Shattered Vows: An Arranged Marriage Standalone Romance (Tarnished Empire)

I needed more time on the water or just on my own.

Nothing felt the same.

Bastian looked at me like suddenly the weight of my safety was on his shoulders and nothing about that sat right with me.

He’d been exposed to something so different in his life. I could see it when he looked over my food truck again and shook his head, the way the line between his brows deepened when he called someone to make sure there were eyes on me.

I didn’t know how they accomplished any of it or how I was going to deal with people following me around for the next six months but I knew I had to try.

I waved to Bradley as I pulled my board up and hooked it to my truck. He ambled over, water droplets still falling from his dark hair. His sculpted body flexed as he rubbed the hair back and forth, trying to shake it off. “You opening the truck soon?”

“Nah, not today.” I stared at the window, contemplating how I’d put across my closing. I should have had a social media account or website to give those updates, but I figured it would have lost some of its small beach town charm.

“Well, that’s a shame.” He crossed his arms over his chest and stared at the window with me. “What’re we looking at?”

“I need a sign that says I’m closing.”

“Oh.” He turned on his heel. “I got you! Be right back.”

He sprinted toward the parking lot, not asking any questions or wanting any more details, just happy to help. I smiled at his back, not understanding why I’d never pursued more with him over the years. He’d been a great friend, a good lay, and was just as not committed to me as I was to him. Maybe that’s what made us work so well together.

I sighed as I saw Dante idling in the parking lot too, knowing my life was about to be much more complicated.

Bradley jumped in the back of his red jeep and popped back up two minutes later with a wooden sign. It looked like a box lid of some sort with pine slats nailed together and he’d used some black spray paint to write “Closed until further notice.”

The man beamed when he approached me with his handiwork. “This work well enough for you?”

“I’m not sure whether to be impressed or concerned that you have all that in the back of your jeep.”

“Impressed, Mo. I’m a damn problem solver.” He leaned the sign on the counter window and mumbled, “I can nail it in later. I’m guessing you’re about to be on your way with that suit in the parking lot?”

“Yeah. It’s complicated.” I sighed and he came to stand next to me without prying for more information. “I don’t know when I’ll open again.”

“That mean you also don’t know when we’ll be sleeping together again?” He smirked.

His question was justified especially since Bastian had thrown around the fiancé word the last time he’d seen me.

“Yeah, probably that too.” I combed a hand through my hair. “Again, it’s complicated.”

“I hate that word, but I’m here for you if you need me.”

“I think I need to beat you in catching a couple waves every morning still.” I chuckled and nudged his shoulder.

What would I do without a friendship as easy as his? Or a town as perfect as this one? I turned to watch the ocean once more before I locked up the food truck and waved goodbye to Bradley.

Dante ended up coming over from the parking lot after giving me some time alone.

I dragged sand and water into the car with me, along with a half empty suitcase.

“You need to stop at your grandma’s?” he asked while watching grains of sand sprinkle onto the expensive carpet.

“Sure. I just have to grab a few things. I’m guessing we can move furniture later. Or does Bastian already have a style?”

He chuckled. “He definitely has a style.”

“Care to enlighten me?”

“It’s…” He glanced back at my feet and shook his head once before speeding off toward my grandmother’s. “It’s clean. Let’s put it that way.”

“Great.” I slouched into the seat.

“It’ll be fine.” He tossed a file back to me. “That’s some documentation you should look over. There’s a prenup and other information that pretty much protects both you and Bastian. Also, Tropical Oil is having its meeting soon. You need to read up on the company, understand the oil business, and probably familiarize yourself with the board members.”

“Okay.” I curled my lip and glared at the packet. It looked big. Too big. Like a stack of homework I didn’t want. Didn’t they know I was a college drop out? Actually, I hadn’t even gone. I’d been offered a spot at one of the state universities and the first day of classes decided I wasn’t made for the pressure of all that.

The words about commitment in my grandmother’s letter flew back to me.

Other than my food truck and the humane society, had I committed to anything longer than a couple months?

Just in time, my phone went off.

Dr. Nathan: Pups miss you and I’m thinking it’s because Tiffany keeps mixing up their toys and food.

Morina: I miss them too. I can come by tomorrow. Life has been crazy.

See, these were my passions. People committed to what they loved and believed in.

“I don’t think I’ll have time to read all that.” I scratched the side of my face and shoved the papers to the other seat.

“Honestly, I feel the same way you do–go in blind and figure it out as you go. That’s what people in the past did. Yet, Bastian handles most of the business side of things and he’s adamant that it’s important.”

I snorted, not agreeing to anything.

When I got to my grandma’s, Dante came in with me and sat as I packed another suitcase. I grabbed too many crystals, a salt lamp from the spare room, my bracelets, and lots of toiletries. A couple weeks of clothing was all I would need for now. I’d be back to change things out.

I glanced at a few plants I’d told my grandma I would water before she passed. They were all shriveled up. I groaned and shoved two pots under my arm and the other on top of my suitcase.

“I’m ready.”

Dante glanced up and nodded before looked over the living room. “You’d get a good sale on this place right now if you’re interested in putting it on the market.”

I turned on my flats to try to take an objective look. Granite counters. Wood floors. She’d maintained her home without aging it.

“Yeah,” I said softly. “I don’t know why I’m hesitating but it feels like she’s still here. I don’t know. It’s only been a few weeks.”

“I get it.” His voice matched mine and when he clapped a hand on my shoulder, it was warm with comfort. “Don’t rush things. The universe will work with you.”

I nodded. For all the crystals and beads and salt lamps I had, I knew I should believe him. Dante was a man who probably could reiki the hell out of someone. He’d done it to me just a week ago. I wanted to trust the universe and maybe having him as a friend for six months would help. “This whole arrangement is going to be a hell of a lot, huh?”

“Probably.” His chuckle was deep as he took the suitcase and plant without so much as toppling the pot. He walked toward the door and pointed at the plants under my arm. “It’s going to be hell trying to get Bastian to keep those too.”

“Oh, come on.” I blew a raspberry. “They’ll bloom right back up when I give them some water.”

His chuckle turned to a laugh as he came back to grab my salt lamp. “Let’s go dirty up this man’s place, huh?”

We loaded the Rolls Royce and left, passing the town and the company where most of the town worked.

Twenty minutes later, we’d arrived.

“Is there a parking spot for me?” I asked as Dante keyed in a code and the garage opened. “I’d like to get my pickup here so I can go when I need to.”

“We’ll make sure you have one. It can be right next to Bastian’s here.”

He drove to a spot surrounded by metal walls and another set of doors. I wide eyed it all. “A garage within a garage?”

He shrugged. “Bastian likes his privacy. This gives access to a private elevator too.”

“Private jets and private elevators. A lot of things the man needs to hide.”

Dante’s dimples popped out with his smile. “He’s not really hiding all that much from you specifically. He was followed as a child because his father was infamous, Morina. Bred to be a leader. Homeschooled for security purposes and then made enough partnerships that even the paparazzi follow him now.”

I scooted toward the door and Dante opened it for me. I didn’t know how to take what he said, so I kept quiet. Bastian and I didn’t grow up at all alike. We’d had one fun night, and now we had to try to merge our lifestyles for months.

We lugged my stuff out of the car.

Dante left the suitcases. “A doorman will bring up everything.”

“Well, I’m taking my plants and salt lamp.” I hugged them closer.

“Glad to hear it.” He ushered me into a small elevator lined with mirrors on three sides. The other featured a floor to ceiling window.

I gulped and contemplated gripping the railing as we got higher and higher. “How far up does he live?”

“You’ll”–he emphasized–“be living on the 50th floor.”

“Jesus,” I whispered just as the doors opened to a white penthouse. The wall to wall, ceiling to floor window view was the first staggering thing I laid eyes upon. As I approached, the view unfolded until I could see all of the ocean, all of the city, all of my town. I knew my jaw had dropped. I didn’t even try to hide my astonishment. I’d been inspired by small towns and small things my whole life. The ocean was the monster that I submerged myself in. Now, I got to look down at it and it did not disappoint.

And yet standing so far above it, away from everything I held close to my heart, my perception shifted.

I spun to tell Dante that this was some different type of universe I was in and that I wasn’t sure if it would work for me but he’d gone to the open plan kitchen, while Bastian stood right before me.

His eyes fell to my plants right away. “No.”

That’s how he greeted me.

“What?” I whispered, not really taking in what he said. I was staring at him in this place, in his natural environment. In his universe.

All clean lines. All navy suit and brown leather against a white, pristine background. The frown on his face cut perfectly with his strong jaw, in total contrast with those soft lips. Everything Bastian was hard but appealing, dominating but desirable.

“No, we will not have pink lamps and dead plants in here.”

Before I could sound off, Dante snickered into the refrigerator behind us and a woman with literally the best body I’d ever seen walked out from the hallway on the left. She wore all black. A cropped top ended just below her breasts, and tattoos kissed her mixed skin tone. “This her?” She pointed to me with a red manicured nail.

“Katie,” Bastian pinched the bridge of his nose. “Why are you still here?”

I almost dropped my plant. Was he having relations even when he knew I’d show up? It was within his rights, I knew that, but it didn’t stop my stomach from clenching.

She walked up and patted the side of his face pretty hard. His jaw ticked and she smiled. It was a little bit of scary and a lot of beautiful all mixed into one. “Because I’m always welcome here? You said that stupid shit. Not me.”

Bastian’s eyes ping ponged between us and then he pointed to her. “She’s a colleague. Nothing more nothing less.”

“Oh, I mean he almost fucked me.” Katie walked over to the fridge where Dante grumbled to go easy on me. “What? It’s true. Although now I refer to him as a brother of sorts. He’s not just a colleague. Maybe a friend who knows not to fuck with me, huh?”

Bastian shook his head as we both looked at her and Dante standing next to one another. Dante bit into an apple, and she leaned into him like she was really that comfortable with these men.

“I’m Katalina. I head up the bratva and partner with your soon to be fiancé. I intend to clean up the ports if he can’t. So, please make sure you both do.”

“I’m…” I looked at Bastian and raised my plants and salt lamp for him to look at. “So, this is a lot when I’m just moving in, right?”

Just when I thought he might agree with me, his doorbell rang because why wouldn’t his penthouse have a damn doorbell instead of someone just knocking? He spun to let in the doorman who had both my suitcases. The red color against his white marble flooring almost had me wincing.

“Yup, this is a lot,” Katie agreed before she walked to the door. “I was leaving anyway. My husband is a fucking feral dog if I don’t hurry back to him and my kid. So, just know I’m here. Not for you to reach out to and be friendly with, but more like I’m here, watching you if you fuck up. I don’t exactly want to come clean it up. So. Don’t.”

“Fuck off, Katie,” Bastian grumbled.

Dante followed her to the door, though. “I’ll drive you to the airport. These two don’t need me with the security here anyway.”

With that, Katie slammed the door behind them.

I looked like a frumpy deer in headlights with her leaving me in the dust after that warning.

“Her bark is worse than her bite.” He thought about that for a second. “Nope. It’s just as bad, but her warning was directed toward me.”

“Mmhmm.” Why did I suddenly want to burst into tears? I was overwhelmed. I was straight up in shock, I think. More than that though, they all interacted like a family that I was going to be part of.

“I can’t act like that.” I glanced at Bastian. “I mean, I’m a little bit of everything but I’m not strong enough to stand my ground the way that woman does.”

“I don’t expect that from you.”

“What is your expectation then, because I’ll tell you one thing, I’m pretty sure I’ve avoided a lot of situations in my life to avoid anyone expecting anything from me and now I think you all might need me to uphold something I can’t. Dante gave me this file and…”

“Take a breath, Morina.” He approached and went to take the plant and lamp from my arms.

I gripped them tightly, not letting them go. “What are you doing?”

“I’m taking these from you.”

“No.” I stepped back. “These stay, Bastian.”

He peered down at the offensive plants.

“They’ll live. They just need water.”

“It’s dead, piccola ragazza,” he said in a voice that was probably meant to pacify me.

“It’s not dead.” My heart squeezed hearing him call me that. Why did I resort to thinking about how he’d cared for me during a meaningless one night stand?

I took another humongous step back. “Do you nurture plants back to health?”

“I…” He paused over his words, probably because my line of reasoning was somewhat outrageous at this point. “Of course I don’t nurture plants back to health.”

“Then you wouldn’t know!” I stomped over to his granite countertop and placed the plants in the center.

“Morina, no.” His jaw worked as he stared at the dark pots full of dirt so dry it would surely crumble if either of us touched it.

I ignored him and floated over to an end table where I set the salt lamp.

He combed his hand through his dark hair. “Look, you get to add things to this place however you want… mostly. I’m going to try to stay out of your way and I’d appreciate it if you stayed out of mine. This place is more than big enough for the two of us.”

“So, then you’re fine with the plants there.” I waved over to my newest favorite things. I took great pride in the way Bastian looked literally itchy just staring at them. He needed something to ruffle his feathers because God knew this whole situation ruffled mine.

He stuck his hands in his pockets, and I thought I saw the fists they made under the expensive fabric. “Fine.” He said through gritted teeth. “Salt lamp and suitcases in your room though.”

“Suitcases. The salt lamp stays. I need peace when I’m out here.”

“Peace? I’m not even going to be here.”

“You’re here now. And this place isn’t peaceful.”

“You don’t like it?” His voice was suddenly pained.

“Does it matter?”

He dragged a hand through his hair. “No, I guess it doesn’t. I’ll help with your suitcases and show you to your room.”

“So, we’ll just pretend we’re together when people come over and that I sleep in the same room?”

“The queen and king of England had different rooms,” Bastian said, like it wasn’t a completely preposterous idea.

“Not one of my friends would ever think I’d live with a man if I wasn’t sleeping with him.” I grumbled but that was sort of a lie because I didn’t really have any close friends anyway.

“Who? Linny? I have yet to see that woman since the first night I met you.” He scoffed like he knew me better than everyone already.

“Linny just travels a lot.” I crossed my arms. “Fine. Would your friends believe that?”

“Katie lived with me for a while.”

For some reason, that grated on my nerves and I probably should have let my feelings about it die, but my mouth ran away with itself. “And she just said you almost slept with her!”

“It was complicated.”

I told my curiosity to shut up and ground my teeth together to keep from asking further questions.

Turning to the left, he ushered me into a room that was bigger than my grandmother’s whole house. The views were sweeping and again looked over my town, while the bed and walls were decorated in soft pastels.

I trailed a hand across the oak dresser and circled the bed to get to the opposite door. It led to a bathroom with ombre mosaic tile all the way up the shower walls and mirrors framed in gold to match the faucet.

My fingertips dragged against the deep blue tile. “It’s like a wave.”

“I figured you’d like it.”

That one comment had me turning back to study him. “What do you mean?”

He cleared his throat. “There’s another room too. This one though, I think, suits you.”

I hummed. I wanted to tell him that he didn’t know me but I was starting to think that maybe we knew one another a little. He was putting me in new situations and witnessing me in such a vulnerable state, it caused me to question all relationships I’d had up to this moment.

“I think this will work just fine.” I nodded as he placed my suitcase on the ground near the dresser. I folded my hands together, although I was itching to get my crystals laid out. “Want to give me a tour of the rest of the place?”

“Sure. Guess you’ll need to see where we pretend to sleep with one another,” His tone was light but my body was on some sort of high alert being alone with him in his natural environment.

Bastian was one of those enigmas of men who didn’t belong in our world. He was too appealing but elusive enough and powerful enough to stay away from. He walked through this place like he owned it and I wonder if he felt like he owned every single thing in the world.

Maybe he almost did–he was certainly much closer to it than I was, even with the prospect of owning some of this oil company.

The hallway stretched on and on with two more double doors that Bastian pointed to. “Spare bedroom and spare bath.” We passed another sliding door and he mumbled that it was closet space.

“Should I stock paper towels there or something?” I asked. “I just need to know our chores too because I’m not very domesticated.”

He pulled at his neck like he was uncomfortable saying the next part. “A maid comes through daily to make sure we have what we need. You can tell her if you’d like something even if it’s a shirt. Just let her know your size. A chef will be here every now and then to cook, but he mostly just stocks things in the fridge.”

I couldn’t hold back my scrunched up face. “A maid and a chef?”

“It sounds ridiculous, but I didn’t know how we would operate together and this just makes it easier.”

“Is this because of me though or do you always have these things?”

He glanced toward the last door at the end of the hall. The arched doorway and double wood doors told me that was the master suite. “Does it really matter what I have in other places, Morina?”

“Well, if we live together for six months–”

He cut me off. “This place is big enough that you’ll probably barely see me. I travel a lot too.”

“Hence the private jet,” I grumbled and turned to the master suite. I didn’t know why I was annoyed with him for separating us and reminding me of how different our lives were.

Maybe I was irked that this life seemed easier and I wanted my life to seem easiest, uncomplicated. I didn’t want to want anything in the world. It made for unhappy thoughts about greener grass on the other side.

I knew the allure wasn’t true; I just didn’t need temptation brewing for six months. By the water in my town was where I found happiness but luxury had a funny way of presenting itself as the most appealing thing in the world.

I gripped both handles of the large doors and glanced over my shoulder. “Shall we?”

The left side of his mouth tipped up a little. “You shall whenever you want.”

I don’t know if I imagined it, but his eyes trekked down my face and paused at my lips as I licked them. I shoved the doors open and ignored the butterflies in my stomach.

The bed in the middle of the room overlooked more of those sweeping views. The windows spanned the whole room and wrapped around to the bathroom. There wasn’t much to say except “Wow.”

I whispered it as I walked on plush carpet around the bed and up to the window. Bastian came up next to me, so close I sucked in a breath when he reached out. I thought he was going to pull me to him, that we were going to continue our one night stand.

The fact my mind went there when I’d told myself we couldn’t ever go there again was proof enough that I needed to do some self reflection in my own room.

Yet, he didn’t reach for me. His hand went right past me to push the window and it moved quickly, extending out a few inches before sliding into a pocket in the wall.

He stepped out and beckoned me out to stand over the city on the terrace with its glass balustrade.

I shook my head.

He tilted his, confused. “Are you scared?”

This was new for me. “I guess I am.”

“I’ve had coffee out here, Morina. It’s completely stable.”

“I mean, you say that, but I’m pretty happy where I’m standing.”

He put his hand out. “Come on. One foot on at least.”

“What for?”

“Maybe to prove to yourself you can do it. You can try something new.”

“I surf and try new things all the time.”

He nodded like he didn’t believe me at all.

I took a deep breath and stepped forward enough that half of my foot was on the balcony. The threshold between the two had me wobbling a little, and I immediately grabbed his hand.

The electricity that shot through me scared me just as much as the balcony. My gaze shot to his and a little smirk rose on his full lips.

Nothing more and nothing less.

Did he feel it too?

Or was he just trying not to laugh at my fears? I set my other boot on the balcony and shifted my weight. “If we die and I can make your life hell in the afterlife, you bet your ass I’m going to.”

“If we die, your grandma and my dad will make both our afterlives hell.”

I chuckled. He was probably right. A twinkle lit in his eyes and the wind ruffled his hair enough that he almost appeared approachable, like we were on equal footing.

Maybe that’s why my words flowed more freely than they should have. “I don’t know if I’m scared of this marriage or scared I’m going to take all this on and not be able to finish it. I don’t finish a lot of things I start.”

“Why do you think that is?”

“Might be that my brain’s wired a little differently. My grandma always said I had a jumpiness to me. My teachers claimed it was an attention issue. Yet, I think it’s just that everyone’s different and, in the end, that’s what makes us all the same. I struggle to keep my attention on one thing long enough to see it through.”

“Well, we’ll just have to switch it up every now and then.”

“Or we can just power through these six months.” I suggested, uncomfortable that Bastian had so easily accepted something about me that I was normally embarrassed about.

“Sure, Morina,” he murmured. “Sure.” He waved me back inside and told me we needed to dial Mr. Finley.

We sat there in silent as the phone rang and rang.

When he answered, Bastian gave him the news and I confirmed it.

“I’ll check that off the list and make sure we legally document this milestone. Congratulations.”

Or condolences.

After he hung up, I announced I was going to my bedroom. What else could I do in a place with a stranger?

Later that day, I heard the front door open and close.

I didn’t see Bastian for three days after that.