Page 10 of Cruel Bratva King

Disappointment gnawed at me, but I quickly shoved it off.

Get over it, Sergey. It was just a one-night stand. Nothing more.

The feeling of longing was foreign. I’d lived all forty-two years of my life fucking different women, and not once did I wake up the next morning upset that they weren’t beside me. Whatever this emotion constricting my chest was, I hated it.

It was insane that I’d even thought of cuddling her. I hated cuddling women, but then again, I’d gone down on her and fucked her without a condom which was something I’d never done before I met her.

From where it was tucked in my pocket, my phone rang. I grabbed my suit jacket and took my phone out.

“Brat?”

It was Vlad, my second youngest brother. “What’s up?”

“A shipment arrived this morning, but there’s a problem,” he said. “The Mexicans broke the deal. They want to do business with the Italians.”

I barred my teeth, grinding hard enough to cause an ache. “I’ll be there in two hours.”

I didn’t realize my fingers were clenched around the phone until the line went dead. Giovanni, that bastard. He’d offered me a deal, yet he’d made a move against me behind the scenes.

Svoloch’

He was trying to ascertain his dominance to show me he had more power and influence over me. The fucker really overestimated himself.

Grabbing my boxers from the coffee table at the center of the living room, I pulled them up and sighed. One thing was clear, the Italians and Russians could never be allies. The attempt ended up with a tragic outcome twenty years ago.

The animosity ran deeper than a handshake or marriage could solve.

War loomed each passing day, and I was going to show that traitor who ran this city.

Chapter 5 - Lilianna

Heat spread across my cheeks as I thought of last night. It felt like I was still living in the moment with the stranger, hearing the dirty words he spoke to me, feeling his touch as it ignited flames on my skin.

I still found it hard to believe I’d let myself lose my morals and sleep with a stranger, but I didn’t regret it. Every bit of last night was worth the risk—a risk I wouldn’t mind taking a second time. I bit my bottom lips, holding back a smile as I relived the entirety of last night.

I’d slept off, exhausted from how intense our sex was.

He was still asleep when I woke up this morning, and I had seized the opportunity to sneak out before he could wake up because I didn’t know how to face him.

I hadn’t had a one-night stand before now and didn’t know how the morning after worked. Were we supposed to pretend to be strangers, friends, or lovers and have breakfast together? Was he going to wake up, blaming the night on alcohol and acting disgusted to find me on his bed?

Or even worse, was he going to think I was some kind of whore and throw some cash at me and order me to leave? I had no idea which of these was likely, and I didn’t wish to stick around to find out.

It didn’t help matters that my first one-night stand was rich. I’d decided to spare a minute to glance around his house on my way out this morning, but I’d ended up spending five extra minutes taking in the environment, and it had left me perplexed, to say the least.

Whoever that stranger was, I could tell he was terribly rich. His house was a mansion, large enough to house ten people. The flooring was white marble, reflecting the luminosity of the obscene chandeliers hanging from the ceiling.

The exterior part of the house was even more jaw-dropping. He had a patio by the side and a parking lot with a fleet of expensive cars I couldn’t even name. There was a water fountain just before the balcony, and I’d happened to stumble into a room where the pool was…

My phone rang, breaking into my thoughts and startling me. I grabbed the phone and put down my coffee. My pulse quickened at the number flashing on my screen. It was my landlord, and the last thing I needed now was to be reminded that I had to pay my rent or become homeless in two weeks.

As much as I didn’t want to pick up the phone, I managed to. “Hello, Mr. Mars,” I said as I took the phone to my ear, keeping my voice pleasant despite my hand trembling with fear. “I got your notice yesterday, and I’m sorry I haven’t responded to it.”

“Oh, yes, that. I’m calling because of the notice you got yesterday.” His voice was lower than usual, making me wonder if he had a cold or something. “There was a mistake, and I just want you to know you can keep staying in your apartment.”

A mistake? I didn’t think so. “Uhm. I don’t think there was a mistake, Mr. Mars,” I argued. “Actually, I found out Derrick hadn’t paid the rent to you.”

“No, it’s fine,” he insisted. “You don’t need to worry about the rent or anything else. You’re free to remain in your apartment for as long as you need.”

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