Page 28 of Bossed Around By the Bratva

“It will,” I insisted, taking his hand. “Please just give it time.”

“I’ll have to think about it,” he said, sighing and pulling away. “But when this backfires, remember these words, it will.It’s going to be a bigger explosion than you bargained for. There will be hell to pay.”

I gave him a sincere look as I spoke. “I promise, it’s just work. There’s nothing shady going on here. No bratva involvement. It’s a legit business. Plus, I was responsible for the success of the latest projects. I handled the management and did the presentation.”

“Well,” he said, raising his brows. “I must then congratulate you, as we were all impressed by that one. But know this, if there is anything reckless going on, I will tell. And that means I’ll be keeping an eye on you.”

Feeling somewhat better, I swallowed the lump in my throat. “Thank you for the vote of confidence. You will not regret this,” I said, stepping up to him and hugging him. “And that’s fine,” I added as relief washed over me. “It won’t be an issue.”

The door swung open, and Akim stormed in. I could see the tenseness in his shoulders as he scanned my brother. I looked at Timofey, pleading with my eyes that he would keep his mouth shut. I couldn’t let him mess with my plans.

“Who are you, and what are you doing here?” Akim spat. His tone was slightly elevated, and I could hear the anger coming through.

My brother extended his hand as he introduced himself. “I’m Timofey Chernykh. I came by to check on operations.”

Akim did not shake his hand. He looked him up and down before speaking. “Well, now, I’m sure she told you operations is one floor down,” Akim huffed, rubbing his chin. “So, what exactly are you then doing in the kitchen with Zhen?”

“Zhen? Oh, yes, well, I know her from previous projects we worked on that she was involved in. She offered me a cup ofcoffee, so I walked with her,” he said, glancing at me. I could see the questions he had, but he bit them back.

“Okay,” Akim said. I could hear the irritation in his voice. “I take it you then got what you actually came for or needed? Or is there something I can assist you with?”

Timofey glanced at me. He nodded and then answered Akim as he moved past him. “No, I’m fine, thank you. I’ll be in touch.”

Looking down at the floor, I felt terrible. The way Akim treated my brother wasn’t nice, but then my brother wasn’t nice either. But he did keep my secret even though he wasn’t pleased with me. For that, I was grateful.

Chapter 15 - Akim

This morning had been meeting after meeting, taking up most of my time. I couldn’t wait for it to end. Things had been a little stiff between Zhen and me since the run-in with Timofey yesterday.

Even though I hadn’t personally worked with any of the research done on the Chernykhs or the internal politics around the alliance, I had heard his name more than once. This wasn’t only through my siblings or the Morozovs, but he was also well-known in the bars.

As I understood from multiple sources, he was a notorious playboy. This didn’t sit well with me where Zhen was concerned. I wasn’t obsessed with researching the Chernykhs and learning all there was to learn about them. But I knew who the siblings were. Iosif was the man in charge, his second was Avgust, and then there was Timofey and Lukyan.

I had nothing against his lifestyle choices. Hell, I was one at a time, too. But seeing him with Zhen ate at me. It was like a growing cancer trying to take control. I couldn’t just let this go. I had to know.

As my last meeting finished, and the people cleared out, I took a deep breath. I sat down and started to file the paperwork. Suddenly, the images of Zhen and Timofey flooded my mind.

The more I tried to push the thoughts from my mind, the more they came back. It was driving my anger to new heights. Standing sharply, I sent my chair rolling back. Clenching my fists to my sides, I stormed towards her.

She rose from her chair as I got to her desk. “Can I do something for you?” she asked. I stood frozen in time for amoment. Looking into her eyes, I wasn’t sure if I should ask. “Akim?” she said louder.

Shaking my head, I asked the question that was burning in the back of my head. “Are you into flirty guys then?”

Her cute smile instantly turned into a frown. She folded her arms across her chest as she spoke. “What?” I could hear the astonishment coming through.

“Do you like guys that go around flirting with every other woman?” I spat back at her, folding my arms across my chest.

She grabbed the papers from her desk. Clutching them to her, she stormed past me into my office. She didn’t say a word, but I followed on her heels. When she turned after placing the files in the cabinet, I stood in her way.

We were inches apart. She looked up, searching my eyes as she spoke. “Where did you get that idea?”

I could not pull my eyes from her lips. I was so angry. But at the same time, I only wanted to kiss her.

She lightly smacked my chest with both hands. Stepping back, I looked at my chest and then back at her. “What did you do that for?” I asked.

“Well, why are you asking me ridiculous questions that are rude, in my opinion?” She huffed.

“There’s nothing rude about it. I asked because it appears you like hanging around flirty guys. That one, he flirts with anything that has a skirt.” As the words left my mouth, I could hear the harshness in my tone.

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