Page 69 of The Bratva's Arranged Bride

But I stopped myself. I couldn’t, for Tia’s sake.

It was her night. She deserved for it to go without a hitch. She deserved to feel special.

As Andrey moved further into the showcase, he greeted a woman he apparently knew. He didn’t make a single move without me witnessing it, and I wasn’t going to let anything get by me.

Finally, when he was closer to one of the back corners and away from everyone else, I pulled in a steadying breath and approached him.

“Andrey,” I said with a sharp yet civilized tone.

At once, Andrey turned to face me, and a flicker of fear spread through his features, followed by acceptance, rather, culpability he couldn’t hide.

He knew he was caught, yet he made no move to try and escape me.

“Val,” Andrey said steadily, giving me a nod. Despite the visible tension in his shoulders, he looked calmer than I expected. “Everything looks fantastic.”

Even if it was true, and I wanted Tia to have all the praise in the world, I bristled.

As far as I knew, I never extended any invitation to him, but even if Tia did, I wasn’t going to let him ruin her night.

“Why are you here?” I asked him bluntly, not trying to hide how frustrated I was with him.

Andrey sighed. “Look, Val…I know I have plenty to answer for, and I swear I don’t plan on avoiding it for much longer, but I’m not here to put a damper on Tatiana’s night. I certainly didn’t show up looking for a fight…I just want to support my daughter. This is a big occasion for her.”

I narrowed my gaze at him while I considered his words. Everything in me was screaming to kick him out and show him exactly how serious I was about it all…But I couldn’t.

“As far as I know, you’ve hardly spoken to her since the wedding. Why now?”

Guilt stitched within his features, and Andrey nodded. “Yes, that’s right. I haven’t checked in with her as I should have, but I didn’t want to get in your way, least of all hers.”

“She could’ve used your support then. Try as I did, it wasn’t an easy transition for her,” I told him, not prepared to sugarcoat anything. “She knows, by the way, about what you do, and what my family is tangled up in. You have a long way to go if you plan on gaining her trust again.”

Shame sat heavily on his shoulders then, and he seemed to take that more to heart than I expected.

“I see…I was hoping that wasn’t the case, but I suppose it was to be expected,” Andrey conceded, averting his gaze briefly before looking back at me. “Regardless, I know I’m asking a lot of you and of Tatiana, but I hope you’ll give me tonight to show her the care she deserves from her father, even if I haven’t been an exemplary one.”

I wanted to outright refuse him. I didn’t want to let him anywhere near Tia, but there was something about his sincerity that swayed me more than I cared to admit.

It would be all too easy to force him out and prevent the two of them from speaking. But that wasn’t my goal.

As much as I didn’t trust Andrey anymore, I also didn’t want to be the thing standing between them and possibly making amends. I didn’t want to have that blame on my shoulders.

If anything, I wanted to leave that up to Andrey himself, if things remained sour between them. Not me.

Letting out a breath, I made my decision and inwardly told myself to stand by it.

“Fine,” I muttered, surprised by my ability to let it slide. “For Tia’s sake, but only for tonight. Tomorrow, however, I expect a full explanation about everything down to the faintest detail. No hiding. No radio silence. Understand?”

As intimidating as Andrey could be, he was anything but in the moment. He may have been the business tycoon, but I was the one fully immersed in the city’s darker side. While he was my partner in the strip club operations, I was still above him on the pecking order. What I said went, and I knew that fact was clear enough to him.

Despite looking a bit apprehensive at the idea of being completely open with me after everything, well aware of the storm he’d have to face, Andrey nodded. “I understand. I’ll come clean about it all…you have my word.”

Despite the lingering traces of doubt in me, I was satisfied enough by his answer, and I nodded. “Good…then we won’t mince words tomorrow. For now, don’t ruin this for Tia.”

Pulling in a breath, Andrey acknowledged my demand, then walked off in Tia’s direction.

Standing there for a moment longer, I kept an eye on him.

I didn’t trust him, and I wasn’t sure if I ever could again. But something in me wanted to have faith that he was being honest, and he really did care about Tia.

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