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10. Great Shock
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The Ruthless Mafia’s Contracted Bride 11. The Engagement Party
When the doors to the large venue open, my eyes widen considerably. I feel like I've stepped into the nineteen hundreds. The venue is more of a ballroom, and it's breathtaking and majestic. And the crowd. There are so many guests, all immaculately dressed. I notice this even from afar. There's a grand staircase leading to the party below, and so I can oversee everything from where I'm standing. It almost feels like someone will stand beside us and announce our presence like in the old days but that doesn't happen. The guards disperse once we step through the massive engraved doors and it's just Hubert and me. My courage fails me. I'm convinced that I won't be able to see this evening through. I can't face these many people. "I can't do this," I murmur to Hubert. "You must," he insists. "And I am certain that you can."Sometimes it's hard for me to tell whether he's on my side or not, because everything he's done so far is to benefit Igor. But he's also helped me from making a fo
The Ruthless Mafia’s Contracted Bride 12. Scene
“Igor,” Boris says with a quirk of his mouth. “I was just congratulating your lovely fiancée for being engaged to one of the finest men in the city.”His words drip sarcasm. If I have to be honest, this cheers me up a little. Not enough to crack a smile, but it still makes me feel a little better. “You have no reason to congratulate her,” Igor says. “In fact, you have no reason to speak to her at all.”“What’s this about?” Boris asks playfully as his eyes dart to Leo and Igor’s brother. “We’re friends. Practically family, according to the old laws.”“The circumstances of our association aren’t necessarily easy to define,” Igor answers. “But we are not family, Boris. And we never will be.”Boris narrows his eyes a little but he still doesn’t seem surprised or disappointed by anything. “How devastating,” he says dryly. “I expected more from the person I work closely with, so much that I might lose my life due to his desire for a pretty Italian zhena.”Igor’s face contorts into a mask o
The Ruthless Mafia’s Contracted Bride 13. Attempt
Sitting in my room and waiting for something to happen is the worst kind of torture. I’m anguished. My thoughts are solely on my brother and I keep imagining the worst every time I don’t hear any sound coming from downstairs. I imagine Igor in a dark room with him, a knife in hand and a creepy grin on his face. I close my eyes to make the image disappear but the feeling of dread and unshakable fear lingers. I’m terrified that he’ll do something to Marco before I intervene. The thought I had earlier keeps coming back to me. I’m angry enough to contemplate seeing it through and the fact that my brother’s life now depends on the action I’ll take. I’m the one in close contact with Igor so I have a better chance at helping him. I’m so desperate that I refuse to think of a plan where I don’t do something When I finally hear a sound, my heart drops to my stomach and I struggle to stand up. It isn’t just any sound—there’s a full-blown argument happening. I hear many angry voices shouting
The Ruthless Mafia’s Contracted Bride 14. Pity
Igor looks at me like I’m crazy for a few beats. I repeat my words. “Let my brother go and I’ll do whatever you want me to do.”“You say that now, after you stabbed me?”I gulp, unsure of what to say to that. He keeps the ball of tissues on his chest and then he turns around to discard them before pulling new ones. His whole back is covered in the not detailed tattoo of a skull I’ve ever seen before. There’s a cross right on its forehead, and I can’t help but wonder what it means. So far, nothing is going according to plan. I didn’t plan on begging him to not hurt my brother. He was supposed to be dead by now but I couldn’t see it through. I don’t think I’ll ever forget the feeling of sliding the knife in him, even if just the tip. It’s the most horrible feeling in the world. “I don’t quite know what to do with you, Clara,” he says, and I have to admit that he sounds honest. I stare down at my feet as humiliation rocks through me. I remind myself that this is for my brother, and s
The Ruthless Mafia’s Contracted Bride 15. Downward Spiral
I manage to sleep through the night by some miracle. When I wake up, my eyes are heavy and gritty. Washing my face doesn’t quite get rid of the feeling. When I stare into the mirror, I lock eyes with my reflection and stare at myself for the longest time. I don’t recognize the broken woman staring back at me. My face is that of a stranger’s. I’ve come to some shocking realizations overnight, and the words Igor uttered to my brother are still with me. I’m a Makárov now. That’s what he thinks. I guess a part of me always thought that this was all some joke and that once my family intervened, I’d be freed. The only rescue mission was ruined by Boris and my brother didn’t even want to come. I thought they’d come through the elevator shooting, all to get me away from here, but that isn’t going to happen. I don’t think I’ll be getting out of here anymore. I go back to the bedroom and to my surprise, I see Hubert standing at the foot of my bed. The tray of breakfast is already on the
The Ruthless Mafia’s Contracted Bride 16. Cocktail Party
Despite the fact that this event is supposed to be an important one, I don’t receive any assistance in getting ready like I did for the engagement party. It was a tremendous waste of time and money, in my opinion, considering the fact that I was only at the party for about thirty minutes, but since it wasn’t my money or time wasted, I don’t really care. Hubert brings me a new dress, which is what I’m expected to wear tonight. It’s a lovely gown that’s not too formal but not casual enough to wear outside a formal event. It’s just the kind of dress that anyone should have one of—thin sleeves, a decent side slit with no embellishment on it whatsoever. “I picked it myself,” Hubert informs me. “I thought it would suit you.”“Thank you, Hubert,” I say with a small smile. Whenever I’m in his presence, I feel safe and seen. Though he works for Igor and will always ultimately be loyal to him, he’s good to me, and I don’t have the feeling that he betrays my feelings to Igor whenever I confide
The Ruthless Mafia’s Contracted Bride 17. High Tension
I furrow my brows. “Excuse me?”She walks toward me and in that moment, something takes over me. I stand upright and my hands are balled at my sides. I tell myself that I’m prepared to attack this woman if she does it to me first. She’s taller than me—much taller—and she’s wearing heels, which only emphasizes our height difference. Regardless of this, I won’t let myself be intimidated by her. She’s already called me a whore; she’s already crossed a line. She stops a few feet in front of me and narrows her eyes at me. They’re dark and lined with even darker eyeliner. Her skin is golden brown, and her dark hair is being held in place by a hair claw. “You must think you’re so special, don’t you?” she demands. “You strut around like you own the place and you don’t even realize how ridiculous you are!”This takes me aback because I have no idea what she’s talking about. “I don’t strut in any way and even if I did, it wouldn’t be any of your business.” This makes her chuckle. “Of course
The Ruthless Mafia’s Contracted Bride 18. Crossing Lines
The two guards who pulled the drunk man off me are now standing on either side of me while we wait for the damned meeting to end. The drunk man is passed out at my feet. I think he’s been knocked on the head but I’m not certain. I wasn’t focused on paying attention on what was being done to him. I just wanted him to stay away from me. I’m not as deeply affected by all for his as I thought I’d be. Maybe I’m becoming desensitized to all this; there’s so much happening to me that I don’t care anymore. Perhaps it’ll all hit me much later when I’m back in my room alone but right now I’d be lying if I said that I wanted to break down or cry. I just want to get out of here. It’s a long while before Igor strides into the apartment, followed by more guards. The sight of him makes me openly roll my eyes. He walks with this swelled sense of self-importance that is disgusting. “Dismissed,” he barks. “All of you, fuck off.”I stand as well though I know he isn’t talking to me. He cuts me a lo
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