Page 40 of The Bratva's Plus-Size Bride

We didn’t have complete inventory of their resources—that was impossible to know for sure. They could’ve been making deals with other families behind the scenes, and I wasn’t prepared to find that out the hard way.

We already lost six guys earlier in the day, and we didn’t need to lose more.

Besides, if I were to launch an impromptu attack on the Ivanovs without consulting Ari, I would be in a whole other kind of trouble.

Sitting there by myself, still staring at the screen after the clip was well over, I knew I couldn’t swing in and save the day. Not only would that risk the lives of our men, but also my own. Doing it all for the sake of my pride wasn’t a good enough reason.

I needed to be smart. I needed to think.

While I struggled to put my finger on what to do next, I couldn’t shake the unwavering anger that pulsed within me. The Ivanovs retaliated due to Gemma not making those alterations to the article, and due to me pulling her away from work. By doing that, we took away their access to her, which left our business as their only target. It made sense, yet it wasn’t any easier to stomach.

I didn’t know just how long I had been sitting there deliberating with myself, but a text eventually lit up my phone, shaking me out of my focused state. Ari’s name made my entire body tense up. A cold chill accompanied that feeling of dread as I read his message:

My office. Now.

Forcing out a breath, I knew there was no avoiding it. He was back apparently, and surely the news had already been relayed to him. I had to face up to it eventually, but I only hoped I had caught him in a more empathetic mood.

That was not the case.

As I stepped into the office, I found him sitting behind his desk, eyes on me the second I entered.

“Close the door.”

The sharp edge in his words sealed my fate, and I already knew what was about to come.

Doing as he said in an attempt to lessen the severity of my scolding, I closed the door and stood there, almost like a soldier prepared to get reprimanded for fucking up royally.

That dark anger swimming in Ari’s eyes didn’t let up. “What the hell happened today?”

I let go of a quiet breath. “The exchange was hijacked by the Ivanovs—”

“I know that part,” he snapped, leaning his forearms against his desk while his hands remained clasped together. “I mean, what happened to you? Why the hell were you not at that trade?”

Keeping my chin up, I did my best to defend myself, even if it was pointless. When Ari was lost in a tirade, there was no leaving that situation correct or in one piece. “I was tied up here in the warehouse covering inventory, but I’m aware that I messed up—”

“Inventory?” Ari rasped in disbelief. “Benedikt, I assigned you to that trade because I knew you’d make sure to take the necessary precautions. You were supposed to oversee it—to ensure nothing like this happened. Do you know what you’ve done?”

Blinking back at him, I could already feel my resolve buckling under the weight of his scorn. Even so, I didn’t let it show.

“That group you sent out was full of fresh meat. You trusted a team of new and inexperienced men to carry out a very important trade, and because of that, they’re dead, and our payload is gone. Are you aware of how much that will set us back? Now we have to pay our supplier despite not having that load in our possession or risk losing out on that particular product. That arrangement took months to finalize.”

Despite staying silent and maintaining a steeled expression, I listened to his every word and felt each with a pang of pain and remorse.

He was right. It was my fault. I should’ve just done what I was told and followed through with my agreement to cover the job.

But I didn’t, and I couldn’t take it back.

“I know I screwed this up. Everything with the twins…I’m trying to figure out how to handle it,” I mumbled, feeling both guilty for what I had done and like I was nothing more than a child being shouted at.

Ari shook his head and leaned back in his chair as he scrubbed a hand over his mouth. Pulling in a breath, he lowered his tone into a quieter, yet venomous one. “Damn right you screwed this up, Ben. But now that it’s said and done, you are going to clean this mess up thoroughly. Impeccably. You are going to take care of it before we lose any more money, inventory, or manpower. Since you struck first against the Ivanovs, it’s your turn to take the reins.”

While incredible pressure came along with his demand, I knew I was in no position to argue.

I was the one who took the first shot at the twins, endangering my wife. I did it all out of spite and pride, and the consequences of that had come to fruition.

Only I could fix it.

“Am I perfectly clear?” Ari asked, not leaving any room for debate or excuses.

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