Page 26 of Pregnant Prisoner By the Bratva
“Come. Sit.” He patted the vacant side of the bench.
Reluctantly, I stepped forward, a twig snapping beneath my left foot.
“I know you think I’m a monster,” he said, eyes still fixed on the yellow sun. “Especially after…” he paused for a second, expression as blank as a sheet of paper, “…the incident.”
He was referring to my mother’s death. Or murder, to be more exact.
“That’s what we’re calling it now?” I murmured under my breath, fighting back the rage rising inside me.
He turned to face me, his cold hazel eyes piercing into mine. “Take a seat,” his voice was low but laced with a command.
I heaved a sigh and sat on the bench, a reasonable distance away from him.
“Like it or not, I want what’s best for you,” he began, returning his gaze to the horizon. “Even though you chose to run away all those years ago, I let you live your life because the truth is, I’m not the monster you think I am.” He glanced at me.
“If you wanted what’s best for me, then why did you send your goons to kidnap me?” I asked, jaw tightening.
“Don’t play the victim card here, Ester. Two of my men had their noses broken because of you,” he said, and looked at me, a glint of pride flickering in his eyes.
“They had it coming.”
He scoffed, lips curling into an almost imperceptible grin. “I’m sure they did.”
For a moment, silence fell between us, and I didn’t bother trying to fill it. I sat there, waiting to hear the real reason he called for me.
Then finally, he spoke, “You remember the Di Bianchi family, don’t you?”
Another powerful Italian crime family with a long history of violence and murder. Yeah, how could I forget?
My silence meant “yes.”
He continued, “They’ve invited us to, uh…a small dinner.” He glanced at me. “And your presence is of the utmost importance.”
My heart sank into my chest on his last statement. I clenched my jaw, my pulse quickening, expression darkening ever so slightly. Fury flashed in my eyes, but Laura’s words aboutknowing when to speak and when to be silent echoed in my head.
The reason my attention was of “utmost importance” was because he wanted to flaunt me, his daughter, ripe for marriage. This was his plan all along: to display me like an expensive piece of art from his collection. He planned to use me to secure an alliance with the Di Bianchi family.
Why was I not surprised?
I knew from the start that he wasn’t after my safety but his own personal interest. After all these years, the only reason he remembered I existed was so he could marry me off to a total stranger and make millions off of it.
Father of the year!
I didn’t argue, didn’t oppose the motion. Instead, I mustered a smile and told him I’d be there. The way he looked at me was proof that he’d expected some sort of resistance from me. Now, he was confused, unsure of what to make of my compliance.
He knew that there was no way in hell I’d just agree to something as heavy as this. I should at least put up a fight. But I didn’t. I disappointed him, left him in the dark, confused and uncertain about anything.
Good.
Let him ponder whether or not I had a plan of my own, even though at the moment, my head was blank.
I rose to my feet, smiled like a good, obedient daughter, and then walked away. His gaze lingered on me as I headed back into the house. The good thing about this was that now my father was on the edge, wondering what my next move would be.
I was about to be sold off like one of his properties, and if I didn’t cook something up real fast, this man would ruin my life completely.
Laura said to be wise and not act on impulse. It was time to put on my thinking hat.
Chapter 10 – Yulian
