Page 29 of Bratva Baby

“You’re awake,” I note as I drop into the armchair across from her.

She closes her book and sets it aside. “Wasn’t sure you were going to make it back tonight.”

I shrug. “I told you I’d come back.”

She frowns as she runs her eyes over my blood-stained clothes. “Did anything… happen tonight?”

She’s prying, and I’m not in the mood to share details about the ambush. “What makes you ask?”

She shifts, chewing on her lower lip. “You look… worn out.”

I can’t deny that. “Long day. Let’s leave it at that.” A silence settles, uncomfortable. I let out a measured breath. “Is there something you need?”

She straightens her posture and stretches an arm over the back of the couch. “I want to see my father.”

The words jolt me. I never got the impression that the two of them were very close. In fact, I’ve been given every reason to believe that she’d never want to see him again after the wedding. “Why?”

She draws in a slow breath. “I haven’t seen him in weeks, not since the wedding, and… I just want to talk to him.”

Her father is the same man who arranged our marriage as part of some twisted alliance. I still don’t trust him, even if he is technically family. “You realize he’d sell you out in a heartbeat if it benefited him, right? He’s already done it once.”

A flicker of pain darts across her face. “I know exactly what he’s capable of. But I still need to see him.”

I study her, noticing how her hands clench and unclench in her lap. “Alright. On two conditions. One: you take bodyguards. And two: you let them stay close enough to intervene if your father tries anything.”

“I’d rather have some privacy when I speak to my father, Grigor.”

“Then you can talk in a place that’s easy to surveil from outside.”

She exhales, and her shoulders slump. “Fine. I’ll take your damned guards. Satisfied?”

“When?”

“Tomorrow,” she answers. “Early.”

“Then tomorrow morning it is. Anton will go with you.” I push myself to my feet and every muscle protests. “If we’re done negotiating, I need some rest.”

She doesn’t stop me as I head for the stairs. Halfway up, I pause to pull out my phone and shoot a text to Anton:Seraphina wants to see her father. You go with her in the morning. Report everything.

The instant reply pings back:Understood.

I stash my phone back and my pocket and resume walking. I hate secrets, but trusting Seraphina fully is impossible when she’s so tied to a man like Evan Thorne. If she’s colluding with him… I push the thought away.

She’s my wife now, and I have to at least entertain the possibility that she can be trusted, even if her father can’t. Either way, I won’t leave her unprotected or unwatched.

Chapter 13 - Seraphina

I arrive at my father’s estate with the two bodyguards Grigor insisted I bring. Their presence weighs on me like an invisible chain, reminding me of the new reality I can’t escape. The drive here felt endless, and I spent the entire time going through every possibility of how this meeting might go.

What if my father sees that I’m growing closer to Grigor? What if he demands more information than I’m willing—or able—to give? My stomach twists at the thought of what he might do if he isn’t satisfied.

The guards park the car and follow me as I step onto the familiar stone walkway. I fight a jolt of memories and I recall how many times I walked this path as a child, longing for something warmer and kinder from the man who lives here. For a time, I had that consolation in my mother. She always had a way of chasing away the harshness of my father’s world. But when she passed away, far too soon, that comfort went with her, leaving only the cold presence of the man who raised me. The ache of that loss still stirs when I come here, though I’ve long since buried it under layers of steel.

My main bodyguard, Anton, trails two steps behind me, scanning the grounds. The other one, Val, stays near the car. My father’s men watch from a distance, but they track my every move. The tension around this place feels suffocating. I square my shoulders and press the doorbell, ignoring the quiver in my gut. I must look confident, or my father will smell weakness.

A house attendant opens the door, offering a stiff nod. “Miss Seraphina,” he greets me, gesturing for me to come inside. “They’re expecting you. Shall I escort your companions to the sitting room?”

“They’ll wait outside,” I declare. The attendant looks uncertain, then steps aside to allow Anton and Val to remain in the entry hall. My father won’t be pleased, but he knows better than to provoke Grigor’s men outright. I glance at Anton, giving him a small nod so he knows I haven’t changed my mind about the arrangement. With that, I step past the threshold and head into the vast foyer.

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