Cinderheart | 18+

Prologue 2

Zlata's POV

Russian bratva lived and ruled like a royalty, no one batted an eye to what they did because they couldn't be stopped, couldn't be questioned, couldn't be controlled.

I wasn't a part of it because I was illegitimate, i wasn't born to a russian mother but I did have pakhan's blood tainting my veins so they couldn't let me go. I had no way out of bratva. They believed blood was thicker than water and they acknowledged the blood in my veins yet they never acknowledged my existence.

Daughters in bratva were raised well and used as marriage trade offs to maintain alliances, the marriage didn't guarantee happiness and loyalty but safety and a  luxurious life was enough to keep the women quiet.

Their ignorance of my existence was a blessing in disguise, i wasn't a pure breed so i wasn't of any use to them until they found one.

"Ameera Safiyyah, we need to leave soon"

"Wallahi, you cannot use that name anymore. The pakhan won't appreciate it" I instructed. I was Zlata to the bratva, my mama gave me a russian name in hopes of getting favoured by pakhan but to her I was always Safiyyah.

"Why do I have two names mama?" i questioned her often

"Because you're special habibti. you're Zlata to your baba, it means golden because you always shine and to your mama you're Safiyyah because you're the epitome of pureness, aziziti" she said while braiding my hair

"When will I see baba, mama?"

"soon hayati soon" she caressed my face and assured me that when my baba will see me how much he would love me. 

Mama died when i was three and it led me to the doorstep of then pakhan, my grandfather; he asked me for my name and I told him "I'm Zlata. My mama died two days ago, she asked me to go to baba" i looked at the scary old man hopefully.

"Mikhail" the scary old man called out. Another man, the one who looked exactly like the man in the pictures my mama showed me of baba came forward.

"Zlata this is your 'baba'" the old man pointed at him and kicked baba right on his knees.

"Another liability to the bratva Mikhail, is this how you'll prove yourself to them?  is this how you'll be the pakhan?" the scary man spat and left us behind.

i walked up to my baba and touched his face, "privet papa" i whispered in my broken russian that mama taught me.
(hello dad)

He just stared at the floor as if he couldn't hear me, pakhan was always deaf to my words.

Mama lied when she said i shined the brightest for baba, my mama lied because baba didn't love me at all.

a/n:
omg hi, ily!