Page 32 of Bride By Coronation

I gape at her. The binder is at least four inches thick. I glance at my brother again, then ask, "Who do I have to marry?"

Disgust fills his expression and he grinds his molars.

My insides quiver harder. "Who, Sean?"

"I'm sorry, but I'm not allowed to tell you."

"Are you serious right now?"

He nods. "I'm sorry. If I could, I would."

I glare more daggers his way, then finally order, "Get out of my house, Sean."

"Fiona—"

"No! Leave! Now!" I demand, stalking to the door and opening it.

He slowly gets up and stops in front of me. "I'm sorry. If I had known?—"

"Get out," I seethe.

He hesitates but finally leaves. As I watch him disappear down the hall, my anger only grows.

My brother and I have had our differences in the past. We've had times where we needed some space from the other. Right now, I'm unsure if I can ever look at him again.

6

Kirill

The Next Day

"How did she take it?" I ask the minute I open the door.

"Well, hello and good morning to you too," Valentina chirps, brushing past me. She shrugs out of her long coat and drapes it over the black leather sofa.

My irritation level is at a high. I bark, "I don't have time, Valentina. How did Fiona react?"

Valentina's face turns stern. She points at me. "No need to get snippy."

"Talk," I order.

She puts her hand on her hip and discloses, "She's pissed off, hates Sean, doesn't want her niece and nephew to grow up as orphans, and is smarter than I credited her as being."

My chest squeezes tight. "Why is that?"

Valentina goes to the kitchen, opens the fridge, and grabs a bottle of water. She pops off the cap, takes a long sip, then reveals, "She already has the Royal Doctrine memorized."

Pride sweeps through me, along with surprise. It took me over a weekto remember every tedious law. I cautiously probe, "She understood the intricacies?"

"Yes. Much faster than I expected."

That's my little bird.

She adds, "She's a pistol. Don't piss her off, or you're going to pay for a long time."

"Why do you say that?"

Valentina scoffs, "She thinks I'm the devil. I'm pretty sure it has more to do with her belief we're fucking than me being the messenger."

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