Page 15 of Ruthless Mafia Daddy

“What can I say? The thought of fake moans and orgasms was not appealing to me,” I replied, faking a yawn and playing along.

We both fell into a laughing fit, a knowing look passing between us. We both knew nothing about that night was fake.

“I’m a grown woman, Mikhail, and I understand the nuances of a one-night stand. I wasn’t going to stick around and wait for you to show me out,” I said when our laughter finally subsided.

His only reply was a raised brow. Our orders arrived, and we spent the rest of our time talking about everything from the weather to the upcoming election. The pie turned out to be surprisingly wonderful. It had the perfect dough-to-filling ratio and the right amount of crust. I had totally forgotten about my initial stance and moaned into my first bite, earning me a smoldering look from Mikhail.

The milkshake was equally heavenly. I found myself discreetly saving their contact info for next time. Mikhail’s ego didn’t need any more inflating.

“On a scale of 0-10, how would you rate the combination?” Mikhail asked as we made our way to his car.

“Definitely a 4. And I’m only giving that because I’m very empathetic.” I answered with a straight face.

“Was that why you stole their contact information?” Another wave of laughter rolled off me. Of course, he saw me. The man didn’t look like anything passed him by. I made a mental note to never text Vivian or Father whenever I was with him.

“You can’t deny you had a great time,” he said, an evil smile playing on his lips.

“I wouldn’t go that far if I were you, but it was better than our first meeting.”

He stopped in his tracks, watching me intently. “Friday night, eight p.m. Be at The Rave. I’ll have the security direct you to my private wing.”

“Why?”

“I won’t have you walking around with the wrong impression about my club.”

“Are you trying to sway my mind, Mr. Ivanov?” I asked with a teasing smile.

His answer was brief and straight to the point. “Yes.”

Something about the way he said it didn’t feel like we were still talking about the club, so I slammed my mouth shut and got in the car.

CHAPTER 6

Mikhail

“Canaan called me,” Enzo said, stepping into my private lounge.

I stared at the bottle of Domaine de la Romanée-Conti 1945 in front of me, thinking of all the processes it had to undergo before becoming the expensive, well-sought-out drink it has become.

It started as a sweet grape. Then, it was fermented, aged, and sealed to become what is highly sought-after and seen as a symbol of wealth. Granted, it had lost its sweetness in the process, but it came out stronger, better, and more valuable. If it had stayed a grape, it would’ve been sold in the market like any other grape, sweet but without value. I liked to liken my rise to power to that of the wine. It took long periods of fermentation and even longer years of aging for me to get where I was.

I was put through fire and iron under the watchful eyes of my grandfather while he forged me to become the perfect successor and nothing like my father. And when he died, I had to prove to the Bratva that I was worthy of the power that rested on me, that they could put their trust in me, and I would crush their enemies. I spent years crafting the perfect reputation for myself, making sure the sound of my name sent shivers down the spine of men.

It was a long, daring journey, but I pulled through. And just like wine, I became stronger, better, more valuable, and definitely lost every atom of sweetness. Yet some people still felt the need to test the extent of my ruthlessness. Good for them. I was always in the mood to show them how bad it can get.

“What are you going to do to him?” he questioned, carefully observing me.

“I’ll know when I see him,” I replied, my eyes not leaving the bottle in front of me.

I could feel my blood like hot lava coursing through me, setting every part of me aflame.

“I’ll question him. He didn’t pull this off on his own. He had help, not just on the outside but on the inside,” Enzo said, settling into the sofa across from me.

My vision was clouded with red, and I honestly didn’t give a shit whatever he said. I just needed to get my hands on the rat. Shortly, my men dragged in a scrawny-looking man, tossing him at my feet.

“That’ll be all.” I dismissed them, my attention on the man who suddenly got on his knees.

“I swear I didn’t know it was you, man. They didn’t give me details. If I’d known it was you, I wouldn’t have taken the offer, I swear!” he rambled off as I stalked towards him.

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