Page 38 of The Bratva's Prisoner Bride

Before I could change my mind, I left the kitchen and found the nearest door leading out to the backyard. From there,I trailed over to where she was still in the lounge chair, looking off into the distance.

The light furrow of her brows and the frown fixed on her lips told me everything I needed to know about her current state. Given how she didn't even glance at me while I approached further cemented that fact.

Feeling somewhat out of my depth, I stuffed my hands in my pockets and stood within her view.

"You know...if you wanted to become part of the cleaning staff, we could've negotiated that into our marriage agreement."

I was going out on a limb and taking a risk, but it was all I had.

Even if I couldn't get her to come around completely, a faint smile would be enough.

Glancing at her, I watched as she let go of a breath and looked in the opposite direction.

Daria mumbled, "Like you'd allow that."

Honestly, I didn't expect her to say anything, but hearing the curt response made my lips pull slightly. I nodded to myself. "Yeah, you're right about that."

When she didn't say anything else for a moment, visibly resisting me still, I swallowed my pride and continued, "Maybe it was wrong of me to expect you to be content surrounded by my belongings and nothing of your own...but I don't exactly know where to start on that front."

As if she was just as surprised to hear those words coming from me as I was, Daria looked at me with hesitance in her eyes. "Asking would be a good first step..."

She had a point. I didn't exactly make any moves to try and get to know her—her interests, her favorite things, anything of that capacity.

I nodded, unwilling to make any biting comments at that moment. "I won't deny that."

With a breath forced from her nose, Daria stood from her chair and looked at me directly. She crossed her arms over her chest. "Is this coming from a place of genuine interest or obligation?"

The question piqued my interest, and I shrugged. "How about both?"

Her expression fell somewhat flat at that, not entirely impressed. "I'm not feeling too inclined to give you an honest answer if it's an obligation."

She was being smart with me...and a part of me didn't hate it.

“Touché..." I murmured, looking down at her with a cocked brow. "In that case, I guess you'll just have to stay bored...or, maybe we can scrap all of that and just spend all day fu—”

Before I could get the word out, I felt her hands against my chest, shoving me back with more strength than I imagined she possessed in the first place.

Thrown off balance at the edge of the pool, my arms swung out in an attempt to stay standing, but from the force of her hands on me, it was a losing battle.

My breath caught in my throat as I fell back, eventually crashing through the pool's surface. Water overwhelmed my senses at once, striking me with an immediate chill that felt somewhat harsh compared to how warm it was outside.

Pushing up, I pulled in a breath and shook the water off me before finding Daria at the pool's edge, grinning faintly to herself.

The feeling of my soaked clothes against my skin immediately drove me crazy, making me question why I bothered in the first place.

"What the hell was that?"

"I just assumed you needed some way to pass the time, so I decided for you...how's the water?" she asked with a rare smugness to her tone that was both surprising and amusing.

I was prepared to snap at her for pulling a fast one on me, but then I realized, in one way or another, I managed to accomplish what I set out to achieve.

Even if it was at my expense, she was smiling.

I hated to admit that the sight wasn't the worst thing in the world.

But, of course, I wasn't one to be outdone.

"I don't know...you tell me," I returned, smirking as I reached up, wrapping a hand around her thigh before she could react. Smoothly, I pulled her forward until she lost her balance and squealed, heading face-first towards the pool.

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