Page 2 of The Bratva's Arranged Bride

With his short black hair slicked back, Andrey looked between us before settling his attention on me. “So…I heard you’re interested in starting a new business, Val. What did you have in mind?”

“Yes, I am. I’m looking to start something with heavy cash flow. Something discreet. I was thinking a lounge might do.”

Thinking on it for a moment, Andrey chuckled and flicked the ash from his cigar. “You don’t need to be coy with me…I’ve been around long enough. You want something to dump cash into, and something to keep up appearances in the meantime.”

I nodded. “Exactly.”

A grin pulled on his lips. “Then you’re in the right place. I’ve handled more than my fair share of schemes.”

“I don’t doubt that. But it needs to be legitimate. At least, semi-legitimate,” I said, wanting to make that distinction before we got too far ahead of ourselves.

Even if it was for the purpose of laundering money, I still wanted it to be something real. Not something as minor as a mom-and-pop shop, or a seemingly harmless mattress company. It needed to bring in a profit, too.

He hummed and nodded, pointing the cigar in my direction. “A man with class…I like it. And what are your expectations for this kind of project?”

“Since you have more than enough experience, you know how to keep things moving, and that’s what I’m looking for. I want this thing to fly under the radar, and I don’t want to sink all of my attention into it. If you can oversee the day-to-day business on my behalf, then your cut will be more than generous,” I told him. “Make sure it looks legit and runs smoothly, and I won’t have any problems while I do what I need to do behind the scenes.”

Andrey mulled it over for a moment before gesturing for one of the women to hand him his glass of whiskey. After taking a sip, he sighed, “Alright…then I’ll suggest it be a luxury strip club. There are more than enough seedy ones around this place, but it can be so much more than that. It’ll be bigger—better.”

Studying him, I absently rubbed at my chin. “Wouldn’t luxury garner more attention?”

“Ah, yes…more attention, but also more cash flow,” he explained, looking beyond in his element. “The higher the status of the clientele, the bigger the gains, and it’ll be that much easier for you to launder in the background.”

He had a point…with as much cash coming in as possible, it would make the transfer of funds back and forth seem more appropriate. Between the dancers and drinks, there’d be more than enough money moving to not raise any suspicions.

“Alright then,” I said after some further consideration. With a spark of subtle anticipation in my chest, I had the feeling I was onto something. It had every component to make it a success, and that was exactly what I wanted. “I’m interested in moving forward with this idea. If you think you can pull this off, then I don’t see why not.”

Andrey seemed satisfied by the idea of finding himself a part of something worth his while, but after a moment, a flicker of hesitation moved through his eyes.

Keeping my gaze steady on him, I didn’t waver or let it slip by me. “What is it?”

Letting out a deep breath, he sat back in his seat and thought to himself. “Listen,” he said after a moment, “I’m willing to partner with a Novikov, don’t get me wrong. But after the cuts are handed out, you’ll also have the benefit of knowing your dirty funds are accounted for, but I won’t have anything more to show for it.”

My eyes narrowed. “What, is your cut not enough?”

He shrugged. “I want more skin in the game. Since I’ve never partnered with your family before, I want to know I can trust you, and give you the assurance that you can do the same.”

Irritation simmered beneath my skin, but I held it in and decided to hear him out. It wasn’t unreasonable, at least.

“What are you after, then?”

“Something that will give us both a reason to be held accountable throughout the process. Things can get hairy in these situations, and to keep that from happening, I think I have something that can satisfy us both,” Andrey murmured, seemingly settling on an idea in his mind. Then he gave me a curious look. “You aren’t married, are you, Val?”

Not entirely happy about where things were going, I murmured, “No, I’m not.”

“Excellent,” he said, grinning nearly ear to ear. “My girl, Tatiana, is a real prize. If we can come to some sort of agreement, then I have no doubt we’ll both be satisfied.”

The words made my stomach drop.

A marriage pact…he wanted to rope me into a marriage pact.

At once, I could feel my excitement simmering away, and it pulled the wind directly from my sails.

That wasn’t what I was after. I wanted a suitable business to make our money look clean, not find myself held down by a wife I didn’t even know or want.

My irritation stoked into anger as I scoffed at him.

“You can’t be serious,” I uttered, seeing less and less appeal in the whole thing.

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