All Chapters of The Ruthless Mafia’s Contracted Bride : Chapter 11 - Chapter 20

“Igor,” Boris says with a quirk of his mouth. “I was just congratulating your lovely fiancée for being engaged to one of the finest men in the city.”His words drip sarcasm. If I have to be honest, this cheers me up a little. Not enough to crack a smile, but it still makes me feel a little better. “You have no reason to congratulate her,” Igor says. “In fact, you have no reason to speak to her at all.”“What’s this about?” Boris asks playfully as his eyes dart to Leo and Igor’s brother. “We’re friends. Practically family, according to the old laws.”“The circumstances of our association aren’t necessarily easy to define,” Igor answers. “But we are not family, Boris. And we never will be.”Boris narrows his eyes a little but he still doesn’t seem surprised or disappointed by anything. “How devastating,” he says dryly. “I expected more from the person I work closely with, so much that I might lose my life due to his desire for a pretty Italian zhena.”Igor’s face contorts into a mask o

Igor looks at me like I’m crazy for a few beats. I repeat my words. “Let my brother go and I’ll do whatever you want me to do.”“You say that now, after you stabbed me?”I gulp, unsure of what to say to that. He keeps the ball of tissues on his chest and then he turns around to discard them before pulling new ones. His whole back is covered in the not detailed tattoo of a skull I’ve ever seen before. There’s a cross right on its forehead, and I can’t help but wonder what it means. So far, nothing is going according to plan. I didn’t plan on begging him to not hurt my brother. He was supposed to be dead by now but I couldn’t see it through. I don’t think I’ll ever forget the feeling of sliding the knife in him, even if just the tip. It’s the most horrible feeling in the world. “I don’t quite know what to do with you, Clara,” he says, and I have to admit that he sounds honest. I stare down at my feet as humiliation rocks through me. I remind myself that this is for my brother, and s

Despite the fact that this event is supposed to be an important one, I don’t receive any assistance in getting ready like I did for the engagement party. It was a tremendous waste of time and money, in my opinion, considering the fact that I was only at the party for about thirty minutes, but since it wasn’t my money or time wasted, I don’t really care. Hubert brings me a new dress, which is what I’m expected to wear tonight. It’s a lovely gown that’s not too formal but not casual enough to wear outside a formal event. It’s just the kind of dress that anyone should have one of—thin sleeves, a decent side slit with no embellishment on it whatsoever. “I picked it myself,” Hubert informs me. “I thought it would suit you.”“Thank you, Hubert,” I say with a small smile. Whenever I’m in his presence, I feel safe and seen. Though he works for Igor and will always ultimately be loyal to him, he’s good to me, and I don’t have the feeling that he betrays my feelings to Igor whenever I confide

The two guards who pulled the drunk man off me are now standing on either side of me while we wait for the damned meeting to end. The drunk man is passed out at my feet. I think he’s been knocked on the head but I’m not certain. I wasn’t focused on paying attention on what was being done to him. I just wanted him to stay away from me. I’m not as deeply affected by all for his as I thought I’d be. Maybe I’m becoming desensitized to all this; there’s so much happening to me that I don’t care anymore. Perhaps it’ll all hit me much later when I’m back in my room alone but right now I’d be lying if I said that I wanted to break down or cry. I just want to get out of here. It’s a long while before Igor strides into the apartment, followed by more guards. The sight of him makes me openly roll my eyes. He walks with this swelled sense of self-importance that is disgusting. “Dismissed,” he barks. “All of you, fuck off.”I stand as well though I know he isn’t talking to me. He cuts me a lo

Being alone with Boris isn’t how I thought I’d spend my day but again, if this is to get back at Igor, then I’ll gladly do it. Since Boris is part-owner of the company, he has rights to make decisions. And because employees are also under his jurisdiction as well, he can give me whatever order he pleases. Including leaving with him. “Don’t worry about Igor,” he tells me as we settle into the car seat. “I’ll deal with him later.”“Who says I’m worried?” This makes him shake his head with an amused expression on his face. He gives his driver an order in Russian and we’re off. I don’t know where it is we’re going and don’t ask either. I don’t really care. However, I can’t deny that the idea to try to escape creeps into my mind. Yes, I know I made a promise to Igor, but since my brother is no longer in immediate danger and there’s already a war anyway, what’s the worst that can happen? Once I’m safely back home, he won’t be able to get to me. He’ll stop being a threat. I don’t have