Chapter 2

Vincent

How long had it been since I’d driven a car? Being chauffeured had its perks, but it felt wonderful to be behind the wheel again. I drove at a slow, even pace, enjoying the breathtaking mountain views around me. The hills were snow-capped, like chocolate and vanilla cone swirls. Despite the cold weather, the trees around here were evergreen, shrouding the horizon in thick blankets of varying shades of green. I couldn’t imagine an unhappy soul in this little town.

I hadn’t realized how badly I needed a break. I’d been working non-stop for the past two years, without a moment to breathe, and now it was finally over. I’d achieved what I’d set out to do. I would never have thought I’d be saying this, but I had found the cure for Coeliac Disease.

An involuntary smile tilted my lips as the thought floated in my head. It had been three months since we’d filed the patent, our stocks had skyrocketed and the money and praise came flooding in. And now I finally had a chance to get away, even if it was for an official retreat. This was something.

I couldn’t really get away though, could I? Not in the true sense of the phrase. My family’s old Russian aristocratic legacy, my billionaire status, the work I was involved in… those were all important factors that ensured I was never truly out of the limelight. Magazines would continue to rank me in their most-eligible-bachelor lists, and I’d always have the paparazzi following my every move. There was no such thing as an actual vacation for me. No privacy. Official retreats were the only kind of vacations I was allowed to take. I sighed. I should have been proud; I should have been satisfied. What else could a man possibly ask from life?

But I was getting to drive a car myself now. The small pleasures in life, I thought and smiled again. I’d ditched my usual chauffeur back in California, and I decided to pretend that I was a free man. It’s not as though anyone here would recognize me. Unless the cameras had followed me to this place, too. But for now, it seemed like they’d lost the trail, and I was determined to enjoy it while it lasted.

I felt truly alone in this place, and it was exhilarating.

Seven more days of this, and then back to the grind again. Back to wearing three-piece tailored suits, attending charity events and shaking hands with people who were potentially going to be good for business. Not to mention, back to the women I had left behind. I didn’t want to have to think about Sarah or Maria. Mother had picked the two out for me as potential wives.

“Either will make a suitable bride for you. They both come from distinguished families. Russian lineages like ours,” she had said, sipping on her brandy from a crystal glass.

Father had nodded. “Enough of your fooling around, son. It’s time to settle down.”

I was running away from Sarah and Maria, too. I didn’t have feelings for either one of them. In fact, that was another thing I hadn’t done in a while… had feelings for a woman. Both women were upstanding, accomplished women, and undoubtedly beautiful, but was I prepared to marry one of them? Blonde Sarah Popov designed and decorated homes for celebrities, and thin-lipped Maria Smirnov attended polo matches for a living, or so it appeared. My family didn’t care about my happiness; they just wanted me to wed whoever would benefit our family the most financially. I had spent too many years trying to find the right woman, one I could actually love. I was close to giving up now.

I ran my fingers through my thick dark hair. Returning to California would mean facing all that, being bombarded with the pressures of pleasing my family. No wonder my temples were already graying; it was like I was carrying the weight of the world on my shoulders. I didn’t want to leave just yet. I wanted to remain here, surrounded by the mountains and the forests, be lost in the namelessness for a while longer. Away from making any life-changing decisions.

I had been driving the only high-end car available for rent in the town, a Mercedes, for miles. Not a single vehicle had passed me yet. Now, in the distance, I could see a beat-up old car parked on the side of the road. I started slowing down when I saw a woman standing beside it, with her hands on her hips, blowing misty clouds out of her mouth like she was huffing and puffing on purpose.

Even as I drove toward her, I was quick to notice the shapeliness of her long legs, clad as they were in faded jeans. She was dressed casually, simply, like she hadn’t a care in the world. Her jet-black sweater matched her unruly dark curls, which fell around her shoulders. Her cheeks and lips were a bright pink, just like the top peeking out from under her sweater. How long had she been standing out there in the cold? Just staring at her car? Was it a flat tire?

I slowed down to a near stop behind her, but it seemed like she still hadn’t noticed me. Lost in her own world… what was she thinking?

It was only when I stopped the car, unclicked my seatbelt and opened my door, that she looked up at me. Her eyes caught me by surprise. A smoky hazel, would be the only way I could describe them. They were narrowed and suddenly very focused, like she was annoyed with me for having interrupted her peaceful meditation.

“Hi,” I greeted her with a friendly wave, shutting the car door behind me. She remained standing where she was, with her hands on her hips. “What have you got here?” I asked, smiling widely at her.

She wasn’t smiling back.