Page 53 of The Bratva's Forbidden Pregnancy

He was fuming profusely, and I was staring with an annoying grin.

He discreetly signaled his men to stand down, and they did. “This isn’t over, Vlad.”

I inhaled softly, toying with my cufflinks. “Our feud ended three years ago, Max. Get over it.” I walked away, leaving him to his rage.

Fyodor and Simon followed behind me, their eyes roaming the hall for anything out of place.

I stopped by a fountain and helped myself to a glass of champagne from a waiter’s tray. Simon joined me. “I’m safe, Simon. Max might be crazy, but he’s not crazy enough to attack me here.”

“I know,” he replied and looked away, still not leaving my side.

About two minutes later, I heard him say, “My God, she’s beautiful.” I was looking elsewhere, but his words prompted me to trace his gaze.

There she was: Sienna Summers. She was with her parents, and they seemed engaged in a conversation with some people.

My attention was fixed on her.

Fuck! She was a damsel, a goddess whose spell had me mesmerized. I was glued to her and couldn't tear my gaze away.

Her smile seemed to shine brighter than the chandeliers above, and her green eyes sparkled like diamonds. Her skin was glowing, and her face was radiating like the sun.

My hand flew to my chin, stroking it absentmindedly as I focused on her.

I wanted so badly to talk to her, but she was with her family. Paul was my friend, and that was the perfect excuse to approach them.

She had turned around, back in my direction, and was helping herself to a glass of champagne from a waiter’s tray.

I gulped mine, handed the glass to Simon, and then headed over to the Summers family.

After Paul and I greeted each other, and she turned to face me, my heart paused for a second, especially because I couldn’t understand the expression she wore. So, when she left us and headed out, I knew this was a lot worse than I’d thought. I needed to talk to her, but I had to play it cool around her parents and not let them see that I was desperate to be around their daughter.

It took a while, but I was able to leave the Summers without raising suspicion. Simon nodded toward the garden after he noticed that I was looking around for her.

Sienna’s outburst in the garden under the cold and distant stars was the confirmation of her pain and hurt. I hadn’t realized how much she was hurting until she snapped at me.

I was speechless, and although she was wrong in some of her assumptions, I couldn’t help but feel a wave of guilt wash over me. Sienna was in pain because of my behavior.

Watching her tear up was a hard thing to do; it was a sight I couldn’t stand, but what broke my heart was how she pulled away from me. It was as if my touch repulsed her.

I rubbed my eyes, drifting back to the present moment in my office, where I was staring at the ceiling, thinking how I shouldn’t have let her go.

She was all I could see each time I closed my eyes, and, in my heart, there was an emptiness, a void that only she could fill.

I guess it’s true what they say: You only know you love her when you let her go.

Sienna had captured my mind, heart, spirit, soul, and body. Was this some sort of witchcraft? If it was, then I loved being enchanted, but not when it was one-sided. Why couldn’t I get her out of my mind?

I’d never been this scared of losing someone before—never. I was used to being on my own, taking only my business with much seriousness. Then, she’d waltzed into my life with her glimmer of hope and shining light.

The reason for my fear was because I hadn’t thought she was the kind to get so emotional. She always managed her feelings and had a way of keeping them in when she wanted to. But the fact that she’d had an outburst was really scary, and now I couldn’t stop myself from wondering if she hated me. I wouldn’t blame her if she did. I might have overdone it, and by doing so, I’d pushed her away, the one good thing in my life.

But was I going to give up on her, on what we shared? No. There was something in her eyes that I saw that night in the garden. It was faint, but it was definitely there: a hint that she still cared. But there was something else, like she was hiding something.

Sienna had taught me to find the light even in the deepest darkness, and that was my plan. I knew what I saw in her eyes even though it was clouded by pain.

My thoughts were interrupted by the knock on my door.

I sighed softly. “It’s open.”

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