Page 117 of Sweet Deception
Soon, we were seated opposite her in the grand hall, tension thickening the air.
Valentina’s glare didn’t waver. “What in the world did you do, Gleb?”
His expression was unreadable. “I did it for my wife.” Not a hint of remorse.
Valentina let out a bitter chuckle. “You used up our last card for your wife?” Her voice dripped with disdain. “Did you even weigh the repercussions before you acted?”
“They were assaulting my wife,” Gleb snapped. “What was I supposed to do? Stand by and watch?”
“Isn’t the purpose of this marriage to end the war between our cartels?” Valentina’s eyes narrowed. “Now you’ve destroyed it.”
Gleb scoffed. “There was never going to be peace. The Italians and us? We’re parallel lines. We will never meet.”
Her lips pressed into a thin line. “Half of your mother’s properties are in Italy, locked behind legal agreements we barely have a foothold in. With what you’ve done, they’ll never grant us access.”
At that, Gleb’s expression shifted.
I sat straighter. His mother’s properties?
Valentina turned her glare on me. “And you...” She shook her head, her voice a low murmur. “I underestimated you. You deceived me.”
I met her gaze without flinching. “I did what I had to do.”
Her lips curled. “I see.” A pause. “Tell me, are you two in love?”
I turned to Gleb, my stomach knotting.
His answer came swift. “No.”
The word struck like a knife.
I didn’t know if he was saying it because Valentina was here... or because he truly meant it.
Valentina arched a brow. “Your actions say otherwise.”
Gleb’s voice was steady. “I’m just ensuring my wife’s safety.”
“And you won’t be divorcing her?”
“I understand the marriage was supposed to end after an heir was born. But I see no reason why we can’t continue as husband and wife.”
Valentina inhaled sharply. “The Italians will retaliate. And they will strike hard.”
Gleb didn’t blink. “We’ll be ready.”
Valentina let out a sharp, frustrated breath, then turned back to me with eyes like splinters.
“You want the truth?” she said, her voice low, bitter. “This marriage was never about peace.” She paused, just long enough for the silence to sting.
“I orchestrated it to gain control. Over someone. Anyone. Someone I could bend, break, make suffer.”
Her lips twisted into something that wasn’t quite a smile. “Your father took everything from me. And for years, I couldn’t touch him. But you? You were the perfect opening. This marriage gave me that.
My stomach twisted.
Gleb leaned forward, voice deadly. “Then you should be happy. You got me a perfect victim.”
Silence.
