Page 70 of Used Bratva Bride

Sophia continues, her expression unreadable. “I need to know how much they’re offering him.”

I exhale sharply, gripping the phone tighter. “You want me to spy on my husband,” I say flatly.

Sophia doesn’t flinch. “I want you to do something useful for once.”

The words hit like a slap, even though I should be used to them by now.

“If we know what they’re offering, we can sabotage the deal,” she says. “Make Evans a better offer. Turn him against them.”

I swallow, my throat dry. It makes sense. It’s a strategic move. A clever one. One that would weaken Mikhail’s position significantly.

Except… I stare down at the phone in my hand, feeling its weight like a chain. Everything in me screams that this is the right choice. That I should want to help my family. That this is my chance to prove I do have value to them.

My hands tremble slightly.

Mikhail. The man who stole me from my world. The man who forced me into marriage. The man who has been both my captor and my protector. The man whose touch lingers on my skin, whose voice sends shivers down my spine, whose presence invades my every thought.

I can’t ignore the pull in my chest. The hesitation. The doubt.

Sophia watches me carefully. “This is bigger than you, Julie,” she says, her voice smooth but firm. “You have a chance to actually matter here. Do you really want to waste it?”

I don’t answer, because I don’t know.

The weight of the phone in my hand feels heavier than it should.

I tighten my grip, looking up at Sophia, who watches me with expectant eyes. She isn’t here to save me—at least not in the way I had hoped. She’s here for my help, for this.

For me to prove myself useful. My chest tightens.

This is it. This is my chance to be more than just a forgotten daughter, more than a pawn passed around by men who see me as nothing but leverage.

Sophia must see the hesitation flicker across my face because she leans in slightly, voice lowering to a persuasive murmur.

“This isn’t just about business, Julie,” she says smoothly. “Mikhail humiliated our family.”

My stomach twists at the bitterness in her tone.

“He took you—married you—just to make a spectacle out of us,” she continues. “Now, he wants to kill me for something I didn’t even do.”

I inhale sharply. Valeri Sharov. Mikhail is convinced that Sophia had a hand in his uncle’s death. He’s made no secret of that.

She’s telling me she’s innocent?

I should have known. Sophia is ruthless, but she isn’t reckless. She doesn’t make careless moves that put our family in danger. If she had orchestrated Valeri’s death, she wouldn’t have left any trace of it. Mikhail is hellbent on revenge.

Sophia leans against the sink, arms crossed. “We have to get back at him and the Bratva. This is just the first step.”

I stare at her.

“If we gain financial leverage over them, we weaken them,” she explains. “Sabotaging this deal with Greg Evans will make them bleed. When the time is right….”

She doesn’t finish the sentence. She doesn’t have to. They’ll strike when the Bratva is vulnerable. Mikhail—my husband—will be right in the center of it.

I swallow hard. This should be a simple choice. Mikhail is my captor, my enemy, the man who took everything from me. He made a mockery of my family, forced me into his bed, into his life. He controls me, owns me in ways I never imagined possible.

Something inside me twists uncomfortably.

He has humiliated the Spades. He’s dangerous, controlling, a force of power that no one dares defy. I’ve spent so long seeing him as the villain, and yet….

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