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I turn my back to her and run my hands through my hair grabbing it by the roots and then roaring to the ceiling in rage. “FUCK!”
I hear her whimper behind me, but when I manage to calm my rage slightly and cast her a lethal glare over my shoulder, she steels her spine and schools her features, giving me her best ‘I don’t give a fuck’ face.
“I will ask you a question now and if I sense you are lying to me, I will not hesitate to kill you both!”
Valentina’s eyes fill with unshed tears again, ones I know she is desperate to retain as she sees them as a weakness. She bites her plump bottom lip and nods her reply.
“Was this all a façade, planned by your family? Pretend the little Princess is on the run for years, then she suddenly gets a job at my Burlesque club of all places. Infiltrate my establishment with the hopes of catching my eye um? I bet you couldn’t believe your luck hey, Princess Valentina. What a glorious job you did for Papa, tricking the dumb fuck Prince so fucking easily. What was the plan? Make me love you and then break my heart and put a bullet in my head for good measure. What a fucking fool I have been. So easily tricked by your virginal pussy. Bravo, Princess Valentina. Bravo.”
Her face is puzzled at first by my outburst, trying to piece together all I have accused her of. She looks over to Henry who is looking as puzzled as she is. Valentina looks at me again, she has so much hurt and betrayal in her eyes I start to doubt myself, but I don’t lose my composure. This just can’t be a coincidence though, can it?
“Firstly, who the fuck are you? Also, how do you know my family?”
Does she think I’m fucking stupid?
“Don’t play dumb with me, Printsessa. Don’t try and pretend you have no clue who I am. The game is up and now I’m growing impatient. Also, very trigger happy.”
There she is; my Little Vixen’s eyes are raging with anger. She marches over to me with no concern for her safety at all, as she stabs her finger in my chest and looks up at me with what I can only describe as pure hatred.
“Fuck you, arsehole! If you think I would do anything for my Papa other than spit on his dead corpse, you are sorely mistaken. That bastard ripped my world from me and destroyed anything good I ever had in my life. He sold me and killed the most precious thing in the world to me. If it weren’t for Luka, I would have been raped numerous times, or killed myself by now. Take your pick, but do not think I would ever do anything for that monster. Ever! Now, I have not got a clue who the fuck you are, other than tonight at the club when I learned your name. I didn’t know the owner was even Russian or I would never have worked there. Shit. You even fucked me, and I didn’t even know or sense you were Russian until you spoke it just now.”
Fucking hell, I’m so confused. I’m torn between her venom and obvious hatred for her Papa. But my own conclusion of the plot they have conspired against me is still raging in my mind, refusing to let me listen to anything she has to say. At least I knew both their real names now.
I need to sort my head out and push these feelings I have for her right the fuck out of my head, as they are clouding my judgment. But first I need to see one more reaction.
“Very well. We will play your little games for a bit longer, Princess. Let me introduce myself, where are my manners in front of such royalty? My name is Nikolai Viktorovich Filippov. Heir to the family throne of one of the deadliest Bratva empires. But you haven’t heard the best part yet, Princess. I swear you’ll love it so much it will make your sweet little cunt flutter. My family is your family’s sworn enemy.”
My heart was pumping so hard that I thought it was going to explode out of my chest. I waited, anticipating her reaction to my name as it meant more to me than I care to admit. I was expecting disappointment at her reacting to my name but there was no recognition at all. The only part of my whole speech that affected her was to realise that we were her family’s sworn enemy. Valentina’s eyes widened in shock and then horror at the predicament she now found herself in.
She looked over at the man I now knew as Luka and not Henry with a panicked expression on her face, but he looked as shocked as she was by the news. Luka, though, had reacted to the mention of my family name. I scrutinised them both while they processed this new information. Luka’s face drained of colour and a flash of regret crossed his face and puzzled me.
“I’m so sorry, Valentina, I’ve failed you,” Luka pleaded to Valentina. What the fuck had he done, had he tricked her into this? Knowingly feeding her to the lions? I’d fucking kill him dead now if he has.
“What the fuck are you sorry for?” I shouted.
Luka didn’t break his eye contact with Valentina though.
“I should have checked your new job out, to make sure I knew who was involved in the business. I’ve become complacent, and I take all the blame. I’m so sorry. I have made such a grave error in protecting you. I’m so sorry, sweetheart.”
Luka drops his head in shame and Valentina lets out a quiet sob, quickly stifling it with her hand. She straightens her spine, lifts her chin, and schools her features once more. What a Bratva Queen this woman is meant to be, more balls than most of the men I deal with daily.
Luka’s words irk me though, I’m so infuriated with him for not taking more care of Valentina. I can also gauge the close friendship they have with each other. His endearment toward her makes me want to shoot him dead where he stands. Seems like learning we are adversaries hasn’t quelled the possessiveness I have for her.
He’s about our age, mid-thirties, whereas Valentina is in her early twenties, and I’m guessing from his words to Valentina that he is her bodyguard. It must be the only way she was able to escape her family, if her story is to be believed.
If he is her bodyguard, he’s brought a death sentence upon himself for aiding her escape. I’m still undecided, I think an interrogation of them both is in order to ascertain the facts of the dilemma we find ourselves in. Only then will I make the call to my father to explain the situation.
Valentina turns to face me again. Her eyes are red, and I can see some tears have managed to escape the death grip she had on them. Her features and posture though are calm and controlled from no doubt years of practice in the family she comes from.
“This is the first and only time I will ever do this Kai, so please make the most of it. I’m begging you. Please will you let Luka go, I have brought enough misery to his life. I don’t want or wish to be responsible for his death. I will not be able to live with that on my conscience. I’ll stay and you can do anything you wish to do with me. I have not lied to you though. I didn’t know who you were, it’s not some trick, or plans to deceive you. If you wish to hand me over to your family to kill, do so but understand this; it will not hurt my Papa as he is incapable of love. It will however hurt his pride that his possession has been taken.”
“NO, LENA! Please, sweetheart, do not do this!” Luka pleads to Valentina, making me clench my fist when he uses what is likely his pet name for her.
“You’ve sacrificed too much protecting me, Luka, it’s time for me to repay your loyalty. I will not allow you to be affected anymore by your association with me. I wish to free you of your obligation to me so you can try and live a normal life. Go Luka, and forget you ever knew me, please. Find someone to love and try to have a happy life for me, my friend!”
“No, Lena, I won’t leave you, ever. We will find a way; we always do, you know that sweetheart. If you stay, I will stay and whatever my fate is, so be it. But please don’t ask me to leave because it will never happen.”
Valentina sighs and shakes her head, already knowing that she will not win the argument with Luka. It reminds me so much of my relationship with Lev, as I know he would do exactly the same as Luka is doing now, for me. True loyalty is extremely hard to find in our lives so when you do find it, it becomes that much more precious.
