Page 12 of The Bratva King's Claimed Bride

The guard nods to a woman who comes over. “Come this way, sir. Can I get you a drink?”

“Your finest whiskey, neat. Get a soda for my guard.” She takes me to a table where another smartly dressed woman stands.

“Yes, sir. How much credit would you like to purchase?”

“A million to start with,” I say. She punches in the numbers, and I tap my card. She then hands me a plain black card. “This has all your credit on it, which you can swipe at the table for chips.”

“Thank you,” I say, surprised at how efficiently this is run.

I look around and see a few poker tables with open slots. I turn to the woman. “How do I get a more private game?”

She smiles. “Private games are by invitation only, sir. If you want to play at one of the tables, I will advise Mr. Milov that you’re interested.”

“I would prefer not to use my name in case someone I don’t appreciate is at the table.”

“We are all discreet here, sir. How shall we address you?” she asks.

“Lucky Pot,” I say. “Because that’s what I plan to be tonight.”

“Okay, sir. I will advise Mr. Milov. Please enjoy yourself on the floor for now.” She gestures to the open games.

I go to join a close one where it looks like people are playing hard and high.

Once I’m dealt in, I focus on the game as I sip on my whiskey. We’re gaming in the tens of thousands at the moment, so I have plenty of credit. I’m hoping Danil Milov will come personally to collect me for a private game, but after two hours, I think my luck has run out. I switch to another table to play blackjack. I prefer poker, but blackjack is nice and fast-paced. A quick way to blow money if the house is winning.

And the house always wins.

The woman from earlier comes to find me and taps me on the shoulder. “Lucky pot?”

“Yes, sweetheart?” I ask.

“Unfortunately, Mr. Milov is still busy. I’ve checked the game, and it’s fully seated, but I can take down your phone number to ensure you’re invited to tomorrow night’s one.” She smiles, holding out a pen and notebook.

“I’m actually getting married tomorrow,” I say. “Take my number and let me know maybe in a month when the next game is. I’ll be back by then from my honeymoon.” I take the notepad and scribble my phone number on it.

“Thank you, sir. Enjoy the rest of your evening.”

I get up. “I fold.”

The dealer nods, and I look at him. “Hey, does this card expire, or can I keep it and use it next time I’m here?”

“It doesn’t expire, sir,” the dealer explains. “You can keep coming in and out with it, and you can use it at any of the associated Milov Corporation casinos.”

“Thanks. Good luck, guys.”

I glance around the table with a smile before I lead Joel out of the high-stakes section. As we’re walking to the front door I see him. Danil is walking toward the high-stakes section. For a moment, our eyes meet, and my breath catches. I wonder if he’ll recognize me.

He looks away almost immediately and continues to glance around.

I smirk. I like this game.

Chapter 5 - Arina

I eventually crawl into the bed to get some rest. The house is pretty silent, but I can’t help but toss and turn.

This guy, this Igor, whoever he is, seems to believe that my half-brothers are going to care that he’s forcing me to marry him. He hasn’t done his homework then because my half-brothers have pretended I don’t exist my entire life.

I groan. The bed is comfortable, and the house is peaceful, but I’m ill at ease.

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