Page 5 of Darkest Love
“Care to explain?” Adrien says to Nico.
With a sigh, Nico turns to us, looking like this is the last thing he wants to do. “Adrien is a business partner of mine from France. He works for the French mafia. He’s high ranking. We’ve been in talks for a while about working together. But Adrien wants assurances that I won’t screw him over. Apparently, he doesn’t trust me not to do that after I ended my alliance with Denis. And so the only way he believes there will ever be trust between is us if he has something that will tie us all together.”
Nico gives me a pointed look.
He doesn’t even say it before Mom gasps and wraps her arm around me. “No,” she says. “You’re going to marry Ana off? To this man? I don’t even know who he is.”
“He’s a friend of mine,” Nico says.
“That’s not reassuring.” Even though Nico has been married to Sasha for four years now, Mom still doesn’t always trust him. I don’t think she trusts Mikhail or Liam either with Natalya and Irina.
“It’s the only way,” Mikhail explains. “Nico spoke to me and Liam about this. We all agreed. This is a good way to make a deal with Adrien. Expand our business. But to do that, Adrien wants to marry Ana to ensure we’ll never betray him.”
“And what if you want to make a deal with anyone else in the future?” Mom asks. “Who will you use in your schemes then? My future granddaughter?” She nods at Natalya’s large stomach. “You’re going to take her and marry her off to whoever you want?”
“My mom has a point,” Natalya says. “I don’t like that you three made this decision without talking to me first.”
“It wasn’t your decision to make,” Nico says.
It’s a good thing Sasha isn’t here because she would have probably smacked Nico for saying something so dismissive. I’m a lot like Sasha – feisty and not afraid to speak my mind.But Nico is not my husband. I can’t just slap him without consequences.
And after how Denis used to beat me for speaking out, I’ve become more aware of what I should and shouldn’t say around dangerous mafia men.
“She is my sister,” Natalya hisses. “My baby sister. And you all just agreed to marry her off without discussing it with me, Sasha, or Irina? Or Ana herself?”
“Or me?” Mom adds.
Natalya nods at her. “Exactly. Ana is the baby in the family. We’ve all been torn apart because of what Denis did. I had to marry Mikhail for my own protection, forcing me away from my family for years. Sasha was forced to marry Nico due to Denis. And Irina was forced to marry Liam because of Irish mobsters. Does Ana not get a say? One of us should finally get a say.”
“That’s not how this works,” Nico says. “Us men decide what’s best for our women.”
I wish Sasha were here. I know she’d say ‘Bullshit’ and put Nico in his place. She will later when she hears about this, I’m sure. But I don’t have my fierce talking sister right now.
Adrien leans against the kitchen counter, watching everything with amusement. I can’t help but look at him. He’s distractingly handsome. His eyes catch mine and he winks. The blush that hits my face lights me on fire and I quickly look away.
I always thought I’d be bold and sexy around men but when faced with an incredibly sexy man, I’m not either of those things. I feel like a little girl who’s been sheltered all her life.
But that’s not who I want to be.
“You can’t be serious,” Natalya says.
“Natalya,” Mikhail gently scolds. “I know you’re upset. You love Ana. You want to see her protected and cared for. But trust me when I say I considered this offer in depth. I didn’t just agree to it right away. I believe it’s for the best. Adrien has beena friend to Nico for a long time. He wants to be a part of our alliance. He will take our business to a whole new level.”
“And it’s just my sister who’s the sacrifice?”
“I won’t beat her if that’s what you’re worried about,” Adrien says, drawing everyone’s attention to him. “I promise. I have no desire to beat women. To rape them. I won’t hurt your sister.”
That calms Natalya down slightly. “She’s still my baby sister and you’re giving her away like it’s nothing.”
Mikhail sets his hands on her arms. “We knew this day would come. You knew it, Natalya. You and your sisters were raised to be wives. You knew Ana would be married off someday for political gain.”
“I know,” she says, ducking her head. “But I just wished that Ana would be given more choices than me or Sasha or Irina were given. I wanted the best for her.”
“Maybe we should ask what Anastasia thinks?” Adrien suggests.
All eyes turn to me. I stand up tall, telling myself to be brave in this situation. I always wanted an adventure and this could be it. Married to a super sexy Frenchman would be an adventure.
So why do I feel so nervous?
