“And yet I’m speaking to you, man to man.” A stranger. That must be Vladimir Romanov. Sasha shuddered at how cold he sounded.
Rose cleared her throat, and only someone familiar with her would recognize how furious she was when she spoke. “Marriage is off the table, Vladimir. To me or any of my sisters. I’m prepared to believe Casimir acted on his own…as long as he’s called home to Russian immediately.”
“You’re a foolish girl, aren’t you?” Vladimir didn’t sound impressed. “You don’t decide when we’re done, Rose Romanov. Jovan does.”
“You aren’t welcome in our territory.”
He laughed, a dry sound that made Sasha shiver. “Why would I need to stay here? New York is a short enough flight from Texas. Our welcome there will be considerably warmer. Ivan knows his place.”
“He wouldn’t,” Papa said.
“Wouldn’t he?”
Surely her father was right… Wasn’t he?
They were on good terms with Ivan. Better than either of the other Romanov branches in the country. Surely he wouldn’t allow Vladimir and his people to set up a base there, knowing it would be to the detriment of Papa?
Sasha moved away from the door and quietly left the room. Ivan might not, but his second-in-command would. Even being mostly left out of the business talk, she knew Ivan’s son-in-law wasn’t on the same good terms with Papa. He’d wanted Rose to marry one of his men, and when she’d refused, he held a grudge.
A horrible feeling took root in Sasha, and she hurried up the stairs to her room. She’d heard the reasons why Papa didn’t want Rose to marry Dante Verducci. Among them was the risk that Kirill would allow Jovan’s people to come and go through his territory. If there was a way to stop it from happening in Texas…
She had to do it.
There was no one else.
Her heart beat too hard as she scrolled through her phone to a contact she’d never used. Jiri Petrov. Ivan’s son-in-law and second-in-command. Before she could talk herself out of it, she hit the call button.
He answered on the second ring. “Da?”
“Jiri? It’s Sasha Romanov.”
Silence for a beat. “Sasha. What a surprise. What brings this call?”
Her throat tried to close, but she focused on breathing past it. It was all in her head. Throats didn’t actually close, not outside of an anaphylactic reaction, which she most assuredly was not having. “That deal you gave my sister? An alliance for a marriage to one of your men?”
“Da? What about it? Your father said no.”
Her vision swam, but she made herself speak the words that would save her family while damning her in the process. “I would like to renegotiate.”
Glossary
This is a quick reference guide for the main players in the world of both the O’Malleys series and the Scandalous Scions series, as well as a little history from the O’Malleys series for those who haven’t read it or would like a refresher. This is also meant to function as a more accessible way to see the information on the family trees at the beginning of the book.
Some of the entries have spoilers for the O’Malleys series. You will also find links to the books themselves if you’re interested in checking them out.
The reading order for The O’Malleys series is:
The Marriage Contract
The Wedding Pact
An Indecent Proposal
Forbidden Promises
Undercover Attraction
The Bastard’s Bargain
The New York Romanovs
Andrei Romanov: Former head of the Romanov family. Deceased.
Rasia Romanov: Andrei’s wife. Deceased.
Dmitri Romanov: Son of Andrei and Rasia. Head of the New York Romanov family. Played the part of a villain to the O’Malleys after his engagement with Carrigan was called off, until he married Keira. His story is told in The Bastard’s Bargain.
Keira Romanov/O’Malley: Seventh child of Seamus and Aileen O’Malley. Married Dmitri in an attempt to avoid a war between the Romanovs and O’Malleys. Recovering alcoholic. Her story is told in The Bastard’s Bargain.
Rose Romanov: Eldest daughter of Dmitri and Keira. Heir to the New York Romanov family.
Sasha Romanov: Second daughter of Dmitri and Keira.
Anya Romanov: Third daughter of Dmitri and Keira.
Lorelei Romanov: Fourth daughter of Dmitri and Keira.
Amal Rashidi: Andrei’s mistress. Deceased.
Olivia Rashidi/O’Malley: Daughter of Andrei and Amal. Married to Cillian O’Malley. Attempted to escape the Romanov family and Sergei by moving to Boston with her daughter, where she fell in love with Cillian O’Malley. Sergei followed and created an incident, which resulted in Dmitri bargaining for the opportunity to be in his niece’s life even after Olivia stayed in Boston. Her story is told in An Indecent Proposal.
Sergei Utkin: Former top enforcer to Dmitri. Olivia’s ex. Hadley’s father. Deceased.
Hadley Rashidi/O’Malley: Daughter of Olivia and Sergei. Adopted by Cillian O’Malley when she was five.
Verducci Family
Lorenzo Verducci: Head of the Verducci family.
Carla Verducci: Wife of Lorenzo. Deceased.
Matteo Verducci: Only child of Lorenzo and Carla. Heir to the Verducci family.
Elia Verducci: Sister of Lorenzo. Was kicked out of the family when she got pregnant with Dante. Died of a drug overdose fourteen years later. Deceased.
Dante Verducci: Only child of Elia.
Capparelli Family
Romeo Capparelli IV: Former head of the Capparelli family. Deceased.
Viola Capparelli: Wife of Romeo. Deceased.
Romeo Capparelli V: Son of Romeo and Viola. Current head of the Capparelli family.
Drucilla Capparelli: Daughter of Romeo and Viola. Has some kind of history with Lev Romanov.
Fabian Capparelli: Second son of Romeo and Viola.
The O’Malley Family
Seamus O’Malley: Former head of the O’Malley family. A harsh man who moved his children about like pawns.
Aileen O’Malley: Wife of Seamus. Hard in her own way. She was the soft touch to manipulate her children as needed. Always looking at the bigger picture.
Aiden O’Malley: Head of the O’Malley family. Oldest child of Seamus and Aileen. Married to Charlie Finch, former cop. He’s just as ruthless as his parents, but has worked hard to carve a different future for his kids. Father of Maeve and Cael. His story is told in Undercover Attraction.
Carrigan O’Malley: Second child of Seamus and Aileen. Broke her engagement to Dmitri Romanov in order to pursue a relationship with James Halloran. Now runs a nonprofit that focuses on combating human trafficking. Her story is told in The Wedding Pact.