Page 17 of The Bratva's Arranged Bride
Even if the arrangement with Andrey was supposed to be for business, driven by necessity rather than passion or genuine connection, I still found myself looking forward to it.
And for whatever reason, it drove me to do things I also never would’ve imagined for myself.
Before, I never thought much about how someone would perceive my actions, or how they’d feel in my presence. I just didn’t feel the need for it.
More than anything, my focus had been on what was happening with my family and what our latest goal was.
But knowing the gears were in motion, and Tia would be in my possession soon enough, I was starting to question every detail, no matter how small.
I started buying her things. Things that might make her transition a bit easier. Clothes, personal care items, a few books…anything I assumed she would appreciate, even if I had no idea what she even liked.
In all fairness, I didn’t know what I was doing.
It was new terrain for me. Of course, I wasn’t completely oblivious when it came to women, and I certainly had my share of fun. But I wasn’t one to take the serious route, and living with a woman wasn’t something I was used to.
Assuming she liked everything most women didn’t feel like the right move, but I didn’t have anything else to work with.
No part of me should’ve been wrapped up in those small details, yet I found myself questioning even those decisions anyway.
I wasn’t doing it to win her over…No, I knew it would take more than that. And I certainly wasn’t going to let myself be that sappy, but still. She had my complete attention somehow, and I had that urge to at least show her I wasn’t a complete monster.
No other woman seemed worth the effort before, but Tia changed that all for me. Whether it was her natural beauty or the fire I saw in her eyes, I couldn’t fight the need to put in a semblance of effort.
Not that I was normally uncaring, but even I was surprised by myself. It was a strange reflex for me to have, but somehow, I didn’t mind it.
Even if the arrangement was about business, I still wanted Tia to feel at ease…and I wanted her to give in to me.
If I was going to have this marriage for the sake of my partnership with Andrey, then I might as well make the most of it.
And Tia, of all people, made me want to do exactly that.
The hotel suite was silent while I stood by the windows, waiting for the inevitable—waiting for Andrey to keep his end of the bargain.
My brothers were in the next room over, chatting idly, letting out the occasional laugh loud enough for me to catch through the walls.
A small part of me wanted to join them, but the rest of me needed the time alone. The chance to mull over what I was doing, and what exactly I was agreeing to.
It would be a big change…a shift in my life I hadn’t been anticipating only a few weeks prior. And all for the sake of business, for the family.
And selfishly, for myself, as much as I wanted to ignore that fact.
I agreed to Andrey’s terms for better or worse, and while I wanted to claim it was all for the greater good of the empire, I knew meeting Tia certainly influenced my decision.
A knock at the door tore me from my thoughts, and upon glancing over my shoulder, I watched as one of our men popped the door open and murmured something about them arriving.
That was it…the time had come.
Despite myself, my heart squirmed faintly, and I nodded for him to allow them in.
At my confirmation, he disappeared, then Andrey and Tia walked in, with the former looking less than impressed.
She wasn’t happy; that much was obvious.
“Ah, Valentin,” Andrey greeted me, looking as pleased as I expected him to be, if not a bit tense, surely from whatever fight Tia had put up. He crossed the space and took my hand, giving it an almost familiar shake. “This is a wonderful day, is it not?”
I pulled a tight-lipped smile for him and nodded, returning the gesture. But my eyes flickered over to Tia, seeing how she stood there awkwardly behind him.
As much as he was my new business partner, I didn’t give a shit about him being there in the moment…not while my entire focus was on his daughter.
