Page 104 of Mountain Mens' Curvy Obsession

It piques the interest and amusement of every Bratva head in the room. It also gets me a few scowls from the Sokolov-friendly parties, but they are clearly outnumbered, if the Asimovs rise.

“Did you actually think I’d let you go through with this?” I ask. “Did you think I’d let you murder my family in cold blood, and then marry you so you can kill me once you’ve gained control of my family’s legacy?”

Ivan scoffs. “Okay, what is going on here?”

“What is going on here is that Leo actually thought he could destroy an entire family to secure more power within the Bratva,” I say.

“Anya, darling, don’t be stupid,” Leo warns me.

“And it seems to me like many of you were too fucking scared of this sniveling piece of shit to actually do something about it,” I insist, raising my voice. If I reason with the Russians, perhaps being indignant will work.

“You let this snake from a lesser family muscle his way into my father’s territory. You sat back and let this peasant in a monkey suit claim a higher seat at yourtable. Why? Because he’s got bigger guns than you?”

“Miss Asimova—” Lev tries to interrupt me, but I cut him off.

“Asimova. That’s right. That name used to mean something. In fact, I specifically remember my father summoning you, Mr. Fedorov, and you, Mrs. Mikhailova, into his office over two years ago. He told you what he was going to offer Leo in lieu of my hand in marriage, and you both agreed it would be a fair consolation prize and that Leo should take it.”

“Shut the fuck up!” Leo hisses.

Instinctively, I move away from him, but he grabs my arm and pulls me closer.

Ivan steps in. “Mr. Sokolov, this is neutral territory. No violence of any kind is allowed when we’re in attendance. Those are the rules.”

“The rules have been around since before you were born,” Tatyana cuts in. “You’d be wise to abide by them.”

“The truth is, Leo doesn’t have the juice he needs to claim a thirty-three percent hold over the Bratva territory. Not without the Asimov turfs in his possession. He was so eager to marry me when the deal was originally made between our fathers. It was always Leo’s plan to marry and then kill me and the rest of my family as soon as he had control.”

“That is a lie!” Leo exclaims. “A blatant lie!”

“You were counting on me dying at Dalton, too,” I reply. “But I didn’t. And you understood how shitty the optics would be if you killed me afterward. You’ve been playing the brokenhearted fiancé for awhile now. Aren’t you tired, Leo?”

He looks around. He’s uneasy, uncertain of how to proceed. He was so confident that he had me in the bag. That’s the trouble with raging narcissists. All it takes is one hit in a weak spot, and they crumble. They meltdown and ruin everything for themselves because their egos are simply too big, too easy to burn.

“Anya, for your sake—”

“I escaped from Dalton and hid at my grandmother’s house for two years,” I add, looking at the others. “My brother collected evidence against the Sokolovs over the years. He knew how dangerous and treacherous they were. He didn’t trust them with a majority stake within the organization, and he was determined to throw them to the federal wolves, if push came to shove. For our sake and for yours. As we speak, that evidence is being examined by law enforcement officials.”

It's more or less the truth, and it’s enough to make Ivan and Lev exchange worried glances. Enough to push Leo closer to the edge.

“Anya, I’m warning you.”

“I wanted to move on, to get away from it all. But Leo insisted on hunting me down and dragging me here under heinous threats. I’m pregnant. You have no idea what he said he’d do to my baby if I didn’t come to this meeting to confirm our intention to get married.Hisintention. I’d rather fucking die than ever marry the prick who destroyed my family,” I say, the rage making my sharp, cutting words tumble out of my mouth so fast I can hardly hold them back.

“Miss Asimova—” Tatyana tries to stop me, but I’m on a roll.

“You cannot give Leo this much power! He will come after you, too. And then the Abramovics and the Fedorovs. The man only wants power. He wants to be king. He will screw you over, and he will not stop until he is the last one standing!”

I take another deep breath. “His brother is dead. Max Sokolov had his ass handed to him in Montana after he tried to kill me. Twice. Leo wanted me alive, but Max didn’t have enough respect to obey his own brother’s command. Leo couldn’t get Max in line, and you want to give him one-third of your power? Is that what our ancestors came to this country for? To have the rug pulled out from under them by a raging narcissist?”

Finally, the seed of doubt has been planted. I can see it in their eyes. Tatyana Mikhailova. Lev Fedorov. Ivan Abramovic. Even the others are wavering, exchanging quick glances and subtle shakes of the head. And Leo can smell it. He senses the shift in real time as he turns to scowl at me.

“All you had to do was keep quiet, you fucking bitch,” he whispers.

His men stiffen behind us. They’re ready for the worst-case scenario, but I wonder if they understand the repercussions. I’ve come too far to back down now.

“I am Anya Asimova. My name still means something,” I say, never taking my eyes off Leo as I address the other Bratva heads. “As long as I am alive, so is the Asimov family. We signed treaties for circumstances such as this. I do not consent to marrying Leo Sokolov, and I certainly do not consent to passing any of our businesses and territories over to him. He forfeited that financial benefit in lieu of our marriage the minute he pointed his guns at my family.”

“I have something to say.” A woman’s voice cuts through the hall.

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