Page 53 of Innocently Imprisoned By the Bratva

I look around the room, to see all three brothers looking impressed by my argument.

"Fine." Boris finally agrees, although I can see he's still skeptical. "But if anything goes wrong, you pull out immediately. We'll have a backup plan in place."

"Understood." I nod, feeling a mix of relief and determination.

"Keep us updated," Lev adds, his stormy blue-gray eyes locked on mine. "And be careful, Pippa."

"Always am," I reply with a wink, ready to put my plan into action.

***

The sun beats down on me as I approach Lilah's college grounds, my heart pounding with anxiety. My first undercover mission.

Who would have thought?

It's a new day, and I'm ready to put my plan into action. As I draw nearer to the school's entrance, I spot Lilah standing by the gate, chatting with a group of friends. The moment I lock eyes with her, I know there's no turning back now.

"Hey!" I call out, waving at her with feigned enthusiasm. "Lilah, right?"

She squints at me for a moment, trying to place my face. "Yeah… Wait, you're the cleaner from my dad's house, aren't you?" she asks, sounding slightly puzzled.

"Actually," I reply quickly, thinking on my feet, "I just transferred to this school. But yeah, I've been cleaning houses to help pay for college, including your dad's. I’m Pippa."

"Ah, that makes sense," she says, nodding. Her curiosity satisfied, she breaks into a warm smile. "Well, welcome to our school! If you have any questions, you can always ask us." She gestures to her friends, introducing them one by one.

"Thanks so much," I respond, my heart swelling with relief as my cover story appears to have worked. We walk toward the school building together, and I subtly steer the conversation toward her father. "So, I stopped working at your dad’s. My classwork got too much. How’s he been?”

“He’s been good. Just busy traveling for work,” she tells me.

“What does he do again?” I ask nonchalantly.

“He works in financial services. Stockbroking, financial consulting, that sort of thing.”

I let out a whistle. “Sounds like hard work.”

“He really does work too much!” she gushes and shakes her head.

She clearly knows nothing.

“This is my class,” she says, pointing to a door.

“Oh,” I frown. “I think I have to get to operations management. Where would that be?”

She gives me the directions.

“Thanks, I’ll see you later then,” I smile and give her a wave, turning on my heels.

But just then, she grabs my arm. I turn to see Lilah's face lit up with excitement. "I’m throwing a party tonight, you should come!" she exclaims. "It's going to be so much fun! Plus, it'll be a great way for you to meet new people and make more friends."

"Sure, why not?" I agree, seeing this as the perfect opportunity to get closer to Lilah and gather more information about her father. "I could use a fun night out."

"Great! Here's the address." She scribbles it down on a piece of paper and hands it to me, her handwriting a bit messy but legible. "See you there!"

"Can't wait," I reply, smiling genuinely. I’m so glad I didn’t let the Zolotovs kidnap this sweet, sweet girl.

***

As I walk into the party later that evening, I'm greeted by the sound of laughter and chatter filling the room. The atmosphere is lively, and I can feel the energy pulsating through me. I spot Lilah in the crowd talking to a group of girls, and she enthusiastically waves me over.

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