Page 83 of Ruthless Bratva King

As we turn to leave, my father’s voice cuts through the quiet. “He’ll take the statue from you. He doesn’t need you anymore. He’ll kill you soon enough, Elena. You’ll regret this, mark my words. We could all have been rich but once again, you ruined everything.”

Dmitri pauses, glancing over his shoulder. Slowly, he pulls the jade statue from his coat and tosses it onto the table in front of my shocked father.

“Call it a dowry for your daughter’s hand,” Dmitri says, his tone calm but edged with warning. “If I ever see you again, you die.”

58

ELENA

When I step into the kitchen, Veronica is leaning against the counter, sipping a cup of coffee. Her bright smile greets me like a warm hug.

“Look what the cat dragged in!” she teases, setting her mug down and pulling me into a tight hug. “You look alive, surprisingly.”

“Thanks,” I reply dryly, squeezing her back. “And you look like you’re glad to be back in your own place.”

“You gave me the call, told me I was safe to go home so here I am. Want to tell me why the risk of kidnapping has disappeared.”

“Let’s just say no one wants to get on my husband’s bad side right now.”

She pulls away, her eyes scanning me with mock seriousness. “You’ve got this weird glow. Is it from Dmitri, or did you fall into a vat of radioactive chemicals?”

I laugh, shaking my head as I sit down at the kitchen table. “Trust me, it’s not the latter.”

Veronica grabs her mug and sits across from me. “You dirty girl. Spill.”

I take a deep breath and start. I tell her about going to see my family, the confrontation with my father, and Dmitri walking in like some kind of movie hero. Her eyes widen as I describe the chaos and heartbreak of it all.

“Wait,” she interrupts, holding up a hand. “Let me get this straight. Your dad thought Dmitri was going to kill you, so he abandoned you? What a prince.”

“Yeah,” I say, my voice heavy with sarcasm. “Father of the Year material.”

“And your sister and mom just what? Backed him up?”

“Basically.” I let out a bitter laugh. “They even said I was useless. Some people don’t change, I guess.”

She leans back in her chair, shaking her head. “Unbelievable. I’m glad you left them to stew. They don’t deserve you. Kept telling you.”

“I know that now.”

She smirks. “Dmitri must’ve rubbed off on you. You’ve got this whole badass vibe going on now.”

I roll my eyes, but I can’t help smiling. “Let’s just say he’s helped me see things differently. But what about you? You said you had news.”

She grins, a determined look in her eyes. “I’ve got a job interview next week. Fingers crossed for me, okay?”

“Bookstore?”

“Sadly not but there’s time, right?”

“I’ve got news too.” I show her the email on my cellphone. The subject line is: Architecture Program Admission Decision.

Her face lights up. “You got in?”

“I got in!” I say louder, a grin breaking across my face. “Dmitri bribed them but what the hell, right?”

She’s off her chair in an instant, pulling me up into a bear hug. “You’re going to crush it, Elena. This is huge!”

Laughing, I hug her back, my excitement bubbling over. “It’s terrifying, actually. But I’m excited too.”

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