Page 13 of The Bratva King's Pregnant Bride

Jenna forced a smile. “Good. Now, go on. You never told me his name—unless you didn’t ask?” She nudged me with her elbow, a wicked smirk on her face.

“Ha! You know me better than that.” I grinned. “Actually, I didn’t ask, because he told me before I could.” I sighed. “Jenna, he was every bit what I wanted.”

Smiling eagerly, Jenna nodded, excitement sparkling in her eyes. “Oh?” She wriggled her eyebrows at me. “Blew your mind, did he? Turned you to literal mush, huh?”

I took a deep breath. “That’s it, though. I can’t get that night—or him—out of my head.” Putting my face in my hands, I groaned. “I escaped without leaving my number, like you suggested, but I’m starting to regret it. Like I shouldn’t have run away.”

“You’re making me want him too, now!” Jenna giggled. “Sounds like my ideal guy. So, are you gonna tell me his name? At least describe him for me.” She grabbed my glass of orange juice and sipped from it.

I sighed. “Dominik Sharov.”

Jenna choked, nearly spitting out the juice, and quickly set it on the table and grabbed a napkin from the center of the table. I reached for her, but she waved me off. “Wrong pipe. I’m fine.” When she finally stopped coughing, she looked up, examining me with wide eyes. “Did you say Dominik Sharov? As in, the Dominik Sharov?”

Frowning, I nodded. “Yes.” I felt my forehead wrinkle. “What do you mean ‘the’ Dominik Sharov?”

Jenna locked eyes with me, then spoke in a much subdued voice. “You slept with Dominik Sharov?”

“Yes… what’s the big deal?” Her serious expression made my stomach knot. Curiosity gnawed at me as the silence stretched on. Surely she had some kind of explanation to go with this inquiry!

Jenna looked around and leaned closer. “I know about that family, Maya,” she murmured. “The Sharov family. Not personally—through my father. He’s had business dealings and… interactions with them before. Many have. It’s a name you hear around here growing up.”

Jenna now had my full attention. I kept my gaze on her as she explained quietly, her eyes darting around from time to time as if not wanting to be overheard.

“They aren’t not just a wealthy family, Maya. They’re an empire, and their influence stretches across the globe.”

I leaned forward, whispering, “Is that why you’re being so quiet? I mean, I accidentally slept with someone from a wealthy family who does business globally. How is that a bad thing?”

“That’s just it, Maya,” Jenna said. “The business empire is just a mask they wear to conceal what they really are.”

The knot that had been beginning to vanish in my belly reappeared as I waited.

Jenna locked eyes with me. “Maya, the Sharovs run a Russian cartel.” Her voice was barely audible above the murmur of the cafeteria. “They’re what you could call the Mafia, and they run the show in Russian crime.”

I felt like Jenna had dropped a bucket of ice water on me; I tried to keep it together, but I couldn’t stop the shiver. It seemed to rattle my very bones.

Suddenly, the handsome, intriguing Dominik Sharov wasn’t just an enigma anymore. Now, he was danger, wrapped in layers of mysteries and secrecy that made my heart pound.

“The real reason why I stressed the name Dominik Sharov—”

“Was because of his family,” I interrupted Jenna.

Jenna shook her head. “Not just that, Maya. Dominik is the Sharovs’ leader.”

My eyes grew wide. What?

“Their leader,” I repeated, my tone dull despite the sharp terror tearing its way through my ribcage.

Jenna nodded. “Yes.” Her eyes glinted as she added, “He’s been the leader since he was twenty.”

There was no reason Jenna would tell me that if it weren’t for a purpose. And I could see that purpose coming from a mile away. Even though I didn’t want to say it, I couldn’t stop myself from asking.

“And… how long ago has that been?”

Jenna didn’t look away from me as she answered. “Dominic Sharov is forty.”

I felt my bottom drop, and horror clawed at me with unseen fingers. “Wh–what?”

Dominic was forty? I was barely twenty-three!

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