Page 14 of The Bratva's Virgin Bride

“You did what?” Roman yells.

I pull the phone away from my ear before I say, “Calm down. It was the most logical solution.”

“No, the most logical solution would have been to give her a bodyguard. To keep her safe at the mansion. Not to marry her, you idiot. Where is she now?”

“She's here at my place,” I say, trying to maintain my calm. This is not the reaction I was expecting, and it's thrown me off my game a little.

“Viktor, do you ever think anything through?” Roman growls. “Why would you marry her?”

“Because my name carries a certain reputation. Now this Jimmy won't mess with her because she's not only tied to me, but to our entire family. Starting with us is suicide,” I explain. “It made logical sense to me.”

“It isn't logical. You could have given her a guard.”

“But a guard would have drawn attention to her,” I argue. “It would have tipped him off that we know about him. That's not sending a message that's just asking him to be more creative with how he would kidnap her. I really thought this through.”

“No, you didn't,” Roman says angrily. “God, I'll be home in a few days and we can discuss it then. Until then, keep your filthy hands to yourself, and don't do anything else stupid. This is Gwen's best friend. She's going to freak out when I tell her what you've done. She's been through so much because of our family and now you do this? You don't think, Viktor. You're completely reckless every time I leave you alone.”

I fall silent. I don't know what to say at this point. I refuse to apologize because I believe that what I did is right. Then, a thought occurs to me. “Hey, you did the same thing with Gwen. You married her to protect her. You weren't in love or anything.”

“It's different with Gwen,” Roman says exasperatedly. “You're not the kind of guy that can handle commitment or marriage, it isn't in your nature. You're too impulsive and out of control. This is a terrible fucking idea.”

“I have thought hard about this. I planned this carefully.” I start to pace up and down. “You're just not seeing the bigger picture, Roman.”

“Does Rigor know?” Roman asks. “Did you run it past him?”

“Do I have to run every little thing past both of you?” I ask.

“Yes, because we're a family.”

“You didn't run your idea to marry Gwen past Rigor. You just did it. It's the same thing.”

“I assure you it's not,” Roman says with some finality. “Now, Gwen and I will be home in a few days. She's going to freak out when I tell her about this and if she calls you and takes off your head, I don't want to hear any complaints. You put yourself in this position and you have to deal with theconsequences. I would suggest starting on an annulment as soon as possible. Speak to Manny.”

“I'm not getting an annulment,” I say hotly.

“You will once I'm there,” Roman threatens. “You have a few days to sort this out or I am going to sort it out for you and you will not like it.”

He hangs up and I stand there staring at my phone. The hypocrisy.

He did the exact same thing. I try not to feel slighted by his words because I have been known to be reckless. There have been many instances, even recently, where I've made rash decisions. I can think of a few examples and it makes me wonder if Roman hasn't forgiven me for them. That he's holding them against me, even though I think I've really thought out this plan to marry Riley. I'm not getting an annulment no matter what Roman says. This is the best possible solution. A bodyguard is not the answer.

I sit back down at the dining room table and Rachel comes out. “Can we get you anything else, Mr. Milov?”

“Another coffee,” I say. “Extra coffee and extra sugar.” I put my phone down on the table and mull over what Roman has said. He's probably concerned about my need to bed so many women. I don't get it. I wasn't in a committed relationship when I did that, and it's not like I'm going to do that now. I'm married. I'm loyal to a fault. Surely, Roman knows that. I mean, you cannot question my loyalty to the family.

I can be loyal to Riley.

Not that she requires it. We're only married in name, not in an actual relationship. If she wants to see someone, she can.If I want to sleep with people, I can. It's not like we agreed to be exclusive.

Not that I want to see other people now that I know her. She's gorgeous and is a spitfire, even if she has some trauma. I want to help her get over it. I want to help her heal. I want to be the reason she heals. There's something about her that just pulls me toward her. I want her to fight me. I want her to be fiery and full of shit. I want her to be a brat and then melt at my words. But I won't push that onto her. I don't force women to do things that they don't want to. I've never been like that and my family isn't like that. It's why I feel guilty about the marriage, but I need to protect her.

I look around the room as Rachel walks back in.

“Has Riley been downstairs for breakfast yet? I haven't seen her.”

“No, Sir, she hasn't. Do you want me to check on her?” Rachel asks.

“No, I'll check on her once I'm done with my coffee,” I say, taking the piping hot cup and sipping from it. I lick my lips and sigh. I do love a good cup of coffee.

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