Page 20 of The Bratva's Forbidden Pregnancy

“Nothing, really,” she replied. “It’s just that even in darkness, there’s always a glimmer of hope. You just have to find it.”

I admired the good in her, her ability to be optimistic, and for a minute, we both stared at each other, not saying a word.

Sienna and I were from different worlds, had different opinions on life, and saw things differently. Our individual views on this portrait reflected our personalities, and everything about her was positive. She saw the good in things; no matter how faint a light was in the dark, she’d spot it. She was the exact opposite of me.

Within this last minute, she showed me that I could see things from a different perspective, that life wasn’t black and white. Sienna’s lack of fear also intrigued me, drawing me to her and deepening my affection for this fearless, confident, and positive-minded girl.

Unlike terms do attract.

I realized that there and then.

“But you have to admit, despite our differences, we have one thing in common,” I said, savoring her smile with a cocky smirk.

“What’s that?”

“We both find this piece fascinating.”

Sienna chuckled lightly. “True.”

I took a sip of my champagne.

“So…” she said, changing the subject. “How do you like New York so far?”

I buried a hand in my pocket. “Well, it’s not St. Petersburg.”

She laughed. “Come on, there’s gotta be something—gimme something.” Her face lit up in excitement, accentuating her beauty.

“It’s not all bad,” I confessed, unable to quit staring at her.

I didn’t want to come off as creepy, but it didn’t matter how many times I tried to look away; I simply couldn’t. She had me under her spell, gluing my eyes to her alluring figure.

“See, that wasn’t so hard,” she said amidst chuckles.

“Don’t get ahead of yourself,” I joked. “I still haven’t found places that offer good food.”

“Well, you’re in luck because I happen to know a ton of those places. But there’s this one place that’s, like, my personal favorite. I go there every weekend. It’s in the downtown area, and it’s called Josie’s—it’s super popular, so you shouldn’t have trouble finding it.”

“Josie’s, eh?”

Sienna nodded. She was so full of life and light, and it was amazing how comfortable she was around me. I was pretty sure she knew the type of man I was, yet she was so free. I admired that about her.

“Josie’s sounds amazing,” I said. “Maybe I’ll try it out sometime.”

She gazed at me and replied, “Yeah, you should. You won’t regret it.” Her sharp green eyes sparkled, and her black hair shimmered beneath the golden glow of the chandelier above.

“Hey, Sienna!” a female voice called out from behind her.

She glanced back at the girl standing at a distance and then faced me again. “That’s my cue. I have to go now.”

I was disappointed that our little talk was interrupted, but I wouldn’t keep her with me a second longer, even though that was exactly what I wanted to do.

“It was nice seeing you again,” she added.

“You, too, Sienna.” I gave a faint grin.

“Alright. Bye,” she said softly.

I raised my glass in acknowledgment and watched her hurry up in her heels to meet her friend. Even while the two girls were in motion together, Sienna took one last look at me with a charming smile.

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