Page 18 of The Bratva King's Twins

As the hot water streamed down my body, cloaking me in some semblance of comfort, I couldn’t keep my mind straight. There were too many thoughts and concerns moving around in there, forcing me into a constant state of questioning.

I wanted to believe everything would work out fine, and that marrying Vivian wasn’t for nothing, but that ever-growing doubt in the back of my mind seemed relentless.

Given how back and forth she had been with me, favoring her outbursts, I had no idea how she would behave in front of my family. They were the people I did everything for, and if she were to disrespect them, or make a mockery of me, I didn’t know what I’d do.

They would certainly understand her resistance, but something in me didn’t want that risk. I didn’t want to deal with any headaches in that department.

I could only silently pray over and over again for everything to go well.

However, I had the hunch that regret would be the one thing she’d like me to feel. That would be her only possible exit from her current situation.

As I scrubbed myself down and tried to clear my head, I just hoped for the best.

Chapter 8 - Vivian

My heart was in my throat as I looked at myself in the mirror and decided there was nothing else I could do to prepare myself.

Since Aristarkh didn’t exactly give me makeup or anything to style my hair with, I could only make it look more presentable, and I changed into something a bit more formal. I swapped the yoga pants for tan trousers and put on a fitted black off-the-shoulder top.

I didn’t know just how dressed up I was supposed to be, but I figured it was good enough.

No part of me wanted to be involved in the dinner, but it seemed no matter what, he was determined to have me there. I didn’t know what angle he was playing at, especially since his family had apparently been at the impromptu wedding. Even if I didn’t know them, they were still present at the time anyway, and already knew of me.

Every fiber of my being was begging for it to be over.

Regardless, I told myself to calm down. They were just people, even if they were related to someone like him.

Knowing how much of a beast he could be, I couldn’t imagine what his family was like, and that thought didn’t make me feel any better.

I didn’t know much about the Levovs. Dad would mention their names occasionally during dinner, but of course, he never went into detail.

Given the context clues from the night he forced my hand, they had a notorious reputation in the city for being brutal and taking what they wanted, and that thought alone made my hands shake.

I didn’t know what to expect, but the mental image I had provided no comfort.

With full reluctance, I was ready and standing around in the bedroom by the time a knock came from the other side, and he popped his head inside.

As much as I hated admitting it, Aristarkh looked incredible. With his hair freshly washed and full of volume, I couldn’t get enough of his loose curls, and how well-manicured his undercut made him seem.

He was in a navy button-down that hugged his muscled arms, reminding me of his sheer power and strength. His leather gloves were nowhere to be seen, and instead, he wore a Rolex that caught the light as he rolled up his sleeves.

“You ready?”

The part of me that was still angry with him for what he said earlier, and how he refused to take my feelings into account in any respect so far, wanted me to lash out and refuse. It wanted me to throw myself back into bed and forget all about the dinner.

But I could hear his siblings talking downstairs. They were already waiting, and something about embarrassing myself by being disagreeable made me want to crawl out of my skin.

As much as I hated the idea of being introduced to his family, I realized it was no different from what was required of me back home.

I just had to sit there, be quiet, and bear it until the dinner was over. If they asked me anything, I’d answer them right to the point and leave it at that. I didn’t want to give my family credit, but they prepared me for exactly that moment without even realizing it.

Swallowing back my reluctance, I nodded.

Relief moved through his eyes to briefly mask his look of surprise. “Alright. The food’s here, and so is everyone else.”

“My dad would never believe I was about to be introduced as Aristarkh’s wife,” I mumbled, reaching for anything that might break the awkward tension between us.

“Ari,” he returned lightly.

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