I nodded.
Then she broke the short silence.
“What brought you here? Not to pry. I was just wondering if it’s something you want to talk about.”
“You work here, right? I think you already know the answer to that question, considering the beasts you work for.”
“I know you were brought here against your will. But I know nothing beyond that. It’s not the first time they’ve captured someone, but it’s the first time they’ve brought them here.”
“I was brought here because they thought I was someone else. So, right now, I have no idea what happens next.”
“Oh…that’s a bad situation. Who did they think you were?”
“Someone’s wife. Someone I had been hanging out with without knowing he was married. So, now his wife is in his mansion while I’m being held here with no idea of when I’m gonna die.”
She shook her head from side to side. “Some men can be such callous liars.”
“I’d say they’reallbastards,” I spoke.
“I’m married to one, and I can say he’s nothing like a bastard,” she countered, smiling.
“Why are you here? I mean, how is a normal woman like yourself a cook for people like this?”
“I don’t think I’d call myself normal. I was born in this world of crime, just like these men you see here. And that’s why I know they’re not as despicable as the outside world says. Yes, they’re criminals. Yes, they’re damn scary. But the loyalty that exists in the Mafia is something no other organization can attain.”
“Do you realize you’re talking about criminals that terrorize people just because they can?”
“The Bratva is not a terrorist group. They don’t just go on shooting sprees like lunatics. They’re just the ones strong enough to do the dirty work that most people can’t do.”
“I never thought a day would come when I would hear a woman defend a criminal organization,” I remarked.
She laughed. “You don’t seem as scared as I would have expected.”
“I’m not that fragile. That was what got me here, anyway.”
“I don’t know what Sir Eduard will decide, but I have a good feeling about it. I don’t think killing you is in the cards.”
“Many things are worse than death,” I muttered.
“True. But I don’t see any of those things happening to you, either.”
“See? Like a vision?” I joked.
“No. I just have a strong intuition. And it’s the one thing I can trust not to lie to me.”
“Oh, even including your husband you’re very sure of?”
She laughed again. “Men in this world lie when they have to. Expecting them to never lie would be a fallacy. They lie when necessary to protect the people they care about.”
“Hm,” I mumbled, clearing my plate.
“Do you want anything else?”
“Nope. I’m more than okay—in terms of food, that is.”
“Maybe you could run a bath, or just have a warm shower. I’m sure you’ll feel better,” she suggested.
“Right.”