Page 68 of Obsessed Bratva King

A single glance tells me she’s exhausted. But she holds herself tall, her chin lifted, her eyes burning with determination.

I push back my chair and stand. The room tenses at once.

"Put out your cigars. Open the windows." My voice is calm. Final. Absolute.

They hesitate for less than a second. Then, one by one, the cigars are extinguished. Maxim exhales smoke through his nose before pressing his into a crystal ashtray. Dmitri follows suit without a word. Someone gets up to crack the windows open, letting fresh air cut through the haze.

I feel Cora’s gaze on me, but I don’t look at her. My wife is pregnant. She will not breathe in smoke.

I sit back down.

I tap my fingers against the edge of the table once before continuing.

"Darren is a threat," I say. "Soon to be eliminated. The cartel has been feeding Darren resources, laundering his money, and helping him traffic women across the border. Drugging them. Selling them in Mexican brothels."

Cora stiffens.

I don’t look at her.

I can’t.

Because I already know what I’ll see.

Anger. Pain. A silent plea that I fix this.

And I will.

"They’re fighting for what’s left of Vito Lombardi’s empire," I finish, rubbing my jaw.

My meaning is clear.

The cartel will not let go of their investment. They will fight for what Darren was building.

And that means they will come for her.

The words send a slow, cold fury through my veins.

I meet Maxim’s gaze. My voice is calm. Final. Absolute.

"We use the flash drive," I say, my voice cold and certain. "Set a trap. Bring it to life in one of our locations. Bring Darren to us. Kill the head of the snake and watch the body die away.”

Maxim nods in agreement. Dmitri remains silent, arms crossed, his expression still unreadable.

But then—Cora speaks.

"And what about me?"

I turn to her.

My patience is razor-thin, but I give her my full attention.

"You stay here of course," I say, voice clipped, sharp. "Under our protection."

Her eyes burn with defiance.

"I’m not a prisoner, Ivan. It’s my plan you’re executing, remember?”

No one dares to speak. Maxim taps his fingers against the table once, a silent observer, while Dmitri simply waits. They all know better than to get involved.

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