Page 86 of Forcibly Sold to the Bratva
His eyes snap to mine, and his face turns red—“You set this up.”
“I had to,” I plead. “We can’t go on like this.”
Before he can protest, I stand and softly motion everyone over. Agafon looks skeptical, but Ilariy says something that has him convinced, and they all cautiously approach our table.
“Sokolov,” Agafon meets Tikhon’s glare.
“Letvin,” Tikhon responds coldly. “This is a surprise.”
“For us too,” Agafon looks right at me with a twinkle in his eye.
“Please,” I gesture to the empty chairs, “Sit.”
For a terrifying moment, I wonder which party will walk away and place a mental bet on mine. But then Ilariy pulls out a chair directly across from me, and the others slowly follow suit while my brothers remain seated, and I can’t believe what the hell is happening.
Our waiter approaches with an eager smile that falters when he senses the tension.
“Um, drinks?” he asks uncertainly.
“Whiskey,” Tikhon and Ilariy say in unison, then glance at each other with barely concealed hostility.
After we order, I take a deep breath. It’s now or never.
“I brought you all here because I have something to say.” I sound more confident than I feel. “And I need everyone to listen.”
Everyone watches with tense postures, and I feel my courage waver until I meet Ilariy’s eyes, where he gives me the smallest smile that fills me with courage.
“I’m tired of being caught in the middle of this feud,” I continue. “I don’t want to have to pick between my family and—” I swallow hard, gathering my courage. “Andthe man I love.”
I hear murmurs around me as Tikhon reaches over, grabbing my hand, and his eyes look panicked. “Arina!” he chides me, like I’m admitting to a crime.
I shake his hand off.
“Please, let me finish.” I look straight at Ilariy as I speak my next words. “I want to be Ilariy’s wife. Not because I was forced and have some weird affection for my kidnapper. I’m crazy but not that crazy.” At this, Tatiana and Katya giggle, and I flash them a grateful smile before I turn back to Ilariy.
“But because I choose you, Ilariy. The thing is, even if you hadn’t kidnapped me, even if we’d have met under different circumstances, I feel like we would have been sitting at this very table, having this very conversation.”
Ilariy’s eyes widen, and I see the moment my words sink in. His expression shifts and softens until he’s looking at me with such naked emotion that I have to catch my breath.
“Ridiculous,” Andrei mutters.
“It’s not,” I turn to Andrei. “He has always put my needs first. Even when I called him and was so cruel, saying the evilest things when I told him not to contact me, he came by your sideto save me. Any man with half his pride would have let me rot in that warehouse, but he didn’t. You were there, Tikhon. You saw how he backed away. How he put my choices first.”
Tikhon’s jaw clenches, but he doesn’t contradict me.
“This is insane,” Alexey shakes his head. “You can’t seriously want—”
“I love Arina.”
Ilariy’s voice cuts through the argument, strong and clear. All eyes turn to him. I inhale, not expecting this turn of events.
“She’s been the only one for me for a long time now,” he continues, his gaze never leaving mine. “She’s a Sokolov, but I made sure we accept her as our own. She’s carved a place for herself in our family. She is my wife, by law, and by will. She will always remain a Sokolov,” he addresses my brothers. “But she is the queen of my castle.”
My heart feels too big for my chest, swelling with a joy so intense it borders on pain.
“And she won’t have to choose if you decide so,” Ilariy says, finally looking at Tikhon. “Because I’m willing to end this feud, here and now.”
“What?” Andrei scoffs. “You say no feud, and we ought to believe you? How do we know you won’t come for us two, three, six years down the line?”
