Page 50 of Owned Bratva Bride

“I’m not coming out tonight.”

“Okay, Boss. We’ll head back now.”

I sighed. My thoughts went to my father’s anger when I accused him of killing my mother.

“A mob boss is always a danger to those he cares about! Your mother knew this; she chose to be with me! I killed those who killed her, didn’t I? Sometimes, avenging is the best you can do,” he’d yelled at me.

“I won’t ever be like you. I’d rather be alone than put my family in danger!” I had fired back.

“You can’t escape it,” he declared. “And what about the others? Have you forgotten you are a Yezhov?”

While he wasn’t around to taunt me when it happened, my father was proven right.

I lowered my guard and fell in love. What I didn’t know, until it was too late, was thatIwas the only one falling. It was clean business to her. A masked betrayal.

It was a mistake I had sworn never to make again.

I swore never to feel anything again.

Marielle was shaking the very foundation of that resolve.

I had to stop her.

***

“What can I do for you, Mr. Ken?” I asked the man sitting across from me.

“I need a loan. My company is going bankrupt. We can’t acquire a bank loan. My personal worth isn’t enough to get the stock we need to continue production. So I need cash as soon as possible.”

“How much are we looking at?”

He heaved a sigh before answering, “I need $700,000.”

“That amount is a bit high for this time of the month.”

“Anything around $500,000 will go a long way. Personal loans can cover the rest.”

I leaned forward.

“My interest stands at 50%.”

“Oh,” he commented. “I’ll take it.”

Whoever told him about me must have prepared him for the kind of interest to expect.

“Good. I’ll loan you the whole amount. How do you intend to pay back? If you’re paying in installments, the interest rises to 65%.”

“How long do I have to pay back?”

“18 months.”

“I’ll pay once, then.”

“Good.”

“The information you give me in the form is merely preliminary. Disappearing into thin air when it’s time to repay is impossible. I don’t kill loan defaulters; I send them missiles to motivate them to pay up. Do you understand?”

He nodded. “Yes. I won’t default, I promise.”