Page 73 of Used Bratva Bride

It all adds up. Too perfectly.

I narrow my eyes. “You’re telling me she wanted to get caught?”

“No.” Ivan shakes his head. “Think about it. Sophia is calculated. She’s too smart to make mistakes like this. So why now?”

I exhale slowly, setting the papers down. If Ivan is right—and he usually is—then this entire thing is a setup.

Someone wants me to believe Sophia is guilty. Who? More importantly, why?

I lean forward, resting my elbows on the desk. “Who benefits from this?”

Ivan scratches his chin. “A third party, maybe? Someone looking to weaken both you and the Spades?”

My mind runs through the possibilities, each one as dangerous as the last. A setup like this could only mean one thing—there’s another player in the game.

“I don’t like this,” I mutter, more to myself than Ivan.

Ivan scoffs. “Neither do I.” He crosses his arms. “So, what do you want to do?”

I inhale deeply, considering. If Sophia isn’t behind Valeri’s death, then someone else is. Someone who wants me distracted.

I don’t like being manipulated. I hate being played.

I close the folder and lean back, meeting Ivan’s eyes. “We don’t make a move yet. Not until we know who we’re dealing with.”

Ivan nods. “Agreed.”

I roll my shoulders, tension coiled tight in my muscles. “We will make a move. When the time is right.”

Ivan smirks. “Now that’s the Mikhail I know.”

I don’t return his grin. My mind is already miles ahead, piecing things together, planning my next steps. There’s one thing I do know for sure.

Whoever really killed Valeri? They’re going to regret thinking they could outplay me.

I lean back in my chair, watching as Ivan closes the folder with a sharp thump. He’s already on his feet, eager to start digging. “I’ll get on this right away,” he says, determination laced in his voice.

“Good,” I say. “Find out who planted that evidence and what the Spades are planning.”

Ivan nods before turning toward the security monitors that line the far wall. With a few keystrokes, he pulls up the camera feeds, flicking through angles of the estate. I let my gaze drift to the screen, barely paying attention at first.

Until I see her. Julie. She’s curled up in the library, a book in her lap, completely unaware that she’s being watched.

My jaw tightens as I take her in—those long, bare legs tucked beneath her, the soft white blouse just sheer enough to hint at the curves underneath. The tiny pair of shorts barely cover her thighs, riding up with the slightest movement. Her curly hair tumbles over her shoulder as she leans forward, fingers trailing idly across the pages of her book.

I exhale slowly, a tight coil of something dark twisting in my gut. She looks sweet. Innocent, almost. I know better. That mouth of hers is sharp, her defiance burns, and she’s no stranger to provoking me.

It’s in moments like this—when she’s lost in her own world, unaware of my gaze—she looks so untouched. Untouched by the filth of this world, untouched by anyone else. The thought sends a surge of possessiveness through me.

Ivan flicks through another feed, but I stop him with a low, warning tone. “Wait.”

He pauses, glancing at me with raised brows. I ignore him, my focus locked on the screen.

Julie shifts, stretching her legs out, tilting her head back just slightly. The curve of her throat is exposed, delicate and inviting. I can imagine the warmth of her skin beneath my lips, the way her pulse might stutter if I kissed down the line of her neck, down lower—

Damn it.

I drag a hand over my face, exhaling sharply through my nose. I shouldn’t be this distracted, not with everything going on. She’s in my house, my bed, wearing my last name, and it’s starting to eat away at my control.

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