Page 21 of Innocently Captured By the Bratva

As I bustle about pouring our drinks, I muse that Lara’s unexpected appearance feels like a test—to see how the outsider handles being thrown into the deep end with the sharks. But she seems more like a playful dolphin than a bloodthirsty predator.

Still, I remind myself to stay on my toes as I carry our steaming mugs back to the living room. After all, none of this family knows that our engagement is nothing but a ploy.

I settle onto the sofa next to Lara, handing her a mug. She takes it with a grateful smile. As we sip our drinks, I watch her more closely, noticing the genuine openness in her expressions that puts me a bit at ease.

“So, Quinn,” Lara begins, leaning forward conspiratorially. I'm dying to know how you and my brother met. Given how quickly things seem to have progressed between you two, it must be quite the story.”

I feel my cheeks flush slightly, and I quickly take another sip of coffee to buy myself a moment. “Oh, you know, it's a long story,” I say with a casual wave of my hand. “Honestly, I think Mark should be the one to tell it. He has a way with words that I could never match.”

Lara laughs, a rich, melodic sound filling the room. “That's true. My brother does have a flair for the dramatic.”

“You’re telling me?” I roll my eyes, remembering how hekidnappedme.

“So, how’s it going?” she sings. “Settling in okay? Have you two set a wedding date?”

I nearly choke at the question. A wedding date? Damn, his family’s really buying this whole charade.

“Not yet,” I say nonchalantly. “You know your brother. Always so busy!”

Now, she rolls her eyes. “Don’t let him take you for granted! Make him work to keep you around.” She playfully shoves my shoulder with hers.

“Oh, I will,” I chuckle. Suddenly, an idea strikes me. Lara would know a lot more about Charlie Letvin than I do. Until now, I haven’t understood why Mark is so adamant about keeping me here, but Lara seems open, and something tells me she could provide what I need.

“Just the other day,” I tell her, “I threatened to break up with him if he didn’t take me on a nice, fancy date. I’m cooped in here all day, and the man never comes home before dinner!”

“I can only imagine!” she sighs. “My husband is exactly the same. So, where did you two go? Was it fun?”

“Oh, just a skyline bar,” I tell her. “It was fun, but something soured his mood,” I say in as casual a tone as I can manage.

She quips up, curious now. “Really?”

“Yeah. We met some guy. Charlie Letvin. He seemed to be a friend at first, but I could tell there was some history between him and Mark. I didn’t pry too much, though.”

Lara's expression darkens slightly, a flicker of something unreadable passing behind her eyes. She places her mug on the coffee table, her posture stiffening almost imperceptibly. “Ah, yes. Charlie Letvin,” she says, her voice laced with distaste. “He and Mark have quite the rivalry, one that goes back years.”

I lean in, my curiosity piqued. “Really? What's the story there?”

Lara sighs, running a hand through her sleek, dark hair. “It's a tangled web, to be honest. They went to school together, always competing in everything. At first, it was just typical boyhood rivalry, but as they grew older and took over their respective family businesses, things turned uglier.”

She pauses, her gaze distant as if she’s lost in memory. “Charlie started to do underhanded things, little jabs aimed at undermining Mark and our family. Nothing overt enough to spark an all-out war, but enough to keep us on our toes. Mark knows that, given the chance, Charlie would stab him in the back without any hesitation.”

I listen to this information, information I already knew. My heart sinks with disappointment, wondering if there truly isn’t more to it. Just because of a past rivalry doesn’t meanI’dbe in danger. I dig deeper.

“Strange man, that Charlie Letvin,” I comment. “He was also there with some woman. She looked…uncomfortable.”

Lara narrows her eyes at my observation, a flicker of concern crossing her features before she schools her expression into neutrality. “Yes, that wouldn’t surprise me. Charlie Letvin has a history, you know. A sordid one.”

Curiosity prickles under my skin as I lean in, the conversation taking a darker turn. “What kind of history?”

Her gaze sharpens, almost warningly. “Charlie Letvin is not the man he pretends to be,” she begins, her tone dropping into a low murmur tinged with caution. “He’s had… incidents in the past. Unsavory ones.”

I hold her gaze, now fully intrigued by the sinister turn the conversation has taken. “What kind of incidents?”

Lara hesitates for a moment, weighing her words carefully. “Let’s just say there are whispers within certain circles about Charlie and his... proclivities,” she says cryptically. “Things he’s managed to sweep under the rug: sexual assaults and such,” she whispers sadly at the last two words. “Some say he sent a woman to the hospital once because of how he brutalized her, but she didn’t have nearly the connections he did, and was forced to settle for money out of court. He’s always managed to silence the accusations, but I believe the women.”

My blood runs cold at Lara's words, a chill settling deep in my bones. I knew Mark believed Charlie Letvin was dangerous, but I hadn't fathomed the depth of his depravity.

“That's… horrifying,” I manage to say, my voice barely above a whisper as I try to wrap my mind around the revelation. “And Mark knows about this?”

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