“Mother,” he warns with a smooth stern tone, but hidden beneath my professional smile I want to tell her that her ruthless son would never be my first choice for marriage either.

His aunts, who are seated beside her also raise their eyebrows but keep quiet.

“What?” she says, raising her shoulders, continuing. “I just don’t quite understand why I wasn’t contacted regarding such a quickie wedding. It’s just a little bit of a shock to my system.” She put her hand to her heart dramatically.

Ruslan chuckles, his hand curving around my shoulder. “Well, what’s that saying? When you know, you know.” He grins, his cousin Andrei smirking at him.

A few of the men chuckle, but soon enough the main course arrives, diverting everyone’s attention to that for a few minutes.

I’m starving, and take the opportunity to enjoy the food, Tatiana’s enquiries continuing as she slices into her steak.

“Tell me more about your family, Fiona. Where are they from?” I finish chewing my salmon, placing my fork down, ready to amuse myself.

You’re about to get the shock of your life, lady.

“Well, my mother lives in another state—Ohio.”

“Oh, Ohio. That’s interesting that she’s in a different state. Is she happy there?” Tatiana asks, pretending to extend the innocent question, but from my perspective it sounds as if she doesn’t think I’m good enough for her son. Smirking, I decide to changetheirperspective, not mine.

“The last time I spoke to her she was doing fine there. It’s better for her, being that she’s the late wife of Luca Marino. Ya know?” Squinting, I watch the mouths at the table descend as I drop the shocking news right in their laps.

Speechless. Perfect. My job is done. That ought to shut her up.I keep eating, but note, Ruslan’s cousin’s face. Andrei—who was formally introduced to me by Ruslan—is holding back his amusement. I can tell because the corners of his mouth are twitching. Of course, he probably knew already about my father, because the same level of alarm hadn’t registered on his face. In fact, his mouth opens to a wide grin as he sends a closeted winkin my direction. Directing my pent-up energy elsewhere I stab my fork into my roasted tomatoes, plopping one in my mouth.

Yep, that’s right. I’m the daughter of the late Don and your rival. Digest that at your fancy dinner table, Utkins.

Ruslan’s angry gaze is radiating into the side of my head, but I give no fucks. I’m hormonal, and he kidnapped me. I’ve lost my father—no matter how estranged we were, it still hurts, and now because of a snap decision, and taking a dare, I’m pregnant by a Russian mobster, and practically forced headlong into an arranged marriage—I mean how did he expect me to respond?

Despite the bullshit, I continue to carve out a smile for Tatiana as she gawks at me in amazement. Until she musters the courage to answer. “Luca Marino. That’s a name I haven’t heard for some time,” she remarks. “Hmpf.” The aunts and cousins whisper quietly, but it’s not as if they can without me hearing. I’m sitting right at the table alongside them.

I can’t handle all this scrutiny anymore. What a fucking joke.Pushing back from the table, I drop my napkin into the middle of my plate, excusing myself.

“I need to use the restroom. Ruslan, where are they?”

His jaw flickers as his cold eyes meet mine. “First on your right in the main restaurant. Don’t be long,” he murmurs, the treble in his voice, wavy enough to indicate how upset he is.

As I walk boldly, I give myself an internal pat on the back for my efforts. I find the bathroom easily, thankful there’s not many women on the inside.

Releasing a salty chuckle, I stand at the restaurant mirrors. Now this is turning out to be an interesting dinner. If I could be a fly on the wall now listening in on how his motherfeels about him marrying a dead rival’s daughter, I’m sure it would be a priceless moment.

I only wish I could call Sophia and Rachael. Ruslan’s eased up on my restrictions, and I’ve been able to let them know I’m okay, along with my mother, but they’ll never know everything. I can’t tell them. Ruslan’s forbidden me to.

“If you try to tip your friends off about what’s going on between us or your mother, then I promise you, I’m going to make hell seem like a nice place to be. Do you understand?”

“I won’t. I’m not dumb, but by not saying anything, it’s going to raise suspicion. I need to talk to them like normal, so they know I’m okay.”His threats didn’t have the effect he wanted them to have, because as much Ruslan affected me, I knew I affected him as well.

I toy around with my limp curls, letting the tense memory bleed away, and reapply a layer of lipstick, then spraying a little perfume on the inside of my wrists for good measure. Satisfied I can rejoin the fray, I head out of the bathroom with my head down, fumbling to put my lipstick back inside my purse.

“Shit,” I murmur, annoyed that I didn’t do it back in the bathroom, only to feel the penetrative grip of a man’s hand digging into my elbow.

“Well, hello there,” he greets, the tinge of an Irish accent on his tongue. Gasping from the bump, I raise my head to say sorry, facing off with a pair of the iciest blue eyes I’ve ever seen. His face is craggy, but he has an appeal.

“Hi, um I’m sorry, I wasn’t looking where I was going?” I tell him in a fluster, flipping back my hair. His mouth curves into a broad smile.

“No need to apologize. My name’s Jamie Bergin. And it’s a chance meeting. I’ve been wanting to speak to you,” he advises as I take him in.

He’s wearing a black suit, but there’s something disarming about him that I can’t put my finger on. “You want to speak to me?” I say in surprise as I realize the man still has ahold of my forearm.

Get away from him. There’s something wrong.Alarm bells ring in my head as I lick my lips, staring around into the crowded restaurant, giving myself the reassurance that nothing can happen anyway. I’m in a restaurant.