Page 56 of The Arrangement

"Listen, I don't know what twisted fantasy you've concocted in your head, but I'm not some prize to be won. I'd rather take my chances with Maksim in whatever hell you think you're going to unleash than spend another second entertaining this delusion of yours."

Aleksey's expression hardens, the facade of charm slipping to reveal the cold ambition underneath. "You're making a mistake. But don't worry," he adds, a sinister promise laced within his words, "since you’ve decided to align yourself with the wrong side, I have other plans for you. But I’ll warn you, most women can’t withstand my charms."

His confidence, his assumption of my inevitable capitulation makes my skin crawl. But it also clarifies one thing: whatever game Aleksey's playing, whatever future he envisions, I want no part in it. Not at his side. The very idea makes me sick.

Aleksey stands, and as he rounds the desk, a spike of fear shoots through me. I brace myself, half-expecting a blow, but what he does next is somehow even more revolting. He leans in close, too close, and inhales deeply, the air from his nose brushing against my hair.

"You're too beautiful for my brother," he murmurs, his voice a mix of mock pity and something darker.

The disgust rolls over me in waves, strong enough that I actually gag. "Keep away from me, or I swear I'll puke," I snap, my stomach churning in agreement.

He only chuckles at my threat, an irritatingly unperturbed sound. Shrugging, he signals Nicky with a lazy flick of his wrist. "Take her downstairs," he commands, as if discussing the weather rather than dictating my movements.

Nicky's grip is firm on my arm, but I'm too nauseated to resist effectively. As we start to move, Nicky hesitates, looking back at Aleksey. "Do you want Maksim shot on sight?" he asks, a hint of eagerness in his tone.

Aleksey pauses, a slow smile spreading across his face. "No, let him come. It'll be more fun this way," he decides, his gaze flickering to me with a glint of malice. "He'll show up, desperate and heroic. But he won't find what he expects."

"No!" I yell, my voice cracking with the intensity of my denial as his meaning sinks in. "Maksim is your blood, your brother. How can you even think about doing this?"

Nicky's grip on my arm tightens as he hisses, "Shut up," but I barely hear him over the sound of my own heart pounding.

Aleksey just laughs, a sound devoid of any warmth. "Oh, Tory, that's exactly why he needs to be taken out. Because he's my brother." His eyes gleam with a chilling resolve.

Tears sting my eyes as Aleksey steps closer once more. I try to back away, but Nicky's like a vise, keeping me anchored in place. "Maksim won't be taken out immediately," Aleksey continues, his voice smooth as silk and just as suffocating. "I want him to watch as I take everything he loves, piece by piece."

I'm frozen, horror rooting me to the spot. Desperation claws its way up my throat, and in a last-ditch effort to find some shred of humanity in him, I blurt out, "I'm pregnant, Aleksey. You're talking about your niece or nephew."

Aleksey pauses, and for a moment, I dare to hope my words have impacted him. But his expression hardens again, and any flicker of decency vanishes. "Even better," he says, his voice dripping with venom. "What a perfect way to bind you to me, Tory. Maksim's child, raised under my roof. Can you imagine the agony that would cause him?"

I'm shaking now, not just with fear, but with an overwhelming sense of betrayal and disgust. How could anyone, even someone as ruthless as Aleksey, be so cold, so cruel? Nicky's grip is the only thing keeping me upright as I struggle to process the depth of Aleksey's depravity.

Aleksey's eyes light up with a twisted sort of glee. "Does Maksim know you're pregnant?" His voice is eager, like he's just been handed the winning card.

I'm torn, caught between wanting to shield this truth from him and the instinct to be honest. In the end, the truth spills out. "No, he doesn't know yet."

Aleksey laughs, the sound echoing off the walls, chilling me to the bone.

"You're insane," I spit out, anger and fear mingling in my voice. "A complete psychopath."

He doesn't flinch at my words. Instead, he shrugs, as if I've complimented him. "Or maybe I simply kill you. Your death, and the death of Maksim's unborn child," he muses, "what a perfect way to break him."

I'm reeling, every instinct screaming at me to get away, to protect my baby from this madman. But before I can even think of a plan, Aleksey's issuing orders. "The basement," he says to Nicky, who immediately starts dragging me away.

I'm fighting every step, but Nicky's grip is like iron. As we leave the office, Aleksey's voice follows us, a promise or a threat, I can't tell which. "Don't worry, Tory. Nothing will happen to you until Maksim arrives."

His words hang heavy in the air, a dark cloud that follows me as I'm hauled down the hallway. The reality of my situation is suffocating, the danger I'm in, and the danger my baby is in, all too real. But amidst the fear, a fierce determination takes root.

Maksim doesn't know I'm pregnant, but I'll do everything in my power to protect our child from his brother's madness. Somehow, I have to survive this—for me, for my baby, for Maksim.

Chapter 30

Maksim

In the kitchen, the late morning light doesn't do much to soften the grim scene before me. Charlie's sitting there, a makeshift bandage wrapped around his head, looking like he's gone a few rounds with a heavyweight. The sight stirs a mix of anger and concern within me.

"What happened?" I ask, my voice calm, though inside, I'm anything but.

Charlie meets my gaze, guilt written all over his face. "Nicky got the jump on me. I didn't see it coming," he admits, his voice strained.

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