Page 60 of Forced Bratva Bride

He glares at me. “Let me go.”

“Stefano, I’m sorry, man, but you can’t leave here.”

“What the fuck,” he snarls.

“You have to stay here until we figure out who is behind all of these attacks. Both your warehouse and mine, and all the other shit that's been going on.”

“My warehouse got attacked, too. Obviously, I'm not behind it.”

“I can’t assume that. So, unfortunately, I have to take every precaution. You'll be staying here until this is resolved. From now on, my security team will be watching you closely, and if there is another incident like this one…well, let’s just hope that you don’t cause another incident like this one.”

My eyes are narrowed as I stare at him. I hope he understands the gravity of my words. I will not accept this kind of behavior in my home, and certainly not around my wife.

“So now you're finally admitting that I'm your prisoner?” Stefano snarls.

“Unfortunately, yes, if that is the word you want to use. I would prefer to call you my forced guest, as you will still be comfortable, and all your needs will be met. But this shit has gone on long enough. So perhaps you want to take this time to consider how you can help solve this puzzle while you're here instead of making things worse. The sooner we find out who is behind this, the sooner you can leave.”

Chiara steps out from behind me, and I immediately hold out my arm to stop her from walking towards Stefano.

Stefano glares at her as well. “You're on board with this? I'm a prisoner here now?”

“Stefano—"

“It’s fucking bullshit,” he yells.

I nod at my security team. “You can escort Stefano to his room for now. I think he needs some time to calm down. It’s late, and we should all get some rest.”

I step back, pulling Chiara with me. I can see she wants to talk to him. “Chiara, let’s just give him some time.”

She nods, looking upset. I hate the fact that she looks upset.

I reach out and wrap my arm around her waist, pulling her tightly against me. I kiss the top of her head. “It’s going to be ok,” I whisper to her. “We'll figure this out.”

My men lead Stefano away, and Chiara and I walk toward my bedroom. It's late, and that confrontation drained my energy.

I sit on the edge of my bed, resting my face in my hands and feeling like a failure.

I feel the bed move as Chiara crawls across it. She kneels behind me with her chest against my back and her arms around my neck. “Maxim, are you ok?”

I shrug.

“What is it? I mean, I know that wasn’t nice to have to deal with—"

“I wish I could be as brave as my brothers are,” I blurt out in frustration.

She whispers against my ear, sounding very confused, “What do you mean?”

“They would have handled that so differently. They would never have taken shit like that from someone. My brothers would have used brute force and ended that situation before it even got that far.”

“So, if it was one of your brothers, then Stefano would have been on the floor with a broken jaw, or a broken nose?”

“They would have settled the confrontation without hesitation,” I agree.

She laughs, a lighthearted, gentle sound that catches me off guard. In confusion, I turn to face her. She shifts herself, climbing into my lap and pulling me into her arms.

“And you think that that would have been the right way to handle the situation?”

I stare at her, trying to figure out what she means.

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