Page 2 of Arranged to Marry the Bratva

“You’re going to try to get your foot further in through the door, aren’t you?” Damien continues as Boris begins to redden in the face. “What do you want? An investment from us? A stake in our business? More money from this joint venture that benefits none but you? Bigger shares of the joint venture?”

“You snake!” Lev slams his fist on the table, riled up by Damien’s extremely wrong read of the situation.

I, however, remain calm, knowing that I have just one shot to get this right. “There’s more than that to solidify an alliance,” I tell them. “More than the handshake we’ve shared, more than the profits you claim I want, more than the entire worth of our operation. An alliance that leaves no doubt in your minds of my intentions and none in my mind of your skepticism.”

The Zolotov men exchange wary glances, clearly caught off guard by my unwavering conviction. Good. Let them squirm a little. It's time they learned that Nikolai Orlov is not a man to be underestimated or trifled with. It’s time they see that I’m dedicated to this venture with everything I have, that this one moment is what I’ve been waiting for, plotting over, visualizing.

This is just the beginning. By the time I'm done, they'll be eating out of the palm of my hand. And Anoushka? She'll be mine whether they like it or not. After all, I saved her life. It's only fair that I get first dibs on the prize.

I let the silence hang in the air for a moment, allowing my words to sink in. Boris, Damien, and Lev exchange glances, their expressions a mix of confusion and curiosity. I can practically see the gears turning in their heads as they try to decipher my intentions.

Finally, Boris breaks the silence. "What exactly are you proposing, Nikolai?" His voice is guarded, but I detect a hint of intrigue beneath the surface.

I lean forward, my elbows resting on the table as I fix each of them with a piercing gaze. "An arranged marriage," I say simply, letting the words hang in the air like a loaded gun.

The reaction is immediate. Lev's eyes widen in disbelief while Damien's brows furrow in contemplation. Boris, however, remains impassive, his expression unreadable.

"An arranged marriage?" Lev repeats, his voice dripping with skepticism. "Between whom, exactly?"

I allow a small, confident smile to play at the corners of my lips. "Between myself and your sister Anoushka, of course. After all, I did save her life, and you should consider my hand for hers, given how I’ll make sure to keep her safe. Safer than you three managed to, anyhow.”

“How dare you?” Boris shouts in a rare display of emotion, standing in his chair.

I stand right up, leaning forward, my gaze frozen on his dark blue eyes, so much darker than the aquamarine softness in his sisters’ eyes. “She was kidnapped right under your noses! Or have you forgotten that without me, she would have been dead?”

Chapter 2 - Anoushka

I step out of the elevator once it opens on the top floor. A few sheets of paper fall over, and I try to balance on my six-inch high heels while scooping down to collect them, but my tight skirt threatens to ride up. Just then, Maximus runs over and stops me.

“I got it,” he says sweetly, lifting up the papers and handing them to me.

“Thank you! My savior!” I tell him breezily.

Maximus, Boris’s chief financial accountant, blushes as he nods. I begin walking over to Boris’s office to drop off the due diligence papers for our latest non-profit funding activities, and to my surprise, Maximus walks by my side.

“So, how have you been?” he asks. “I haven’t seen you around much.”

“Oh, you know how it is, with a new baby in the family and everything,” I explain. I’ve been so busy with our newest niece, and Lev’s just been so busy that I decided I should be there for Pippa as much as I can.

“Well,” he gushes. “It’s good to see you back. Maybe we can catch up for that coffee soon?”

“Sounds good,” I nod, as I step into the foyer outside Boris’s office. “But you’re buying this time!” I shout over my shoulder.

“Done!” he shouts back.

I smile and shake my head in amusement. Maximus is the closest thing I have to a friend in this office, always giving me the latest gossip, helping out when I’m running behind on tasks, and otherwise.

I walk closer to the door. Boris’s office is unmanned, his secretary away, probably on a coffee break or something. But just as I’m about to open the door, I hear loud, heated accusations being flown around.

I pause, my hand on the handle, listening in even though I probably shouldn’t. But heck, I can’t help myself!

"You've gone too far this time, Nikolai!" Boris shouts.

Ah, so Nikolai is the cause of this commotion. Of course. I roll my eyes, wondering what he’s gone and done this time. While I haven’t seen him since that one time when he kidnapped Pippa and me from Lenny’s hideout, only to deliver us to safety with my brothers, I’ve heard enough from my brothers to know he’s always causing some trouble or the other with this farce of a joint venture he’s proposed.

I hear someone slam a fist on a table, and then Lev’s voice comes through. "This joint venture was supposed to be a partnership, not a dictatorship. You're crossing the line by coming in here and demanding such an unfathomable arrangement."

Damien, usually the calmer one, chimes in, his voice dripping with sarcasm. "Oh, but don't you see, Brothers? Nikolai thinks he's above the rules. He believes he can do and get whatever and whoever he pleases."

---