Page 70 of The Bratva's Arranged Bride
If it ended up being something she needed, then I wasn’t going to stand in the way of it. And if his presence added to her night, then who was I to prevent that from happening?
“Lucky you, huh?”
Blinking my stupor away, I turned to find Yuri standing there with a drink in hand. His grin was brimming with amusement.
“You scored yourself a real prize after all…and a talented one at that,” he continued, nudging my arm.
I huffed at his antics, but I conceded and nodded. “I won’t deny that. This is good for her.”
“And for you, too, apparently.”
Cocking a brow at him, I couldn’t avoid my curiosity. “What do you mean?”
Yuri chuckled. “I’ve never seen you smile for such a long period. I fear she might be having a good influence on you.”
“Come off it,” I returned, brushing him off. “I’m just glad she’s happy.”
Despite my sincerity, that only seemed to fuel him further.
“Exactly…she has you completely wrapped around her finger.”
Even if he was being ridiculous, I knew he had a point.
She had me so completely, in all ways, and I wouldn’t trade it for anything.
Chapter 26 - Tia
I didn’t want to jinx everything given how well things were going, but as the night went on, I felt more at ease and a lot more confident in my work than I had been.
The showcase was everything I wanted and more…and to have my work not only acknowledged but also appreciated by the public was more rewarding than I ever could’ve imagined.
Everything was moving along as I hoped, and I was more than happy to see Val’s family there to support me so completely. Even if I never had that complete family unit for myself growing up, they wasted no time offering it to me, and I was beyond grateful.
Accepting it was difficult at first, but I was getting used to it, and it wasn’t so bad after all.
Then, I spotted him.
Moving through the crowd of people, Dad was there, dressed in a refined suit that spoke to a level of consideration that went beyond his usual particular habits.
At first, I wanted to be angry at the sight of him there during such an important night for me. But at the same time, I was pleasantly surprised he showed up at all.
Even if we hadn’t talked in some time, I still let him know the showcase was happening on a whim, not thinking much of it.
But there he was, approaching me with a rare fondness in his eyes.
Dad had always been an expert in masking his emotions, only showing what he wanted you to see, but there and then, it seemed he couldn’t hide it after all.
After the wedding, our relationship took a nosedive. After I learned the truth about his business empire, it was even worse.
But over the last few months, I had time to consider his role in everything—how he both lost my trust through his actions, but also managed to bring me the marriage I was learning to appreciate.
I would never downplay how much he hurt me by using me to wager a deal with Val, but at the same time, I didn’t want to be quite so hard on him.
Given how strained he and Mom were, I knew he didn’t have anyone else. I certainly didn’t have another father I could depend on, so I found myself preferring the idea of burying the hatchet, so long as he was genuine.
If I could work on things with Val, I struggled to see why we couldn’t do the same.
“You look lovely this evening, as does your work,” he said once in range, offering me a slight smile.
