Page 82 of Tied to Hope
Rytsar slapped him on the back. “We will confront her tomorrow so we can get answers, but you must do one thing first.”
He narrowed his eyes. “What?”
“You must admit your betrayal to your wife. If we eliminate her ability to blackmail us, she will be at our mercy.”
“I won’t do it,” he declared stubbornly.
“You must, or Sasha will make certain Zoya hears it from someone else.”
Brie could see Vlad’s defenses going up.
He looked suspiciously at Rytsar. “How do I even know the child is mine? Am I just supposed to take your word for it?”
“He had all four of you tested under my recommendation,” Sir informed him.
Vlad glared at Sir, then turned on Rytsar. “You had us tested without our consent?”
“Of course,” Rytsar answered smoothly. “How else was I to discover which of my brothers was sleeping with Sasha behind his wife’s back?”
“Well, now you know why,” he answered harshly.
“So, you’ll tell Zoya?” Rytsar asked.
Vlad looked as if he was about to punch Rytsar again.
Sir defused the situation by stating, “At this point, we do not know Sasha’s intentions. Taking away her ability to blackmail you may help ensure the boy’s safety.”
As soon as Sir mentioned the boy, Brie saw Vlad’s entire countenance change. “I will think on it.”
“Make atonement to your wife,” Rytsar advised him.
Vlad’s hackles went back up. “Don’t tell me how to handle my life, Anton. No one gets to control me anymore—least of all you!”
He turned abruptly and walked out.
Rytsar called after him, “MakeMamulyaproud.”
Vlad clenched his fists but continued walking without saying another word.
“You do like to provoke him,” Sir observed after he was gone.
“It’s payback. He was the worst of my brothers growing up, purposely getting himself in trouble just to see me beaten at the whipping pole.”
“After today’s revelation, it’s clear your father was strategic in using you against them to ensure their obedience to him.”
Rytsar sneered. “I wish I could raise him from the dead just so I could torture him for all the wrongs he has committed against me and my family.”
Reaching out to Brie, Rytsar pulled her close. She was grateful he had survived the confrontation with Vlad.
As Brie laid her head against Rytsar’s chest, she gazed over at Sir, wondering what tomorrow would bring.
Twisted Fate
When Vlad arrived at the mansion the next day, he had dark circles under his bloodshot eyes.
Rytsar seemed amused by it. “So, you told your wife, then?”
Vlad growled in answer.
