Kazimir shakes his head. “Ready when you are.”
Benedikt nods, a small tilt of his chin. He really is the strong, silent type.That guy is built like a brick house. Definitely someone I’d like to have on my side in a fight.
“Let’s go downstairs. The lawyer is waiting there,” I tell them, checking my phone to see confirmation from my security team.
My hand wraps around Maria’s forearm, gripping tightly to make sure she doesn’t try anything. She can’t get away. This mansion is a fortress. But I don’t want any more delays. She’s already caused enough trouble as it is.
“Be a good little girl, Maria,” I snarl quietly.
“I hate you,” she whispers fiercely, trying to tug her arm away.
I dig my fingers in tighter, and she winces, letting out a soft yelp. Joseph immediately turns to glare at me. I loosen my hand a fraction and raise my brow at him in response. It’s not like he’s going to change his mind and choose morals suddenly.
The choice has been made.
The men make their way downstairs as I follow behind, pulling a reluctant Maria along with me.
“To the left,” I tell Benedikt, who is leading the group. “In the living room.”
He turns left, followed by Kazimir, Joseph, and me.
The lawyer is waiting patiently. He stands up from his seat on the sofa.
“Good evening, gentlemen, are we all ready?” he asks, smiling with pearly white teeth, too bright and too clean. They look like badly done veneers.
“We’re ready. Let’s get this done as quickly as possible,” I tell him.
“It will go as quickly as it goes. We must sign all the relevant documents and pay attention to the…”
“Just do it!” I snap.
Benedikt clears his throat and folds his arms across his massive chest. Joseph sighs. The lawyer springs into action, picking up a leather binder from the coffee table.
“Um, I will need…I need you all to sign each of these documents,” he explains, pulling a number of pens from his binder and setting them on the table. The men move to sit around the coffee table, waiting for his instructions.
I pull Maria with me and take a seat as well.
“Here, and here, you can sign both copies and pass them on….”
The lawyer shuffles papers and distributes them, making sure they come back to him in the right order. He must have OCD or something, because when Benedikt hands him the fourth page before the signing third, he starts twitching.
Kazimir notices and grins in amusement.
Maria is subdued, sitting next to me, but when I hand her the documents to sign as well, she does so without fighting me or complaint, other than the sour expression on her face.
The whole process is over in less than two minutes. No one says vows, other than a verbal acknowledgement and acceptance of the marriage contract. The lawyer and one of my security guards sign as witnesses, and just like that, it’s over. It’s done.
“I’ll get us something to drink,” I say, standing up and leaving Maria with the other men. “Vodka? To celebrate the confirmation of our alliance?”
“Vodka is good,” Benedikt says.
“Make mine a double,” Kazimir adds.
Joseph is watching Maria. His eyes trace over her quiet body language, subdued and miserable. “Give the girl a drink, too,” he demands.
“Thegirlhas a name,” she snaps at him.
“Sorry, Maria,” Joseph responds gruffly, clearly not liking her tone, but also trying to be understanding of her mood.
