Page 12 of Owned By the Bratva

Cindy smirked at Mila before hitting her with an entertaining but unexpected reply. “Well, princess, tickle me funny, but your kingdom may crumble if you don’t correct your crown now. Please, don’t assume to know me.”

Stunned by her response, Mila gasped, and I knew things were about to get ugly. I was suddenly obsessed with her. She possessed a rare spark, had a fighting spirit, and could hold her own. Cindy was truly astounding. She was the perfect woman.

“That’s enough for now,” Piotr added in a raised tone, holding his hand up to Mila as she rose from the table. He had always taken charge before things spun out of control, and we respected him. If not for Piotr, who knew where we would have ended up?

Mila shook her head and sat back down before pouring herself another glass of wine. The rest of the meal proceeded without any conversation. Once we were all done, Cindy assisted Konstantin and me with clearing the table. Piotr took Mila outside for a quick chat.

Cindy rinsed the dishes and packed the washer as Konstantin, and I brought the remaining dishes from the dining room. Once everything was packed, I added soap and turned it on.

“You have a lovely home,” Cindy said, glancing around the kitchen.

“Thank you. We have all put in a lot to make it work, haven’t we?” I replied, nodding at Konstantin while putting on the kettle.

“Yes, we have.” He added.

“Oh, wow, look at these,” Cindy said in a pitched tone. She moved closer to the array of knives in their wooden block on the counter next to the stove. “I’ve never seen one of these in real life, only in ads.” Pulling one from the block, she turned to us as she continued. “Have you used them? Are they as good as they claim?”

Her excitement was clearly visible and I wondered why she was so enthralled with them. “It is an original Soshida Japanese set, isn’t it?” she inquired, trailing a finger across the edge of the blade.

“Yes, and they are sharp, so don’t do that, please,” Konstantin said as he stepped closer to her and took the knife. “You like knives?” he added, placing them back in the wooden block.

“Very much,” Cindy replied. Her eyes lit up as she spoke. “My gran taught me how to use them properly at a young age when I learned how to cook. The right knife for the job makes it so much easier.”

“I have to agree with that,” Konstantin replied. “You want to have a look at my collection sometime?”

Cindy smiled and lowered her eyes to the floor as she responded. “I would.”

Seeing the two of them communicating so easily made me angry. She was mine. He had no right to flirt with her so openly. The jealousy monster inside me came out to play as Konstantin pulled one of the knives and explained something about the edge of it to her. I couldn’t stand seeing them interacting like this.

Stepping up to them, I took Cindy’s arm. “Right,” I breathed out. “That’s enough for one night.” I pushed past Konstantin, pulling her with me on my way back to the room.

“What about the coffee?” Cindy asked, looking back as we walked up the stairs.

“I’ll bring you some in a bit. We have to talk,” I replied, opening the door and pulling her inside. I let go of her arm once we were inside. Cindy stared at me as I backed out and closed the door again. Locking it, I lay my head against the door and stood for a moment.

She was driving me up the wall. I had never felt so jealous in all my life. After taking a couple of deep breaths, I went back to the kitchen. Piotr and Mila were seated at the island having coffee.

“We thought you went to bed?” Piotr remarked as I made two cups of coffee.

“Not yet, I am having coffee with Cindy first,” I replied without looking at them. I didn’t want Piotr to see my confusion and jealousy.

“We thought we were all having coffee together? Where’s Konstantin gone?” Mila remarked.

“I’m not sure. Good night,” I added as I walked out with the coffee and headed back to Cindy.

She was standing by the window when I returned. Stairing out into the darkness. I spoke as I placed the tray on the table. “Cindy, some coffee?”

Turning to me, I saw a flicker of longing or pain in her eyes before she lowered her gaze. I felt a sharp sting in my chest; I didn’t like to see her sad.

“In the morning, I’ll show you around if you want?” I said, handing her a cup as she came closer.

She sat on the edge of the bed, glancing back at the window. “That’ll be nice, thanks.”

Pulling out the chair, I sat by the table, not wanting to impose on her. I hoped that, in time, she would find peace being here with me, but I wasn’t going to rush it. “I am sorry for everything.”

Cindy briefly glanced at me as she replied. “I know.”

“You will find some sleepwear amongst the clothing if you haven’t already noticed. I didn’t know what you like, so let me know if you need anything else.”

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