I’m wearing on a knee-length satin gown with a somewhat deep neckline that reveals a hint of my cleavage. Its dark blue color compliments my skin tone and makes me look elegant. When I was getting dressed, Adrian kept glaring at the neckline and asked me to change. But we were already late, so I put on a scarf, then removed it as soon as we were in the car.
That’s one reason for his sour mood, but the main reason is that I insisted on coming to this celebration.
He was against it, saying that Sergei will only be angrier if he sees me and that Lazlo won’t leave me alone. While both of those are true, I’m done hiding away like a porcelain doll.
If there’s anything I learned from temporarily losing my identity and everything that followed, it’s that I can’t keep watching my life like a spectator. I have to take action, even if it ends up being wrong. At least I will have tried, not sat around, waiting for someone else to make the decisions.
Besides, a marriage is for two. I need to stand tall beside Adrian and help him as Rai does with her husband, Kyle.
So what if Adrian always had the last word before? That won’t be happening anymore and I proved that by insisting on coming here. I had to pay for it when he turned my ass red with his belt last night—to the point where I can barely sit today—but it was worth it.
We stop in front of the lounge area where Sergei is sitting with Igor and Mikhail. He lets Adrian kiss his hand, but when it’s my turn, he pulls it away and glares at me. “Why, isn’t this the reason Adrian is losing his logic?”
A muscle works in Adrian’s jaw. “Pakhan. I told you—”
He lifts a hand, shushing my husband without saying it and fixes me with a harsh stare. “Do you have an explanation about your implication in this situation, Lia? An apology?”
I take a deep breath. “I was a victim, and I will not apologize for that. Adrian did what he had to.”
“Are you talking back to me?”
“I’m only answering your question.” I square my shoulders even though my hand trembles around my clutch bag. “We took vows, Pakhan, to care for and protect each other, and those vows are as precious to me as the brotherhood’s codes of honor. I’m not asking you to like me, since I know that won’t be possible, but please try to understand our situation.”
He narrows his eyes on me as if he’s contemplating whether or not to punish me for the insolence. Adrian tightens his hold on my waist until it hurts. I’m not sure if it’s in anticipation of Sergei’s next words or because of how I spoke.
Maybe both.
A few seconds pass before Sergei waves me away. I nod, congratulating him on the deal with the Lucianos and step back.
At first, Adrian doesn’t release me, but then he whispers in my ear, “Stay close and don’t cause any trouble.”
“You, too,” I whisper back and get on my tiptoes to kiss him on the cheek.
His expression falters for a bit as he’s taken aback. Since he makes it his mission to keep his distance from me in front of his precious Bratva, I’ve done the same and have never shown any PDA before.
However, now is different. Now, I intend for the world to learn that he belongs to me as much as I belong to him.
I slip from his hold and head back to the party.
The place buzzes with a lot of invitees in formal attire. There’s soft piano music playing, but it’s somewhat drowned out by the constant chatter.
As per Sergei’s other gatherings, this one is heavily guarded and has an open bar and scattered tables where guests can sit and chat.
I used to dislike such events with a passion. Partly because Adrian treated me like a stranger at them and partly because it always felt like I was an outsider, a fraud.
That I’d taken another woman’s man.
But I think I’m able to rise above that now. As screwed up as it is, I believe Adrian and I were always meant to be together.
He wouldn’t have been as compatible with Kristina. Just like I wouldn’t be with any other man.
I’m about to get something to drink when Rai waves at me from across the hall. I wave back, meeting her and her husband halfway.
She’s cradling her growing belly while Kyle holds her arm to help her balance as she hurries toward me.
He’s tall and muscled in a lean kind of way. He has brown hair and deep cobalt eyes that seem bottomless sometimes, almost like there are no emotions behind them. He used to scare me, because even though he has an outgoing personality, it always felt like he used it as a façade to hide his darker, more twisted side.
A side that Rai embraced without attempting to change him.
“Easy, Princess.” Kyle scolds in a loveable kind of way. “You can’t keep walking in the fast pace you’re used to.”
“Whose fault is it that I’m bloated?” She pokes him.
“Mine?”
“Exactly. So stop nagging.”
His eyes gleam with mischievousness. “No.”
She glares at him playfully, then shakes her head. “You’re hopeless.”
“For you? Fuck right, I am, Princess.” He stares at her with a mysterious look that she obviously understands, because red rises from her neck to her cheeks.
Wow. This is the first time I’ve seen her blush. I thought she was stronger than the world and incapable of feeling embarrassment or anything similar.
Seems she only feels that way around her husband. She looks impossibly feminine right now, unlike the tough, take-no-nonsense Rai I’m used to.
She clears her throat, elbowing Kyle. “I’m thirsty.”
“I’ll be right back.” He winks at her, then nods at me. “Mrs. Volkov.”
As soon as he disappears, Rai takes my hands in hers. “How have you been? Are you okay?”
“I’m supposed to ask you that. How far along are you?”
“Second trimester and it’s kicking my ass, I swear.” She smiles. “Kyle is making it more tolerable.”
“I’m glad you have him by your side.”
“Me, too. I wouldn’t have been able to do it without him. Did Adrian help you during your pregnancy?”
“Tremendously. He took care of everything.”
“He seems disinterested, but I’m starting to think it was all a façade. No one would’ve thought he would go against Granduncle for you, but he refused to divorce you, even if it meant saving his life.”
My lips part. “He did?”
“Yeah. Everyone called him stupid, including Kirill, who’s his ally. Me, however? I was impressed. Even Sergei is.”
“Sergei?”
“Yes.”
“The same Sergei who seems to want my head?”
“It’s all an act. If there’s anything my granduncle appreciates more than the brotherhood, it’s loyalty. Adrian showed loyalty to you and was ready to pay for his actions with his life and Sergei didn’t miss that. Give him time and he’ll come around.”
“You think?”
“I’m sure.” She pauses. “Now, tell me, how do I stop myself from wanting to pee all the time?”
I laugh as she intertwines her arm with mine. I always loved Rai’s company and I feel she’s the ally I need the most in the brotherhood.
After talking about her pregnancy for some time and giving her tips from when I was expecting Jeremy, I clear my throat. “Can I ask you something personal, Rai?”