His Forced Bride
Ainsley
He married her because he had no choice. She tried to love him, even knowing his heart belonged to someone else.
At twenty-four, Alina Volkov is forced into an arranged marriage with Dmitri Sokolov, a powerful twenty-eight-year-old CEO whose family demands that he finally settle down and produce an heir.
But from the very first day of their marriage, Alina realizes she will never be the woman Dmitri truly wants. His heart still belongs to his first love, Viktoriya Morozova. He openly brings Viktoriya into their mansion, treats her like she is the real lady of the house, and leaves his legal wife to endure the pain in silence.
What Dmitri doesn't know is that the woman he loves has never loved him back. Together with her secret lover, Viktoriya has been manipulating him from the beginning, plotting to steal his company, his fortune, and destroy everything he has built.
As betrayal, lies, and hidden truths begin to unfold, Dmitri is forced to face the consequences of the choices he made. But when he finally realizes who truly stood by his side all along... will it already be too late to win back the heart of the wife he never chose?
A heart-wrenching story of arranged marriage, betrayal, slow-burn romance, second chances, family drama, and a love that blossoms when everything else falls apart.
CHAPTER 5
ALINA'S POV :
I spun around at the sound behind me.
"Who's there?" My heart nearly leaped out of my chest as a man stepped out of the shadows.
Relief washed over me the moment I recognized him. "Mr. Alexei..."
Alexei Orlov. Thirty-two years old. Dmitri's personal assistant. He had served the Sokolov family faithfully for almost ten years.
He looked at me quietly. "I'm sorry for startling you, Mrs. Sokolov."
I forced a small smile. "It's alright."
His gaze shifted toward Dmitri's study. "Did you happen to hear anything?"
For a brief moment...
I hesitated. "No..." A lie.
I had heard their conversation. But it wasn't my place to interfere.
He nodded slowly. "In that case..."
"Please be careful."
I frowned. "Why?"
It looked as though he wanted to tell me something. But he stopped himself. "It's nothing."
"Good night." Without another word, he walked away.
What I didn't know...
Was that Alexei had become the first person to suspect Viktoriya.
---
DMITRI'S POV :
Viktoriya arrived at my office early that morning. She carried a cup of coffee in her hand. "You again."
She smiled. "Don't tell me you're tired of me already."
I accepted the coffee. "Thank you."
Her eyes wandered across my desk. "Oh."
"What?"
"I think one of your contracts fell."
She bent down to gather the scattered papers.
What I didn't notice... Was that while pretending to organize them...
She secretly photographed the confidential documents lying on my desk.
Within seconds...
She sent every image to someone else. Roman.
Then...
She acted as though nothing had happened.
---
ROMAN'S POV :
Message from Viktoriya
«I've got the financial reports.»
A grin spread across my face. "Good."
A few moments later...
My phone rang. "Hello?"
"Sir."
"The board meeting is tomorrow." I chuckled.
"Perfect."
"We're about to become very rich."
---
ALINA'S POV :
Around noon...
I decided to bring Dmitri a dessert.
Not another homemade meal. Just a simple cheesecake.
Maybe this time... He would accept it.
When I arrived at the Sokolov Group headquarters...
The employees greeted me politely. "Good afternoon, Mrs. Sokolov."
I smiled warmly. "Good afternoon." As I approached the private elevator...
A young woman suddenly bumped into me. "Oops!"
I stumbled backward. "Oh my goodness, I'm so sorry."
"It's alright." But in that exact moment...
Without me noticing...
She slipped something into my handbag.
---
When I reached Dmitri's office...
I knocked softly. "Come in."
Inside were Dmitri, Alexei, and several members of the board. They all turned toward me.
"I just wanted to bring you some dessert."
Dmitri remained silent.
I carefully placed the cheesecake on his desk. "I'll be going now."
Before I could leave... The office doors suddenly burst open.
Three security officers rushed inside."Mr. Sokolov!"
Dmitri immediately stood. "What's going on?"
"A confidential flash drive has gone missing." His eyes narrowed.
"Have you searched the entire floor?"
"Yes, sir."
"We couldn't find it." The room fell silent.
Until...
One employee spoke.
"Sir..."
"Mrs. Sokolov is the only person who arrived recently."
Every pair of eyes turned toward me.
My body went cold. "W-What?"
Dmitri's voice became firm. "Search her bag."
I stared at him in disbelief.
"Dmitri..."
He said nothing. He didn't even look at me. One of the security officers slowly opened my handbag.
Then...
He pulled out a small black flash drive
It felt as though the entire world had stopped spinning. "What..."
The words caught in my throat. "That isn't mine."
Dmitri looked at me with an icy stare. "It was found in your bag."
"I don't know how it got there!"
"I'm telling the truth!"
Viktoriya stepped forward. Pretending to be concerned. "Dmitri..."
"Maybe it's all just a misunderstanding." But the tone of her voice...
Only poured more fuel onto the fire. "Still..."
"Why was it in Alina's bag?"
Dmitri's gaze grew even colder. "Explain."
"I don't know!"
"Someone bumped into me earlier—"
"Enough." His voice was sharp.
"I don't believe you."
The strength left my knees. He didn't believe me. He didn't even give me the chance to defend myself.
---
ALEXEI'S POV :
Something wasn't right. Something was terribly wrong. I couldn't explain it.
But I knew Mrs. Sokolov. She would never do something like this.
While everyone else was distracted...
I noticed Viktoriya smiling. It lasted only a second. Barely long enough for anyone to notice. But I saw it.
And in that instant...
The first real seed of suspicion took root in my mind.
---
DMITRI'S POV :
Silently...
I watched Alina. She was crying. Again and again, she insisted she was innocent.
But...
Every piece of evidence...
Pointed directly at her.
"Alexei."
"Yes, sir."
"Take Mrs. Sokolov back to the mansion."
He nodded. "Understood."
I said nothing else.
I didn't know why...
But watching her cry...
Made something inside my chest feel unbearably heavy. I quickly buried that feeling. I couldn't allow emotions to cloud my judgment.
---
ALINA'S POV :
I sat quietly inside the car. Unable to stop the tears from falling. Not because I had been accused.
But because...
My own husband...
Hadn't even tried to listen to me. Suddenly...
Alexei spoke. "Mrs. Sokolov."
I wiped my eyes. "Yes?"
He remained silent for a moment. Then he looked at me with complete sincerity. "I don't know if I should be saying this."
"But..."
"I believe you're innocent."
My eyes widened. "You're the first person..."
"...who has believed me."
He nodded. "And I'll make sure we prove it."
I didn't know why...
But for the very first time since I arrived at the Sokolov Mansion...
Someone had chosen to believe me. And somehow...
That was enough to give me hope once again.
I spun around at the sound behind me.
"Who's there?" My heart nearly leaped out of my chest as a man stepped out of the shadows.
Relief washed over me the moment I recognized him. "Mr. Alexei..."
Alexei Orlov. Thirty-two years old. Dmitri's personal assistant. He had served the Sokolov family faithfully for almost ten years.
He looked at me quietly. "I'm sorry for startling you, Mrs. Sokolov."
I forced a small smile. "It's alright."
His gaze shifted toward Dmitri's study. "Did you happen to hear anything?"
For a brief moment...
I hesitated. "No..." A lie.
I had heard their conversation. But it wasn't my place to interfere.
He nodded slowly. "In that case..."
"Please be careful."
I frowned. "Why?"
It looked as though he wanted to tell me something. But he stopped himself. "It's nothing."
"Good night." Without another word, he walked away.
What I didn't know...
Was that Alexei had become the first person to suspect Viktoriya.
---
DMITRI'S POV :
Viktoriya arrived at my office early that morning. She carried a cup of coffee in her hand. "You again."
She smiled. "Don't tell me you're tired of me already."
I accepted the coffee. "Thank you."
Her eyes wandered across my desk. "Oh."
"What?"
"I think one of your contracts fell."
She bent down to gather the scattered papers.
What I didn't notice... Was that while pretending to organize them...
She secretly photographed the confidential documents lying on my desk.
Within seconds...
She sent every image to someone else. Roman.
Then...
She acted as though nothing had happened.
---
ROMAN'S POV :
Message from Viktoriya
«I've got the financial reports.»
A grin spread across my face. "Good."
A few moments later...
My phone rang. "Hello?"
"Sir."
"The board meeting is tomorrow." I chuckled.
"Perfect."
"We're about to become very rich."
---
ALINA'S POV :
Around noon...
I decided to bring Dmitri a dessert.
Not another homemade meal. Just a simple cheesecake.
Maybe this time... He would accept it.
When I arrived at the Sokolov Group headquarters...
The employees greeted me politely. "Good afternoon, Mrs. Sokolov."
I smiled warmly. "Good afternoon." As I approached the private elevator...
A young woman suddenly bumped into me. "Oops!"
I stumbled backward. "Oh my goodness, I'm so sorry."
"It's alright." But in that exact moment...
Without me noticing...
She slipped something into my handbag.
---
When I reached Dmitri's office...
I knocked softly. "Come in."
Inside were Dmitri, Alexei, and several members of the board. They all turned toward me.
"I just wanted to bring you some dessert."
Dmitri remained silent.
I carefully placed the cheesecake on his desk. "I'll be going now."
Before I could leave... The office doors suddenly burst open.
Three security officers rushed inside."Mr. Sokolov!"
Dmitri immediately stood. "What's going on?"
"A confidential flash drive has gone missing." His eyes narrowed.
"Have you searched the entire floor?"
"Yes, sir."
"We couldn't find it." The room fell silent.
Until...
One employee spoke.
"Sir..."
"Mrs. Sokolov is the only person who arrived recently."
Every pair of eyes turned toward me.
My body went cold. "W-What?"
Dmitri's voice became firm. "Search her bag."
I stared at him in disbelief.
"Dmitri..."
He said nothing. He didn't even look at me. One of the security officers slowly opened my handbag.
Then...
He pulled out a small black flash drive
It felt as though the entire world had stopped spinning. "What..."
The words caught in my throat. "That isn't mine."
Dmitri looked at me with an icy stare. "It was found in your bag."
"I don't know how it got there!"
"I'm telling the truth!"
Viktoriya stepped forward. Pretending to be concerned. "Dmitri..."
"Maybe it's all just a misunderstanding." But the tone of her voice...
Only poured more fuel onto the fire. "Still..."
"Why was it in Alina's bag?"
Dmitri's gaze grew even colder. "Explain."
"I don't know!"
"Someone bumped into me earlier—"
"Enough." His voice was sharp.
"I don't believe you."
The strength left my knees. He didn't believe me. He didn't even give me the chance to defend myself.
---
ALEXEI'S POV :
Something wasn't right. Something was terribly wrong. I couldn't explain it.
But I knew Mrs. Sokolov. She would never do something like this.
While everyone else was distracted...
I noticed Viktoriya smiling. It lasted only a second. Barely long enough for anyone to notice. But I saw it.
And in that instant...
The first real seed of suspicion took root in my mind.
---
DMITRI'S POV :
Silently...
I watched Alina. She was crying. Again and again, she insisted she was innocent.
But...
Every piece of evidence...
Pointed directly at her.
"Alexei."
"Yes, sir."
"Take Mrs. Sokolov back to the mansion."
He nodded. "Understood."
I said nothing else.
I didn't know why...
But watching her cry...
Made something inside my chest feel unbearably heavy. I quickly buried that feeling. I couldn't allow emotions to cloud my judgment.
---
ALINA'S POV :
I sat quietly inside the car. Unable to stop the tears from falling. Not because I had been accused.
But because...
My own husband...
Hadn't even tried to listen to me. Suddenly...
Alexei spoke. "Mrs. Sokolov."
I wiped my eyes. "Yes?"
He remained silent for a moment. Then he looked at me with complete sincerity. "I don't know if I should be saying this."
"But..."
"I believe you're innocent."
My eyes widened. "You're the first person..."
"...who has believed me."
He nodded. "And I'll make sure we prove it."
I didn't know why...
But for the very first time since I arrived at the Sokolov Mansion...
Someone had chosen to believe me. And somehow...
That was enough to give me hope once again.
Chapter 5
— CHAPTER 5 of 10