Page 122 of Cinder
“The Russians have got her.”
“What Russians?” But I already know who. “The Olicheckoff?”
“Yes, her brother has promised her to Viktor Olicheckoff for marriage.”
What.
The.
Fuck?
I let go of his collar.
I can’t see through the rage in my head.
“You better take a seat and tell me what the fuck is going on.”
CHAPTER 55
Ella
The car rideback to the mansion feels like it’s taking forever.
Viktor rides in the front, while I sit in the back with one of his thugs. But I can feel his eyes on me in the rearview mirror as I stare out the tinted window.
I can still feel the sting of his slap on my face. But I don’t dare touch it. I won’t give him the satisfaction.
The car stops at a set of lights. If this were a movie, this is when I would make a break for it. But we’re in an armored car with state-of-the-art security and bulletproof windows. There is no escape for me.
I have no choice but to sit and wait as I drive toward my fate.
“You disappoint me.” Viktor’s thick accent breaks into the silence. “I had heard about you. The daughter of Angelo Moretti. As beautiful as she was smart. Set to follow in her father’s footsteps to rule the Moretti empire.”
That gets my attention.
I turn my face to look at him.
At my father’s funeral, Santo had told me my father had chosen me as his successor. A choice Santo fully supported.
“And if he’d lived to tell them, mia cara, so would the rest of the family,” Santo had said.
But he had yet to announce it before he died.
And in the end, Luca forced everyone to either follow him or die.
Then how does Viktor know I was to succeed my father?
Because he’s been working Luca from the very beginning.
Luca should probably watch his back.
Because I get the feeling Viktor is going to put a knife in it.
“Luca is the heir,” I remind Viktor, choosing my words carefully.
But Viktor only chuckles. As if we both know it is a joke.
“A man is a leader, or he isn’t. While some men are just too easy to play.”
