Page 12 of Mafia Maiden


Font Size:  

“I’m not marrying Leo Petrov,” I snapped.

“Then, you’ll be left with nothing.”

I opened my mouth to argue with him, but he held up a hand. “Do not test me, Katarina. I know that you believe that you would make it on your own, but I can assure you that you would not. Even if you managed to keep yourself out of trouble with the Blanchis, you’d still have to figure out how to feed yourself and keep a roof over your head. I can assure you that American Express would not just hand you a line of credit.”

His condescending tone hit its mark. Mostly because I knew that he was right. For all of my bluster, I was not stupid enough to believe that I could make it out there on my own. I gave Natasha shit for always doing what her parents dictated, but in truth, I was no better prepared for life than she was.

“Meet Leo,” my father had switched tactics. He sounded like the Papa I knew. The one who read me bedtime stories and who made sure that there were no monsters under my bed. The sound of that voice broke my heart. “Give him a chance. Perhaps, you two will be able to form a bond.”

I snorted. “Does it matter if I like him?”

“It matters for you.”

I did not need to read between the lines to understand what my father was saying. It mattered to me because I would be the one married to Leo Petrov. If I did not like him, the only person who would suffer would be me.

“Let’s go back inside,” my father said. “This is a celebration after all, and the Pakhan cannot be missing for too long.”

I nodded but said nothing. My mind was whirling at everything my father said to me. As I followed him back into the ballroom like an obedient daughter, I felt a deep sense of hatred develop inside my soul.

My entire life I had blamed my grandmother for my father’s shortcomings. I had thought that it was her influence that got me shipped off to boarding school for four years, and her whispers that were keeping me from taking my rightful place next to my father.

Now, I knew better.

My father would be added to the list of my enemies, and one day, he would realize that he should never have underestimated me.

Source: www.allfreenovel.com
Articles you may like