Page 78 of The Last Hope

“I wanted sparkling water, little man. Keep eating,” I said before making my escape to the kitchen.

I stopped near the kitchen island, watching Selina as she moved around the counter, completely unaware of my presence. My gaze inevitably drifted down her back, settling on the perfect curves highlighted by that dress.

I closed my eyes, silently thanking God for this creation, before stepping forward and wrapping my arms around her waist.

She gasped but relaxed almost immediately, “good morning,” I murmured, rubbing my cheek against hers, making her laugh softly.

“Good morning, you,” she answered, glancing at me over her shoulder.

Desire took over, as it always did with her. I leaned down to kiss her, cupping her cheek as she dropped the spoon she was holding to grasp my wrist.

“Now, this is going to be a good day,” I said after pulling away, grinning as she stared at me, cheeks flushed and lips slightly swollen.

“Yes,” she simply agreed, making my smile grow.

“Let’s go before Andrei steals Ivan’s crepes and Ivan tries to get revenge,” I said, grabbing the steaming plate of crepes while she picked up her freshly brewed coffee.

She walked ahead of me, back into the dining room. And may God forgive me, but my gaze once again drifted to a certain spot.

“Yes, we’ll be there in an hour,” I told Grigori before hanging up.

I had completely forgotten about today’s meeting of the Twelve—the monthly gathering of the heads of the main families in theBratva.

There were two meetings happening at the same time. One for the family heads, led by Grigori, where we discussed business, security, and trade routes. The other, run by Elif, was for the wives, sisters, and daughters of these men, where they negotiated damage control and brokered peace when necessary. If we had managed to avoid most wars so far, it was because of them.

I pushed back my chair to stand, but the door suddenly swung open, and Sienna Floros strode in, her expression dark.

She shut the door behind her and approached my desk with confident steps, “I assume your sister already spoke to you,” I said, shoving my hands into my sweatpants pockets.

“We’re not staying. I don’t know how you manipulated my sister, but we are not staying,” she repeated, lifting her chin to hold my gaze as I moved closer.

“Manipulated ? Is that what you think of me? That I’m some scheming bastard taking advantage of a woman in distress?”

Sienna scoffed, shaking her head.

“You’re all manipulators in the dark world you live in. I won’t let my sister fall into another trap.”

Before I even registered my own movement, my hand gripped her jaw. But to my surprise, she didn’t flinch—didn’t even blink.

“Never compare me to that son of a bitch again,” I growled through clenched teeth.

“Then leave her alone,” she fired back, gripping my wrist in a sharp movement that forced me to let go. She stepped back immediately, creating space between us.

“Where did you learn that?” I asked, rubbing my wrist.

She didn’t answer. Just stared at me, arms crossed. I sighed and motioned for her to sit—and unexpectedly, she did.

“Antonio has a way of tracking Selina,” I explained, watching her frown. “That’s how he knew about the plane. If you leave now, he’ll find you.”

“How?”

“We don’t know. But I’ll find out—”

“Will you? Or do you just not want to find out so you can keep her here?” she accused, her eyes blazing with defiance.

She had been through hell. That much was clear.

I stood up again, moving around the desk to join her. She didn’t move as I knelt in front of her, taking her hands—too cold, much too cold—into mine.

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