Page 19 of The Bratva King's Twins

“What?”

“My family calls me Ari, so you might as well do the same,” he said, sounding surprisingly vulnerable from such a minor detail. “It’s just easier, I suppose.”

It was such an oddly personal disclosure, yet it seemed endearing. In a way, the nickname was disarming and almost humanizing. Ari sounded much gentler than his full name.

“Ari,” I said, as if testing out how it sounded.

Something new moved through his gaze, so quickly I nearly missed it. In the time I spent trying to understand what made him soften for a beat, it was already gone, and Ari nodded once before gesturing toward the door.

“After you.”

My curiosity faded as the reality set in, and I silently reminded myself to breathe, to keep it together and face his family regardless of how anxious I was.

Together, we left the bedroom and headed down the stairs. As we approached, the chatter from his siblings grew in volume, but the moment we stepped into the large dining room, it was like they all went mute at once.

Looking around the room in one initial sweep, I was startled by how much they resembled Ari. They were like carbon copies of him but with varying hair and eyes. There was certainly no denying those Levov genes.

That silence lingered for another moment before Ari cleared his throat. “Everyone, this is Vivian.”

In near-perfect unison, his four siblings greeted me at once. Bracing myself through the initial awkwardness, I pressed a smile for them and returned the sentiment.

“It’s only fair I tell you their names too, I suppose,” Ari murmured, gesturing to the brother nearest us.

He was introduced as Benedikt, followed by Lukyan, then Kir. Lastly, the only sister’s name was Lara.

While they all had the same faces and similar noses, Ari and Benedikt were the only ones with black hair, which the latter had slicked back instead of maintained like the former’s. Lukyan, Kir, and Lara all had dark brown hair and varying shades of blue eyes.

It was interesting to see how identical they looked at first glance, only to notice their differences upon further inspection.

Once everyone’s names were in my head, Ari sat at the head of the table while I sat to his left side across from Benedikt and beside Lara. Various dishes were spread around the table, along with appetizers, wine, and whiskey with a Levov label on the bottles.

There was a tangible discomfort in the air, yet I couldn’t tell if it was just me. Although, given the circumstances, I could understand why they might seem somewhat off-put, or at the very least wondering how they were supposed to approach the situation.

I was still learning that myself.

Regardless, they looked mostly happy to have another person joining them.

With Ari’s go-ahead, everyone started digging into what looked like a feast in front of us, and soon enough, Lara’s voice broke the remaining awkwardness.

“Can I just say how happy I am to have another woman around?” she said, sounding exasperated as she put a gentle hand against my forearm and gave me a look that screamed I was somehow saving her. “They wouldn’t think so, but dealing with so much testosterone in one room is exhausting.”

“What?” Lukyan questioned sarcastically as the others immediately stirred, laughing at her dismay. “Too much testosterone in this family—what could you possibly mean?”

Lara rolled her eyes and reached for one of the dishes in front of her. “I mean, you only ever go on and on about guns, and heists, and whatever the hell else you get up to during the day. You bore me to death.”

The others oohed at Lara’s comeback, getting themselves worked up. Based on Ari’s amused grin, I could tell it was a recurring thing.

“But you love us all the same,” Kir said with a teasing hand on her shoulder.

“Unfortunately,” she uttered, lightly shoving him off with a smile. “You Neanderthals.”

Everyone chuckled at their banter as we finished filling our plates before we dug in. Initially, my stomach had been in knots, but as I tasted some of the buttered lobster on my plate, I realized just how hungry I was.

“All I’m saying is, thank you, Vivian, for giving me a break from them. I’m glad you’re here,” she added with a warm smile.

“I know you love yourself to pieces, Lara, but I think you’ll have to share the spotlight tonight,” Lukyan said with a smug look as he gestured to me. “There’s someone here we actually want to hear about.”

Lara scoffed at her brother and grabbed a roll off the plate, throwing it at Lukyan, who cracked himself up. “See? You’re proving my point!”

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