Page 19 of Owned Bratva Bride

“Not today. I forfeit.”

The large room erupted in loud cheers.

“Ivan! Ivan!”

“I want to be alone,” I declared amidst the noise.

“Yes, Boss!” they chorused, making their way out of the room.

Almost immediately, I was left alone.

Leonid came back. “Boss?”

“What is it?” I inquired, rising to fetch a bottle of whiskey and a glass from the mini bar beside my desk.

“Is everything okay?”

His eyes were wary.

“What doesn’t look okay to you?” I asked coolly before taking a gulp of my drink.

“Um, I mean, you rarely ever refuse to play chess.”

Being one of my long-standing men, his observation was right.

“Did anything go wrong with an operation?”

I chuckled, my face unmoving.

“That girl isn’t Navarro’s wife,” I revealed, leaning back.

“What?! She…then, who is she? A mistress?” he rushed. “If she’s his mistress, she might still serve your purpose, as long as he cares about her.”

“She’s not his mistress. Not even his girlfriend.”

“Wow,” he commented. “We can’t just let her go; she’s already in too deep. We can’t trust that she won’t become a loose end, especially if she gets back in contact with Navarro. What do we do?”

“We tighten her cage. Letting her go isn’t an option; it’s too late. She’s here now. I have her, and it’ll remain that way until I decide otherwise,” I declared.

I didn’t know what it was, but there was something about my words that excited me in a way.

“So, we wait for him to reach out to us?”

“Ifhe does reach out,” I pointed out.

“If he doesn’t in a few days, we could sell her off to any of the traffickers around. Or breeders. Thank goodness, she’s young. The options are endless.”

“Who put you in the position to make that call?”

“Sorry, Boss,” he uttered.

“I have her. And nobody decides anything concerning her butme.”

“Got it, Boss.”

Chapter 5 – Marielle

I was back in the room that resembled a top-tier suite in a five-star hotel—a Gothic dream, nonetheless. I might have been excited to be in such a VIP room if it weren’t a cage.