Page 31 of Capuleto

The three knocks, followed by a fourth more spaced out, were the signal that my brother was outside.

I went to the door and opened it.

There he was, in sweatpants, a hoodie, sunglasses, a cap, and a grin from ear to ear.

"Are you my brother or Justin Bieber's?"

"To my arms, Kalinka," he burst out, stepping into the room to hug me tightly.

Although I no longer felt the chill of rejection I had upon seeing him, my body didn't welcome him with much warmth either.

"You look fabulous," he noted, eyeing my bubblegum pink outfit.

"Thanks."

"Was it hard to get away from your hubby? I heard he blew a drug dealer's balls off."

"Considering he was going to rape me, what he did was mild."

"But they didn't touch you. The warning from my mole arrived just in time, and R's supervillain preferred to save your pretty ass rather than continue receiving consolation from his lover."

"What did you say?!" I almost choked. Yuri laughed.

"Well, as they say in Spain, honey isn't made for the donkey's mouth. No matter how much he fucks you and has a top-tier diamond by his side, Romeo has always been into cheap jewelry." Yuri took out his phone and showed me a photo sent to his WhatsApp. I wasn’t going to ask him how he got it because it was obvious. My brother had eyes and ears everywhere.

I looked at the date and time. Damn it! He was making out with Irene! There was even a mini-video capturing the moment until he received the call.

I felt nauseous. So much talk of exclusivity and liking me, only to end up making out with that bitch. That's how worried and messed up he was! And I almost believed him. What an idiot I was!

"We were lucky he stood her up and arrived in time to save you. Very romantic, all of it." I felt hatred and disgust.

Romeo was a fucking bastard. Just like all of them! And I was a naive fool who had been completely fooled in every sense.

"Ah yes, extremely romantic, I’m thinking about getting his face tattooed."

"I detect a bit of sarcasm. Don’t tell me you're upset that he's still messing around with the redhead? Because as long as he's fucking her, he leaves you alone."

"I don't give a damn about that. What pisses me off is having been in that fucking club like a piece of meat, with no choice in the matter. Maybe, if it had been you drugged and tied up to offer your ass to the highest bidder, you'd see it differently." He laughed and clapped me on the shoulder.

"Come on, little sister, don't be so dramatic. You accepted it."

"Because I had no other choice!"

"No, you accepted because deep down you're as ambitious as I am. Because your blood is my blood and you believe in the Bratva above all else. We both know that once we finish off those bastards, the world will dance in the palm of our hands. We'll end up on fucking Wikipedia as the youngest, smartest, and most bloodthirsty Vor."

No matter what he said, I was too annoyed with R for his words to lift my spirits.

"By the way, what did you tell Prince Charming to come without an escort?"

"I didn't need to say anything. Romeo had a meeting with Dante, I just pretended to be asleep, remember they think I've been drugged for a week."

"Smart girl. And the escort?"

"They're not glued to the door; they're stationed at the exit of the urbanization. I called a taxi from my room. I made sure no one from the service saw me leaving the house."

"And if your husband gets home early and finds out you're not there?"

"I'll tell him I went to get my nails done. I have an appointment at my sister-in-law's salon in half an hour, our conversation won't be long."

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