Page 7 of Forced Bratva Bride

She looks away from me again and resumes talking. “I had a life planned, one that did not involve getting married, or even coming home. I wanted to start a business of my own, and not be involved in all of this—um, family business. And now I'm supposed to be someone’s obedient wife, smile and look pretty and do as I am told. My father has made a mistake. He should never have done this to me. He can’t be serious. I've never even heard of this Maxim guy before, and it’s all for business. Does love not even factor into this world anymore? Do I not get to experience that in this life?” She glances at me again, her eyes lingering on mine. “Sorry, I'm really upset.”

She looks away again, out into the garden. She is almost aggressive when she speaks, and I can see she is going to be difficult to manage. I never imagined myself marrying someone like that. I always thought I would meet someone kind, gentle, and quiet, with no mafia ties at all.

I sigh inwardly and turn to face the garden as well.

“I understand what it’s like to have your family take control of your life in ways that you never planned on,” I say, at least understanding what she's going through. I don’t want this either, but my brothers have called me to action. And I can’t let them down.

“You do?”

“I do. Duty calls, and sometimes you can’t say no. Because it’s family, you know. We all have to do what is right by those we love. Even if it challenges us or isn't what we saw for ourselves.”

She nods, and her shoulders relax a little. I can tell that she has no idea who I am, and right now, I think it's better to just let her vent. I'll introduce myself when she's calmed down a little. Perhaps I can even learn a bit about her before my identity is revealed.

“I always thought my stepbrother would be the one who would marry for an alliance. He knows the business, and he knows most of my father’s associates. He would be a better fit for this. I thought my father knew that I didn’t want this. I don’t think I’ve ever even thought about marriage—not yet, not for a long time.”

“It’s hard to fit into the molded expectations that families put on us. My brothers are pushing me to become more involved in certain aspects of our family business that I have no interest in, and I'm having to change my life around, too. I guess, at the end of the day, it's just about trying to accept what has to happen and making the most of it.”

She tilts her head. “So, I'm not the only one struggling with this dutiful? bullshit”

“You aren’t alone, no. We're both in the same boat,” I smile.

Her eyes search me, and a slight smirk paints across her beautiful lips.

“Perhaps you and I should run away together, then? We can escape this, go live on a tropical island, have a wild love affair, and never be seen again? How does that sound?” She turns her body towards mine, her hand gracefully tracing over the railing, making me wonder what her touch feels like.

“No more family drama, just white sandy beaches and freedom?”

“Exactly. We could sip cocktails from coconut shells and swim naked in the ocean.”

“Naked?” I chuckle, raising my brows at her.

“Of course. It is a tropical island, after all.” She looks down, her thick dark lashes fluttering over her gorgeous eyes.

I chuckle again, and then realize that the deep sound of my own laugh is something I have not heard in a long time.

This girl intrigues me; perhaps I could even say she's caught my attention.

Her flirtation and suggestive comments most certainly have. I can feel my body stir in response to her and the way she moves, her expressive eyes hinting at things that tease my mind.

She goes quiet for a moment, then says more softly, “Maybe I should just run away.”

I can’t tell if she's being serious or not, but her tone suggests she's feisty enough to try and make a run for it. That wouldn't help my mission at all, and besides, now that I've met her, I find myself wanting to know more about her before she disappears to some island in the middle of nowhere.

“You know, sometimes, the things we're thrown into against our will turn out a lot better for us than we could have imagined.”

“How so?” she asks, skeptically.

“Well, what if your fiancé is the man of your dreams?” I shrug.

“Pfft.” She shakes her head. “I doubt it. If it is one of Dad’s business partners, he's probably an arrogant douchebag.”

“Just give it a chance. You can always run away later on, after you've played the role of dutiful daughter and at least given it a try.”

I grin, trying to reassure her and get her to stay.

The truth is that the sooner we get this marriage over with, the sooner I can find out whatever it is I need to find out, and then both of us can get on with our lives. She doesn’t have to stay married to me. She can suffer through this weirdness and awkwardness, the same way I have to, and once it's all over, we can both make our own escapes.

I can get back to my own peaceful life, away from all of the drama, and one day, I can meet a soft, gentle woman, and get married for love.

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