Page 53 of The Bratva's Forced Bride

But Andrei shook his head after considering it. “That will cause public hysteria over underground dealings rising to the surface and could link us straight to our concealed business ventures. If we rat on the Brunos, who’s to say they won’t turn around and do the same?”

Isidor sighed and sank into his chair as he thought about it more.

“We could extend the media train and try to make the public see you as a humble business owner affected by an awful crime, but you’re optimistic about the future. Maybe even claim all connected business venues will receive a boost in security after the attack?” Alexei suggested, potentially onto something.

“If I stand in front of another camera and continue to milk sympathy from these people, they’ll start to hate me,” Andrei said. “Padding security isn’t a bad thing, but I’m not sure waving that around will make us look any better in their eyes.”

While I had a hand in some of the damage control, the family image wasn’t my area of expertise. I tried to think of anything that hadn’t been done already, but I came up short.

“You could be charitable,” Grace mumbled, speaking up after being silent the entire meeting.

Andrei looked in her direction with his brows raised. “What was that?”

She cleared her throat and sat taller, reining in her confidence. “If you want the public to think highly of the family and to make them feel more inclined to support the company, you can do that by making a generous donation in the Levov name to first responders as a thank you.”

Andrei thought silently about it, but Alexei was the first to bring his question to the table. “How will spending more money help us recuperate the revenue we’ve already lost?”

Grace leaned forward, already prepared with her answer. “By supporting the people who reached the scene first to make sure nothing happened to the patrons, it will come off as a show of good faith and appreciation. The company will seem generous and appreciative of the help, and we’ll be back in the public’s good graces. While it’s an initial hit financially, that gesture might pay off in the long run through more whiskey sales and increased foot traffic at the casino and other clubs.”

Andrei rubbed his chin absently as silence filled the room. Then, he chuckled, breaking through the slight tension that made Grace look apprehensive of speaking up.

“I’m impressed,” he said, glancing over at Grace with a hint of a smile on his lips. “It’s not a bad idea. Giving back to the community builds trust and encourages mutual support.”

My cousins nodded, coming around to the idea, and a spark of pride hummed in my chest.

“We’ll have to settle on an amount for each sector, then send out some sort of announcement to make it public,” Andrei said, already diving into the details. “Alexei, I’ll have you draft the cheques and work out who to send them to.”

As they ran through the fine details, I looked over at Grace to find a small but pleasant smile on her face, surely proud of herself for coming up with a solution. Even if it didn’t solve everything, it seemed like a positive first step.

I was proud of her, too, and I wanted her to know she had my support.

From beneath the table, I reached for her hand. Her eyes softened when she glanced at me, letting me see just how appreciative she was of the opportunity.

I gave her hand a small squeeze, soaking in that touch that grew to give me comfort.

As I tried to focus on the rest of the meeting, I couldn’t help but feel like I made the right choice in marrying her.

Even before she was fully ready to help with the business, Grace had already begun to make her mark. She saw a future in the company, which meant she saw the same as me. Like there was hope for us to be more than just a marriage license.

The thought made my chest feel light and surprisingly optimistic.

“Alright, that’s exactly the progress we need,” Andrei said, looking energized by the prospect of salvaging what we made for ourselves. “After the donation, we’ll have to follow up with a grand re-opening of the club…”

The meeting continued, and Grace’s input was taken into consideration more than once. She was almost like the star of the meeting and the savior we needed, thanks to her background in business.

She helped us navigate the troubling time, and I couldn’t help but look at her in awe. She was doing better than I ever could’ve anticipated, and she deserved nothing short of my unwavering respect.

Chapter 21 - Grace

Despite everything that had happened in the last few weeks, it seemed to be turning around in some respects.

Thanks to the suggestions I made during the meeting with Yaro’s family, media pressure had lessened to some degree, and the public response had been mostly positive. I could tell having less of that attention on them helped the business move smoother since Yaro came home, seeming less stressed than he had been before.

It took the pressure off both of us and gave us a sense of normalcy again.

Yaro telling me to get up relatively early on a Saturday to go for a drive came as a surprise to me, but I didn’t ask any questions until we were in the car, headed down the highway.

The sun brought the city to life as it reflected off the high-rise buildings and followed us into the outskirts of New York. When the familiar-looking warehouses came into view, I glanced at him curiously.

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