Page 1 of Innocent Bratva Twins
Chapter 1 - Nico
Boston winter snow falls thick on the ground outside the office building. I step around an old man sprinkling salt over the stairs that lead up to the entrance. We clear the ice with heating built into the stone beneath the steps, but Tony has been the caretaker of this building for three decades, and this has been his job every winter. You can’t teach an old dog new tricks. That’s what they say, anyway.
“Morning, Tony,” I say, tugging the door open.
“Good morning, Mr. Andreev. A beautiful one it is,” he says, his old face cracking into the usual friendly smile that he wears daily.
“Did Clara bring you coffee yet?” I ask, standing in the doorway.
“Not yet, sir, I told her I wanted to finish the salt first.”
I nod, then turn into the building, heat caressing me as I close the door.
Clara, who works in the lobby as our receptionist, jumps out of her seat to greet me. Her red hair is pulled back in a slick bun, and the big round glasses she wears and fogged up for some reason.
“Good morning. Can I get you anything, sir?” she sing-songs happily.
“No, thanks. I’m expecting a delivery around midday, though.”
“I’ll let you know as soon as it arrives,” she nods.
The elevator carries me silently up to the top floor of our high-rise office building. I go over the day's tasks in my mind, ready to dig into the work I need to finish.
It’s been busier these last few months. Ever since my sister, Jade, married that Kuznetsov, business has been flooding in—a good thing, too, because we need to focus on creating a foundation of strength and wealth for the future. It’s better than getting lost in ideas of revenge against the Enzos for taking Grigoriy’s life. They're a powerful, wealthy family with resources that would be impossible to fight against.
We will have revenge. But we all know it’s a dish best served cold. And I’d rather plan it down to the last detail than rush in and lose anyone else I love through stupid, rash decision-making.
The Enzos will pay. I’ll make sure of it. But I won’t risk my family to make that happen. We’ll build our strength first.
I still miss my little brother like crazy. Not a day goes by when he’s not in my thoughts; whether the memory makes me smile or fills my heart with a dark, aching pain, Grigoriy remains a constant in my mind. His life ended far too soon and much too young. But dwelling on the loss and the burning hatred I have towards the Enzos does not make life better for the rest of my family.
At thirty-six, I’m the oldest of my siblings, and it is my responsibility to guide them towards something that can heal their pain instead of tearing their lives apart.
Jade already proved that focusing entirely on revenge is pointless.
Silver doors slide open with a soft ping, and I step out of the elevator onto the top floor.
The receptionist on this floor is dressed in a dark grey suit. Her brown hair is pulled back so tightly it’s tugging at the skin of her face. Every single hair is smoothed down to perfection, and her lips are pursed and stiff.
She stands dead straight and greets me with a sour expression. “Mr. Andreev, I’ll have your coffee with you in a minute, sir. Your messages are on your desk. Your first meeting is at ten in the boardroom three. You will be meeting Miss Brown at exactly three this afternoon. I have sternly reminded her not to be late.”
“Thanks, Nicole,” I smile. She’s only around twenty-five, but with the demeanor of someone in their sixties. “Did you have a good weekend?” I ask, realizing that I’ve never thought of Nicole as having any kind of life other than work. What the hell does she do for fun?
“Yes, sir. It was sufficient.”
Sufficient? What does that even mean?
She’s the stiffest, most boring person I think I’ve ever met. I’m serious about my work, but Nicole is rigid and structured to a point I sometimes wonder whether she’s human or an android.
A slight smirk of amusement brushes over my lips, and I turn away from her before she can see it. If she relaxed a little, she’d probably get on with a lot more people in the office. In fact, if it wasn’t for her severe personality, I would have promoted her to be my executive assistant. She’s capable and qualified, but for fuck's sake, I don’t need that kind of tension.
HR has been interviewing new employees for the second office space I’ve opened up in town to handle the overflow of our rapidly expanding business. I requested they find me anexecutive assistant at the same time, for the main office, to help me manage my day-to-day schedule and keep my life organized.
My only requirement was that the person has to have a good academic background with good results, showing dedication and the ability to handle the work they’ll be doing. Thinking about it now, I should have told them the person needed to have a bit of a personality, too.
I’ll find out later today who they’ve hired for me. Onpaper,and from the HR reports, Miss Brown looks brilliant. Competent, young, energetic, eager to do well, and ready to work. She’s going to need a fuckton of energy to handle the workload I am about to hand over to her. I hope she’s a quick learner. I don’t have time to be babying anyone, and it’s not like I can ask Nicole to help me train her in our internal processes—she’ll probably scare the girl away. Another smirk flashes over my face. Poor Nicole. She’s probably doomed to live alone for the rest of her life.
No one in their right mind would volunteer to marry someone so sour.
