Page 3 of Forced By the Bratva

Dominik interrupted with a burst of loud laughter. “Oh, no, brother. For once, bloodshed is not the best option, sadly, I know, but we have something better. This debt has proven to be a blessing in disguise. We’ll use this situation to our advantage.”

“I’m not sure I follow.”

Dominik opened a drawer and produced a single picture from it. He slid the picture toward me, and I glanced at it uninterestedly. The picture was of a young woman.

Her beauty was undeniable, but her expression held a hint of boredom. Her eyes were cold—a coldness that mirrored the steel in my own eyes—and it told me a story. Her lips were slightly pouted. This was a woman used to getting whatever she wanted. What did she have to do with anything?

“That is Veronica Fairfax, Daniel’s daughter. I have arranged a marriage between you two,” Dominik finally announced.

The air whooshed out of my lungs. “You can’t be serious.” I was shocked at how calm my voice sounded when I felt anything but.

“Oh, but I am—very serious. No money back, no interest, nothing, and that will be the end of it. Killing Daniel would be a waste of everyone’s time and resources. Plus, we’d have to deal with whatever consequences will come with a man of his status. It just wouldn’t be worth it in the end. This, on the other hand, is the perfect alternative.” He tapped the picture as he spoke as if to emphasize his point, his lips twitching with unconcealed amusement.

“A marriage between you and Veronica will get us into the center of Daniel’s strong family connection. We’ll gain a willing ally to help us in the long run, especially since we need to gain more ground within the city. This will be the easiest and fastest way to achieve that.”

He leaned forward. “It’s a marriage of convenience, Feliks. We snag ourselves an alliance with one of New York’s most prominent families, and that’s all the foundation we need to help us expand. Plus, Veronica is said to be Daniel’s sole heir, so it’s a very tidy solution to a messy problem.”

There was a moment of silence in the room as I stared at the picture of Veronica. Her cold beauty did nothing to quell the storm brewing inside me. Instead, it seemed to fuel it. Marriage was a trap, a ball and chain that would slow all my plans down, and I had no time for the confinement it brought. I was restless and untamed, not some lapdog to be tethered to a socialite.

“I don’t have time for this, Dominik,” I growled, my voice laced with frustration. “I’m in and out of the US constantly, handling other businesses. Marriage would be a logistical nightmare, not to mention how much it would slow us down.”

Dominik’s smile remained fixed. “Excuses, Feliks. You’ll manage. Besides, it’s a business arrangement, after all. So, you will, in essence, be handling business. The pace this business goes doesn’t matter in the grand scheme of things, so you’re fine.”

“Is there no other way to go about settling this debt? It seems like a lot, Dominik—plus, why do I have to be cleaning Daniel’s mess? There are other ways to go about collection, you know,” I tried again.

“You’re not cleaning up a mess, Felix. You’re simply leveraging a situation. The decision is final, and there won’t be any changes. Plans have already begun to take things to the next level, so I suggest you warm up to the idea quickly because the process from your end will begin immediately.” Dominik’s voice was firm with conclusion as he spoke.

Dominik was right, of course. This was more than just some arranged marriage; it was a strategic move, a calculated power play that could solidify Bratva’s position in New York. However, the very thought of being bartered like a pawn, forced into a union with a woman who embodied everything I despised, filled me with disgust.

I clenched my fists, my brother’s authority settling on me like a lead weight. As much as I hated the idea, defiance was futile. I was stuck. If this was Dominik’s final decision, there was nothing I could do to change it. He was the Pakhan [boss], and his orders were absolute.

I looked back at the photograph; Veronica Fairfax oozed an air of entitlement that instantly put me on edge. Her cold blue eyes repelled me, and I couldn’t imagine having to stare into them for however long this arrangement was supposed to last. She didn’t have the innocence in her eyes that I’d always craved—in fact, it was like the opposite. It looked like she knew too much, and it threw me off. Plus, that platinum blonde hair looked so harsh, even from the photograph, that I could imagine how blinding it would be.

My shoulders slumped as Dominik pulled the photograph back to himself. I had no choice; I was going to marry the Fairfax girl.

This was going to be incredibly unpleasant.

Chapter 3 - Jenna

I rested my head against the car seat, looking out the window at the passing landscape. Rain streaked down the window, mirroring the tears blurring my vision.

I couldn’t get my mother’s fragile state out of my mind. She was all I had, and I couldn’t imagine what I would do if this illness managed to take her away from me. I didn’t think I’d be able to survive it.

I could see my father’s mansion lurking ahead; its grandeur mocked my misery. The building was only a tiny fraction of my father’s affluence. Yet, my mother was in the hospital, desperately fighting for her life because we couldn’t afford the treatment she needed—a treatment that he could afford to pay for a hundred times over, but yet, here we were.

The cab pulled to a stop in front of the gate, and I paid the driver and got out, looking at the tall gates looming in front of me with disgust. I knew the security inside could already see me from the cameras mounted outside the gates, and it reminded me of how much I hated coming here.

Every step taken on these grounds was monitored, and every word that was spoken was recorded. I was constantly on edge every time I came here, but there was no going back; I was here for a reason, and nothing else mattered until I achieved it.

The last thing I wanted right now was to deal with my prickly stepmother and bitchy stepsister. They both took a sadistic joy in seeing me utterly miserable, and the thought that they were right inside this house and were likely to poke their nose into my business almost had me booking an Uber to leave again. Still, I reminded myself of the reason I was here, and it made me press forward. If there was anyone that could help me pay for my mother’s treatment, it was my father. He was the only option I had.

The gates opened as I approached, and I politely said hello to the guards as I walked toward the estate. I struggled not to gulp at the beautiful elegance of my father’s home. No matter how many times I visited this mansion, the beauty and details around it never failed to take my breath away. Everything was made to catch the eye, from the spring flowerbeds to the fountains, elaborate statues, and architecture.

The serene environment seemed more pleasant than it was, though. It was as if I was looking at everything through rose-tinted glasses, and for a second, I imagined what my life would be like if I lived inside this beautiful home every day.

Pushing open the heavy oak doors to the living area, I was greeted not by the usual sterile silence but by loud, ugly sobs, which piqued my curiosity as I moved further into the house.

Veronica, my picture-perfect stepsister, sat on the plush couch, her designer mascara running down her cheeks as she sobbed like her life was coming to an end. Her mother, Laura, had the same dreary emotion on her face as she watched her daughter sob from across where she sat with my father.

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