Suddenly, the door burst open again.

Chloe groaned. "Again?"

I chuckled, but straightened up and stood, expecting one of Chloe's worker friends, or even Jasmine. But what I saw shocked me, and I breathed in a sharp breath through my teeth.

There, standing in the doorway, was my mother.

Chloe's POV

I felt Alek tense up beside me, and he inhaled in a sharp gasp through his nose. I stared at the woman with wide eyes. Mrs. Petrov, one of the most influential and powerful women in the country. And she was standing in my room, one of the worker's quarters, somehow knowing that her son would be here with me.

"Mother," Alek said, nodding his head, his ever-calm facade already slipping into place. "What are you doing here? I thought you claimed that I was responsible enough to take care of my own manor and my little sister."

The beautiful woman, all strong bone structure and straight features, lifted a dark eyebrow. "And I've come to check up on my children, to see my only son wrapped up in bed with a..." She scrunched her delicate nose up and looked at Chloe as if she were a dead rat on the kitchen floor. "A worker. So, might I ask, what in the world is going on here?"

Alek took a deep breath. "This confession is coming a lot sooner than I expected," he muttered.

He squared his shoulders, kept his chin high, and looked her in the eye. "Mother, after these couple days, I've realized that I do not wish to be betrothed to Lady Miriam any longer."

Mrs. Petrov let our a disbelieving laugh and quirked an eyebrow. Her mouth was pulled up into a sneer. "Oh? And you think you have a say in whom you marry, is that right, Aleksandr?"

I saw a muscle in his jaw pop, and he took a deep breath.
"As a matter of fact, Mother, I do. I've met someone who is much greater than Lady Miriam, in looks, personality...Miriam is just a spoiled brat who hasn't lifted a finger in her entire life."

Mrs. Petrov's face contorted into one of anger.
"Aleksandr. Don't you dare talk like that in front of anybody – do you know how degrading that could be for your social standards? Belittling someone, especially a wealthy someone, could very well call up a duel. And I'm guessing, from the way you are clutching her hand, that this young lady is your new 'someone'?"

"Yes, as a matter of fact, she is."

Mrs. Petrov just sighed and shook her head. "She's a worker, Aleksandr. She's not even anywhere near our family's social -"

"I don't care about social standards, Mother!" Alek shouted. I jumped at the volume of his voice. "What is the point? What is the point of living if your life is lived for you? I want to love whom I love, no matter how poor or rich they are. I want to do what I want to do, no matter how socially degradable it is. I want to live my own life."

Mrs. Petrov squared her shoulders and held her chin up high, and took slow, deliberate steps toward us. I automatically moved to take steps back, but Alek squeezed my hand.

"Well, darling," she spat the word out, the term of endearment becoming a term of spite off her lips. "That is not how the world works. That is not how the world will ever work. You're born, your parents pick your lover for you, love her or hate her, it doesn't matter. It's all about business, Aleksandr. The world runs about business and money and the wealthy. 'Love' and 'living a happy life' and 'doing what you want' is a child's tale – it will never be."

By the time she was finished talking, she was right in front of us. I could smell her citrus scented perfume, see the powder on her face, the pearls that clutched at her neck. Alek glared at her, his jaw still working.

"Well I am not going to live the life you give me. Because I hate it, Mother. I hate it, and if you force me to marry Miriam, I will hate you."

Mrs. Petrov's eyes widened involuntarily, and her breath caught. She blinked several times, and swallowed.

"Well, then. Aleksandr, from this moment on, you have lost the only mother you will ever have."

And with that, she spun on her heel and clacked out, leaving deafening silence in behind her. My heart thumped ridiculously hard in my chest. I didn't even know why I was so afraid of her – she was just a woman. But she was a wealthy, powerful woman, who also was the woman who gave birth to the man I may or may not love.

I turned to him and placed a hand on his cheek, the other still clutched tightly in his. Slight stubble working along his jaw scratched my fingers, and I ran my thumb over his cheekbone. He was staring at the ground, face expressionless.

"Alek..."

He just shook his head, squeezing his eyes together. He caught the hand that was on his face and squeezed it, so he was now holding both of my hands with his. He pulled me to him and nuzzled his face into my neck, embracing me tightly.

"I'm sorry," he whispered, placing a light kiss on my collarbone. Alek stayed nuzzled in my neck, and I went on tip-toe and wrapped my arms around his neck.

"It's not your fault. None of this is your fault. Don't be sorry," I soothed. I ran a hand through his soft hair, and he sighed. I could feel his long eyelashes brush my cheek, and I shivered.

He pulled back, his eyebrows pulled together. "Cold?"

Before I could respond, he led me to the bed and pulled back the covers for me. I slipped under and held out a hand for him.

He laid down next to me and pulled my thin sheet around both of us, cocooning us in. I scooted up and nuzzled my face into his neck, his scent enveloping me fully. He kissed the top of my head and wrapped his arms around my waist.

"I hate her," he whispered. "I hate her and I'm not going to marry Miriam. I'd rather die than not be with you."

I quickly shook my head. "Alek...I don't see how we're going to get around this."

"Then consider me dead."

My throat constricted. "Stop saying that. You have no idea how much it frightens me."

"Really, though. What's the point of living if you can't make your own choices? Why did God create us into a life that we can't even control? I think we're messing everything up. I think we're living life the wrong way," Alek pulled back and looked into my eyes, fire burning behind his warm brown irises.

I raised my hand to push a few stray hairs out of his eyes. "And I agree. But we're just two people. We can't change society, no matter how much we want to."

Alek smirked, and tucked a hand under my chin. He leaned in, and I tilted my head up in anticipation.

Centimeters from my lips, he breathed out, "Watch me."

And he closed the space, our lips connecting. And he intoxicated me, his scent, his voice, his eyes, everything. Just the way he cupped one of my cheeks with his warm hands while he kissed me softly, always careful, made my knees go weak.

He pulled away, and repeated, "Watch me."

iWant9Lives2Live: AHAHA oh my gosh, thank you! [: I hope you liked this chapter. ^_^ Sorry for the wait. :/

HRkay3396: Thank you so much. [': And yes, I'll always finish my stories! Thanks for reviewing.

mysterygirl96: Thank you! Sorry it took so long for me to update. D:

A: Ahh, you're so sweet. :'D Thank you!

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TwilightFreak28: Sorry for the wait! Hope you liked this chapter. ^_^ Thanks for reviewing.

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panaricanchick: Ahaha nothing that drastic yet. But Mrs. Petrov stormed out, where do you think she'll go?[; Thank you so much for reviewing!

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PauPau730: AHAHAAH oh my god, I love you. Your review kind of made my life. No! Anything but Barney re-runs! D: I thought you and I were friends. Friends wouldn't do that to each other. /3 Ahaha but really, thank you so much for the review.[: Hope you liked this chapter!

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Anonymous: Thanks for reviewing! :D I hope you liked this chapter.

As I have been saying numerous times up there ^, I'm really sorry for making you guys wait so long. X[ I thought that me having summer break would let me update more, but it's just been so busy. Because I have summer school -_-" and my mother is not very fond of me at the moment. :/

So if you read any of my other stories, you would know that I'm going to start doing quotes at the end of each chapter. 'Cause...I dunno. You never know what people are going through, and sometimes a complete stranger saying a quote that fits your situation really helps. I dunno, that's how it is with me. XD

"Unless it's mad, passionate, extraordinary love, it's a waste of your time. There are too many mediocre things in life. Love shouldn't be one of them." -Dreams of An Insomniac.