Page 59 of Used Bratva Bride

I move through it with practiced ease, exchanging handshakes, measured nods, and clipped words. Every greeting carries weight, every conversation is a negotiation. Even in a room full of supposed allies, there is no such thing as trust.

Julie stays close.

I don’t have to look to know she’s feeling the weight of the room. The Bratva elite watch her carefully, some with thinly veiled amusement, others with curiosity or skepticism.A Spade, here among us?I can almost hear their thoughts, the murmurs that no one dares to voice aloud.

She’s an outsider, and they don’t let her forget it. She doesn’t break.

Her shoulders are stiff, her back straight, and even though I can see the way her fingers twitch slightly at her sides, she holds herself well.

Better than I expected.

I steal glances when I can, telling myself it’s just to assess how she’s handling herself. That it’s nothing more than scrutiny, ensuring she doesn’t make a fool of me. That’s a lie.

I watch her. More than I should.

It’s in the way the candlelight catches the sleek black fabric of her dress, in the way her hair brushes against the delicate slope of her shoulder when she turns her head. There’s a quiet tension in her posture, a subtle defiance, as if she refuses to let herself be diminished, no matter how out of place she might feel.

She’s not immune to the scrutiny, though.

I catch the way her fingers brush the fabric of her dress, as if she’s resisting the urge to smooth it down. The way her gaze flickers to the side when someone holds it too long.

I lean in slightly, my voice low in her ear. “Relax.”

She stiffens at the proximity, but I see the flicker of relief in her eyes when I step closer, making my presence beside her more deliberate.

They can look. They can whisper. No one will dare touch what belongs to me.

I continue my rounds, speaking with the men who run this city from the shadows, but my thoughts keep circling back to her.

By the time I introduce her to my brother, Erik, I realize I’ve spent more time watching Julie than thinking about the business at hand.

Erik greets her with a polite nod, his tone measured. “So, you’re the infamous wife.”

Julie tenses slightly beside me, but to her credit, she doesn’t shrink away. Instead, she lifts her chin, meeting his gaze head-on. “Infamous?”

Erik smirks, taking a slow sip from his glass. “The Spade daughter married into the Sharovs? People are talking.” He tilts his head, studying her. “You don’t look like the villain they make you out to be.”

Julie exhales sharply. “That’s because I’m not one.”

I smirk at that, amused by the defiance creeping into her voice. My brother chuckles too, giving me a knowing look.

“She’s got more bite than I expected,” Erik remarks. “That’ll make things interesting.”

I roll my shoulders. “We’ll see how long that lasts.”

Julie glares at me, but Erik just laughs, shaking his head. “You always had a habit of breaking things, Mikhail. This one, though? Looks like she’s not so easy to break.”

I take a slow sip of my drink, letting the words settle.

Julie folds her arms, her posture shifting subtly into one of challenge. “I’m not something that can be broken.”

Erik raises an eyebrow, clearly entertained. “Bold of you to say when you’re standing between two men who have built their lives on breaking people.”

I glance at Julie, watching for her reaction. She doesn’t flinch. Instead, she meets Erik’s gaze with something close to defiance, though I can see the way she swallows before speaking. “That just means I’ll have to be smarter than both of you.”

Erik chuckles, shaking his head. “She’s got fire. I can see why you’re enjoying yourself.”

I smirk but say nothing. I am enjoying myself. More than I should be.

---