Page 55 of Reign of Psychos

“You have my blessing for the casino project. I’ll expect regular updates, however.”

“Of course.”

“And the baby is yours?”

“Yes.” I refused to accept any other outcome.

“Then you’ll need this.” He reached down and pulled the antique sapphire and diamond ring from Ekaterina’s bony finger. “This was your mother’s ring. It has always been worn by the pakhan’s wife. If you intend to marry the girl, which as the mother of the next bratvah heir, you should, then give her this ring. It will legitimize the relationship to our comrades.”

I took the ring and examined it. The stones sparkled in the light, the craftsmanship exquisite. The diamond alone was worth a fortune, but the vibrant sapphires were also impressive. Thea would love it.

“Thank you.” I tucked the ring in my pocket and stood, casting a glance down at the body of my dead stepmother. “Shall I call Horace?”

“No, I’ll sort her. I just need a minute.” He refilled his glass and drained it.

There was nothing else to say, so I left him to his thoughts. Now that I’d secured my future, I had plans to put into place, and the most important one involved making Thea my wife.

26

Thea

The Royal Opera House was something else. My pathetic attempt at appearing blasé about the evening had crashed and burned the moment we walked into a foyer filled with society’s finest. Women dressed in couture gowns, dripping with diamonds; men wearing Hugo Boss, Armani, and Tom Ford accessorized with Breitling and Rolex watches.

And that was only my guys.

The three of them had attracted an unseemly amount of attention. Female eyes snapped in their direction, mesmerized by their combined sex appeal. Barely anyone noticed me in my glittering midnight blue dress and diamond pendant, courtesy of Cassian.

I felt like the poor relation. Cinderella’s grumpy cousin from the sticks.

But when I realized none of the guys had even noticed the women staring at them, I soon relaxed. No doubt Cassian and Landon were both accustomed to female attention and ignored it, but even Dario seemed oblivious.

Knowing they only had eyes for me settled my nerves. Lucian was here somewhere, but he didn’t scare me. I knew Cassian would deflect any shit he threw at me. And besides, I had a vicious blade strapped to my thigh, in case Lucian felt like pushing his luck.

Not that he was likely to try. He was far too well-known to do anything in public. Attacking a fellow guest at the opera would cause a political crisis, not to mention ruin his polished public image.

When Cassian turned into a statue at my side, I knew he’d spotted his father. I peered around his shoulder to see Lucian stalking toward us, a stiff smile on his face. Two men in bland suits trailed behind, discreetly pushing anyone away who tried to get too close.

“Father, how delightful to see you,” Cassian said through gritted teeth while placing himself between his father and me. Landon and Dario quit bickering and spun around.

“I wasn’t expecting to see you here this evening, Cassian.”

“Oh? I’m not sure why. I do love a nice evening at the opera with my friends and fiancée.”

Lucian’s gaze snapped down, looking for evidence of the engagement. I pushed my hand out, letting the large ring on the fourth finger of my left hand catch the light.

The engagement ring wasn’t real, at least not as far as I was concerned. Cassian had insisted I wear it this evening, much to Landon’s disgust. He explained it made our relationship look serious, and without some kind of grand gesture, his father would dismiss me.

I didn’t much care what his father thought, but if a ring made me seem like a legit girlfriend, then whatever. I just hoped Cassian had shared his plan with Kyril, or there would be a massive row later.

“Fiancée? Really?” A vein in Lucian’s temple throbbed as a few people still standing around the foyer looked our way.

“I’m looking forward to getting to know my new father-in-law,” I said, fluttering my eyelashes at Lucian while Landon choked on his drink. “Cassian’s told me soooomany nice things about you.”

Lucian stared at me. His eyes slid down and lingered on my tits. I shifted uncomfortably.

The man really was a piece of work.What a creepy asshole.

“I’m not sure the daughter of a criminal and star of an infamous sex tape is the best choice for your future wife, Cassian.”

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