Page 8 of Beautiful Sinner

He scoffs. “No. I will not make peace with Dante and Erik. They disrespected me too many times. And I’m tired of people always asking.”

“Sorry.”

His eyes soften as he sighs. “No. I’m sorry. I’m just on edge. That’s all.”

“Because of this war,” I remind him.

“Enough. Now, it’s a good thing you’re here. I wanted to talk to you about something.” He motions to his office, which I know is never a good thing. Viktor only ever wants to discuss things in there when it’s bad news.

“What is it?” I ask once we’re seated across each other, his large desk between us. There’s always been a large gap between us, since Viktor is much older than I am. He was sixteen by the time our parents had me. They died when I was just a little kid and he had to raise me. So instead of being my brother, he’s always been more of a father to me.

Which is why he thinks he can treat me more like a daughter and boss me around.

I’ve always listened to Viktor as it made life easier. He protected me over the years so I had no reason to distrust him. And while I do still trust him, the fact that I’m twenty-one now and still stuck in this house, is beginning to frustrate me a little.

“I wanted to discuss something with you.” He steeples his fingers together. “If I had my way, I’d keep you in this house with me forever.”

“What if that isn’t what I want?”

“Is it not? Do you want to leave?”

My brief time in France showed me that there’s a whole world out there that I’ve never explored and I want to see more. But how do I tell my brother without upsetting him? He tends to get sensitive over these things.

“No,” I say slowly. “You know I love and Inessa. It just would be nice to get to do more things.”

“Like?”

“Like date,” I admit.

His expression closes off. “No. You will not date. Any man could take advantage of you. I don’t want you getting hurt.”

“I know. But, Viktor, if I’m never allowed to date, then how will I ever get the chance to fall in love? You had your chance with Inessa. When will it be my turn?”

“Well, that’s what I wanted to talk with you about. I never wanted to marry you off in an arranged marriage. No man would ever be good enough for you. But with this war…” He sighs, running his hand down his face. “My resources are stretched thin and I need all the help I can get.”

“What do you mean?”

“I mean… I’m considering making a marriage match for you.”

There’s a moment of silence between us where it takes me a long time to process his words.

“A… marriage match?” I ask. “An arranged marriage.”

“Yes.”

Don’t freak out, I tell myself. “Is there someone you have in mind?”

Matteo’s face flashes behind my eyes and I promptly push him away. He can never happen, not in a million years. Besides, I barely know him. Yes, he was charming and surprisingly sweet but that could have just been for show. Maybe he’s more of a monster than he was letting on.

“There is,” Viktor admits. “And I don’t like it.”

“So, then why consider it?”

“Because it’s a good deal and I have to keep my options open.”

“Who is he?” When Viktor doesn’t respond, I sigh. “I have the right to know. You can’t keep me in the dark forever. I’m an adult now, Viktor. It’s time you started treating me as such.”

“It’s Grigori Sidorov. He has a lot of money and is willing to help me in this war but only if I give him your hand in marriage.”