Page 27 of His Forced Bride

"Contracts can be rewritten." Oleg's tone is diplomatic.

"Or ignored entirely if both parties agree."

"There are no both parties. There's me, and there's a woman who owns something I need."

"You need a fashion company?" Alexei's eyebrows rise.

"Since when do we care about women's clothing?"

I set down my knife and fork, fixing him with the stare that has made grown men confess their sins.

"I care about consolidation. About showing our rivals that we don't retreat when blood is spilled. About proving that the Gravitch family grows stronger, not weaker, when challenged."

The table falls silent.

These men understand strength.

They've watched me crush competitors who mistook grief for weakness, who thought Dominic's death would make me vulnerable.

"The girl has backbone," Alexei admits.

"Building that company from nothing took considerable skill."

"She's also beautiful." Kirill grins, revealing gold teeth.

"Much easier on the eyes than most business partners."

I don't respond to that.

Beauty is temporary, a surface quality that fades with time and circumstance.

But Inessa's refusal to break under pressure, her determination to fight even when surrounded by enemies—that speaks to something deeper.

Something that could be useful in ways these men can't comprehend.

"What about Dimitri?" Oleg asks.

"Your brother won't approve of the new arrangement."

"My brother doesn't approve of anything I do. His opinion is irrelevant."

Taking another bite of the venison, I savor the taste and consider what my brother really will do.

His hands are tied by legal means, but we aren't the type to work within the law.

"Not if he moves against us during the transition. A wedding makes us vulnerable, creates opportunities for rivals to strike," Kirill says.

I pour wine into my glass, watching the dark liquid swirl against crystal.

Dimitri's been testing boundaries for months, probing for weaknesses in my authority.

Dominic's death gave him hope that succession would fall to him, that forty years of rivalry could finally be settled in his favor.

He's wrong.

"Let him come," I say.

"Let them all come. They'll learn what happens to those who mistake a change in plans for weakness."