Page 19 of Imperfect Desires

Igor’s gaze hardens. “No assignment is greater than my daughter.”

Alina smiles faintly. “Thank you, Papa.”

My jaw tightens. There’s no way out of this. “Understood.”

Tension sits heavy between us in the car.

I keep my hands on the wheel, my gaze fixed on the road as I steer toward the mall. Alina sits quietly beside me, her hands folded neatly in her lap.

We drive in silence for almost five minutes before she finally speaks.

“Lev,” she says softly.

I keep my eyes on the road. “Don’t.”

Her head tilts toward me. “We need to talk about—”

“No.” My voice is sharp.

She presses her lips together. “You can’t just ignore it.”

“I can.”

Alina shifts toward me. “Why are you acting like this?”

My grip tightens on the wheel. “Because it can’t happen again.”

Alina’s mouth hardens. “You kissed me back.”

“And for that, I apologize. I shouldn’t have.”

She’s quiet for a second. Then—

“You think I’m stupid?”

My eyes flick toward her briefly before turning back to the road. “I think you’re young and acting your age.”

Her jaw tightens. “You think I don’t know what I’m doing?”

“You kissed me.”

Her chin lifts. “And?”

I inhale sharply through my nose. “Not all men will turn you down.”

Alina’s brow furrows.

“If you go around kissing other men in the Bratva, they won’t all be gracious enough to push you away,” I say coldly. “And when that happens, Viktor or your father will kill them. We’ll lose valuable men because you think you’re grown enough to be playing games.”

Her eyes flash. “Is that what you think this is?”

My jaw flexes, but I do not respond.

“You think I’m playing a game?” Her voice shakes. “You think I’m stupid enough to go around kissing other men?”

I stay silent.

Alina’s voice sharpens. “Just because I kissed you does not mean I’ve kissed anyone else.”

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