Chapter 4

JADE

"You are..."

"Don't try to be sneaky to get out of this. If you think you are smarter than me, then I will show you how very replaceable you are," Victoria's voice echoed through the phone.

I raised the phone to respond, but Roman snatched it out of my hand. His grip on my waist tightened as if I were going to fall apart if he let go.

"I didn't know Mrs Sterling would ever threaten my wife like that."

"Mr... Mr Volkov... I didn't know..." Victoria was stammering. I could imagine how flushed her face would be, knowing Roman must have heard all the things she had said to me.

"Jade is my wife, not your pawn. If you ever speak in such a disrespectful manner again, I will be forced to bankrupt the entire Sterling family by morning."

"No, no, Mr Volkov, there would be no need for that. I will..."

Roman cut off the call and pushed the phone into my hand. I looked up at him; even though the moment was ruined by Victoria, I still couldn't shake off the shock of seeing him here.

"What are you doing here?" I managed to whisper. My heart was still beating hard against my chest while my brain tried to make sense of the situation.

His brow arched, his face staying perfectly still. A small, shaky breath escaped my lips as I tried to move from his arms, still around my waist.

"What I meant to say was, aren't you supposed to be on a trip? You shouldn't be here..." I trailed off. My gaze drifted from his face to anything else in the area to stop my rambling.

Looking at him this up close, his grey eyes were strong but glistened under the sunlight that was slowly setting behind him. His hair was neatly styled as if he were just coming from the salon.

"I came to pick you up," he announced slowly, letting go of me.

Cold air wrapped around me almost immediately, the spot his hand left feeling very empty.

"Oh," I nodded, still staring at him. "Is there anything..." I stopped, realising that his secretary had informed me of his grandmother's birthday.

I had been engrossed with a deadline for a project that I had forgotten about.

"It's Grandmother's birthday," I whispered, and he nodded.

He extended his hand to me, and I slowly took it. He led me to the car, where he tended to my wounds, which were just a scratch on my leg from when he pulled me up.

"It's fine." I tried to pull my leg away, but his grip was strong.

"You don't want it to get infected." His eyes were laser-focused on my leg as he wiped it down and placed a small bandage over the scratch.

"About your grandmother's birthday, I..."

"You don't have to worry about that. I have already picked out a dress," he cut me off. How did he know I had been too busy to even pick one out myself?

"And a gift for her..."

He picked up a brocade bag beside his feet and handed it over to me. I pulled it open, and inside was a set of jade-plated bracelets suitable for an older woman.

I guessed I really didn't have to worry about anything since he had sorted it all out by himself. I did feel a pang of guilt, knowing he could have somehow involved me in the process, so I wasn't just some kind of figurehead to him.

A while later, we were walking into the old but magnificent Volkov estate, where the dinner party for Olga Volkov was being held.

The entire estate was teeming with people, and soft classical music from a live band played in the background. I had never been to a party like this before. Victoria and Jack had regarded me as an eyesore, not fit enough to be shown in public, so instead of having a banquet to announce my identity, they kept me hidden like a plague.

My hand was looped through Roman's as we walked through the house into the grand ballroom. Every eye was on us, but not in a way that felt like judgment.

Everyone was either admiring or in awe as they watched us. People couldn't help but whisper how good they thought we looked together.

I wondered if it was because they thought we looked good, or maybe they knew that Roman would rain hell on them if they said anything bad about his wife.

"Let's see my grandmother first."

The Volkov family was no stranger to the news. Everyone could tell who they were, but it was the first time I was meeting them. I hoped they wouldn't think I was some kind of country bumpkin and make their son embarrass me with a divorce so soon.

"Grandmother..."

"You rascal!" The older woman slammed her cane into the ground. Her eyes softened when they landed on me. "And you must be Jade, my grandson's wife."

"I am Mrs Volkov; it is nice to meet you."

"You can call me Nana; everyone calls me that, aside from him," she said, pointing at Roman.

The older woman looked strict, like she could lead an army, but her voice was tender. "I was afraid that he would die without any love in his life because he always seemed so consumed with work."

I wanted to nod in agreement, but I was not sure how well Roman would welcome the idea, so I just smiled with a small nod instead.

"It's a good thing he is married now. Soon, I hope to see your great-grandkids around."

I coughed, feeling Roman tense up for just a second beside me. We both exchanged glances from the corners of our eyes.

She smiled warmly and reached out to me, and I took her hand. "Let me introduce you to the rest of the family." She dragged me along and proudly announced to every huddle of people that I was her granddaughter-in-law, with Roman trailing behind us.

Olga finally stopped at a group of people. Katya Volkov—Roman's sister—stepped forward with her hand stretched out.

"Nice to finally meet you, Jade," she smiled. I took her hand, and she pulled me closer. "It is nice to meet the woman who stole the heart of my brother."

"I did not..."

I gasped at the sight before me, standing right by Katya's side with my mouth slightly open. In front of me was a man I had not seen in years.

Caius Vire.