Page 16 of The Bratva's Forbidden Pregnancy

We spent the next few minutes discussing what we’d wear, who we’d meet at the exhibition, what the art would look like, and all that stuff.

This was exactly the type of distraction that I needed. At least now I was thinking about something other than Vlad; I was free from the spell he’d cast on me.

Just like that, the laziness that had plagued me all morning lost its hold over me, and I rose to my feet, ready to start my day.

I headed to the bathroom, freshened up, and skipped downstairs to have breakfast. It was going to be a great twenty-four hours; that was for sure.

From the top of the stairs, I heard my parents’ voices; they seemed to be talking about something important, judging by their tones. At first, I wanted to dismiss the conversation as regular talk; then, I heard his name on my dad’s lips, the name of the man who’d been running through my mind all morning.

Abruptly, I stopped in my tracks to listen in on their conversation, but their voices were still muffled, and I couldn’t really make out what they were saying.

With gentle steps, I walked down the stairs, and the closer I got, the clearer their words became.

I halted by the wall, eavesdropping on them.

“Vlad is coming to New York?” Mom asked, her voice filled with a mix of surprise and apprehension, a hint of concern creeping up in her tone.

Wait, what? Did I mishear, or did she just ask if Vlad was coming to the city?

“Yes,” Dad replied. “Apparently, Maksim wants him to take care of business here for now,” he added.

Wow! Amazing.

I grinned widely, my heart speeding up. More good news in the space of minutes. The universe must really be smiling on me today.

“So, that means he’s—”

“Yes, Natalie,” he replied. “Vlad is moving to New York.”

My eyes widened. This day couldn’t get any better! I was screaming on the inside. Finally, I’d see him again because he was definitely going to stop by the house to greet his old friend as he had back in Russia.

Perfect.

What will you do when you see him? I asked myself and paused for a second. I hadn’t given it much thought, really. What would I truly do?

If he dropped by to see Dad one of these days, then what?

“Paul, I know Vlad is your friend…” Mom began.

Uh-oh, that can’t be good.

Whenever Mom started a sentence like that, she was about to drop something that would inevitably contradict whatever was spoken before.

I braced myself, knowing there was a ninety-eight percent chance that I wouldn’t like what would come out of her mouth next.

“…but he’s not a good guy, and you know that. You, of all people, know that he’s trouble,” she continued.

“I know,” Dad said softly.

“Please, make sure he keeps a distance from us,” Mom said. “We can’t have him jeopardizing everything we’ve worked so hard to build.”

“Way to go, Mom,” I said to myself.

Well, there goes your shot.

She just had to ruin this for me.

I guess I won’t be seeing him anytime soon.

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