Page 40 of Ruthless Mafia Daddy

“He threw a knife at him,” I said, and she only smiled, steering us to a coffee table at the far end of the drawing room.

“That’s the most effective way to mark your territory around here. Ivan was only testing the waters, and If Mikhail had done nothing when he touched you, he would be indirectly signaling to the men that you were fair game and open for the taking. Benjamin almost chopped off Alexei’s fingers when he tried to kiss my hands.” She explained, and I swallowed to hold down the wave of nausea building in me.

If I couldn’t get anything from the men, I’d settle for the women. Everyone knows women love to talk, and Natalya looked very willing to indulge me. “So does this happen every time?”

“Yes. It’s their way of marking their territory.”

Animals. Brutally sadistic animals. I swallowed my disgust, plastering a smile on my face. “I think I already figured that out. I was asking about the part where we get sent out from dinner. Is that a regular thing?”

“Oh. It depends on the occasion. Women are not supposed to be present when sensitive issues are being discussed,” she replied, and I furrowed my brows in confusion.

“Benjamin said the explosion was a suicide attempt, so it’s indicative of a bigger threat,” she explained.

“That’s not what Igor said,” a stunning brunette interjected from the table next to us. “He said the attack was not on the port but on the new ammunition.”

Soon, the room was filled with the voices of women offering what they had drawn from their brothers and significant others about the state of the current events.

“He said it was a failed suicide, and the culprit was caught.”

“That’s totally wrong. My husband said the culprit was blown apart and left no evidence.”

“That’s wrong. Mine said the culprit has been found.”

“You all have it wrong. My husband said the culprit was blown up, but the shipments were found intact.”

My ears perked at the last statement from a redhead puffing out a ball of smoke from her pipe. She was the only one who looked like her husband would actually give her honest details about what was going on.

“That’s a good thing then. Everyone’s safe,” I said, careful not to let my true intentions show.

“That’s barely the case,” she scoffed. “The events only point to the presence of a mole. Only someone on the inside would’ve known about the shipment. Everyone is a suspect for now.”

“Didn’t Amber say it was a suicide from one of the workers? That’s the mole right there.” Natalya replied with a tone of conviction.

“Maybe, maybe not,” the redhead replied, turning to me. “So, tell me, Arielle, how did you meet Mikhail, and most importantly, how did you get him to claim you? I’ll have you know he has never shown interest in a woman past the bedroom, and a good number of the women here have thrown themselves at him in the past, including Natalya.” She shot Natalya a look towhich she replied with an eye roll. This woman wasn’t scared of stepping on toes. “I’m sure we’re all curious to know how you bagged him.”

Something about her sent chills down my spine. She didn’t seem docile like the other women, and her brown eyes looked like she could see right into your soul and sniff out the fake in you. I let out a nervous laugh when I noticed the silence in the room. Every woman had suddenly drawn closer to my table, their eyes filled with questions, including Ivan’s wife.

“Honestly, I had no intentions of bagging him when we met. I only came to the club to have a good time, and I fell into a hiccup with some dufus, and Mikhail came to my rescue. We fucked that night, and well, as the storytellers would say, the rest was history.”

“I always knew he was going to end up with someone who had no idea who he was and didn’t cower at his sight. I saw the way you looked at him when he threw the knife at Ivan. You’re not scared of him. That’s good,” she asserted, puffing out another cloud of smoke.

Slowly, the conversation shifted from Mikhail and I to who would be throwing the next party and who was the least dressed to the last party.

CHAPTER 17

Mikhail

Between Arielle’s anger at me, recruiting all my resources to find the suicide bomber, and the growing tension from being around my family for an extended period, I didn’t know what was currently responsible for the tension and restlessness I carried around, but my money was on the first one.

Threats to my business, no matter how bad, were not uncommon. My family tearing down each other’s throats was equally not a cause for alarm. What was new was Arielle’s attitude and the knowledge of the fact that the rest would be remarkably easier to beat if I didn’t have to come home to her cold demeanor and single-word replies.

Over the course of our relationship, I’ve scared her, I’ve rushed her, I’ve been imposing on her, but not once had I met the angry side of her, and I was currently running short of ideas. From elaborate flower arrangements to unlimited shopping sprees, I had no idea what to do anymore. Even Maya wasn’t making it easier. She moved around the house, sending me narrowed glances whenever our eyes met.

“If this was a targeted hit at the port, we’re going to need something to draw them out, but if the shipments are the target, then we’ll need to set a trap. It’ll be useless sitting around andwaiting for him to magically fall into our arms. What say you, Mikhail?” Benjamin’s gruff voice pulled me out of my thoughts.

“I don’t think the shipments are the target. Anyone who seeks to control the port must control the business that happens in the port, and disruption is exactly how this person intends to harm the business so they can swoop in and play savior,” I replied, gently massaging the scruff that had built overnight.

Arielle would’ve pointed it out or made comments about how the roughness was irritating her skin and making me look like a Neanderthal. I shook the thoughts of her away, forcing my attention on the present conversation.

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