Page 2 of Ruthless Royalty

“Will Nikolai be joining us?” my Mom asks as we walk into a massive dining room.

Dmitri nods. “He’ll be down momentarily,” he replies, sitting down at the head of the table and that’s it.

I look at both of them with a frown. Was anyone going to tell me who the hell this Nikolai is, or am I just supposed to guess? Deciding to just let it go, I scoff and sit down next to my mother just as I hear footsteps approaching us.

If I thought Dmitri was handsome, this guy could be his damn twin. Only, his blond hair isn’t slicked back; it’s styled with a rebellious edge, almost tousled. And those eyes— they’re an even icier shade of blue. A crowned skull tattoo marks the side of his neck, while a playing card diamond symbol decorates his right ring finger.

He nods at my mom and Dmitri, before taking a seat opposite me.

I feel underdressed in jeans and a t-shirt while they’re all dressed as if they’re going to a damn fashion event. He has hisshirt sleeves rolled up and I can see both of his arms are literally bulging.

He sees me looking at him and smirks; I decide right then and there that this guy is an asshole.

“You must be my new little sister,” he says and cocks his head to the side. “Chiara.”

I feel my face heating up with the way he’s looking at me, but more out of annoyance than anything else. I can tell this guy is used to getting everything he wants out of life, so he won’t have the satisfaction of my discomfort.

“And you are?” I ask, keeping my voice as disinterested as possible, but that only makes him grin more.

“Nikolai,” Dmitri says in a stern voice and I turn my head to look at him. “The least you can do is introduce yourself properly since you will be responsible for her at Willow Bridge.”

Nikolai rolls his eyes and scoffs. “Christ, are you really going to make me babysit her?—”

“Wait, what?” I interject, looking at everyone at the table. Everyone seems to be in on this, and yet again, I am left out. “What are you talking about? What is Willow Bridge?”

My mom looks uncomfortable next to me as she lets out a sigh. “Can we have dinner first then discuss this?” she asks, then she looks at me. “I promise that I’ll tell you everything you need to know afterwards, okay?”

Nikolai mumbles something in what sounds like Russian and Dmitri shoots him a glare. I don’t like this at all. I haven’t even been in this house for five minutes and yet again, I am being hit with surprises. The entire fucking day has been nothing but shocker after shocker.

So what the hell am I in for now?

CHIARA

Dinner is delicious but it passes in an uncomfortable silence and as soon as it’s over, I’m filled with nerves. What did I walk into when I stepped off that plane nearly two hours ago?

Dmitri gets to his feet and gestures for us to follow him into a different room. While there, he pours a glass of wine each for me and my mom, and his son pours what looks like bourbon for the two of them.

My mother sits next to me on the leather sofa, while Dmitri takes a seat opposite me and Nikolai remains standing. When he hands the glass to his father, I can see a signet ring glinting on his left forefinger.

“Now, Chiara, I apologize for how confused you must be right now. I realize nothing has made sense since you stepped off that plane today,” Dmitri starts and I can do nothing but nod.

My mom places a hand on my knee, and it makes me face her. “You mentioned wanting to study further when you came back from Europe. Are you still interested in it?”

I can’t help but frown at the direction she’s steering this. “Of course. RISD accepted me a few months ago and I’m due to start in the fall.”

Nikolai scoffs. “Rhode Island School of Design? There are better places,” he says and I glare at him.

“Well I don’t exactly have thousands of dollars laying around. I have a full ride waiting for me, and won’t have the likes of you looking down on me just because you were born with a silver spoon in your mouth.”

This seems to wipe the smirk from his face and he returns my glare just as Dmitri chuckles.

“As much as I love to hear that you have an interest in studying further, I don’t think RISD will be a good fit for you,” he says and I’m about to protest, when he holds up a hand. “My family has shares in a prestigious Academy called Willow Bridge. It’s situated in Scotland and will have everything you need to study further. Everything will be paid for, your board, lodging, whatever textbooks you may need and art supplies. All you need to do is attend from September.”

I nearly drop the wineglass I’m holding and stare at Dmitri, then back at my mom. The look on both of their faces tell me that this isn’t some elaborate hoax.

“Excuse me?!” I exclaim, eventually coming to my senses and putting the wineglass down before I throw it at someone’s face. “Are you being serious right now?”

“Why wouldn’t I be serious?” he asks as he leans back on the leather sofa, crossing one leg over the other. “You’re Annamarie’s daughter, and we both want what’s best for you. Willow Bridge is the best out there and you’ll be safe.”

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