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I had no idea anyone knew about that.
Isabella was a flirt. She liked to drive men wild. I caught her once trying to feel up one of the soldiers. He called her an ugly soul, and that night, I heard the commotion and witnessed the death of said soldier. Isabella had told my father lies, and he’d believed her. That was the first time I realized my sister was not a nice person. Up until then, she had always been perfect. Everyone said so, so she must be.
“What did people say about me?”
“That was the mystery,” Slavik said. “No one said anything. They had no idea what to say, other than she was the ugly sister.”
Tears filled my eyes as I looked down at my hands.
“I’d seen you, Aurora. I knew there was more to you and they were wrong.”
“About what?”
“You’re not ugly.”
“I’m not pretty,” I said.
“Yes, you are, and that is the saddest part about all of this. You are so pretty, and you don’t see it. Everyone around you has gotten you to see this person that, to me, doesn’t exist.”
“If you found this out, why did you marry me? Why did you wait all this time?”
He shrugged. “Duty was one. I’m loyal to the Volkov Bratva. He told me to marry you, I did my duty. I also wanted the time to get to know who you are.”
“That’s a lie, Slavik. We barely know each other.”
“And yet we sit here, talking. There is plenty of time for us to get to know each other.”
“If Mr. Volkov told you to, would you kill me? If the treaty became voided for whatever reason, you’d kill me dead. Even if I was the mother of your children?” I didn’t know where the question came from.
My parents said my curiosity would get me killed, and it would seem today was going to be that day.
“I will kill you, if I have to. Be loyal to us and our cause, and you live in peace at my side.”
As a response, it wasn’t very reassuring.
****
Slavik
I hated banquets.
Being surrounded by the rich, the powerful, all under the guise of helping those less fortunate. Even as I stood with my wife by my side, I looked at the sickening falseness surrounding me.
I was used to dealing with dirty people. The dregs of society, some would call it. I never stuck to the protocol of only dealing with my immediate Bratok. For my men and people who worked for me, I was everywhere. They never knew where I would turn up. Right now, as men and women donated money to several well-meaning charities to help the less fortunate from children to poverty-stricken families, I spotted one woman who owned a slave through human trafficking. This woman she beat on a regular basis. I had the footage of her beating this woman. She used anything from sticks to whips, to even clubs. Her anger was always taken out on this woman. She held a place in a senior role within the courthouse. The evidence I had was a good bargaining tool.
Most of the people here were under Ivan’s thumb in one way or another. My presence, as well as two other brigadiers, helped to drive the point of our power.
No one could touch us.
“You’re hurting me,” Aurora said.
I loosened my hold on her hip with an apology.
“It’s fine. I don’t mind. You don’t like these places. Why come?”
“Business.”
“Do you ever donate to the causes?”
“Yes.” The money donated did go to several foundations. I made sure of it.
“Excellent. Would you like me to go and make a donation?” she asked.
I pulled out my checkbook and gave her one I’d already written. I tore off a second for her to fill in. “Go crazy.”
She chuckled and left my side. I nodded at one of my men to follow her. She was in a fish tank full of sharks. The people here would gladly try to take her from me, and the very knowledge of that pissed me off.
Andrei chose that moment to come my way. We shook hands and turned to look at the crowd.
“I can’t stand half of the people here,” he said.
“It’s what business is all about. Our likes do not come into it.”
“Will you be attending my wedding?” Andrei asked. “Bethany informed me no response had been sent.”
I glanced at Bethany. She stood in the center of six businessmen. I hadn’t liked the woman the instant I met her. Something seemed off about her.
“You know she’s a whore?” I asked, turning to Andrei.
“Do you think it takes a rocket scientist to work that out? I’m aware she’s not a princess. She uses her snatch to get what she wants. It pisses her off I have no use for it.”
“Why marry her?”
“Business, and I need a wife to have a kid with. A slut she may be, but not all of us can have cute virgins to bed.”
