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She’s the last person I expected to betray me like this!
Is this all I am to my family?
A commodity for sale?
I take in a shaky breath as I weakly walk toward the bed. I fall on it and allow my tears to burst free in earnest. I’m cursed. That has to be it. There has to be something that makes me so meaningless to others. Maybe she’s right. How much worse could this stranger be to me?
“Who am I kidding? My family doesn’t love me. No one else will love me, especially not Lev Ivanov,” I mutter as my tears continue to spill over.
I wish I would just wake up from this bad dream.
But beyond all my desperation, there’s one thing I’m certain of.
There’s no way I’m marrying that demon.
I will fight against him if it’s the last thing I do.
***
“Aurora, please eat something,” Mrs. Latha pleads. I’ve been leaving the food she has been bringing untouched. “You’re going to make yourself ill if you carry on like this,” she adds.
I know she’s aware that something bad has happened, but I doubt she’s been let in on the details of my situation. That’s a nightmare I have to face alone.
She stretches her arms out, tray in hand, her smile gentle.
“Just a little?” she tries again.
“What is the point? No one will care anyway.” I shrug, wishing I didn’t sound so petulant.
It’s painfully clear at this point that I can’t change my father’s mind. I’ve given up on him. Instead, I'm trying to think of the best way to convince Lev Ivanov to drop this damn deal. The problem is that I know little about him. I have to find out more to be able to convince him.
“Please don’t say that, dear,” Mrs. Latha says kindly. She can’t possibly understand what I’m going through. “I made chicken soup. It’s my grandmother’s recipe. You will love it,” she goes on.
I have no doubt about her culinary skills. She wouldn’t have lasted long on my father’s staff if she wasn’t good.
Suddenly, an idea begins to form. It occurs to me that Mrs. Latha might know more about Lev Ivanov than I do. I push myself up to sit on the bed and watch her eyes light up. She probably thinks I’ve had a change of heart about the food.
“You want me to eat?” I ask, and she nods. It seems she is the only one who cares about me at all. I don’t know what I’ve done to deserve her kindness, but I’m grateful for it. “Can I ask you a question?” I add, and she frowns for a moment.
“Is there a problem?” she asks.
“It is nothing serious. I just want to know about a man named Lev Ivanov. The Bratva leader. What can you tell me about him?”
I watch as her demeanor changes. She swallows rapidly. Suddenly, there’s fear in her eyes.Holy shit!If the mere mention of Lev Ivanov’s name can cause fear in Mrs. Latha, the things I’ve heard must be true. Her eyes shift away from me, and I can tell there is a lot she knows about him.
“Please, Mrs. Latha,” I plead.
“I’m not in a position to talk about that man,” she says. I let my hands fall to my sides and I release a sigh. So much for thinking she’d be an ally. “All I can say is that you have to tread carefully around him,” Mrs. Latha says.
Goosebumps suddenly prickle my skin as I imagine the person he must be.He must be worse than I imagined!My resolve not to marry the man strengthens.
“What makes you think I’ll be in contact with him?” I say, trying to keep my cool. I want to keep our conversation as neutral as possible. If Mrs. Latha knows about my father’s intention to force me to marry Lev, I doubt she will want to share what she knows about the man.
“I know he is your husband-to-be,” she says abruptly. I freeze as I realize my misjudgment. I didn’t take my father for someone to announce something like that to his staff. “Please, I only overheard it when the men were talking,” she says as though she can read my mind.
“It’s okay, Mrs. Latha. They will soon realize that a marriage between Lev and me will never happen.” I try to give a casual shrug.
“But your father…” she says before she trails off.
