Page 3 of The Russian Pakhan's Forced Bride
Viktoria could be the key to making him submit entirely. Who knows? Maybe I’ll manage to scrape up his resources for myself.
A heavy feeling of anticipation and flickering amusement lingers in the room while my brothers stare back at me, waiting for my response. Waiting for some kind of sign that the plan is one I’m willing to work with.
While it’s certainly short notice, and I’ve hardly given it the thought I should, I lean forward with the glass balanced between both hands and give Mikhail my rapt attention.
“Dig deeper…pull all the resources together that you can,” I murmur, well aware of what I’m proposing, and the clear intent behind my words. “I want to know more about her...everything about her.”
If there’s one way to force a man into submission, it’s to go for the ones he loves. And if Maxim is even the slightest bit of a man, taking his sister away will make him crumble.
Chapter 2 - Victoria
The school halls are quiet once again as the last child exits, and the buses haul them away, and the staff slowly file out one by one.
As much as I enjoy what I do, spending all day shaping young minds, there’s peace in the nearly silent building once everyone’s gone. It used to feel somewhat daunting and hollow when I first started, but with time, I’ve come to appreciate those opportunities to slow down and center myself again after a busy day.
Even if it can be wild and chaotic at best, it will never fully match my upbringing. In almost every sense, that chaos will always feel like a saving grace in comparison.
It took me a long time to realize I wanted to become a teacher, but it was the best decision I ever made for myself.
The job is far from glamorous, and it certainly comes with its own unique set of challenges, but it feels like mine in a way. My classroom—my space to offer the kids somewhere safe and comfortable to learn.
Not only that, but the job has granted me the ability to have a place of my own, even if it’s just a small apartment right in the middle of town. It beats the loud, abrasive households I had been a part of for most of my childhood.
Bouncing from foster home to foster home made it impossible for me to feel a sense of belonging anywhere. I was only ever a passing thought, and those homes were momentary stops along the way for me.
Finally, being able to put distance between myself and the last family who took me in had been nothing short of a blessing,but being able to truly settle in and find my stride in that small town has been more than I could ever ask for.
After all the turmoil I’ve experienced, I’m finally getting somewhere. Finally…I feel truly independent and like nobody can take that from me.
I don’t know how I’ve managed to turn things around, or how everything has fallen into place despite my previous bad luck, but now, I feel grateful for every moment. Every chance to soak in just how different my life has become, all because I decided to make it happen.
The distant sound of clicking heels against linoleum draws closer while I wipe down the front board, and I glance over to find my colleague Vanessa in the doorway.
With her jacket already on and a travel mug in hand, she gives me a small smile. “Still here?”
Humming, I nod and finish a final sweep of the board before dusting my hands off. “Still here…I likely will be for a few more hours.”
“More prep work?”
“You know it.”
Vanessa chuckles to herself, adjusting the purse on her shoulder. Even after spending the whole day wrangling her class full of seven-year-olds, her makeup doesn’t look like it has moved an inch. “It’s Friday. You’re allowed to have a life outside of this place, you know.”
“I know,” I say with a contented sigh while I glance around the room. “…would it be sad if I said this is my life?”
She gives me an exaggerated deadpan before shaking her head, red-tinted lips pulling faintly. “How did I know you were going to say that?”
“I must be that obvious then.”
“It’s part of your charm, at least,” Vanessa muses, surely aware of how busy her personal life is outside of work compared to mine. “You’re more dedicated to the job than most, I’ll give you that. Just don’t spend all night here, alright? You deserve a break, too.”
Smiling at that, I nod and head over to my desk. “Don’t worry, there’s a nice bottle of Moscato calling my name at home. I can’t make it wait too long.”
Vanessa laughs to herself with a genuine sound that has brought me a sense of comfort since I started teaching at the school. Two years have passed since then, and in that time, she easily became my closest friend. One of my first real friends, in all honesty.
Where I used to shrink within myself during conversations, favoring the idea of dodging rather than embracing potential friendships, she always looked past that hurt. Past the pain I’ve kept buried, and every way it affects me.
She knows how to both urge me out of my comfort zone and when not to push. It’s something that comes easy to her, and I will always be grateful for that.
