Page 22 of The Bratva King's Pregnant Bride

“Lord be with me. I don’t like American girls, they like to trap men for their wealth. At least she isn’t an Italian.” My mother pulls a face. The Bratva and the Italian mafia have been at odds since the dawn of the families, so this doesn’t surprise me. No Italian would be welcome in our family.

“You know, Kervyn,” Arseny says around a mouthful of potato, “if you’re not careful, you might actually fall in love and become all sappy.”

I scoff. “Hardly. But she is pregnant with my child, and you will all respect her, do you hear me?”

They all mumble their agreement, and I smile. We begin discussing our lives again, avoiding business because my mother never did like it when my father discussed business at the table.

Afterward, we share a warm drink before I listen to my mother complain about some things that need to be taken care of around the house.

“I will send the maintenance man around to do all these things, Mama,” I say as I get ready to leave. “Don’t worry, you just tell him what you want done, okay?”

“Is it that nice Ivan boy?” she asks. “He’s cute to look at.”

“I didn’t need to know that, Mama.” I smile and kiss her forehead.

I bid my brothers farewell and leave, going back home. It’s quite late when I get back, and when I walk to my room, I pause when I hear a strange sound.

I listen carefully. It’s Penny. I can hear her crying in bed and am instantly irritated. I know it isn’t an ideal situation, but seriously, she’s going to have the best life can offer, and so will our child. He’s practically royalty.

I walk back to my office and decide to work while she gets it out of her system. I summon Leon at the same time, and when he comes, I ask him about her exploring.

“She was fine until we got to the main art room,” he explains. “She said something about creativity is about freedom, and she’ll never have that again, and then she just started blubbering. It could just be hormones, sir.”

I sigh and shake my head. “I am not that bad to work for, am I, Leon?”

Leon shakes his head. “Not at all, sir, though she isn’t an employee.”

I nod. “That is true. She is going to be my wife. Maybe I should get her flowers to cheer her up. There is a twenty-four-hour florist in town that does all the wedding flowers. Surely, they can do a bouquet now.”

“I would maybe just let her cry it out of her system, sir,” he says.

“Okay, okay. You’re excused. I’ll see you in the morning.” I stand up and shut off the lights. He goes through the back while I go to bed.

For crying out loud, she’s still sobbing when I pass her room, but I try to ignore it. I won’t lie, it’s tugging at me a little, but then I remember how Arseny was saying I’m going to get soft at dinner. I can’t let that happen, so I go shower. A nice hot shower and a little masturbation set my nerves at ease. I picture her.

I remember her that night, how she tasted and moved with my body, and the smell of cinnamon that lingered after she left.

It was her perfume that smelled like cinnamon, and it was fiery like she should be. The weakness she is showing now is just annoying.

I get changed into a pair of boxers after my hot shower and climb into bed. I can hear her through the wall, so I settle back and open my book. It’s a private indulgence—the classics.

I try to read as much of David Copperfield as I can before I set it down and switch off the light, trying to get comfortable.

Still, she sobs. At this rate, she’s going to be a dehydrated prune. How long has she been doing this, and fuck, how long is this going to carry on for?

I toss and turn, trying to ignore the sobs and wails that come from her room. I am starting to believe she’s doing it to drive me mad. I stare at the ceiling, longing for her to stop, and when I feel like she might be starting to slow down, she starts fresh and louder.

I get up and storm over, slamming her door so loudly I startle her. She is sitting up, hugging her knees. Her face is red and blotchy from crying so much, and her eyes are puffy.

“For the love of all that is holy, can you please stop crying and get some sleep? I actually have to work in the morning.”I shake my head. “Stop crying this instant and go to fucking sleep.”

“You can’t just demand I stop feeling emotions,” she angrily sobs out. “You can’t just abduct me because I’m pregnant with your child and force me to stay in your home as a prisoner. This isn’t how life works. Normal people don’t do this.”

“Well, I’m not normal people, and that sucks for you, but you’ve signed the contract. Now go to bed.”

“I will sit and cry,” she sobs. “For as long as I want, and if you don’t like it, then you can banish me to the other side of the mansion and never look at or speak to me again.” She flips over and starts sobbing again.

“You are being ridiculous,” I roar.

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