Page 38 of Ruthless Mafia Daddy

“Maya is teaching me how to make some pelmeni and borscht soup.”

“Sounds delicious but we might have to increase the quantity. We’ll be having some guests joining us for dinner,” I said, shifting my gaze to Maya.

“?????????????????” she asked, her blade paused mid-air.

“??,” I replied, holding her gaze. Moments like these made me appreciate Maya more. I didn’t have the patience to ease a new person into my lifestyle and teach them the ropes.

“Alright,” Arielle said, pulling out of my embrace. “I know I might’ve used one Russian sentence, but that doesn’t make a native. Someone give me an explanation.”

“We’ll be having dinner with some of my family members,” I replied, observing her for a reaction.

“I get to meet someone from your family?” Her eyes sparkled with interest.

“Not in that context, sweetheart, but yes, you’ll be meeting some of them.”

“I better go get ready then. Maya, we’ll continue the cooking later.” She called out on her way out of the kitchen.

“Are you sure it’s time for her to join the meetings? You know how those can get,” Maya asked once Arielle was out of earshot.

“She’ll be with me,” I replied, my voice cold and hard, leaving no room for more talk.

CHAPTER 16

Arielle

Maya ended up tossing everything we were making into the refrigerator and proceeded to cook up a storm between the period I went upstairs to freshen up and my return to the dining room.

“Is all of this necessary for a family dinner?” I asked, taking in the elaborate spread of food and wine.

“Why don’t you go find Mikhail. You shouldn’t arrive at dinner without your significant other,” Maya said, not taking her eyes off the napkins she was currently folding into swan shapes.

I still find it hard to believe the woman did not attend any culinary school. Everything she did in the kitchen always came out so perfect.

“He’s on a call, but he’ll be back soon. I can help out.” I reached for the napkins and was met with a scolding from Maya.

“You have a white dress ondevochka. Go wait for him or walk around the house.”

I gave her a tight smile and returned to the balcony upstairs, not knowing what to do with myself. Maybe from here, I can catch a glimpse of some of the guests before I’m required to be downstairs for dinner, and I’d have something for Father.

After Mikhail practically left the house to me yesterday, I took my time to explore every nook and crevice of the building, and all I got were history books, old ledgers, wine, and bookkeeping records. I even trailed my fingers around the wooden panels of the library as Father instructed, feeling for a secret button to a hidden room or something, and was still met with nothing. I couldn’t find anything remotely useful that had to do with the family business. The house was littered with family history, though. They seem to hold tightly to their roots, tight enough to show everything and give away nothing.

I quit trying to pry words from Maya a while ago. While she might be a sweet motherly figure, she was also fiercely loyal to the family and would always smile and ask me to inquire from Mikhail or to let it be. According to her, it was not required of the women in the Bratva to know much about the details. All they had to concern themselves with was looking good, bearing children, and maintaining a peaceful home for their men.

I stared at the endless green expanse of land that stretched through the horizon. Mikhail said the property stretches till you meet stone walls. I was currently on the balcony of the tallest part of the building, and still, I couldn’t see the walls. Dusk slowly descended on the horizon, covering the oak trees lining the driveway in a blanket of darkness and casting eerie dark shadows on the road.

I watched the driveway, slowly expecting a paranormal apparition or wild animal to jump out of it. My expectations were halfway met when I saw two yellow gleaming eyes approaching the fountain. I was ready to run into the house when the soft purr of a car reached my ears. Gleaming eyes turned to headlamps, and the sleek body of a matte black Mercedes materialized from the darkness.

Shortly after that, a long line of exotic cars followed, and before I could blink, the entire garage was filled with the most expensive cars I’ve ever seen, with more exotic-looking guests coming out of them.

“There you are,” Mikhail’s velvety voice wrapped around me as he stepped onto the balcony. “You look beautiful.” He placed a soft kiss on my hand.

“You don’t look bad yourself,” I replied, my eyes glued to the way his charcoal black suit wrapped around his body. I will never get over how handsome he was.

“Sorry, I’ve been so absent. A lot is going on, and I need to take care of it all before it’s too late,” he sighed, massaging his temple with the pad of his fingers.

A closer look at him revealed how tired he was. The area below his eyes looked slightly darker. His eyes looked dull, and the tightness on his shoulders seemed to have returned. I almost felt sorry for him. He had not had a decent night’s sleep or rest since the news of the explosion got to him. “It’s okay. You said it was going to be this way before we left. Did your visit to the port go smoothly?” I added, carefully observing him.

“Not really, but I’ll take care of it. Don’t bother your pretty head with it,” he replied with a soft smile. “We better head to dinner, or I’ll make good on Maya’s words and have you instead,” he said, his voice dark and low.

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