Demyan Volkov

When your local café unexpectedly shut down, you were stressed about paying tuition. Your friend squeezed your shoulders with a huge grin.

"I found you the ultimate gig," your friend said. "A wealthy businessman needs a nanny for his 3-year-old daughter. He’s divorced, works nonstop, and pays insanely well. And since you’re amazing with kids, it's perfect!"

The next morning, you arrived at a stunning high-rise penthouse. You were met by his head manager, Viktor, who showed you around and introduced you to little Lily. She had big brown eyes, messy curls, and a shy smile. Within minutes, you two were playing hide-and-seek and giggling on the plush rug.

For the first full week, you didn't see the owner once. But Lily bonded with you so deeply that Viktor made an unexpected offer:

"Lily hasn't laughed like this since her mother left," Viktor smiled gently."Sir wants to offer you a live-in position. You'll have your own luxury suite, full tuition coverage, and total flexibility for your university studies."

You happily accepted and moved in.

On your second week, you were sitting on the living room floor building legos with Lily when the front door clicked open.

Lily squealed, "Daddy!" and sprinted across the room.

You stood up, turning around—and your breath caught in your throat. Tall, broad-shouldered, in his early 30s, with sharp jawlines and striking grey eyes, was Demyan Volkov. He was absurdly handsome. Why on earth would any woman leave a man who looks like a Greek god and owns half the city's shipping lines?!

Demyan set down his briefcase, picking up Lily with a rare, soft smile before looking up at you.

"I'm Demyan," he said, his voice a deep, quiet rumble. "Thank you for taking such good care of my daughter."

As weeks turned into months, you became a fixture in the household. Though Demyan was always traveling or working late, you two started texting and calling. It started strictly about Lily, but soon you'd slip in jokes, bubbly stories about your day at university, and giggles over the phone—usually ending with a cold, grumbling"Hang up now, little distraction" from Demyan, leaving you blushing wildly.

Then came a random Sunday dinner. Lily was swinging her tiny legs at the table when she looked up at you, then at Demyan.

"Can I call you Momma?" Lily asked softly, clutching her fork."I really want a momma like you."

Your heart froze. You looked up at Demyan, panicking. Demyan paused, looked at your wide eyes, and gave you a quiet, subtle nod.

You turned back to Lily with tears in your eyes. "Of course you can, baby."

By the fourth month, you realized you were falling dangerously in love with Demyan. Scared of crossing professional boundaries and risking your bond with Lily, you started pulling away—keeping your distance and avoiding his gaze.

That Friday night, Demyan brought a female colleague, Sofia, home for a business dinner. Sofia was overly touchy, clinging to Demyan's arm and trying desperately to gain Lily's favor. Watching Demyan let Sofia stand so close to him made a sharp knot of jealousy twist in your stomach. You couldn't eat a single bite.

Silently, you excused yourself and walked down the dimly lit hallway toward your room.

Footsteps echoed behind you. A large, warm hand clamped around your wrist, stopping you in your tracks. It was Demyan.

"What's wrong?" he demanded softly, dark eyes searching your face.

"Nothing," you muttered, staring at the floor.

"Don't lie to me," Demyan growled, his grip firm yet gentle. "What's with this attitude? You've been ignoring me for days. What is going on with you?"

Your jealousy finally snapped. "Because I like you, alright?!" you blurted out, tears pricking your eyes. "I like you, and I was trying not to ruin everything! And seeing Sofia all over you at dinner when you barely even look at me made me want to throw up!"

Demyan went completely motionless. The silence in the hallway was deafening. Slowly, he released your wrist and took a step back.

"I see," Demyan said coldly, his mask slipping back on. "Alright then. Keeping your distance is better. Eat when you feel better." He turned and walked away.

You locked yourself in your room, dying of embarrassment. What you didn't know was that Demyan's ex-wife had broken his heart and abandoned Lily when he trusted her most. He was terrified of falling for you, afraid that if he gave you his heart, you would pack your bags and leave Lily too.

The next four days were pure torture. Demyan stayed home, and neither of you could look each other in the eye. You caught him staring when he thought you weren't looking, and he caught you doing the exact same thing.

On the fifth afternoon, Lily begged for a trip to the park. You, Demyan, and Lily walked together in tense silence.

While Lily was on the swings, you suddenly bumped into Luca, your handsome university friend. Luca pulled you into a tight, warm hug, laughing and chatting about class.

From thirty feet away, Demyan watched them hug. His jaw clenched so hard his teeth nearly shattered. The raw, unfiltered jealousy surging through his chest made him want to rip Luca away and pull you into his arms right there. But he held himself back.

On the drive home, Lily fell fast asleep in her car seat in the back. You sat in the front passenger seat, idly texting Luca on your phone.

"Who are you texting?" Demyan asked suddenly, his voice dangerously low.

"Just Luca... the friend from the park," you replied without looking up.

Demyan’s grip tightened on the steering wheel until his knuckles turned white.

Up ahead, a massive red light halted traffic, trapping the car in a sea of brake lights. Demyan put the car in park and turned his heavy body toward you.

"Is he just a friend?" Demyan asked, his dark grey eyes burning into yours.

You chuckled nervously, locking your screen."Yeah, just a friend."

Demyan glanced at sleeping Lily in the rearview mirror, then looked back at you. "Do you like him?"

You blinked, confused by his sudden intensity. "He's a good guy... we've been friends for a long time, I think I—"

Before you could finish the sentence, Demyan lunged across the console, his hand cupping the back of your neck as his lips crushed against yours in a fierce, possessive, desperate kiss.

You gasped into his mouth, trying to pull back from the sheer shock, but Demyan’s thumb caressed your jawline, deepening the kiss until your head rolled back against the seat headrest.

"Don't finish that sentence," Demyan breathlessly growled against your lips, his hot breath fanning across your flushed skin. "We both know who you really like."

Your heart hammered against your ribs as you stared up into his dark, burning eyes.

"You're Lily's mommy now," Demyan whispered darkly, his thumb tracing your lower lip. "Which means I'm putting a ring on your finger."