Ruthless Mafia King: A Dark Bratva Arranged Marriage Romance

I always knew Nikolai’s position was one of power and authority, but I never expected to hear him speak this way to my father. No one gives orders to the pakhan.

There’s an immediate reaction to his demand. Father’s face goes pale for the shortest of seconds, but as he begins to recover his color, his lips start to curl up in a smile. It must have something to do with the dinner conversation from the other night.

“Such a demand is highly unnecessary,” my father says in a tight voice. “And not just that. You’re in no position to be making demands. Not now and not ever again.”

Nikolai’s brows slightly furrow in confusion. “You’re the one that’s not in a position of rejecting me. Need I remind you that I’m your one and only gun supplier?”

“You were,” my father corrects him.

“Is that so?”

My wide-eyed gaze darts between the two as I stare in silence.

“I was willing to keep my business with you. We were partners for a long time, after all. But when you asked for my daughter, you crossed a line,” Father announces with the kind of casual tone one would use at a backyard barbecue. “You left me with no other choice but to shop around.”

I wait for Nikolai to lose his temper, for his jaw to clench, or for his fingers to twitch. But nothing of the sort happens.

The businessman stays perfectly still, his silver eyes as calm as a frozen lake.

My heartbeat quickens in apprehension. As much as I loathe the concept of an arranged marriage, the fact that I’m caught in the middle of their confrontation makes me nauseous. Not knowing the future, for one, as well as the possibility that there could be something even worse for me in the store.

“Without my support, Sergey Gargarin will eat you alive,” Nikolai warns with a cold voice. “Choose your next words carefully, or I won’t be here to help you.”

My father gives Nikolai a smile that doesn’t reach his eyes. He pointedly looks at me and says with a firm voice, “Katarina, as of right now, you are a free woman. I’m officially breaking the arrangement between you and Nikolai Volkov.”

I blanch. My own heart is trying to hammer its way through my chest.

Is he being serious?

“I don’t fucking think so,” Nikolai seethes. His hands are clenched into fists.

“There’s nothing else for us to discuss,” Father declares. “I won’t be blackmailed. My daughter is sacred. No one touches her.”

Father gently kisses me on the temple. It’s just another opportunity for him to display his power, although I do know that he loves me in his own twisted way.

“Now that we’ve discussed this,” my father continues, “there’s no reason for you to be here. Get out of my house.”

I tense, expecting violence from Nikolai. I hold my breath and narrow my eyes at my now ex-fiancé, aware that he can have quite a temper.

Fearing that the cold-blooded entrepreneur will snap and attack my father, I stand up and put myself between them. At least then Nikolai has to go through me before he can get to him.

“It’s time for you to leave,” I tell him, my voice only slightly softer than my father’s.

Though I can’t deny that I’ve been having fantasies about Nikolai’s strong body wrapped around mine, I never wanted to be married to him. Or to anyone else, for that matter. I can’t wait for him to leave so I can finally take a breath and put this horrible nightmare out of my head.

“Really?” he asks, standing up and eyeing me as a wolf would a sheep.

His question almost sounds innocent, but there’s nothing sweet or pure about it. His words are as sharp and predatory as the glint in his eyes.

“We have an agreement,” Nikolai continues, and though he speaks to my father, his eyes are locked on mine. “I didn’t get where I am by allowing people to weasel their way out of their part of a deal. I will get what’s mine. Katarina and I will be married.”

There’s a distinct challenge in his eyes, as if he’s waiting for my reaction. His irises almost dance as he awaits my response, and despite the heat in them, he looks calm and at ease.

But I know that’s not the case.

He’s wound tighter than a fucking spring. I don’t know much about his appearance, but this doesn’t seem right. He doesn’t look like the Nikolai who stood in his office oozing arrogance. No, he looks a little crazed. The new injury along his eye doesn’t help put my mind at ease.

Yet despite knowing better, I’m still drawn to him.

Damn hormones.

Without another word, Nikolai turns on his heel and storms out of the office. As he disappears, I stare in shock at his retreating back. Only when he’s out of sight do I release the breath I was holding.

“You did well, printsessa,” my father tells me with a surprisingly gentle tone. “Go and enjoy your freedom.”

“Thank you, Papa,” I say, hoping that he can see in my eyes how much this means to me.

I flee his office before he can change his mind and promise me to one of his other business partners. God forbid he actually makes an arrangement with Boris Olenko and hands me over to Fedot. Though I like Fedot and find him rather handsome, I did hear about the plans for him to move to Russia. There’s no way I’m willing to live in Moscow.

I head upstairs, eager to celebrate my broken engagement. Whatever Nikolai might’ve wanted with me, whatever undeniable attraction the two of us have, my father just severed it.

When my father speaks, his word is law. There’s no man in the world he takes orders from.

I’m officially a single woman.

My phone starts buzzing in my hand. I glance down at the name on the screen and smile.

“Perfect timing,” I tell Mila on the other end. “Get your ass ready. I’m free of Nikolai.”

“Woo-hoo! What happened?”

“My father broke the engagement.”

“Congratulations, Kata. Where do you want to celebrate?” she asks.

“Solanum,” I reply without missing a beat. “It’s the hottest place in town right now.”

“Pick me up at nine,” she says, and I make a sound in agreement. “I’ve had my eye on the new DJ over there.”

“I’ll be sure to bring my best wing-woman game,” I joke.

Mila bursts out laughing. “I wouldn’t have it any other way. I’ll see you soon, Kata.”

“See you soon,” I reply and hang up.

Now that I’ve made plans with my best friend, I need to pick a sexy outfit. I’ll be raising hell on the dancefloor tonight. It’s my day off, and I’ll be able to fully let go and not pay attention to the band.

After the longest shower of my life, I finally settle on a skintight silver dress. It accentuates my ass and shows just enough of my curves to drive any man out of his mind. I intend to have a lot of fun tonight. It’s about time I take care of my sexual frustration. I’m sure I’ll be able to find a guy that’s just as hot as Nikolai, although I wouldn’t mind taking the Prince of Darkness himself for a ride. Unfortunately, there would be too many strings attached to a night of fun with him.

When the clock strikes eight, I check myself in front of the mirror.

Fucking perfect, I think when I catch sight of myself in the dress.

With confident steps, I walk toward the main hall. My heels echo around me as I turn left and head to the garage. For the party, I choose a more modern, sexy model. I’ll make an impression all around.

Mila bursts through the door before I even come to a stop in front of her house. Her dress is just as seductive as mine. The poor DJ won’t know what hit him.

“Girl,” Mila cheers, clapping her hands. “Single and ready to mingle!”

“Let’s do some damage!” I cheer and step on the gas pedal.

I don’t need the GPS to guide me to Solanum. New York’s most exclusive nightclub is practically my second home.