Page 18 of Owned Bratva Bride
“Well, people go out with admirers every now and then.”
“Right. Admirers that arehappily marriedto other people,” I countered.
“Do you have a hearing problem? He never told me he was married. For all I know, you might be lying about it.”
“Whether or not he was married, what did you think you were doing getting involved with an older man?”
Why did I go there?
“And who are you to tell me who and who not to mingle with? My dad?”
I stood.
“Well, I’m glad you’re glad about your choices because they got you here.”
She rose, flinching subtly.
“Forgot the part where you made the mistake of thinking I was someone else?” she taunted, looking up at me.
“Viktor!”
My gaze held hers even as Viktor and Leonid emerged.
“Take her. Make sure she doesn’t leave the floor,” I instructed.
My eyes didn’t miss the way her shoulder slumped a bit. She had given up on putting up another fight.
Good for her.
“Make sure she’s well fed,” I added as they held her arms, taking her back to the room she had escaped from.
She twisted her neck, her eyes sending her rage and confusion across to me.
I didn’t stop watching until she was out of sight.
I felt the need to shoot something. I hated the way she seemed to get a rise out of me. I prided myself on my ability to subdue anger or any other emotion, for that matter.
It was my first time hearing her voice, and she was already threatening to get under my skin.
***
“Whoa! You just made the mistake of your life!” Ivan laughed at Leonid.
The few other men standing around the opponents laughed.
“Your boasting might just be your downfall,” Leonid answered, contemplating which chess piece to move.
Playing chess was one of the exercises my men engaged in; I had taught them the game myself. It was a game of mental alertness and extreme vigilance—skills I wouldn’t hear that any of my men lacked.
Although I watched them from behind my desk, my mind wasn’t fully on the game.
It had been a few hours since my first and only interaction with the girl, and I kept replaying it in my head.
“Boss, you’re up!” Ivan informed me, grinning.
“Today was your lucky day. You know that,” Leonid uttered, giving Ivan a slap on the back.
It was the usual practice for the winner of the highest level round to play against me. There were just a few times when the winner didn’t become the runner-up after the ultimate round with me.
