Page 66 of Obsession of the Bratva

“You interrupted my day.”

Another. Now there was less than a foot between us.

“And somehow you’ve convinced yourself that you’re the one in control of this conversation.”

The color drained from his face. Finally. A sensible reaction.

“If Vera—”

“We are not discussing Vera.” My voice cut through, sharp enough to draw blood, and his expression hardened in response.

“We absolutely are.”

I smiled. It wasn’t a pleasant smile.

“Alright, then let’s discuss her.”

For the first time, uncertainty appeared in his eyes, and I leaned slightly closer.

“Tell me something.”

“What?”

“How long did it take you to realize she didn’t want to marry you?”

His face went white, which was very satisfying because people only reacted like that when they hit something close to the truth. I saw it immediately. The hesitation, discomfort and anger beneath it all. He felt humiliated, which had been my intention. Now we were getting somewhere.

“Careful,” he said.

I laughed again. “Or what?”

His jaw clenched. “You have no idea who you’re dealing with.”

That one genuinely amused me. I looked toward Viktor with a glint in my eye. Viktor was smiling too, as if Adrian Petrov had just delivered the best joke of the day.

“Did you hear that, Viktor?”

“I did,” Viktor nodded, standing at ease.

“I’m terrified,” I mocked, turning back to look at Adrian, who was turning red with anger.

“You should be,” Adrian replied, banging his hand on the chair.

“Oh, we are.” Viktor nodded seriously. “Absolutely shaking.”

Adrian looked seconds away from exploding, and it felt as if my day had improved significantly. Then his expression changed. He did not look angry but confident instead, and that interested me far more. Because confidence implied information.

“You think this is funny.” He continued, but I said nothing. “You think you’re untouchable because you underestimate people. Everyone knows that you kidnapped a woman. How long do you think that will remain a secret? I can ruin your carefully constructed image within seconds if I wish.”

“You are forgetting the part where you have no proof.”

“Everyone knows.”

That got my attention because the operation had been clean and controlled, with no witnesses and minimal exposure. There was no way anyone could know anything, which only meant Adrian was bluffing, but I had never been dumb enough to underestimate my enemy. I needed to find out more.

“You should return her.” His voice grew stronger. “Before this gets any worse for you.”

I stared at him, wondering who might have pointed him in my direction. If he knew that meant Manny Stavros knew as well, and this could very well be a joint thing, but my only question was how they had found out. How had they known? That was what worried me, and I needed answers. But I was not going to ask Adrian about it.