Guess I'm late to game...been sick as a dog last night and tonight...but after reading the latest chapter...how could I not review...

So Sergei has deemed himself judge, jury, and executioner...how arrogant and foolhardy of him to assume that he knows what's best for Sunshine and who is deserving of her love...he says that he knows her...he says that what he's doing is for the best...for whom...her...him...his choosing to 'set her free' by destroying her heart is a concept I cannot wrap my mind around...and the level of disregard he has for his own brother is astounding...does he care nothing for Anatoly at all...again...he's making assumptions that Anatoly will land on his feet after all of this...is he crazy...how is he so sure that this one foolhardy act will not mean the end not only for Nikolai and himself...but not his own brother...says a lot for family loyalty, doesn't it...he has not only sealed his own fate...but effectively his brother's as well...

The building crescendo to the final errant shot was remarkable...like hearing the final movement in a well-crafted symphony...I was drawn into that little tiny room...watching the interplay between to the two principals...my heart pounding as the excitement and anticipation built up...and Sunny walking in at the end of it all...genius...just pure genius...I don't even want to contemplate what will be the aftermath...I'm almost afraid to read what has transpired...whose world has turned black...or could it be all three...did that bullet end Sunny's life...and with her death...did the blackness return never to be banished for Nikolai...and in his madness and grief...did the world turn black for Sergei at the hands of Nikolai...that was one whopper of a cliff-hanger... 

I think I'm going have to join you and the Muse...but I think I'm going to need something stronger...so until next time...I'll be sitting at the bar...drowning my sorrows...sublime as always...in the words of Lestat the Vampire..."Give me more!!!"

Whoa...Nikolai...not Nikki...was downright scary in this update...I believe he truly does love Sunny...which may or may not be a good thing for her...his type of love involves possession...obsession...manipulation...blind jealousy...and yes rage...it is always simmering right there underneath the surface...he will do anything he has to do to keep her with him...for always...I don't believe for a minute he has any intention whatsoever to ever release her...deal or no deal...he says he trusts her...but he cannot trust...not even his beloved...in his twisted way...he believes he is protecting her...when in reality the one she really needs protection from is him...his is a possessive love...life has taught him to hold on tight no matter what to what belongs to you...and it may be his own undoing...he tries to shield her from the dark side of his nature...but the longer she spends time around him...she is seeing evidence of dark Nik...he has to learn that Sunshine is not his to possess...she is her own person...he has no idea what healthy love looks like...and if he keeps it up...he's going to suffocate her...that's why he seized the opportunity to prey upon Pops...Nikolai is a studier of human nature...it's like he's omnificent...he sees everything...he knows Jacob's greatest vice is his gambling addiction...so he uses it to his advantage to hold onto Sunny...

And Sergei better be very careful...like I said...Nik sees everything...he will not stand for Sergei pushing up on his 'woman'...I fear for him more than I do for Sunny...she's a beautiful bird trapped in a gilded cage...Nikolai's prisoner of love...I love how she reminded Nikolai that she's essentially still a child...who should be having fun and looking forward to the rest of her life like any normal teenager should be doing...

Great casting of Herschel, BTW, I love Steve Buscemi...

Uh-oh, I smell trouble...Darla...just Darla...and Pops...interesting twist...

Great update as always...excellent work...and what a e-page turner...

I love your spirit... and this story...on to my review...

Okay...Sergei has lost ALL perspective...he still doesn't realize that he is and probably will always be in the FRIEND zone with Sunny...has he ever considered that Sunny might be developing real feelings for Nikolai...that she is not with him out mere obligation...just maybe...maybe she's with him because she wants to be...Nikolai has never treated her unkind...he looks after her every need...he is not an abusive monster with her...yet Sergei refuses to heed his own brother's (I'm loving Anatoly btw now) warning about letting his wayward emotions rule his actions...emotions that are dangerous with a man like Nikolai...it's like he has a death wish now...he knows that Nikolai is watching him...them...closely...so very closely...and if he loves or cares for Sunny as much as he claims...shouldn't he at least be fearful of the possible consequences to her if he sets Nikolai off...Nik is not a stupid man...in fact...he's very astute...observant...possessive...jealous...dangerous...and in love...a lethal combination if there ever was one...Sergei will not be warned again...it's almost pathetically easy how Nikolai could one day make him 'disappear' from their lives...my advice to him would be to let it go...his fantasy of him and Sunny riding off into the sunset...go to school...better your life...get away from the underbelly of society and make something of yourself for you...you are indeed 'worth' it...

Nikolai is in deep with Sunny...he's totally committed to keeping her to his side...by any means necessary...for her sake...I hope she's not 'playing' him...for I fear the consequences of that...the near-panic he felt when he lost sight of her in the open market...he loves her so much...she has his heart...and a man like Nikolai's heart should never be trifled with...yeah, even sinners have heart...I know that he's the 'bad' guy in the story...but I can't help it...I'm so rooting for him...Sunshine makes him a better person...she's good for him and he's surprise, surprise...is good for her...he can be a better man as long as he has his 'ray of light' in his life...his Sunshine...please, Sunny, don't let him down...

I'm glad that Jacob is finally serious about getting the real help that he needs...amazing what a little beating and some straight talk can do to change a disposition...but uh-oh, Darla...just Darla...I can hear the wheels turning in that crazy heifer's head...she's finally found a way to exact 'revenge' on Nikolai using Jacob as her pigeon...silly rabbit...doesn't she know tricks are for kids...I see another death warrant is about to be signed...

Superb update as always...can't wait to read more...you're rocking this story!!!!

Back in town and finally caught up with this story...

The duality in which you write the character of Nikolai is quite stunning at times...his generosity...the way he loves Sunny is both heartwarming and frightening at the same time...it not just that he wants to love her...make her his...at times I truly believe he wants to possess her...make all of her goodness and light a part of him...yet he is a very dark character...make no mistake about that...he will kill, maim, manipulate, and yes, destroy to keep her in his life...he wants to lock her away from the rest of the world...to bring her out only for himself...she abates the darkness that dwells within him...and sometimes I get the feeling that Nikolai hates that darkness...he sees the ugliness and loneliness of it...so he clings to her evermore in an effort to stave it off...now, he wants a future with her beyond the five years of their agreement...he's invisioning marriage...kids...the whole nine yards...but what about Sunshine...can she freely be a part of his dark world...expose her future children to those type of dangers...always wondering if he will come back or if one of Nikolai's many enemies will use her or her child as retribution against Nikki...all her life Sunshine has sacrificed so much in the name of love...my question is...what will he be willing to sacrifice to have the future he wants with her...will there ever come a time when he can give up 'the life'...

I like how you're keeping us guessing from chapter to chapter the nature of Sunny's true feelings for Nikolai...does she really love him...can someone who is filled with so much goodness and light really fall in love with someone so dark...or is she just simply biding her time...making the best of a horrific situation by serving her sentence with him but looking forward to the day when she will finally be set free...is this why Nikolai does not want her to know the true depths of his own feelings for her...why he knows now is not the right time to ask her to be his wife...will there ever come a 'right' time...or does he already realize that he's living on borrowed time...love your take on this modern retelling of Beauty and the Beast...I also like how you're giving each of the characters an introspective look at the situation and the motivation for their actions...that is...all except Sunshine...we're catching glimpses of her through her interactions with the other characters and flashback scenes of her childhood...but we never really get to hear Sunny's 'voice'...hmmm, interesting...and quite genius storytelling...

Jacob Jones...I'm so over him I could scream...he's a hopeless, selfishly weak bastard...IMHO...he's a sight more darker than Nikolai could ever dream to be...he's lost his children yet it still hasn't woken his ass up...still chasing the next big score...always trying to 'fix' what he keeps breaking with his own foolish actions...he does not love Sunny...nor Benji...and quite possibly himself...what Jasmine ever saw in the worthless bum I'll never know...I still don't understand why Sunny has sacrificed her life and dreams for him...I know she did it in part to protect her little brother...but Jetta gave her some sage advice...she can't keep taking his problems on her slender shoulders and keep hoping that he'll change his ways...he doesn't want to change...so it's time for her to let that soldier fall on his own sword...

Onimosity...this is such a wonderful, thought-provoking and plain 'ol addictive masterpiece...I love the twists and turns and the way you keep me guessing...can't wait for the next update....whenever we get it, lol...but I'll keep reading and reviewing for as long as you keep churning them out...happy holidays!!!!

This update is breaking my heart all over again...I know the separation is just and so very necessary...but I can't bear to read of them longing for each other so...yet not being able to be together...trust is such a fragile thing...and loyalty is priceless...yet Nikolai violated Sunny trust in him by doing what he did...and this act of disloyalty has cost them both...I'm just so incredibly...sad...just sad I tell you...

The darkness that Nikolai battles every moment of his life is quite frightening...but he does it because he knows that he can't allow it to consume him if ever wants to have another chance with his Sunshine...and that's what she is...his...every bit as much as he is hers...they make each other better than they ever dreamt they could be...

I'm at a loss at how he can ever make what he did 'right' for her...he has known all along how much Jacob's destructive addictions have hurt Sunny...yet he facilitated his ability to continue to go on hurting her infinitely...it really struck me when Sunny mentioned to Jetta how people who claimed to love her caused her the greatest pain...and it's so true...first Jacob...now Nikki...for the first time since her mother...Sunny had someone in her life that she thought loved her simply just for her...not because of what she brought into their lives...yet Nikolai destroyed her security in love...oh, I just wanna cry now...I hurt so much for them both...

So Nikolai reassigned Sergei...got his own brother to 'teach him a lesson'...yet he still is arrogant enough to still have hope that he has a chance with Sunny...still playing a very dangerous game...knowing how thin of a thread he's hanging on...going out on 'dates' with her...mouthing off to Nikki...he really is obtuse...guess he figures if he hangs around long enough he'll wear Sunny down and get out of the friend zone...he keeps this up and he might not live long enough to enjoy the fruits of his labors...

This is really a heartwrenching, emotionally complex tale...I absolutely love it...I sometimes get scared to read on...but I'm almost compelled to forge on...that's praise to your prowess as a writer...thank you so much for sharing...can't wait to read more...the good, the bad, and the ugly...

For a bridge chapter...I found it highly enlightening...

I love the flashback scenes of Jasmine/young Sunny...it adds so much depth, warmth, and insight to the story...I really appreciate those rare moments...Jasmine was really a wise sage...and she taught her daughter well in the short time she had with her...

This chapter actually gives me more hope that Sunshine and Nikolai can weather this storm together...not saying it will be easy in the least...but they can do it...I love that Sunny is now confronting/asking questions about exactly what Nikolai is/does...after all he is asking her to take a huge leap of faith on him by sharing her life with him...that means ALL aspects of his life...one should always enter any relationship with your eyes wide open...not with eyes wide shut...thusfar, Nikolai has diligently shielded her from his dark, stark world...but she needs to know everything...not just the sanitized version he has allowed her to see which was easy for her when she could envision a life without Nikolai...now, feelings have deepened...and they are both at a crossroad...he is a very dangerous man who lives in a dark and often unforgiving world...though he has humbled himself to reveal the depth of the love he has for her...he still has not show her the 'real' Nikolai...his true self...and will there ever be a time when he can leave that life behind for the woman who holds his heart...or will Sunshine have to compromise her principles to live within his world...looking blindly away from what/who he is...he is right...he is not the sum total of that life...but it remains a very important part of his makeup...will he get over his fear of losing her completely from his life to reveal what exactly he is...or will he trust her enough to love him as he really is...this is such a complicated tale...

I see Sergei isn't as dense as I thought he once was...he does realize that Sunny is not and probably will not be as 'free' of Nikolai as she claims to be...yet, I do not trust him...and I see him biding his time and then doing something to set things to a head...his conversation with Jil at the karoake bar was very revealing...and his obsession with Sunshine continues...

Can't wait to read more...you're killing this story as usual...hurry back...love this story...thanks for sharing!!!

Late with my review...work's been kicking my bee-hind!!! 

Sorry that you're not feeling well...get plenty of rest and let your body get its strength back...will still be here when you're well enough to gift us again with another chapter...

On to my review...I really like to commend you on your excellent use of the flashback sequences to give us insight into your characters...young Nikolai...I can almost picture him imprisoned for a crime he is innocent of and being forced to adapt to the harsh conditions and realities of prison life...being taken under the wings of a ruthless gangster ino order to survive his precarious predicament...beholden to him for life for his act of 'kindness'...I think that Nikolai has always been looking for acceptance and family...and many of the choices he has made in life are a direct result of him seeking it...first from his parents...and when they and his so-called 'friends' turned on him...he had no one and nothing until Stanislavsky took an interest in him...and he became part of a 'family' and had that sense of belonging that we all seek...and his earlier experiences taught him a valuable lesson...not to trust and open himself up to be hurt...a lesson that he will have to unlearn if he wants to truly invite Sunny into his life completely...though Nikolai is essentially a 'bad' man...he is one of the most romantic and strangely noble men I had the pleasure of reading about...and his devotion and love for his Sunshine is inspiring and spell-binding...I heart him and her...

I found myself growing more hopeful as I read along...but still afraid to trust in that hope...because the problems that separate Nikolai and Sunny still exist...though they long for each other desperately...I loved the added touch of Nikki's new tattoo and Sunshine keeping his picture on her bedroom nightstand...so his face is the first one she sees when she wakes in the morning and the last one she see when goes to sleep at night...that thrilled me so...I'm also glad that Sunny is still holding firm on her need to know the real Nikolai...and retaining her own independence...it wouldn't be them if their problems were solved with one romp in the bed...they have always been good together in that respect...Nikolai is correct...their love is not a fairytale version...but love each other they do...I can't wait until when Sunny's heart is free enough to admit it to both herself and him openly without reservations...

Slow yet steady progress...but still quite a ways to go...but still I hope for the best...I love this couple...and I'm so rooting for them to make it together on the other side...

Great job, Onimosity...well done indeed...

Nikolai nearly broke my heart in this chapter...his utter desperation...the level of love he has for his Sunshine is incomprehensible...and then finally his reluctant acceptance that he can not control her...but really, he wouldn't love her the way he does if he could...it's all part of the woman that he loves, isn't it...I agree...Sunny needs to declare her love for him back before she goes...Nikolai needs to hear those words...I'm so very afraid for them now...I just keep getting this queasy feeling that all will not go well in the Sudan...though it is for a very noble cause...I just don't like Sunny being that exposed to the very real dangers of the world like that...what is it they say...no good deed goes unpunished...the intensity of that lovemaking scene has me fearing that it will be the memory of that time together that will have to substain them both for a long while...

I love Sunny and Benji interactions...he brings normalcy to her life...a sense of purpose to it...she's been the only true parent that young man has had for the entirety of his life...I loved that Sunny shared that part of her life with Nikolai...he never having that kind of experience with his own family...I love 'patriartrical' Benjamin also...asking Nikolai 'intentions' towards his sister...wonder how Sunny would have reacted if she had allowed Nikolai to answer that as honestly as he wants to...I think Benji approves of Sunny's choice of 'more than a boyfriend'...I loved the glimpse of the family that could be...time for Nikolai to start answering those questions that Sunshine needs the answers to...time for her to put the man out of his misery and tell him what he needs to hear...three simple words...yet so profound....

I love this story...true love like this is truly so fragile and I fear that it is not meant to be to end happily-ever-after...yet still I hope...great update...keep 'em coming...

I really don't have a preference for where the translations come at...I feel that I have come to know the character of Nikolai so I can pretty much guess what he's saying to her...but I can't wait until he translates those poetic words to his Sunny so she can understand the beauty that is this man's love for her...

Looks like Sergei is about to write a check his ass can't cash...what in the world is he thinking...one...he has the nerve to step to Nikolai...the boss with a gun pointed and ready to use it...two...does he care nothing about his own brother, Anatoly...who is not only Nikolai's top lieutenant...but his close friend too...and three...so this is how he decides to 'save' Sunny...his supposed 'friend'....by killing the man that she loves in cold blood...and now Nikolai can no longer ignore him as he had done so many years out of respect for both Anatoly and Sunny...no matter what the outcome...it cannot and will not end well...I knew that fool was just biding his time...and this 'solution' of his has started a chain of events that can not be halted...and he has effectively signed his own death warrant...I'm speechless at this turn of events...

So the reason for Stanislavsky's visit to America has been effectively answered...I love the story he told to Sunny of Nikolai's prison experience...and how and why the 'softness' in him was extinguished...she had to know that we are the sum total of our experiences...he was not making excuses for what Nikolai had to become/is...but perhaps gaining understanding and clarity for the need to adapt to your environment...she needed to hear that...he gave her much to ponder, I think...

And Gloria making a pass at Nikolai certainly brought out Sunny's possessive side, didn't it...in her mind and heart...Nikolai will always be 'hers'...warts and all...I like that she doesn't want to be shut out of any part of his life...though he might feel embarrassment and shame for the things that he does and has done...he needs to be honest with her always...that is 'them'...and Sunny has to be strong enough to hear them but still be able to love him in spite of it if she wants him in her life... 

Now the meeting between Stanislavsky and the other bosses is very intriguing...wonder what his proposal was for Nikolai's new role in the organization...I'm hoping that he will allow him to be free of it...but I don't want to get too hopeful...but we'll see...

As always...you keep this reader on her feet with all the twists and turns in this story...and I can never get enough of it...can't wait to see what happens next...thanks so much for the wonderful update...

Okay...I already love this story...right now...I don't like Leslie very much...no matter if she thinks she deserved being made partner...I can not get with her plan to deliberately set out to hurt another...and something tells me that there's more to Arden than is surface deep...Lola's right...it's a dangerous game to play...playing with someone's emotions...and the person who might end up paying the piper might be yourself...

Such an intriguing idea...I know it's wrong...but I so look forward to what happens next...please update soon...

Roxi's attitude about Melissa and Parker's babies seemed to be a little 'off' from the last chapter...I mean...she burst into action to make sure that Parker was there to witness the birth of his cubs...now, it's like...oh, well...I've done my good deed for the day...so don't bother me anymore...that was kinda of jarring...

I know that Roxi is meant for Mod as you've explained...but she seems more suited for Leonardo...I know he's a vampire and all...but I do love their banter...and he is surprisely quite 'kind' to her at times...I know that's hard to make sense of because he's teasing her unmercilessly or smirking at her...but she seems to have a lot of 'fire' with him chemistry-wise...and her and Mod seem so 'awkward' to say the least...and what's with his intense look at her that frightened her so...though I have an idea...but still...they're not gelling for me as of yet...

Interesting update...until next time...

Roxi and Leo's relationship is strange to say the least...I know you keep reminding us that she is for Mod...that I still don't 'get'...but anywho...I was secretly rooting for her and Leo to hook up...but is it going to be Leo who 'deflowers' her...and if so...why isn't Mod objecting...and what exactly was Mod and Leo discussing in that hushed whisper as Roxi was dressing...and Roxi...seems she runs hot and cold for Leo...yes, I understand she's justifiably angry at her forced captivity by Leo...but she really did like him kissing her if she was truly honest with herself...she seems to be both repulsed and excited by Leo...strange indeed...I didn't want this chapter to end here...it was just starting to get very interesting...and then bam...it ends...oh please hurry up and update soon...still liking this story alot.

Author's Response:

All I can say is 'yeah'. You're pretty much right on the money about Roxi when it comes to Leo. I'm glad that you still like this story even when it gets weird.  

Thanks for reading and reviewing!