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“Yes,” I nodded. “And you are?”
He peered angrily at all his brothers as if they’d all committed a grave sin of some sort. “No one has told you about me?”
“No one has told me about anyone,” I said with a shake of my head, giving Andrei my most wicked stare. He was too busy on his phone to even look at me.
“Come, have a seat.” The warm-eyed one rose to his feet and pulled the chair beside him out—which was the first chair at Andrei’s right hand. “I will introduce everyone to you.”
I really didn’t want to sit beside Andrei, but I accepted it because I really didn’t have a choice; it was obvious the chair was reserved for me. “Thank you,” I muttered as I cautiously sat.
“You’re welcome,” he said, returning to his own chair. “I am Isidor, the youngest.” He pointed at the one I’d kicked in the balls. “That one is Mikhail, second eldest,” then at the one that held his gun at me. “That one is Dimitri, the middle child.”
It made sense why middle children are the least loved because I hated the middle one even more than I hated Andrei right now. “Nice to meet you, Isidor,” I said genuinely. “Though I can’t say the same about your brothers.” It was the truth, none of them even tried to look pleasant during the introduction, cold-hearted bastards.
“It is rude to be late to dinner,” Andrei finally broke his silence without looking up.
I knew it was rude, but I wasn’t about to apologize. “What are you going to do about it, pin me against a wall like you did earlier?” It was only after the words left my mouth that I realized what I’d just said. Everyone’s stunned gazes flickered between me and Andrei but they quickly looked away when Andrei peered in each of their directions.
“Either shut up and eat or return to your room,” Andrei said brusquely, holding an unreadable expression that made me slightly uncomfortable. As much as I would have preferred to be in a dungeon than sit with three men that had uncanny facial resemblances and personalities like that of the chalcanthite rock, the rumble in my stomach forced me to stay put in my chair. It was either that or I starve to death at night.
“Adrienne,” Isidor whispered to me. “Your fists are clenched.”
I looked at my hands and my fists were really clenched. I hadn’t even noticed. I unclenched them and waited for someone to start filling their plate with food, but it was as if no one wanted to. I ran out of patience, took a flat ceramic serving utensil, and started throwing food on my plate. Roast beef, stewed potatoes and carrots, mushroom…
Dimitri was glaring at me as if I’d committed a sin greater than them murdering people. I was indifferent to his spiteful gaze as I started stuffing my mouth.
“Andrei always takes the first bite,” Isidor whispered again.
“Well,” I replied with my cheeks swollen with stewed potatoes, “he doesn’t look like he is ready to eat just yet.” Isidor exhaled exhaustingly and I immediately understood. “So, he keeps everyone else starving when he isn’t ready to eat?”
I tilted my head to Andrei who was still busy on his phone. What if it was Camilla he was talking to? I shot up from my seat and dragged his phone from him. He glowered at me with complete shock, and I could see Mikhail and Dimitri stand up cautiously to defend Andrei from me as if they’d be able to save him if I intended to really kill him.
“Don’t you have any manners?” I yelled at Andrei. “You don’t use your fucking phone at the table! You can’t just keep everyone waiting till you decide you’re ready to eat.”
Andrei did not say anything in response to my correction, which made me even more upset. “Won’t you say something?” I queried.
“Something, like what?”
I scoffed, he had to be the most annoying person in existence. “You’re really a heartless bastard.”
The calm in his eyes turned into a raging storm. For a minute, the dining room was noiseless while Andrei and I had a cold war on who would look at the other in the cruelest way possible. “Sit down…or I’ll press you to the walls until your lungs burst and every bone in your body shatters,” he said.
For someone who had a reputation as the cruelest Bratva leader to have ever existed, Andrei had been soft to me so far. I knew I was slowly pushing him beyond his limit, and although I didn’t think he’d take his threat all the way, I wasn’t willing to push my luck too far. So, I sat.
I’d noticed Isidor tugging on my shorts since I stood. I’d ignored him because I was too busy starting a war I could not win.
“Andrei has never demanded that we do not touch the food when he hasn’t,” Isidor explained. “We decided to do it to show our respect for him even though he hates it himself.”
I just fucked up. “It’s still rude to press your phone while at the table with your family,” I retorted quietly in defense of my rash behavior.
Andrei ignored me. He stood and then did the most unspeakable thing. He shared the food amongst his brothers. And I noticed as he served himself last.
“What is he doing?” I whispered to Isidor.
“Andrei always makes sure we have enough on our plates,” Isidor replied. “He’s done that since we were kids.”
“Surprising for someone who wouldn’t let his brothers eat until he does,” I remarked, unwilling to accept how cool Andrei was.
“You’re misunderstanding him,” Isidor said. “He doesn’t let us take the first bite just in case the food isn’t safe. Our mother was poisoned, and he’s been paranoid ever since.”
