Chapter 528: Light Eyes

Ash walked into her apartment, double and triple checking all the locks she had installed on the ram and bulletproofed solid metal structure. She shifted through her many phones, stopping when she saw ninety-nine plus unread messages on her personal device. She opened them and read a group chat conversation that forced her to step into action.

Within an hour, Ash had enough information to bury Vanya in actual dirt. She went to work furiously typing a gossip article on Vanya's mother. Ash was able to find that Vanya was the 'adopted' daughter of a Pan singer, only there were no adoption records. It was highly rumored that Vanya was born of an affair, but Ash did not care if it were true or not, she just needed fuel.

Vanya's mother was able to keep her identity a secret and used the girl's 'pitiful past' to further her acting career because everyone loved a good rags-to-riches story. Ash had contacted the singer's old staff, and the stories she had gathered hinted that Vanya was fully aware she was not an abandoned infant that just so happened to be found on the street by the most popular singer in the country at the time.

Ash also found out that Sclevanian 'businessman' Yohan Nikitin and Vanya's mother were extremely close around the time she would have conceived, and Vanya had been photographed with the man several times after her mother died from a drunk driving incident. While that was not enough to condemn her, Ash knew that Ustin Smirnov, who was on Vanya's birth certificate, which should not exist, would want confirmation, forcing Vanya to either flee or become a target in the country.

When Ash was finished, another message caught her attention, apparently Jeremy Barnes had not learned his lesson. Three days after Willow left Pan with Olivia, the man caught a flight to the same country and was staying in a hotel near Willow's family home. It was obvious that he was planning to approach the woman or her parents.

Ash was not lying when she said she had the footage from the storage room. One of the first things she did was talk the security officer, who had been asleep on the job, into removing the footage permanently, but not before she sent the clip to herself. Wayvair was prestigious, but notoriously cheap, and there were no security backups, so she had the only copy. She took a screenshot of the footage and sent it to Jeremy's mother.

----

Vanya was in bed when her father suddenly burst into her room and threw loose papers at her. She hated being home, which was why she had moved out as soon as possible. He was not a romantic man, and he wanted her to hurry up and marry the first son of his second in command, who was lecherous beyond comparison. He disliked Cylus, and while he never threatened him, he had been cold toward her since their relationship was made public.

Vanya picked up the papers and skimmed through them, becoming horrified by what was written. She looked up at her father, fully aware that he was not biologically related to her; he was just made to believe she was to keep her mother from shame.

"Daddy, you can't believe this nonsense. What would mommy think?"

"I knew your mother well enough to know that there is truth in those words." Vanya watched him point at the page that showed a photo of her mother and the man she knew was her biological father, and she began to cry.

"You don't believe I'm your daughter?" She wiped at her free-flowing tears, trying her best to appear wronged.

"Your mother may have lied to us both. I love you, but if I find out that you knew; I can learn to live without a daughter." Vanya stormed into her restroom, pretending to be offended more than scared. She used her phone to text her biological father, who was already in the country on business.

Before the sun set, Vanya was on her way to Scleva with the man she looked so much like that it was impossible to ignore. He barely spoke to her, mostly because his Panglish and her Sclevanian were poor, but he did manage to convey to her that she would be marrying. She wanted to cry, but she was warned, and she did not listen.

When the flight landed, Vanya was greeted by an average looking man, maybe a few years older than her in age, who held a bouquet of flowers in his hands. Without words, he slipped a ring on her finger, and forced a rough kiss on her. Cheers erupted from those watching and Vanya pulled away from the man in shock.

"Let that be last time you embarrass me in front of family," the man whispered as he smiled coldly. He tugged her into his waiting car, and straight to his home, where she was expected to live. "I won't touch you until wedding, but you live here with me. I know there have been other men, and it make me little crazy." He kissed Vanya's forehead before roughly slapping her rear.

"What is your name?" She managed to question. Having been in an ignored silence the entire drive, she had never gotten the chance to ask.

"Sasha," he replied, and Vanya involuntarily made a face at the feminine name, before catching herself. "That is okay at home, but not ever outside. You make face outside, I hit you." Tears had begun to fall from Vanya's eyes, and the man gently wiped them as if he had not just admitted that she was stepping into an abusive relationship with a stranger. "I don't like hit women, but I have keep reputation." Vanya fell silent thinking of a way to escape.

"What about clothing? I did not pack anything before I came here. Can I go shopping?"

"No need, all taken care of." The man pulled Vanya up the stairs and into a bedroom she knew they would be sharing. He showed her all the things he 'approved' for her to wear. "I have wait for you two years. You only girl in family." Sasha walked away, removing his shirt before laying on the bed. "Now tell me, other than man who raised you, what enemy do you bring with you?" He was no fool, and he knew Vanya had fled trouble brought on by trouble.

"Mina Harlow," Vanya snarled, and Sasha sat up.

"Light eye woman?" Vanya looked at the man in shock.

"You know her?" He patted the empty space in his bed.

"She almost replace you as wife." Vanya rolled her eyes, because if there was ever a time she wanted to be replaced by Mina, it was now. Sasha jumped up from the mattress and grabbed a fist full of her hair making her whimper. "Never roll eyes." Vanya nodded as best as she could, and the man released her head with a shove. "Now, tell me about light eyes."

"She is a slut who somehow has every man drooling over her."

"Jealous?" Vanya resisted the urge to react harshly.

"I don't know what you have been told, but there has only been one man. I cannot say the same for that woman. Other than her education, I don't see what's so great about her." Sasha chuckled deeply before leaning back on the bed.

"Education?"

"She graduated from one of the best schools in Pan. I also heard that she speaks multiple languages, but I-"

"What?!" Sasha questioned. Vanya backed away in fear as he shot toward her. "Say again, slowly so I can hear." It had been years since Vanya held a conversation in Scleva, but she forced herself to recall the language, in fear that speaking in Panglish may have confused the man. Sasha cursed loudly when she repeated herself. He and his partner had been played as fools, and while he could not target the Lamar's, he could teach them a lesson. "Light eye woman will die."