Page 3 of Arranged Bratva Virgin

“When my family made the original alliance with your family, one of your brothers married my sister.” I glance around, pausing for a moment to read their faces. No one has moved much, but there are some confused expressions. “I would like to make the same deal with your family. Marriage. It is the most secure and unarguably the most public way to announce an alliance.”

For a second, they do not register what I am saying, then all three brothers glance at Darya in absolute shock.

“You want to marry our sister?” Maxim snaps, horrified.

“Out of the question. That is not happening,” Paval says bluntly.

“No. We will help in whatever way we can with business, but we aren’t agreeing to that,” Ivan says with a tight-mouthed, tense expression and his fist clenched.

“Gentlemen, you can’t be so dismissive of this idea. My sister is married to Maxim—our bloodlines are already intertwined. What would be so distasteful about me marrying your sister?” I speak with my eyes locked on Darya; she has remained completely silent. I am surprised she hasn’t thrown her iced tea at me or something. She is just sitting there staring down at the table, but her eyes are sharp, and she is definitely listening.

Paval shakes his head. “Stefano, Darya doesn’t deserve to be tossed into this deal like some kind of—"

“She isn’t doing it,” Kiril snaps angrily.

“Why not? My sister was not given the choice. Ultimately, you two are very happy, Maxim. This kind of business deal is very common in our world.”

“Yes, it is, but our sister—"

“Is it that you have a problem with me specifically? Or my business? What is it that makes you so reluctant to agree to this?” I can feel myself getting heated. I knew they wouldn’t agree to it, so I don’t know why I am getting so angry. But I guess I just had that slight delusion of hope.

She is so fucking gorgeous, just sitting there, listening to this all going down.

I feel embarrassed, though, at the outright rejection of my request.

My shoulders are tighter than before, and the headache that started this morning is threatening to evolve into a migraine. I stand up a bit too abruptly and roll my shoulders.

“Thank you for your time,” I say, unable to hide the sarcasm in my tone.

I pick up my phone where I had left it on the table and slip it into my pocket, turning towards the door.

“Stefano, there has to be some other way to secure our alliance,” Paval says, standing as well.

“A more secure way to tell everyone that the alliance is genuine? I don’t think there is. Clearly, what has been done up to this point is not working as well as it should, but I guess it is what it is.”

Maxim stands up, too, and starts pacing up and down while Ivan drums his fingers on the tabletop.

“I think I need something stronger than this,” Kiril complains, pushing his drink away. “This is not the meeting I expected to be having this morning.”

I glance over at Darya, who is not looking straight at me. Her eyes are narrowed, and her lips are pursed as though she is lost in serious thought. She bites her bottom lip, slowly, and it nearly sends me over the edge with desire. I fucking want her.

Chapter 2 - Darya

I sit staring at the table and listening to the conversation around me, which is heating up more and more by the second. Kiril is gripping his drink so hard I am sure he is going to crush the glass in his hand. Paval has gone into diplomatic mode along with Ivan, and they are trying to pragmatically discuss other options, but the stain in their faces is obvious. Maxim is pacing, and by the look of his posture and the way his fists are clenched so tightly, I think he wants to punch Stefano in the face.

Yes, we accepted him into our family because we all love Chiara, his stepsister, who married Maxim. But just because he hangs out with us and attends our dinners doesn’t mean that we especially like him. Or maybe it’s just me. Maybe I am the only one who hasn’t really accepted him yet. My brothers seem to get on with him just fine, but I don’t trust him.

I know how he used to treat Chiara. I absolutely adore Chiara, and he was a complete asshole to her. I think the only reason he stopped was because of Maxim. Maxim would tear him to pieces if he treated Chiara like shit now.

I know the kind of guy who treats his own sister badly, and because of that, I am not interested in getting to know him or trying to build any connection with him, regardless of the business alliance. I don’t know the whole story, about what happened between them, but I just don’t like him.

I cannot believe he wants to marry me.

It’s so selfish. It is obviously all about business for him. It’s all he cares about. Money, power and status. I am just some pawn on a chess board to him, some button he can press for a popularity update, and it makes me furious.

But at the same time, I know that his business has become very intertwined with my brothers', and the reputation of his business is really important to us as a family.

My brothers are getting more heated, and the tension in the air is getting thicker. This argument could go on all day, and it could end very badly.

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