Page 96 of Claimed By Desire

But I willnotlet my father force my brother into a marriage when he’s not willing, just like he tried to force me.

I find Oleg Federov in his office. He’s on the phone when I storm in and slam the door behind me, leaving Alex out in the hall.Dad stares in my direction with an amused smile before politely telling whoever’s on the other end of his call that he has to go.

“You crossed the line,” I say, standing on the other side of the desk.

This room never fails to make me feel like a scared little girl again.

When I was young, this is where he took us when he wanted to dole out some punishment. This is where he took us to make us feel tiny and weak.

But I will not cower in front of this man anymore.

Not ever again.

“Tell me how you thinkI’mthe one that crossed a line, daughter.” He leans back, hands crossed over his belly.

“You fucked up twice already when you tried to force me to marry Valentin and Adriano. You knew I didn’t want it, but you didn’t care. Your children are just pawns in your power games, aren’t we? You don’t give a damn what we want at all, so long as you become stronger. You’ll crush anyone, even your own fucking kids.”

“You were doing your duty, or at least you should have. Except you’ve always been willful and selfish. How do you think you have anything in this world? Because of me, because this family and our organization. How have you been so fucking privileged? All you had to do was obey, and all that privilege would be yours. Instead, you spit in my face.” He smirks at me like this is a game. “Now look at you. Married to a traitor and carrying a bastard baby. You are nothing, Natalya. You never were. All you ever hadwas because of me. Your little apartment in Paris? Your piano tutors? All because I was generous and soft.”

I breathe in through my nose. He’s trying to make me upset, but I won’t let him get away with it.

Maybe he’s right. I’ve been spoiled in a lot of ways. Where Lev and Step were essentially pushed into the business the moment they could think and walk, I was kept out of danger. I was given everything, pampered, coddled; my brothers were beaten and screamed at and pushed hard. He’s not wrong.

But he still doesn’t understand.

“You can’t force Lev. He’s supposed to have a choice.” I say it as clearly as I can. “That isn’t how this should work. We can be better. I won’t fucking let you ruin him the way you tried to ruin me.”

“Like you have a say in what I do? I’m the head of this house. I’m the leader of this family. Lev knows what his duty is, unlike you, girl.”

“I know my duty, and it’s not to you.”

He bangs his palms on the desk. “You need to watch your fuckingmouth, daughter. Valentin Zeitsev is the only reason you’re still breathing. If he hadn’t told me to stand down, I would have killed both you and your shit eating husband. How is that traitor fuck, by the way? No, don’t tell me, unless his dick is rotting off and his tongue is swollen to the size of a melon.”

I stare him down. Dad stares right back, face going red with anger. I want to crawl across the desk and strangle his fat neck with my bare hands, but I know that’s just the temper he gifted me with.

The truth is, Dad will never see past what he wants. In his mind, he gave us everything—and that might be true. But he believes that gives him the right to push us into hellish situations if he deems it necessary.

And he’s wrong about that.

So fucking wrong.

“I’m going to save this one more time as clearly as I can.” I push back against the rage and give him a cold, steady look. “You willnotorder Lev into anything. You willnotforce him to marry. Lev will get to make his own decision, and we’ll respect what he chooses.”

“You always were a stupid bitch, Natalya.”

I turn my back on my father. “I hope you do the right thing, but knowing you, that’s just wishful fucking thinking.”

“Don’t come back to this house,” he calls out as I storm out of his office. “You’re not welcome here anymore!”

Good. Fuck him.

I slam the door and stand in the hallway, seething.

That stubborn asshole.

I don’t know what I expected. I knew Dad wouldn’t react well to getting yelled at by his disgraced youngest daughter, but I hoped he’d at least hear what I was saying.

Instead, he’s so deep into the Bratva world that he doesn’t care about anything else.

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