared," Volkov said once he was done.

He gave Katya a once-over like he was trying to see if everything was alright, and Katya, for the life of him, hoped that he passed their standards.

Because if he didn’t, he knew he would be in trouble.

He knew they would never let him live.

He knew it would ruin him and that he would want to give up his life on his own.

Oh, but Moskowsky Holdings and everyone in it deserved the scary nas that people called them in the streets.

You would think that after being married to Yaroslav for five years and knowing him more, Katya would be used to this.

But he wasn’t.

Maybe because this ti...

Yaroslav would not save him.

Sergei would skin him alive.

Anya would probably stomp on his face.

And Volkov, he would probably be there to shoot him in the head.

"I won’t," Katya swore, as he straightened up.

The first few steps were unsteady, his feet so wobbly. He almost tripped on air.

He had questions, but he was terrified the answers would co with more conditions. More threats, more reminders that he was just another tool that had been brought into the mighty Moskowsky building.

And that was sothing that he wasn’t sure he could handle, even if the truth was already starting to co through the cracks.

Katya knew.

Gods, he knew and was so sure this ti.

That was why the doctor had co.

To check the condition of his heart to make sure he was functioning properly. Fuck he should have stayed away from everything Moskowsky, but the heart was a really fragile thing that never cared what it would drive people into.

And this...

This right here was the result of loving Yaroslav Gamov.

"Rember, you are the chairman. Don’t ruin this," Volkov reminded when they stopped in front of a glass-walled conference room.

Inside that room were a group of executives.

Katya recognized them from the website of Moskowsky Holdings.

These were major shareholders.

And Katya could tell that he was the sacrifice.

Oh, he was dood.