Page 84 of Arranged Bratva Virgin

“Because you stole him from me. And I want him back.”

“What are you talking about? Who?”

“Stefano. He’s mine, and you are interfering in our relationship. You just showed up out of nowhere, and I know he doesn’t love you. He loves me. We have been together for so long now—he was meant to marry me.”

“He told me about your involvement with each other, Reina. He said it was a casual fling.”

“It wasn’t!” she screams, clenching her fists, her cheeks flushing red. Then she turns her back on me and starts pacing in agitation.

I have to stay calm and talk to her as though I am on her side. The way Stefano spoke about their relationship, he made it sound as though they were both on the same page and knew it was casual. She is not acting as though that was her understanding of things.

I bite my lip.

“Did he tell you he wanted to marry you?” I ask gently.

She spins around to glare at me.

“He didn’t have to. I could feel it. A woman knows these things.”

“Did he ever make any promises to you? I mean, about being together?”

“I just told you, he didn’t have to. I know him better than anyone in this entire world. He belongs to me. I can read him like a book.”

She looks like she is stuck between rage and tears.

“But, Reina, why did you kidnap me? hy didn’t you just talk to him?”

“He won’t talk to me. And I tried to get his attention by messing with the shipments, and I thought—I really thought—that he would turn to me for help and that we could work together to figure out who was behind it all. Stefy used to chat to me about work all the time, before he met you. I thought if he just spent some time with me again, he would remember what it was like between us. That we are meant to be together—but he didn’t turn to me.” She sighs heavily.

“You were the one who was messing with his shipments this whole time?” I say trying to hide my shock.

“It didn’t work. Don’t you listen?” she screams. Her face turns bright red.

She takes a deep breath and closes her eyes trying to recompose herself.

“But I have a new plan now. And this one is sure to work.” Reina smiles, and it sends cold shivers down my spine.

I tilt my head, noticing how her eyes have grown colder, as though all emotion has filtered out of them. She looks completely cooked. I don’t think she functions in the same reality that everyone else lives in. She seems to live in her own delusional made-up world.

Still, I need to try and figure out what exactly is going on so that I can escape.

“What new plan?” I ask gently.

She walks over to me and brushes her fingers over my cheeks. “You, sweetheart. You are my new plan. If I can’t get his attention through his business, I will get his attention through you.”

“How?” I ask, knowing I don’t want to know.

“Imagine—just picture it—his wife meets a brutal and tragic death after some rivals kidnap and torture her. It will be gruesome and horrific, and he will find your body. He will be torn apart and, well, guess who will be there to comfort him?” She grins and does an odd little curtsey. She looks as though she is incredibly proud of her idea.

To me, though, she just looks psychotic.

I bite my lip, holding back the thoughts that are threatening to spill from my mind to my mouth. I have to play nice. I need to somehow keep her talking and humor her ego. She is truly batshit crazy, and if I push her over the edge, she could snap and start carrying out her plan right now.

I need time. I don’t know how long, but I need to delay this long enough so that Stefano can find me, or I can figure out how to escape.

“Reina, I know it’s difficult, but for the sake of his business he had to marry me.”

“Oh, I know that. I know it wasn’t anything more than a contract. He wouldn’t do that to me. He adores me. He is my soulmate, my twin flame.” She grins, brushing her fingers through her hair to neaten her appearance after her outburst. “But Darya, I think it’s time—what was that?”

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