Page 16 of Bred To Be Owned

Our arms were still hooked together as we stood, and I didn’t want to draw any more attention by letting go. I didn’t know why he was tempting fate when he’d been aware of her condition. If she slighted him by not taking his arm, he could ask for an immediate dismissal. My father would have to pay retribution, and it would come with a costly price tag. I had agreed to this deal to keep Irini safe, not place in her the eye of the storm.

Irini never looked at him, her eyes focusing somewhere on his chest. She shuffled forward and then stopped. Her arm remained looped with mine, and I wasn’t sure what I was supposed to do, which caused my anger to flare at the Russian all over again.

I felt Kat move against my other side, and I quickly reached down and held her hand. As much as neither one of us liked this, we had to let it play out.

Irini shuffled her feet again, shaking her arm loose from my hold. She took one last step towards the Russian, wrapping her fingers around his suitcoat-covered arm. He leaned over and whispered something in Russian to her before raising her hand and kissing her knuckles.

Kat and I waited until they crossed the threshold into the foyer before we moved to follow, but I couldn’t see straight. My brow furrowed as the questions pinged around my brain with no way tobe answered. Kat squeezed my hand, and as I looked at her, I rolled my eyes. No one was in the room to see us, and I took a moment to breathe. I’d set this up, so I shouldn’t have been questioning anything. I just had to get through this evening.

Dinner was a smooth affair. The conversation flowed around the table as each course was served. Salad with feta and olives. Lemon rice soup. Lamb as the main course. It surprised me that I could taste all the deliciousness. I thought for sure it would stick to the roof of my mouth as punishment for my involvement. The blonde sat next to me. I’d tried to engage him in conversation, but he’d looked at me and simply said no. I didn’t know what his problem was, but if I turned my head towards him every now and again, no one would be the wiser.

The Russian sat across from me, but I tried not to glance in his direction. He would constantly whisper in Irini’s ear, and even though she didn’t turn to face him, she was listening. Her head would tilt towards him, as if she was giving him her ear. Every time I caught the movement, the hole in my heart grew. Pain radiated out into my chest, but I didn’t rub it away. I let it fester, reminding myself that I wanted an undesirable status. I’d worked too hard to want a man to claim me. This was just an end to a means.

“Toula,” my father called from his seat at the head of the table.

Dessert had just been served, and I didn’t bother to pick up my spoon, waiting.

“As a part of the wedding contract, the Russians will be our new refreshment vendor. I’ve already assigned a location for your club, so this summer, you can partner with them to get started.”

I should have been excited, but my father had set me up to fail in front of the Russians. He had assigned a site, which meant I was going to get stuck with some piece of property that he didn’t know what to do with. This only confirmed that no matter what I had done to bettermyself, I would never succeed. My father had always intended to sell me to the highest bidder.

“Thank you, Patéras.” I played the part of the dutiful daughter.

Suddenly, Frozen Frankie Lombardo’s voice filled my mind.You need leverage, his image screamed at me.

I quickly scrolled through every scenario, looking for something that I could use against them. I didn’t have money of my own. My father would finance the club, so that wasn’t a viable option. I assumed the location was an empty warehouse space that I would have to build out. Permits, contacts at city hall, everything my father didn’t have. He was more interested in collecting his portion from someone else’s work, which was why he didn’t have that many legit businesses. It gave me an idea.

“Patéras, will the Russians have an ownership stake in the club, or are they only a vendor?”

My father laughed and sat back in his chair. “Speak freely.” He steepled his fingers and rubbed them underneath his chin. I noticed he hadn’t answered my question, proving I was on the right path.

“I would like a proper introduction to your contacts at city hall, the planning committee, and the mayor’s office,” I directed at the Russian.

“Why would I do that?” he asked, staring at me. He looked relax, leaning back with his arm resting against the top of Irini’s chair. However, there was a bite in his tone, and his eyes narrowed directly at me. I wondered if I was the only one who could see the changes in him. The heat in his gaze burned another hole in my heart as the Russian transformed into the powerful Russian boss.

“You won’t make any money as a vendor if you don’t.” For once, I had control, and I wanted to clap my hands and stomp my feet inexcitement. Instead, I sat demurely, eating my scoop of ice cream as I waited for his response.

“Are you threatening my business?” He smirked at me.

“No. I’m stating a fact.” I smirked back, and I swore my mother was about ready to have a heart attack at the other end of the table. I should have never been engaged in this dinner conversation, but he had irritated me with the whispers, and when my father had opened the topic of conversation, I saw my opportunity for revenge.

I lowered my eyes back to my lap and turned my head in deference towards my father.

“Continue,” he said to me.

“If it’s a warehouse space, the aesthetics will need to be built out. I can lobby the correct agencies, but it would be easier with a proper introduction. If the layout doesn’t have a kitchen because I couldn’t get one approved, then we have no need for a refreshment vendor.” I had won that round, but it didn’t feel as good as I had thought it would.

My father held his stomach as he tilted his head back and laughed. My mother chuckled lightly, but no one else made a sound. I didn’t raise my eyes from my lap, my cheeks red from embarrassment. I wish I could have taken it all back and never said a word.

They dismissed us from the evening shortly after. I walked out of the dining room with my sisters, following them up the stairs to our rooms. When I reached my door, I didn’t bother opening the room. I didn’t want to stay, instead wanting to finding solace in the one room of the house that had always taken care of me. Turning back towards the staircase, I stole away to the library. Curling up in one of the reading chairs, I used the solitude to settle my thoughts, sighing into the emptiness.

“Why do I always find you without a guard?”

I didn’t need to see behind me to know who it was. The Russian always had a way of finding me in my most vulnerable moments. “Is Angelo alright?” I asked, not moving from my chair.

“For now.”

“You wouldn’t have disposed of him in my father’s house,” I retorted, crinkling my nose.

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