Defiant. Sweet. Alluring.
A business deal gone wrong brought me to her doorstep.
She's everything I shouldn't want; everything I was against after watching my mother's obsession destroy her.
Still, I can't stop myself from craving her.
I should know...
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"LAST NIGHT WAS A DISASTER for obvious reasons," Reina started, looking around the table at everyone who had gathered. Her eyes fell on the empty seat next to me, and she scowled. "And where's Aleksei? I didn't see him come in with you guys."
"I'd be more worried about your husband if I were you." Mikhail pointed at the empty seat at the head of the table. "He's not here, is he? Why is that, aunt? Is he cheat—"
"Do not." She slammed her fist down on the table, rattling the dishes around her. "I repeat, do not complete that sentence."
Mikhail threw his arms in the air, a rueful smirk twisting his lips. "Still in denial, I see. You can never change."
Reina's lips curved with malice. "Just like how your mother couldn't change her crack whore ways? Seems like I have more in common with my disgrace of a sister than I thought. How dreadful."
Chortles sprung around the table from Reina's venomous group of friends. Each one looked more spiteful than the last, and it was clear as day who they took after.
Anastasia shot me an uneasy look from where she sat right across from me. She had arrived a few minutes ago with her father, and he'd excused himself from the dining hall shortly after.
I guessed that they had a meeting which explained why Mikhail and Deo were the only men at the table. The rest of the seats were occupied by the wives of Igor's inner circle of men who ran the Bratva. At least, that was what Mikhail had whispered to me before dinner began and Reina's attacks started.
The million-dollar question was what was I doing here?
When I informed Mikhail that I was coming along with him and Deo, they'd both stared at me like I sprouted a horn from my forehead before the former asked, "But, you had a bad experience yesterday. Why would you sign yourself up for another round of torture?"
It was all the more reason for me to attend. My not-so-subtle way of saying a fuck you to them after yesterday's cold reception. I couldn't care less what they said about me, and my choice of dress tonight told them as much.
Mikhail was quick with his comeback at Reina. "You share the same taste in dicks, too. Rich with a side of asshole. One of you would even go as far as tearing the other's marriage because of it. Was that you, aunt? My memory is quite touchy, and I seem to only remember the part where Aleksei rejected you when you tried to play mother."
Reina's face flamed with embarrassment, and it was Mikhail's turn to gloat. Anastasia picked up a napkin from the table in the guise of wiping her mouth, while in reality, she was hiding her smile. Reina's posse of friends was stuck between laughing and trying to stick by their friend's side. It was comical to see a group of grown women act like teenagers, and I had no qualms about laughing in their faces.
Only Deo acted like nothing was going on around the table, and he was stuck in a world of his own.
Reina's jaw clamped tight in anger. "You little bas–" She immediately swallowed the rest of her words when the doors opened, and the men flooded in. I recognized a few faces from yesterday as they dropped into seats next to their wives.
