Page 51 of The Bratva's Knocked-Up Bride

Damien relayed what Ari told him about their past with the Levovs, and to me, it made complete sense.

If this newer kingpin was vengeful and spiteful, then surely he wasn’t beneath causing a mess in the city just to prove a point.

Of course, Damien advised me to keep the heat on the Pesci name while putting my article together and to keep every other name out of it.

By wreaking havoc in the city, the Pesci men threatened to reveal the activities of other prominent families around them, and that kind of attention ran the risk of bringing those names down, too. If that was a motive in itself, then it was important for me to pin the complete blame on them. That way, the Levovs, Novikovs, and all the other names involved could remain under the radar.

The less attention, the better. And since it was the Pesci family creating that issue, it only made sense to rightfully push it right back at them.

Before, I never felt too inclined to help the Levovs other than to help protect Gemma and her business. But given their association with the Novikovs, and how I was exploring things with Damien, I had a new sense of determination to help.

Even if I didn’t know a whole lot about his world, and I didn’t intend on immersing myself in it too deeply, I had a vested interest in the integrity and survival of the Novikovs and their empire. I didn’t want him to somehow be caught and pulled under because of some family who couldn’t accept their own failures.

I was growing Damien’s child inside me, and I couldn’t let anything happen to him. I wasn’t going to let my baby grow up without their dad, especially not when he seemed so ready for it.

Given everyone’s involvement and how closely tied the company was with the mafia, I had to tread carefully.

Pointing out crimes caused by a crime family was intimidating, and I had some reservations about it still, but at the end of the day, I was a journalist. I had a deeply rooted desire to report honestly, and that fact helped me continue on without giving in to those fears.

Either way, regardless of the potential dangers I was brushing up against, I was closing in on the Pesci family, and soon enough, they wouldn’t be able to hide.

I had solid evidence against them, and it was my hope that informing the public might be enough to stop them from committing more crimes, and it would get them off their Levov and Novikov trail.

Nearing the end of the workday, I did my best to focus and pull together the last of my research before going home. Everything was going well, and I felt like my usual self until the nausea set in and drove a stake right through my plans.

As my stomach turned and I had to swallow back the urge to vomit, I put a hand over my mouth and braced myself through it.

The nausea had only gotten worse in the last few days, and as hard as I tried to ignore it, it was becoming harder to.

It was disheartening, given how I just wanted to put my head down and keep working. Unfortunately, it always came at the worst time, and it took a lot of willpower to not let it affect me too greatly.

Sipping water didn’t seem to help, and after some time, I could only put my head in my hands to try and stave off the discomfort that moved through me. I tried to focus on my breathing while I closed my eyes and silently hoped it would go away sooner rather than later.

My efforts were just barely working, keeping my lunch from making a reappearance, but it certainly didn’t help the fact that I needed to keep working.

A knock at the door made my head lift at once, caught off-guard as soon as I saw Raf standing there with an empathetic look on his face.

I tried to push back just how badly the waves of queasiness were affecting me, and I tried to straighten out my expression. “Raf…can I help you with anything?”

“I should ask you that question,” he said lightly, taking a few steps closer. “You don’t look too comfortable right now, is everything alright?”

Trying to play it off, I let go of a breath and leaned back. “Just feeling a little under the weather. It should pass soon.”

His gaze, gentle yet examining, remained on me while he nodded. I could tell that he didn’t entirely believe me, but it seemed he didn’t want to be too confrontational about my dismissal. “You really take your role as our determined leader seriously, don’t you?”

I hummed my vague amusement despite the discomfort that moved through me, and I nodded. “Of course. I’m aware of the privilege of my position, and I don’t want to take it for granted.”

Looking at me for another moment, he nodded and reached into his pocket, pulling out several ginger candies before placing them in front of me. “It’s for the nausea. They should help.”

At the gesture, I managed a more genuine smile even if I wasn’t expecting it. “Thanks…how did you know?”

Raf shrugged with his hands stuffed in his pockets. “My older sister was still living at home when she got pregnant with her first. I guess I just know morning sickness when I see it.”

Speechless at first, I couldn’t believe how perceptive he was, or how he had been so prepared to help. I blinked backat him, not knowing what to say before saying a bit sheepishly, “Pregnant…right. I can’t deny it now, I guess.”

He smiled a bit at that. “Congratulations. You must be early along then…how are you feeling?”

Able to relax a bit since I didn’t have to hide it anymore, I sighed and glanced down at the hard candies. “I’ve been very tired and pretty sore already…definitely nauseous more recently. Otherwise, I’ve been alright.”

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