Page 9 of Bound to the Bratva
My father takes a deep breath, his eyes scanning the room as if searching for the right words. He knows he has to tread carefully with me, or I'll react in a way he's not fond of. His hands fidget with his silverware, a nervous tic I've never seen before. Tatiana sits beside him and takes a sip of her wine, her posture stiffening slightly, her icy gaze fixed on me.
"Well, Aria," my father begins, his voice betraying hints of hesitation, "there is something very important I need to discuss with you tonight."
I lean forward, my heart pounding in my chest as anxiety takes its hold once more. The air grows heavy with anticipation, and I can almost taste the tension that lingers between us.
"What is it?" I ask, my voice steady despite the turbulence within me. My gaze locks with my father's, searching for any signs of deception or ulterior motives. His eyes, normally guarded, flicker with a mixture of certainty and hope.
"I... I've made a decision, Aria," he says, his voice barely above a whisper. "One that will change everything within our family."
Tatiana stiffens beside him, her grip on the wine glass tightening. I can see the fear in her eyes as she braces herself for the storm that is about to come.
I take a deep breath, preparing myself for whatever bombshell my father is about to drop. "Can you just tell me what it is?"
He swallows hard and tells me something I never expected him to say. "I've found a good match for you. Actually, a great match. Maxim Volkolv, the son of the Bratva leader. Your marriage to him will not only heighten our family's reach but guarantee safety."
I break out into a fit of laughter. He can't be serious. "Now, that is the funniest thing you've ever said to me."
Tatiana angrily places her glass down on the table. It's so forceful the table shakes. "He isn't joking, you incompetent fool. Goodness, I told him you wouldn't take this seriously. Instead, you laugh in our faces when we've done you a great honor."
I raise an eyebrow at Tatiana's outburst, her words stinging like the snap of a whip. She wants to call me incompetent? The last thing I am is incompetent. If my memory serves me, none of her children graduated high-school, college, or got a medical degree years ahead of their peers.
The fucking audacity of this woman, thinking they both could dictate my life and expect me to bow down to their plans. Fuck that!
"Normally, I'd apologize, but I'm not going to. What you've just revealed to me is a big, fat joke. Now you're mad that my sense of self-preservation doesn't align with your precious 'great honor,'. I am in no danger, and yet you speak of safety. Safety from what, exactly? Huh?" I retort, my voice dripping with anger. "But forgive me for not jumping at the chance to be a pawn in your little game of power."
Tatiana's face turns crimson with rage, her delicate features contorting into a mask of fury. She leans forward, her voice a dangerous whisper. "If you had ever thought to learn about the family, you might understand the risks associated with it."
I crack up. "Are you hearing yourself? I wasn't the one who kept me away from the family. That was all you, sweet cheeks. You were so jealous that he," I lock eyes with my father "stepped out on you, that you essentially forbade me or Sasha from being part of the family. The only one to blame here is you, not me, so don't try to twist the narrative when you're the selfish bitch who wrote the fucking story,"
"Aria," my father warns, his tone growing gruesome.
"No, you don't get to do that. You don't get to speak to me in that tone and act like I'm the one out of line here. I'm not. I had something insane sprung upon me and I'm supposed to act like it's okay? I'm supposed to act grateful for it? Go fuck yourself."
"You can't blame me for acting in the same way your mother did. The difference is, eventually I stepped into line and grew from my immaturity. Your mother did no such thing," Tatiana sneers.
I grab my wine glass and throw my red wine all over her. Her white dress is stained and she screams in outrage.
"You should know better than to bring up my mother. You have no right,"
"Nikolai! Aren't you going to do something?" Tatiana screams at him, and before I even realize it, he's leaning over the table and the back of his hand is flying toward my face.
The force of the impact sends me rocking backward, my cheek stinging with pain. My vision blurs for a moment as I struggle to regain my bearings, trying to comprehend what just happened. The room falls silent, filled only with the heavy breaths of those present.
I glance up and Tatiana's sitting in her chair sporting a malicious smirk. She won't be doing it for long. "That's why he cheated on you. You're a vile, disgusting woman, who only wants those around her to suffer. It's no shock he ran into my mother's bed." I'm not the kind of woman who ever supports cheating, but I want to hurt Tatiana right now. I avert my attention back to my father, "And you. How dare you strike me and expect me to do something. You are delusional if you think I will ever do anything you ask of me."
My father stands over me, his eyes filled with regret but also an undeniable anger. "Aria, I...I didn't mean-"
But I don't let him finish. The fire within me rages, fueled by the years of resentment and frustration that have built up beneath the surface. "Don't you dare try to apologize now," I seethe, backing away from the table. "I've given you more than enough chances to be the father I needed. Hell, the father I wanted...and all you've ever done is show me the person you really are. I don't want that person as a father. I don't even want that person in my life."
"Aria," my father calls out as I gather my things and start walking off.
"It doesn't matter if you don't want to do this. The contracts have been signed, Aria!" Tatiana screams at me.
I stop right in my tracks and turn to look at her from across the room. "You can't make me do anything I don't want to."
"What if your mother's life was at stake?" Tatiana counters back.
Everything within me runs cold.
