Page 10 of The Bratva's Captive

“I know what I’m doing,” he said instead, hedging again.

“You might think you do,” Grandmother said, speaking up for the first time since she’d joined us for this unofficial family meeting. She tossed the folders onto the counter, letting them spread. “But I doubt that any of you realize what else you’re doing.” Picking up one folder, she rifled through the contents.

I stood next to her, seeing from this distance that the papers in this folder made up a dossier on a Mafia princess.

“You—all four of you—are neglecting your duty to bring an heir into the family,” she stated regally.

“Not this again,” I groaned.

“Yes. This again. I know you’re all stalling and dragging your feet on this, but from a tactical standpoint, you are weakening the Ivanov name.” She set the folder down and crossed her arms. “I don’t care if you’re not ready to settle down. I wasn’t when I was arranged to your grandfather. Grigory, you weren’t inclined to take a wife when you met Beatrice. But that doesn’t matter. Withoutanyplanning for the next generation, you are weakening the family line. We have no child, no offspring, no one to plan the future upon, and that does weaken us.”

Father sighed, rubbing a hand over his face.

“I saw all those families last night at the wedding. And I could see how strategic they were, thinking ahead, to have a family topass their legacy on to. They were all ahead of the game, waiting on children to be born so they could grow and get stronger.”

I glanced at my brothers, finding them rolling their eyes just like I wanted to.

“All of our enemies are smart to think of the next generation and build theirs up.” She flung a hand up before slapping it on her arm over her stomach. “And none of you can?”

“You’re the oldest,” Saul said with a shit-eating grin as he looked at me. “What are you waiting for?”

I shot him a glare, warning him not to tease me any further.

“Yeah, you’re the oldest of us,” Nik said, seeming eager for a chance to give me hell and put the pressure on me.

“I’m aware,” I bit out.

Damon faced our father. “Can’t you just arrange for him to take a wife and be done with it?”

I shoved his shoulder, not really moving him much. “No. No one is going to be arranged for me.” If I had to take a wife who’d be likely to con me and betray the family,Iwanted to pick her out. I would hold on to that control.

“That’s not a bad idea,” Grandmother said. “Marriages are arranged all the time?—”

“No,” Father growled. “Enough of this. There’ll be time later to deal with finding you all decent matches.” With that final word, he shook his head and turned to stalk out of the room, as if the idea of marriages or finding women turned him off from finishing this conversation at all. That was how badly he’d been betrayed by my mother.

“Maxim,” Grandmother said once he was out of the room, “you could?—”

“Later,” I replied hotly. I respected her and loved her, but for fuck’s sake, it was as though being a guest at a wedding had given her a dose of wedding fever.

I rolled my eyes as I caught Saul and Nik smirking at me, barely holding in their laughter at this hot seat I was in as the eldest.

Hell no.

“I understand we’ll need heirs someday,” I said dryly. We all knew that. Someone would need to be waiting as the next generation to carry on our legacy and manage our power and wealth. “But not yet. Not yet for me.”

Grandmother stared me down, but I wouldn’t bend.

What’s the fucking rush?

“I’ll have time to deal with that later.”

She tipped her chin up and sighed. “I’m not convinced you will.”

It wasn’t a matter of whether I wanted to or not. Breeding a woman to get the next heir was part of my duty, and I would see to it—one day.

Just not today.

“There’s no rush to expand our family, Grandmother.” I shrugged, taking my leave and planning to shove the idea of finding a wife out of my mind for as long as I could.

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