Page 55 of The Pakhan's Forced Bride
My lungs scream, unable to take in a breath of air as my body goes rigid with anxiety.
Belle is standing in the doorway with a picnic basket slung over her arm, the smile on her face frozen in place, but it doesn’t reach her eyes, which are wide with surprise.
I open my mouth to say something, but at this point, what can I say? It’s too late. She’s here. He’s seen her. Everyone has seen her, and they all look equally shocked as they stare between Belle, her brother, and me.
Belle takes another step into the office, the picnic basket dropping from her grasp and falling to the floor at her feet. A bottle of champagne rolls out of it, across the office floor.
This is the worst possible thing that could have happened. How can I keep her with me now? What is going tohappen? Is he going to take her back to Vegas? Is this the last time I’ll see her?Questions and fears spin through my mind.
I don’t have a single answer to ease my anxiety.
“Ben?” she murmurs, her eyes locked onto her brother’s face. He doesn’t answer her, though. He looks furious, even as his eyes trace over her. He says nothing. Whatever reunion she was hoping for when she saw her brother again, this isn’t it.
Benedikt turns away from his sister, spinning towards me.
“What the fuck is this?” he shouts, drawing his gun and aiming it right at my head. I move quickly as well, mine drawn and pointed right back at him. The safety is off. I’m not taking any chances.
We stand rigid, our weapons pointed at each other as the room becomes tenser by the second.
The silence is deafening. Neither of us moves. Nestor and Emmanuil are frozen in place, trying to figure out what the fuck to do. They’re on high alert, not sure if one wrong word will trigger a shoot-out.
No one makes a sound.
I can hear my heart beating in my ears, the blood pumping so loud that it’s almost distracting. My eyes are locked onto Benedikt’s, filled with rage and hostility.
“What are you doing?” Belle squeals, terrified. “Stop this at once!”
Chapter 17 - Belle
Walking into Ardalion’s office, the last thing I would ever have expected was to see my brother standing there.
Initially, at the sight of him, my heart leaps with joy. It's Ben. I’ve missed him so much, and I want to drop everything I’m holding and run to hug him hello. But reality gives me a very hard slap in the face when I realize that this situation is very far from ok.
It’s obvious they’re in the middle of some kind of heated discussion.
I heard Nestor shouting as I neared the open door, but it looks like the argument is actually between Benedikt and Ardalion.
“Ben?” I murmur, unsure of anything. He’s glaring at me. I guess he didn’t expect to see me, no more than I expected to see him.
But he doesn’t look happy.Not in the least. His face is flooded with anger as his eyes narrow and his jaw sets tightly.
He’s not saying anything.
Why isn’t he talking to me?
Instead of answering me, he turns back to face Ardalion.
“What the fuck is this?” he yells, pulling his gun from the holster at his back and pointing it at Ardalion.
Just as fast as Benedikt moves, Ardalion does the same.
I can’t believe what I’m seeing.
I open my mouth to say something, but close it again. What if I say the wrong thing and set them both off? What if onepulls the trigger by accident? I don’t want to see either of them hurt.
My ears are ringing with panic.
The room is so quiet that the silence is heavy.
