Page 39 of Twisted Vows

I blink, caught off guard. “Notices what?”

Pasha shrugs, turning to leave. “If you’re happy here.”

The soft click of the door closing feels louder than it should.

Since when does anyone in the Bratva care if I’m happy?

CHAPTER SEVENTEEN

Make me your villain.

Maxsim

The weight of silence fills the study, broken only by the distant hum of the estate. The reports scattered across my desk blur together—shipments delayed, soldiers restless, rumors bleeding through the cracks. We are battling the Cartels, and André’s grip on the Five Families is straining.

What will threaten us next?

I lean back in my chair, staring at the chess set resting on the table near the window. The game is mid-match, pieces are scattered in an uneven battle. Black is winning. Naturally.

A soft knock echoes against the door, and I don’t look up. “Enter.”

The door creaks open, and I sense her before I see her. Ari.

Her steps are measured, but there’s a tension in how she holds herself. Not the brittle defiance I’ve come to expect—but something quieter. Sharper.

“I won’t take up much of your time,” she says, voice even but deliberate.

I set the paper in my hand aside, finally meeting her eyes. “You can have as much as you want.”

Her mouth twitches—almost a smile, almost not. “I want to visit my Nonna.”

Of course. A simple request. Family. Familiar. Harmless.

But nothing with Ari is harmless.

There’s a tilt to her chin, a deliberate boldness in how she stands there, waiting for me to deny her. I lean back in my chair, steepling my fingers. “And you think now is the best time to make social visits?”

Her arms cross and the motion pulls the fabric of her sweater tight across her frame. She’s not wearing anything extravagant—nothing meant to draw attention. But I notice anyway.

How could I not?

I let the silence stretch. She doesn’t fidget or look away. “No,” I say flatly, returning my gaze to the reports.

A pause. A flicker of something in her eyes—disappointment or calculation, it’s hard to tell.

“That wasn’t a request.”

I glance up again, slowly.

“No, I suppose it wasn’t.” I lean forward, folding my hands. “You think I’ll let you walk into your family estate when we both know Sal is testing every inch of this alliance?”

“My family isn’t the enemy.”

“Yet.”

Her jaw tightens, but she holds steady. “Sal wouldn’t dare start a war in theDon’s home.”

“You underestimate how bold, desperate men can be.”

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