Page 39 of Ruthless Mafia Daddy

“I can be desert,” I suggested.

“No, sweetheart. You’re a feast. Now let’s leave, or I can’t be blamed for what happens.”

A chuckle spilled from me, and I wrapped my arm around his. “Lead the way then.”

I wanted to ask more questions about his visit to the port, but I knew he wouldn’t be very receptive towards it in this state. I’ll just have to circle back when he’s less tense.

*****

My view from the balcony didn’t do justice to the people I walked in on. The dining room looked like something straight out of a movie, and everyone looked so expensive, especially the women. Their make-up was flawless, their hair styled to perfection, their jewelry catching the light from the chandelier, and their dresses tailored to perfection.

The men didn’t need much. You could tell from their suits and wristwatches. Some had tobacco pipes lodged between their lips. This did not look like a gathering of criminals.

Silence descended on the dining following the steady click of my heels on the floor, and I could feel their eyes burning into me. Sensing my discomfort, Mikhail’s hold on me tightened reassuringly as he led me to the table, pulling out a chair for me.

“Never thought I’d see the day Mikhail pulls out a seat for a woman,” the man seated at the far end of the table with a scar running from his eyebrow to his cheek whistled, and the men laughed.

“You should’ve given us a head start. I would’ve loved to impress the beautiful lady,” another man added, and the laughter intensified.

“Pardon my brothers, I’m Ivan, and I think you ended up with the wrong brother,” a dashing young man seated next to me said, flashing me a bright smile.

“You know, if you flirt with your wife that way, maybe she won’t look like she hasn’t had an orgasm in a decade,” the man with the scar shot back, and the laughter couldn’t get any louder.

In all of this, I couldn’t help but notice the silence of the women. They didn’t even laugh at the jokes. Not that the jokes were appropriate or anything, but there was almost no difference between them and beautiful statues.

“Hello darling,” a beautiful blonde seated across from me smiled, “I’m Natalya. Mikhail didn’t tell us he was bringing a gorgeous girl.”

“When does Mikhail tell anyone anything?” The bald man seated next to her interjected, puffing out a ball of smoke.

I sought help from Mikhail, but he was engaged in a hushed conversation with Enzo and another man I learned to be Alexei. He paid no attention to the commotion going on at the table. Guess I would have to figure this one out myself. “I’m Arielle,” I smiled, returning her greeting.

“Arielle, now that’s a beautiful name,” Ivan said, wrapping a few strands of my hair around his finger.

Before I could process his action, a knife wheezed past me, missing my cheeks by a hair’s breath and lodging into Ivan’s palm, tearing a sharp, agonizing cry from him. My eyes widened at the sight of blood dripping from his palms, my heart thudding so hard in my chest it felt like it would burst out of my rib cage anytime soon.

Silence settled over the table, and I looked to find Mikhail’s fingers curled on the table, his eyes shooting lasers at Ivan while Enzo watched with a smirk.

“That’s what happens when you lay your hands on someone’s woman,” Scarface whistled, amusement simmering in his eyes.

I pinned my gaze on Mikhail, but he wouldn’t look my way. He went back to his conversation with Enzo as if nothing had happened. I glanced around the table to find everyone else back to their affairs as if someone didn’t have a knife lodged in his palm.

Ivan ripped the knife from his palm, hissing in pain as the steel sliced through him, and it took everything in me not to puke. I glanced at the women and found them occupied with their meals and phones. None of them paid attention to Ivan except Scarface, who looked to be very entertained, and Natalya, who watched me in amusement before raising her champagne flute to me. “Welcome to the family.”

I could only manage a tight smile in response to her greeting, noticing a platinum blonde at the far end of the table staring at me with murderous eyes. Maya appeared shortly with a bandage for Ivan, sending me a look I couldn’t decipher before returning to the kitchen. These people acted nothing like the way they were dressed. I wouldn’t be surprised if one of the drinks on the table turned out to be blood. My appetite completely faded, and I ended up playing with my food for most of the time. Mikhail still wouldn’t look at me, and Ivan acted like I was never in the room to begin with.

Dinner ended with the men involved in a heated argument in Russian. Mikhail had passed a file through them while we ate,causing an uproar from every eye that looked into it. My fingers itched with curiosity, and I longed to catch a glimpse of what the file held. I knew that wasn’t going to be possible, so I settled for recording the conversation by phone. I’d send it to Father, and he’d have someone translate it for him.

I was still straining my ears for familiar words when I noticed the women rise to their feet while the men maintained their positions on the table. My eyes narrowed in confusion, not knowing what I was supposed to do at the moment.

“Come on,” Natalya beckoned, “It’s time to leave the men to business.”

Of course, the women were sent away when it was time for serious business. I could only hope the recording provided enough details for Father, or I’d have to bank on guilt-tripping Mikhail into giving up a few details. I didn’t see myself particularly successful with that, but I’d still give it a shot.

I got up, briefly catching Mikhail’s eyes as I left for the drawing room with Natalya. The women I met there were completely different from the ones in the dining room. Snorty noses were crinkled in laughter, and the whole place sounded like a saloon. Some of them still looked miserable, and the platinum blonde wouldn’t stop shooting daggers at me.

“That’s Caroline, Ivan’s wife,” Natalya muttered, and her resentment suddenly made sense.

“Don’t let her get to you. It could’ve happened with anyone. Ivan is a well-known dog. You should be grateful Mikhail stopped him,” she said, and my footstep faltered.

---