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I burst out laughing, covering my face with a napkin to keep from spitting on the table again. I’m not sure if it’s the wine or my nerves, but I’m having trouble keeping composure.
“I’m not sure what I’ve said that’s funny,” Danya says, turning his palms up.
“I’m sorry, are you being serious?” I ask, wiping the sweat from my forehead.
I look at my father, but he’s not on my side. He’s frowning like I just punched Danya in the face, but how can this be my fault? You can’t just go around asking to marry women you’ve never met.
Danya rubs his chin, studying me like I’m some kind of problem he has to solve. “I’m sure you will come around to the idea eventually. I have a very nice estate in Russia, and you will be treated like a queen there. Anything you want, you’ll have it.” He snaps his fingers. “Just like that.”
I still can’t believe this is happening, much less that my father is okay with it. Who is this man, and why is he in our house making marriage proposals over dinner?
“You should really consider his offer,” my father chimes in from beside me. “I’ve seen pictures of the city where he lives. They even have that quirky little coffee shop you’re always going to. It’s really not that different from the United States.”
“Are you kidding me?” I ask, still waiting for this to be revealed as a dumb joke. “Russia isn’t anything like it is here. For one, people don’t even speak English, and it’s cold as fuck.”
“Watch your language,” my father warns.
I roll my eyes, emboldened by the wine flowing through my blood. “Maybe tell Danya to watch what he says to me. A marriage proposal is ridiculous, especially considering I don’t even know him.”
Danya’s cold grey eyes flash with an intensity that makes my stomach drop. “I think we will have plenty of time to get to know each other once we’re married. And plenty of Russians speak English, darling. I’m one of them.”
I get up from my seat, throwing down my napkin and clenching my fists. “Enough of this. I don’t even want to talk about marriage. I just had my heart ripped out of my chest by some stupid asshole and I’m not in the mood to be mocked. Shame on you, Danya, and shame on you, dad. Oh, and fuck you both.”
My father gasps, but Danya doesn’t look the least bit moved by my outburst. His expression is just as bemused as it was when he first walked in, as though he owns my house and everything in it, including me.
I grab my wine glass, hoping to splash it in his face, but it’s empty, save for a few drops at the bottom. I throw it to the ground, crunching the shards beneath my shoes as I walk out.
4
Danya
“She has a fighting spirit. I can admire that,” I say to James as he tries to stammer out an apology. He’s still trying to sell me on the idea that his daughter is going to throw herself at me and beg to be my bride, but I can see that he hasn’t even discussed it with her.
The deal cannot be made without Taylor. She’s essential.
“I think she’s just a little drunk,” James says, shaking his head as I smoke my cigar calmly. “She’s never like this. Honestly, she’s probably just upset about some boy.”
“Boy?” I ask, wrinkling my nose.
“You know how women her age are. She’ll think she’s fallen in love with someone, and the next day they’ll have broken up. It’s nothing to worry about.”
“You told me she was twenty-three. That’s not how women her age behave in my country.”
“Perhaps she’s a bit sheltered, but that’s better, right? She just dates guys. She’s never been married, and she has no children.”
“Is she having sex with these guys often?” I ask, admittedly turned off by the idea that she’s been fucked by every prep on the block.
“Oh, um, I don’t think so. She’s… a little uptight. You know, her mother was the same.”
“Wise,” I reply.
“Is it?”
“A woman who knows her value doesn’t give herself to just any man. I rather like Taylor, if I’m being honest. I understand she might be difficult for you to handle, but I’m not going to have an issue with her. I can assure you that I know how to tame her, so long as she agrees to be my bride. That’s all I require.”
He rubs his receding chin. “I suppose I can see your point. You can rest assured that she will marry you. I have ways of convincing her.”
“Not by force, I hope,” I reply. I’m concerned about her outright rejecting me and causing the marriage to fall apart before I’ve achieved my goals. She must go into this willingly.
