Page 83 of Bratva Brother’s Bride

“No, no.” Anton waves his hand dismissively. “I think we should discuss this. After all, Vera was promised to me. Or has everyone forgotten that?”

“Promises can be broken,” I say. “Especially when they’re made without the woman’s consent.”

“Consent.” Anton laughs. “What a funny concept.”

“I’m not a piece of property to be passed around,” Vera snaps. She stands beside me, shoulders rigid. “I chose him, not you.”

Anton stands, his chair scraping against the floor. “Tell me, Roman, how long were you planning this? Did you seduce her while Dmitri was still alive, or did you wait until after you’d killed him?”

The table goes silent.

I feel Vera’s hand tighten in mine, her nails digging into my palm. I can feel her fear, her anger, and I share it.

“Careful,” I say. “You’re treading on dangerous ground.”

“Am I?” Anton takes a step toward us, his smile sharp. “I’m simply asking questions that everyone here is thinking. The timing is convenient, isn’t it? Roman returns from exile, his brother dies under mysterious circumstances, and suddenly he’s married to the widow and she’s carrying his child.”

He turns to address the table, his voice rising. “What kind of man seduces his brother’s widow before the body is even cold? What kind of honor does that show?”

I release Vera’s hand and step forward. The movement is deliberate, but I can feel the rage building inside me.

“Say what you mean, Anton.” My voice is low, deadly. “Don’t hide behind implications.”

Anton’s smile widens. “I’m saying that your intentions were dishonorable from the beginning. You saw an opportunity and you took it, consequences be damned. Now you’re standing here, asking us to accept this arrangement... as legitimate?”

“It is legitimate.” I rise to my full height, towering over him. “Vera is my wife. The child she carries is mine. That’s the end of it.”

The room is frozen. I can feel the weight of every stare, the tension crackling in the air like static before a storm.

“Vera was promised to me,” Anton continues. “By rights and tradition, she should be mine. Yet here she is, married to you, carrying your child. Tell me, Roman, how am I supposed to interpret that?”

I don’t answer. Anton misreads my silence. He thinks I’m backing down, that he’s won this round. His smile grows.

“You know what I think?” He lowers his voice, though everyone in the room can still hear him. “I think you got her pregnant on purpose. You saw a chance to cement your claim and you took it, just like you took everything else that belonged to Dmitri.”

The rage that’s been building inside me finally boils over.

I move faster than Anton expects. One moment I’m standing beside Vera, the next I’m inches from his face with my hand closing around his collar.

“Say that again,” I snarl.

Anton’s eyes widen, but he doesn’t back down. “You’re proving my point,” he says, his voice strained. “This is the behavior of a man who has something to hide.”

“I have nothing to hide.” I release him with a shove that sends him stumbling backward. “You won’t have her, Anton.”

The room erupts.

Someone rises from his seat, his face red with anger. “This is outrageous! We should be discussing the future of the family, not squabbling over a woman.”

“A woman who was promised to another,” someone else counters. “Roman has violated tradition.”

“Tradition?” I turn to face the elders, my voice cutting through the noise. “You want to talk about tradition? Dmitri violated tradition when he framed me for betrayal and had me exiled. He violated tradition when he trafficked in human lives and drained the family’s resources for his own gain.”

I reach into my jacket and pull out the file I brought with me, the one containing the financial records we found in his private study. I toss it onto the table, the papers scattering across the surface.

“Look at these,” I say. “Look at what your golden boy was really doing.”

The elders lean forward, their eyes scanning the documents. Konstantin’s expression doesn’t change, but I see something flicker in his eyes. He knew about some of this, I’m sure. But not all of it.