Chapter 4
When Veloura woke up, a full day had passed. Her back wounds had been treated and she couldn’t feel the pain anymore.
Nikolai sat beside her, casually smoking. Through the swirling smoke came his ice–cold voice. “Anne’s upset. You’re gonna fix it.”
Veloura looked at him with numb eyes. “What exactly do you want me to do?”
Hearing her formal tone, Nikolai’s face immediately darkened. He crushed out his cigarette and traced her lips with his ash stained fingers.
“Don’t be a brat with me, baby.” Dangerous light flickered in his eyes.
Veloura’s heart lurched as she suddenly remembered Grandfather Virellic’s warning.
“Nikolai only keeps obedient pets. If you’re determined to stay by his side, you better be ready to roll over and play dead whenever he says.”
At the time, she hadn’t understood–thought the old man was just trying to break them up.
Now she was starting to get it. Nikolai’s love was obsessive, selfish. He was the one in control, and she could only exist in his shadow.
She looked down, hiding the fear in her eyes, and nodded obediently. “I understand.”
“You’re performing tonight. Annie wants to hear violin.” Nikolai patted her head with satisfaction and personally applied medicine to her back.
Everywhere his fingers touched felt ice–cold and bone–deep.
That evening. Veloura wore a long–sleeved champagne luxury gown, adorned with diamond jewelry, as the driver took her to the gala venue at the largest hotel under the Virellic empire. Practically all of Manhattan’s elite had shown up.
Nearly every woman wore simple, fresh dresses with barely–there makeup. Veloura’s outfit made her look like she’d walked off a red carpet into the
wrong party.
The moment she appeared, she became the center of whispered conversations-
“Look at her trying so hard. Once trash, always trash.”
“Now that Nik’s done with her, she’s performing like a trained monkey.”
“She’s not worth a single hair on Anneliese’s head. Pathetic.”
All sorts of voices reached her ears, making Veloura feel suffocated.
She remembered attending galas with Nikolai before. When someone had mocked her homeless past, Nikolai literally had people disappear from Manhattan society. These social climbers always knew which way the wind was blowing–now that they knew Nikolai no longer protected her, these vultures were circling
Their cruel whispers only stopped when Nikolai and Anneliese made their entrance.
Veloura followed everyone’s gaze to see Anneliese wearing a light–colored slip dress, her hair in a high ponytail, chin raised proudly like she owned the place.
Suddenly, Veloura understood why Nikolai was so different with Anneliese. She carried echoes of Veloura’s younger self–when she’d first been brought into the Virellic household, equally free–spirited and unashamed of her background.
But hadn’t he been the one who said he didn’t like her bold, carefree nature? Who’d made her become meek and obedient…?
God, the irony was actually painful.
Watching everyone kiss Anneliese’s ass, she turned to leave.
“Where’s this performance you promised me?” Anneliese’s arrogant voice rang out, and Veloura froze mid step.
1713
Go Play Your Duct with Your Mistress: My Life’s Melody is Going Solo on My Own
2.2%
Chapter 4
Everyone around them carefully watched Nikolai’s expression. No one had ever dared speak to him with that tone. Even Veloura, during, her most favored days, had always been careful and obedient in his presence,
Nikolai didn’t mind at all, his lips curved in constant amusement, indulging Anneliese’s arrogance and rudeness.
“Right here.” He guided Anneliese to her seat and snapped his fingers. Immediately, someone approached Veloura with a violin.
Veloura turned around, meeting everyone’s stares as she accepted the instrument, gripping it tightly. Her eyes found Nikolai through the crowd, and another piece of her heart went numb.
She loved the violin, had dreamed of joining an orchestra. But Nikolai had said no one except him could hear her play–everything about her belonged exclusively to him.
Now here she was, performing like a circus act for his new girlfriend.
She took a deep breath and began playing Albinoni’s “Adagio in G Minor.” The haunting notes filled the air like the sound of a heart breaking, utterly sorrowful.
This piece announced the end of her and Nikolai.
From this moment on, she would no longer love Nikolai Virellic.
Nikolai frowned. Veloura was wrapped in such profound sadness that watching her made him inexplicably agitated and uneasy.
“Okay, enough.” Anneliese suddenly interrupted the performance. “This is way too depressing. You’re killing the vibe. You divorced him, remember? I didn’t force you. Stop with the pity party.”
Anneliese delivered it with that fake “I’m just being honest” tone as she mocked Veloura.
Meeting the challenge in her eyes, Veloura gave no response, simply looking down in silence.
Anneliese looked frustrated that she wasn’t getting a reaction. She turned to Nikolai with dissatisfaction.
“Are you seriously letting her ruin my night on purpose?” Anneliese expressed her displeasure with Nikolai in front of everyone.
The room fell dead silent, everyone waiting for Nikolai to lose his shit. After all, he never allowed anyone to act out in his presence.
17:15
