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“Thank you,” Vanya mumbled as she took a few sips to calm the tickle in her throat.
“I’ve let you be, Vanya, but enough is enough. You’re not only making a fool of yourself, but you’re also tarnishing the family name.” Arian shot her a warning look as she opened her mouth to respond. “You know how much pride our mother has in the Guzun family’s status in Moldova. Do you honestly think you’re honoring her with your behavior?” He steepled his fingers in front of his chest. “For that matter, have you even bothered to visit her in the hospital since she was shot?”
“For what purpose?” Vanya spat. “She’s been in a coma in case you've forgotten. Knows fuck all about what’s going on around her, right? So why waste my time?”
“Indeed, since you’re so caught up in your endless pity party about being cuckolded, you couldn’t give a shit about the woman who would give her life for you.” His eyes turned glacial. “Who, in case you missed it, nearly did. It’s only a miracle that she survived the assassination. The surgeon said if the bullet had been half a centimeter to the left, she would’ve died instantly. Is that what you would’ve preferred, Vanya? That she was dead so you could continue with your self-destructive lifestyle, playing the drama queen, the victim in this fucked up mess?”
“Blyad’,Arian,” Vadim protested. “That’s a little harsh.”
“No, it isn't. It’s the truth, and it’s time our little sister owns it. Yeah, Andrei Smirnoff fucked her over, but he’s also the bastard who shot our mother.Thatis what we should be concentrating on, not her broken heart.” Arian glowered at her. “Get a fucking grip, Vanya, or I’ll have you institutionalized in a rehab to dry you out.”
“You wouldn’t fucking dare,” she sneered.
“Really? Keep this fucking up and find out.”
Emotions had now become so stretched as to be beyond the point of repair. Vanya sulked with her arms crossed and refused to meet her brother’s stern gaze.
“Look at me, Vanya,” Arian demanded. When she refused, he strode forward and grabbed her chin, forcing her bloodshot eyes to meet his icy glare.
“I’m only going to say this one more time to get it through your thick skull. Get yourself together, or I will fucking wring you dry myself.”
“You fucker!! Get off me!” Without dropping her blazing glare, she gripped the pinky finger of his hand clasped on her chin and bent it back, threatening to snap it at the base.
“Goddamn! YOU BITCH!”
“You can’t control me, big fucking Bratva Pakhan. I’m gonna do this my way,” she spat.
Arian’s eyes flashed dangerously. He leaned in close, his imposing frame towering over her.
“Our mother was nearly killed. Yet here you sit, drunk and high as a kite instead of hunting for the attacker. You have becomeweak.”
Vanya jumped up, her eyes flashing as she clenched her fists in anger.
“How dare you? I am not weak! I will fucking kick your balls up your ass for saying that. Fuck you. Fuck you twice! You know how much I love our mother. I want that bastard to pay for what he did to her more than you do.”
Arian stepped even closer, leaving barely an inch between them. His stare bore into hers relentlessly.
“Then prove it. Honor her by avenging this insult to our family. Need I remind you thatyourAndrei Balan is no more, Vanya? He has fully morphed into Andrei Smirnoff. As bad, if not worse, than the man who raised him. He never loved you, and he proved it by trying to kill our mother.”
A fierce and unyielding flame glowed hot for a long moment in her gaze, which smoldered dangerously. Then suddenly spent from the fight as the truth sank in, she averted her eyes with her shoulders sagging in surrender. It was a bitter pill to swallow, but she couldn’t deny that her brother was right. She needed to muster the strength within her and pull herself together.
“Fine. You win,” she acknowledged bitterly. “I’ll dry out. I’m sorry I broke your finger.”
“Never mind. It’s not broken… I don’t think.” Arian stared at his sister, quickly searching her face, then nodded and stepped back to relinquish the space he had occupied during the intense confrontation.
Vanya had learned through hard-earned experience not to challenge his unwavering determination, especially when the family’s well-being hung in the balance. It was a silent acknowledgment of the unspoken rule—when it came to protecting the family, Arian’s resolve was ironclad, and Vanya would not dare challenge it.
“Better yet, check into rehab,” he said as he sat back down. “The quicker you’re back to your normal self, the better.”
“I’m not going to a rehab center.” She shook her head as Arian’s hard gaze swung in her direction. “I’m not a novice at this, big brother. I’ve done it before; I can do it again. Besides,”—she smiled wryly—“Bogdan has been on my back about cleaning up my act as well. Like in the past, he’ll be all the help I’ll need in ditching the detour I took back to my bad habits.”
Bogdan Rusu was like family to the Guzuns. He had been their father’s best friend and fulfilled the role as advisor to the Guzun Bratva for as long as they all remembered. After Viktor passed away, Bogdan remained the advisor and became their mother’s protector. He, more than anyone, blamed himself for her almost getting killed.
“Then it’s a good thing Bogdan’s here today,” Arian drawled. “He can take you home and start detoxing you immediately.”
“The trust in this family is so heartwarming,” Vanya said with dripping sarcasm.
“Trust has to be earned. It’s the one lesson Dad taught all of us on the first day we were indoctrinated as Guzun Bratva members. I, for one, live by it. I would’ve expected you did, too.”
